* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) The AIR is planning to launch new services for several countries, including Japan, Germany and some in the Commonwealth of Independent States, with an aim to supplement the governments diplomatic efforts and outreach programmes to the Indian diaspora, an official said.
Canada, South Africa and Maldives are also among the countries the All India Radio (AIR) plans to reach to, ESD Director Amlanjyoti Mazumdar told PTI.
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Currently, the External Services Division (ESD) of the AIR covers around 150 countries with programmes in 27 languages--14 of them targeting neighbouring countries and nations in Southeast Asia. The ESD plans to expand its global presence now, targeting nations hitherto uncovered by the AIR.
"The ESD has proposed to introduce new services for some countries like Japan, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Maldives and some of the Commonwealth of Independent Statescountries," Mazumdar said.
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a loose grouping of nine member States and two associate members. It was formed during the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The AIR proposal was taken up for discussion during an advisory committee meeting on external broadcast recently.
Mazumdar said these services will aid the governments efforts to further accelerate engagement with global audience and assist diplomatic outreach.
Referring to Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recent visit to India, he said the countries are expanding engagements in number of sectors, hence, the need for a Japanese AIR service.
He said Pakistan has increased its presence in African countries through its new radio services, and India cannot work in "silos".
The ESD aims to keep the listeners in touch with the ethos of India, its point of view on various issues, highlight trade opportunities in the country, besides projecting it as an education, healthcare and tourist destination, he said.
"The foreign radio service also plays important role in public diplomacy, especially in the countries which have a large Indian diaspora.
"Indians today live in almost every country and are interested in knowing what the country of their birth holds for them," he said.
The programme menu of the ESD comprises news bulletins, commentaries on current affairs and a review of the Indian press. It also includes informative talks, interviews, documentaries, features, Indian music of all genres and plays.
Mazumdar underlined the need for support from the Ministry of External Affairs in various areas, including funding, recruitment of foreign language staffand providing inputs and feedback from Indian Missions abroad. PTI MP TIR AAR
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Its been really upsetting to see the scenes from Catalonia. Ok, so the referendum on independence has been ruled illegal by the constitutional courts, but there are ways of dealing with that in a peaceful manner.
No good can come of the Polices inflammatory action.
Of course, this all has some resonance to me as a Scot. We, of course, had our own referendum on independence in 2014 after the SNP won a mandate to hold one.
Mike Moore, as Secretary of State for Scotland, acted like a grown up and negotiated with Nicola Sturgeon to produce the Edinburgh Agreement. That was really important because it gave the poll legitimacy. If the SNP had had their way, theyd have set up their own Commission to regulate it. Mike insisted that the Electoral Commission, reporting to the Scottish Parliament, should oversee it. Together, in accordance with both parties policies, they agreed that 16 and 17 year olds would be able to vote something that worked incredibly well.
The outcome was a legal and fair poll which commanded confidence. Dont get me wrong, the referendum was one of the most horrible experiences of my life, but it was at least run properly.
Vince Cable has tonight called for Boris Johnson to call in the Spanish Ambassador over the incident;
Police in a democracy should never drag people violently out of polling stations, whatever the arguments for or against holding a referendum. The police response looks to have been brutal and completely disproportionate. The Foreign Secretary should break off from conspiring against the prime minister and call in the Spanish ambassador to tell him that this is completely unacceptable.
Actually, he could have added in that the EU needs to speak out on this. The internal affairs of Spain are one thing, but when people are being dragged out of polling stations, that does seem to be incompatible with everything the EU stands for.
Willie Rennie said that the Spanish and Catalonian governments could learn from the Scottish experience:
This is a sad day for democracy in Europe. I have no view on whether Catalonia should be independent from Spain but the Spanish Government needs to change its ways. This is a political dispute and should be resolved through an act of democracy, not an act of force. The Spanish Government should look to how the UK and Scottish Governments came together to solve the political dispute over whether Scotland should be independent. It was through the leadership of Scottish Secretary Michael Moore that we made the Edinburgh Agreement so that we could, through democracy, conclude that we wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.
I have to say that Im not sure that the SNP parliamentarians out there are actually helping the situation.
I thought that Liberal Internationals statement was reasoned and moderate.
The Bureau of Liberal International is very concerned with the situation in Spain in relation to Catalonia. It acknowledges in sociological terms- the existence of different worldviews in Catalonia and the rest of Spain. These diverging views of the same reality produce diametrically opposed analyses of the situation, causes and possible solutions and spell trouble for the future. A large majority of Catalans desire according to opinion polls to hold a referendum on their future, whether they agree or not on independence from Spain. The current legality in Spain is not conducive to such a vote. Liberal International early on, at its congresses in Rotterdam and Mexico, recognized this problem and advocated political negotiations to find a solution. These never took place. Liberal International does not wish to enter the debate on independence or to assign blame for the current situation but it notes with regret that the present difficulties were foreseen and that no political dialogue has occurred. The current criminalization of political officials happening in Catalonia though is unhelpful and reprehensible. Some of the more than 700 Catalan mayors asked by the justice system to appear in front of a judge under penalty of imprisonment have appealed to us: many are from our sister political organization in Catalonia active in LI for decades. We offer them our steadfast support. But we also urge the Catalan authorities to seek a concerted way of constitutional evolution with the rest of Spain. And we urge the authorities at the state level in Spain to be responsive to the reality of current disaffection from a large number of Catalans. Similar desires of a large number of people to vote on their future even when they have turned out to be less than the majority and have produced negative outcomes for independence- have been accommodated in the past decades in Canada and the United Kingdom. Examples abound as well in Europe of constitutional evolution and difficult political negotiations that make living together in federal settings possible in the long run, such as in Belgium or Switzerland. The present conflict in Catalonia requires mutual respect from all parties concerned particularly of each others worldviews and the will to sit together in a concerted and timely way to find a politically negotiated solution. Criminalizing political actors will only accentuate the present chasm and needs to be avoided. Although a political solution should have been tackled much before the current events had taken place, in our opinion there is still time to craft political agreements that will allow to resolve this crisis. Liberal International is ready and willing to provide assistance and mediation, if required, to all parties concerned.
ALDE MEP Hans Van Baalen echoed that sentiment:
Respect for rule of law should go hand in hand w respect for citizens. We want end of disproportional police violence and political dialogue pic.twitter.com/EGllycGP3D Hans van Baalen MEP (@hansvanbaalen) October 1, 2017
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
Heres Vince addressing the considerable crowds at the #stopBrexitManchester march. This is what he had to say.
We are in Manchester because the Conservative Party are here and we want them to hear our voices to tell Theresa May and Boris Johnson that we are not citizens of nowhere, but people who are proud to be British, and proud to be European.
We must tell the government what is at stake here.
Take the great research institutions in Manchester, such as the National Graphene Institute developing a new wonder material. Or the Human Brain Project. Or Cancer Research each have received 1bn in EU funding, the largest research commitments the EU has ever made: what is their future?
We must tell Theresa May to stop treating EU citizens like hostages in the negotiations. There are 130,000 EU citizens in Greater Manchester alone. The same goes for British citizens elsewhere in the EU. The right to remain, and the protection of UK and European law, must be guaranteed. And not in 2019, or 2021, or never, but now.
Insecurity is driving away valuable, and valued, EU workers.
If the government is unable to deliver the deal the Brexiteers promised, the people are entitled to a vote on it including the option of an exit from Brexit. That is why, as Liberal Democrats, we demand a vote on the final deal, and will work with decent minded people of all parties to delver it.
PATRICK Comerford is determined to bring the Church of Ireland in Limerick up to speed in terms of new media.
And he is spearheading a first in diocesan terms with a new website designed to help priests and lay ministers, the first such diocesan
The new website, in a blog format, was launched by the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Revd Kenneth Kearon and the first posting suggests readings and hymns that could be used at Harvest Festival ceremonies in the different parishes.
Already, Canon Comerford says, he has received a couple of hundred hits since the website went up and he is very pleased with the response.
It not just a website out there in the ether. It is helping people, says the priest in charge of the Rathkeale and Kilnaughtin group of parishes.
The website, he explains, is part of his work as director of continuing education in this diocese.
And he would be happy if other dioceses were to copy the template and example set by Limerick and Killaloe. There is resource material on the general Church of Ireland website, Canon Comerford explains, but it comes along with a lot of other material on other matters and can be difficult to access. This is straight to the point and even includes photographs that can be used by other ministers to illustrate their own newsletters.
However, for the former journalist and confirmed blogger, this is only the beginning. He plans to hold a training day for ministers and readers next month where the focus will be on using social media as well as traditional media. The topics, he explains, will include working with local radio stations, newspapers and the diocesan magazine as well as how to use social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and websites, in the parish. Producing parish newsletters and handouts will also be part of the agenda.
I am bringing my social media interest and skills into helping and enabling the priests and readers of the diocese, he says simply.
For him the day of the crumpled A4 newsletter to be picked up at the back of the church is gone. Using new media is about finding people where they are rather than where we want them to be, he believes.
It reaches out beyond the congregations attending services to a wider congregation and keeps them in touch with the church, he argues.
Age is not a barrier. I am 65 and I am finding my age group, which is the average of most people attending services, are all using social media whether texting or Facebook.
He puts his own sermons online on his personal patrickcomerford.com blog and also uses social media to remind people about services and the responses he gets come from a wider number of people than those attending Sunday service.
Moreover, the majority are using their mobile phones for this. So for example, a text can alert them to a sermon by Patrick and they can then read it for themselves.
The new website is https://cmelimerick.blogspot.ie/ and for more information Canon Comerford can be contacted at cme@limerick.anglican.org
His own blog, which contains a lot of material on local Limerick is at www.patrickcomerford.com
OVER 100,000 in potential rates has been lost as result of a former garda station lying idle, a prominent local auctioneer has revealed.
Two former Limerick garda stations were the subject of discussion on the national airwaves with local representatives calling on the Office of Public Works to take action on their future use.
Concerns were raised that Edward Street garda station in the city - which has been lying idle for 30 years - along with Galbally garda station have fallen through the cracks.
The station in Galbally was closed in 2013 as part of a nationwide cost-cutting programme.
On several occasions Cllr Eddie Ryan who is from Galbally has attempted to get the large detached period building brought back into use for accommodation
While it was closed as a garda station in 2013 its only idle about two years. They were two guards living there as couple, married with their child and they have gone back to live in Limerick, Cllr Ryan told the Leader this week.
I have had two different guards who want to rent the house and I have tried on a number of occasions to try and get this house let to a serving garda in the district.
We had two gardai there and we were delighted with them. The station wasnt open but if almost felt as if it was because we had a garda presence.
In a statement, the Office of Public Works said that the station in Galbally is being prepared for public auction early next year.
The board of works could sell it as part of a lot of six or eight of them together whereas somebody might love to buy it as a home, said Cllr Ryan.
Its something that is going to be discussed with the community council to see if we can make a case for holding it for community purposes.
If its definitely going to be sold, we would like to think that the community is going to get a consideration for it as well.
Meanwhile, well-known auctioneer Pat Kearney of Rooney Auctioneers raised concerns over the former Edward Street garda station in the city which was once an RIC barracks and has been lying idle for 30 years.
Speaking to reporter Brian OConnell for the Sean ORourke Show on Radio One, Mr Kearney said that he could not understand why the three- storey, building was still vacant.
I approached the Board of Works on a personal basis, not as an auctioneer, several times over the past few years and declared an interest from myself to buy it, he explained.
He said that he was told by the OPW that if they were going to sell it, it would have go to public auction. I said I would welcome that and go to any public auction and put in my bids.
Mr Kearney said that he was told over the past 10 years that they were negotiating with Limerick Corporation and that they were buying it but nothing seems to have happened.
If the Board of Works' mindset is to hold onto buildings and do nothing with them - thats sacrilegious, thats shameful.
Mr Kearney, who, in a past life was a garda himself was first stationed at Edward Street garda station in 1961, aged 19 years.
He explained that at the time, single gardai were obliged under regulation to sleep in the station.
I slept in that station for four years, Mr Kearney pointed out.
During the radio feature, at the site of the former city garda station Mr O'Connell described how two men had arrived at the building and started to deal drugs.
Mr OConnell later told Sean ORourke that Mr Kearney explained off air that if the building had been sold for commercial use youre probably looking at well over 100,000 over the last 25 to 30 years which have been lost in rates to the city.
Mr Kearney said that he and other auctioneers have lists of people who are looking for accommodation in Limerick at the moment and failing to get it.
In a statement, the OPW said the station on Lord Edward Street is in the final stages of transfer to Limerick City Council and this is expected to conclude shortly.
AS property prices in Limerick continue to rise, a city auctioneer has revealed she shows each new house to more than 15 people.
Lisa Kearney, Rooneys Auctioneers, made the comments after new data released this week show the average price of a three-bedroom house in the city is now 190,000 a 2.7% hike from just three months ago.
And the average price of a home in the county now stands at 145,900 a rise of 3.6% since June.
The information, put together by REA nationally, comes as the price of renting soars to record highs.
Ms Kearney says developers need to be incentivised to build.
It [the price rises] is being driven by competitive bidding due to a lack of supply. There is a huge shortage of housing feeding every market from young first time buyers up to retirees, she said.
Rooneys Auctioneers housing stock is low at the moment, she added.
Were trying to get more stock in. We have huge demand.
Were dealing with clients every day. Unfortunately, it means that when you put a house on, you often have more than 15 people viewing. Its hard for everyone, Ms Kearney stated.
Meanwhile, Dr Donal McManus, who heads up the Irish Council for Social Housing, said spending in this sector must be the countrys top priority in Budget 2018, which will be announced in two weeks.
Dr McManus made the comments at the councils national social housing conference which is taking place at the Strand Hotel this Wednesday and Thursday.
Driving down construction costs is vital to expanded delivery of social housing, he said. Ireland should follow the example of Sweden, where an innovative procurement model has led to a 25% reduction in costs for social housing, he said.
Separately, in its own pre-budget submission, the Limerick Chamber has called for the introduction of a Help to buy scheme.
It says this would avoid the possibility of the housing crisis threatening Irelands economic upturn.
ORGANISERS of the annual Limerick Jazz Festival have hailed this years series of diverse performances as a huge success, coincided as they did too with a superb Culture Night.
From September 22 to September 24, the city was a hub for jazz exploration at various venues, including Dolans, the Hunt Museum, and Limerick City Gallery of Art.
Two acts stole the show over the weekend; UK hip-hop saxophonist Soweto Kinch and his trio, and the jazz-fusion funk James Taylor Quartet.
On his last day in Ireland, Kinch jammed with a number of local musicians at the Hunt Museum as part of the annual festival jazz workshop.
After the workshop, Kinch told the Leader that his headline performance at Dolans Warehouse was wicked and very good fun.
It was the third time the BBC Radio 3 presenter performed in Limerick.
UK jazz fusion band James Taylor Quartet performed for the first time in Limerick since 1992.
Performing a string of blaxploitation-inspired pieces, the fast-paced, funk four-piece played the familiar Green Onions by Booker T & the MGs, the Starsky and Hutch theme song, and a lengthy setlist of slick scores, combined with brilliant solos.
Limerick Jazz Societys John Daly said: We had a programme that was very accessible and felt it would appeal to a much wider audience. Programming is a very important part of any festival and last weekend has proven this.
Other notable acts included Booka Brass Band, Dublin City Jazz Orchestra, and The Mysterious Mr Valentine.
May 3, 2021, 5 AM
A recently discovered 1882 Western-style cover mailed from Peking (Beijing) to Tientsin (Tianjin) and franked with a single example of the 1882 3-candareen Large Dragon stamp will be offered during the Oct. 16-20 public auction series by Christoph Gaertne
The message area of this 1923 postcard shows a signed drawing of a horse by artist Pablo Picasso. Christoph Gaertner will auction the card during the firms Oct. 16-20 auction in Germany.
By Michael Baadke
Germanys Christoph Gaertner auction firm offers what it describes as incomparable diversity in its Oct. 16-20 philatelic auction.
The auction opens Monday morning with a selection of more than 5,100 lots of Asia, in single lots and collections.
The Asia selection includes the recent discovery of a single 1882 China 3-candareen Large Dragon brown red stamp with wide margins on cover to Tientsin (Tianjin). The stamp is tied by a Peking (Beijing) blue seal, and the small Western-style cover is postmarked Peking March 29, 1882, on the reverse. The envelope came to light one year ago as part of the Meyer & Co. correspondence.
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Gaertner reports that very few inland covers franked with the 3ca Large Dragon and mailed from Peking are known. This new discovery is offered with a starting value of 15,000 (approximately $17,670).
Along with the special Asia catalog, additional catalogs have been prepared offering thematics and worldwide material, Europe and Germany, plus picture postcards, overseas and thematic collections, and collections of Germany and Europe.
Among the Germany offerings is a collection of Bavarian rarities and additional lots resulting from the liquidation of two collections of German occupation in World War II built over decades, according to Gaertner.
The auction also offers a newly discovered postcard written by famed artist Pablo Picasso in 1923 and including his continuous line drawing of a horses head, along with his signature. Bidding for the original Picasso, franked with a pair of the 5-centime orange Sower stamps from France and mailed to Paris, begins at 75,000 ($88,370).
Information about the upcoming Christoph Gaertner auction is available online, including illustrated listings of individual lots and options to bid, and by postal mail from Auktionshaus Christoph Gaertner GmbH & Co., Steinbeisstrasse 6 + 8, 74321 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.
State-owned oil firms revise rates of LPG and ATF on 1st of every month based on average oil price and foreign exchange rate in the previous month.
By India Today Web Desk: The prices of ATF (aviation turbine fuel) or jet fuel was hiked today by 6 per cent pertaining to soaring international rates. This is for the third time the rates have been increased since August.
(ATF) will now cost Rs 53,045 per kilolitre (kl) in Delhi, Rs 3,025 per kl more than Rs 50,020 previously, according to a price hike notification by Indian Oil Corp, the nation's biggest fuel retailer.
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Jet fuel will now cost Rs 53,045 per kl (kilolitre) in Delhi, an increase of Rs 3,025 per kl than Rs 50,020 previously, stated Indian Oil Corp in its price hike notification.
It's the third consecutive monthly hike in jet fuel price with the last being on September 1, by 4 per cent (Rs 1,910 per kl).
NOT JUST ATF, LPG TO COST MORE AS WELL
Also, cooking gas (LPG) price was hiked by Rs 1.50 per cylinder in line with the government decision to raise rates every month to eliminate subsidies by March.
A subsidised 14.2-kg LPG cylinder will from today cost Rs 488.68 in Delhi as against Rs 487.18 previously, IOC said.
The hike comes on back of over Rs 7 per cylinder increase effected from September 1.
Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had on July 31 told the Lok Sabha that the government had asked state-run oil firms to raise subsidised cooking gas (LPG) prices by up to Rs 4 per cylinder every month to eliminate all the subsidies by March next year.
Rates were, however, raised by Rs 2.31 per cylinder on August 1 and the oil companies effected a large hike on September 1 to equalise that, sources said.
Since the implementation of the policy of monthly increases from July last year, subsidised LPG rates have gone up by over Rs 69.50 per cylinder. A 14.2-kg LPG cylinder was priced at Rs 419.18 in June 2016.
The government had previously asked IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) to raise rates of subsidised domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) by Rs 2 per 14.2-kg cylinder per month (excluding VAT).
The quantum has now been doubled so as to bring down the subsidy to nil.
Every household is entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates in a year. Any requirement beyond that is to be purchased at market price.
The price of non-subsidised LPG or market priced cooking gas has also been hiked by Rs 1.50 to Rs 599 per bottle.
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Rates at the last revision on September 1 were hiked by Rs 73.5 to Rs 597.50 per bottle.
State-owned oil firms revise rates of LPG and ATF on 1st of every month based on average oil price and foreign exchange rate in the previous month.
Today's hike in the LPG price is fifth since the May 30 order of the oil ministry to raise rates by Rs 4 per cylinder every month.
There are as many as 18.11 crore customers of subsidised LPG in the country. These include over 3 crore poor women who were given free connections during the last one year under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna.
There are another 2.66 crore users of non-subsidised cooking gas.
WATCH THE VIDEO: Operation Petrol Chip Scam: Nationwide fuel fraud exposed
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By PTI: Ambala, Oct 1 (PTI) The Indian Air Force has initiated major infrastructure upgrade at its frontline base here for deployment of the first squadron of the Rafale jets which will give India greater "potency" over Pakistan as these will be capable of carrying nuclear weapons and other missiles.
The government has already sanctioned Rs 220 crore to set up 14 shelters, hangers and maintenance facilities at the 78- year-old base for the Rafale jets whose delivery is scheduled to begin from September, 2019, a senior IAF official said.
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"We are creating infrastructure keeping in mind infrastructure requirement for the Rafale jets for next 40-50 years," the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to media.
The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from it. Currently, the base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison.
Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh, who passed away two weeks ago, was the first commander of the Ambala base in independent India.
Several teams from French defence major Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, have already visited the Ambala air force base and finalised the requirement for the first squadron of combat jets.
The IAF is also carrying out infrastructure upgrade at its Hasimara base in West Bengal which will house the second squadron of the Rafale jets, the official said.
In September last year, India had signed a Euro 7.87 billion (approx Rs 59,000 crore) deal with the French government for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets. Eighteen Rafale jets will be deployed in Ambala while an equal number of the new generation jet will be stationed in Hasimara.
"We are planning to put in place all required infrastructure for Rafale squadron by end of next year," said the IAF official.
The Ambala as well as Hasimara stations will also have simulator-based training facilities for the air crew of Rafale jets. The IAF has already selected a batch of pilots to fly the jets and they are being given training by Dassault Aviation in France.
The Rafale squadron to be deployed in Ambala will be known as Golden Arrows which was originally based in Bhatinda and was disbanded two years ago.
The Rafale combat jets will come with various India- specific modifications including Israeli helmet mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10 hour flight data recording and infra-red search and tracking systems among others.
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The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF, which is currently down to 34 squadrons as against a sanctioned strength of 44, includes its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range of 150 KM.
Its integration on the Rafale jets will mean IAF can hit targets inside both Pakistan and across the northern and eastern borders while staying within Indias territorial boundary. PTI MPB ZMN AAR
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Referring to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's recent campaign tour to Saurashtra, Shah said, "Rahul Gandhi comes here and seeks answer from us as to what has the BJP done in the state.
By Press Trust of India: BJP chief Amit Shah today attacked Rahul Gandhi for questioning the "Gujarat development model" and accused the Congress of meting out injustice to the state as he virtually launched the campaign for the crucial assembly polls from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's native place.
Shah paid tributes to Patel at his ancestral home in Karamsad along with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel before launching the 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' (march for honour) to highlight the state's achievements during the two decades of BJP rule.
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The then chief minister Narendra Modi had taken out a yatra with the same name before the 2002 Gujarat Assembly elections. The road show, being held in run up to assembly elections due in December this year, will cover central Gujarat in its first leg.
Addressing the gathering, Shah accused the Congress of inflicting "injustice" on Gujarat, generation after generation, and said that in the upcoming Assembly election, the people of the state will make fun of those who "mock Gujarat's development".
"The BJP today launches Gujarat Gaurav Yatra from the same land of Sardar Patel from where he raised the voice of the farmers and started the work to unify the country," he said.
Referring to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's recent campaign tour to Saurashtra, Shah said, "Rahul Gandhi comes here and seeks answer from us as to what has the BJP done in the state.
"We are seeking an answer from you for injustices that the three generations of your rule inflicted on us," the BJP president said.
While the first generation of Congress "insulted" Sardar Patel by not giving him his due recognition and Bharat Ratna, former Congress Prime Minister "Indira Gandhi did injustice to Morarji Desai", Shah alleged.
"The third generation of (Congress leaders) Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have done injustice to Narendra Modi, and Gujarat seeks answer for that," he said.
Shah also enumerated various achievements of the BJP-led governments in the state. He compared the situation in Gujarat in 1995, when the BJP wrested power from the Congress, and what the state had achieved till 2017 on yardsticks such as power generation, farm production, education, police, road infrastructure, among others.
"When Narendra Modi was the chief minister, he created a Gujarat development model which has today become a model for the entire country. This model is Gujarat's pride," he said.
He said Modi ensured 24X7 electricity, water through Narmada dam and investments through Vibrant Gujarat Summit.
The "Sonia-Manmohan Singh" government in UPA's 10-year rule inflicted great injustice on Gujarat by holding up Narmada dam project, he alleged. But with Modi becoming the prime minister, he gave approval to increase height of the dam, the BJP president said.
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"The gates (of the Narmada dam) are closed and water has started reaching till Rajasthan," he said.
Shah said Gujarat got All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), bullet train among others after Narendra Modi became the prime minister.
The second leg of the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra will be launched by Shah tomorrow from Porbandar, the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi.
The yatra will go on till October 15. It will be held on two routes simultaneously.
Prime Minister Modi and Shah will remain present for the concluding ceremony of the yatra, the place for which is yet to be decided.
ALSO WATCH | Yashwant Sinha lashes out at PM Modi, Jaitley over economic crisis
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Laredo's much-lauded documentary, "Rhapsody on the Rio," has recently been added to the national PBS Online Network for viewing, dramatically expanding its audience potential.
Based on a haunting musical composition, "Rapsodia," by Texas A&M International University faculty member and University organist Colin Campbell, the documentary explores the river's immutable ability to bring together diverse peoples. Using music and commentary, it explores theme streams of culture, history and identity. KLRN, the San Antonio PBS station for Central and South Texas produced the film with generous funding support from the City of Laredo.
Part of the film's special charm is its colorful use of the sounds of Campbell's composition as performed in concert by the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Brendan Townsend, accompanied by the famed Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan de Guadalajara, directed by Fernando Martinez. The performance was videotaped with multiple cameras in a special TAMIU staging. Austin-based filmmaker Luke Dillard directed the film. Laredo writer Meg Guerra developed the script.
The film premiered last April at a gala public showing at TAMIU's Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Theatre and aired repeatedly thereafter on KLRN. It also aired in the Corpus Christi and Valley area.
At the film's debut, Pablo Arenaz, the university president, said he believed the documentary film told a powerful story and was glad that many more will have an opportunity to experience the film.
"It's a remarkable, artistic offering infused with what it means to be a citizen of our dynamic border. It masterfully draws from a universal palette of sound and image to share its story. I think audiences will be especially delighted to see familiar Laredo faces and hear traditional sounds that embrace that story. This expanded online distribution will bring our story to more and more people," Arenaz said.
Mayor Pete Saenz said the documentary has already opened the door to the wonder that is Laredo.
"We were proud to collaborate on such a worthy endeavor. This filmmaking work of art showcases Laredo's bountiful culture manifested through its rich history and gifted people," Saenz said .
"This documentary captures 'nuestro Laredo,' our communities' longstanding ability of bringing people and their talents together...I can only hope that the effect it has on viewers is as enticing and uplifting as I see it. Our community is complex in ways, yet, embraces simplicity in expression and care. We have outstanding educational institutions, truly one-of-a-kind music, talented people and our bilingual and bicultural border mix is a strength to be touted. This film opens the door to the wonder of who we are," Saenz concluded.
For those wishing to own the DVD or its CD soundtrack, both are available for sale at TAMIU. Sales support student scholarships in the Fine and Performing Arts. CDs are $15, DVDs are $25 and a combination of both is $35.
The video can be seen by clicking this link or by simply clicking play on the embedded video above.
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Editor's Note: This story is just one part of an LMT investigative report on maquinita parlors in the Gateway City. Part Two, which details local figures' responses to the 8-liner issue can be found here. Part Three, which details the history of 8-liner corruption in Laredo and the legislative response to game rooms can be found here.
Maquinitas operate in every corner of Laredo. These illicit game rooms exist under the law as innocuous amusement venues, but hand out and rake in cash like casinos.
Up until 2013, news of local law enforcement agencies raiding maquinitas was fairly commonplace. Typically, police would go undercover, record illegal cash payouts to patrons and then arrest offenders on charges of gambling promotion, a Class A misdemeanor. The Laredo Police Department reported 59 arrests on gambling promotion charges from 2010 to 2013.
Then through 2014, 2015 and 2016, there were no gambling promotion arrests made at any local maquinitas, according to data provided by LPD. But on Friday, for the first time in roughly four years, LPD raided maquinitas, making four arrests and seizing nearly $500,000.
Under state law, maquinitas can exist only for amusement purposes, meaning no actual gambling should be involved. The idea is that people can pay to play these games of chance for fun, and receive a payout of up to $5, or a prize of equal value.
Payouts at maquinitas are infamously much larger than this, and are sometimes massive. Anecdotally, to hear of winnings in the hundreds or thousands of dollars is not uncommon.
READ MORE: $500k seized, 4 arrested as authorities carry out raids of local maquinita parlors
When LMT visited a few of these establishments, cash payouts were as large as $2,500, $400, $140 and many others above $5.
Sixty-eight game rooms are currently licensed to operate within city limits, housing something like 5,000 machines total. They are not unique to Laredo or the border. It's a billion-dollar industry in Texas. The Lottery Commission estimates that there are up to 150,000 illegal 8-liner machines across the state.
Inside, typically these establishments are kept completely dark but for the glowing and singing gambling machines squeezed together from wall to wall and in long rows along the floor. Patrons can often help themselves to a free buffet and fountain drinks as they sit and play.
Each of these individual gambling machines are taxed by the city, county and state. The Texas Comptroller's Office charges a $60 occupational tax per machine.
In August, when Laredo City Council needed almost $2 million in revenue to balance the additions they made to their 2018 budget, they looked to the maquinitas. City Council voted to nearly double the annual fee game room owners have to pay for each machine, from $550 a year to $1,050 a year. The city expects to make $5.6 million in 2018 from these fees, according to the city's Budget Department.
RELATED: Laredo City Council approves $647.5 million budget, doubles maquinita license fee
The city has been hiking maquinitas' permit fees since at least 2011. That year, council voted to raise fees from $250 to $350 per machine. In 2012, they voted to raise fees to $400 per machine. And in 2013 they bumped up fees to $550 per machine.
In 2009, the city collected $834,000 from maquinitas fees. By 2016, that number was up to $2.9 million. In that eight-year time span, the City of Laredo collected a total of $15.6 million from maquinitas.
In 2017, Webb County made $110,386.25 on maquinitas' licensing and permitting fees, according to the county tax office. The county charges $15 per machine each year plus an annual licensing fee of $200-$500 per venue, depending on the number of machines in the establishment.
From 2010 to 2016, the number of 8-liner establishments in Laredo wavered between 56 and 77, according to the City of Laredo Building Development Services. The peak was 2013.
Setting priorities
The sudden drop in maquinita raids occurred when Ray Garner became LPD chief in 2013. He left the job in March 2017 after being appointed United ISD police chief. UISD denied Laredo Morning Times' request to interview Garner.
Investigator Joe E. Baeza, LPD spokesman, noted that police have reduced overall crime in Laredo by about 40 percent since 2009, even while the city's population has grown 12 percent. And they must prioritize their resources, he said.
"As with all police departments, (LPD) has an obligation to prioritize, control and carefully manage Laredo PD's resources in accordance with a multitude of crime impacting the city's overall quality of life," Investigator Joe E. Baeza, LPD spokesman, said in a statement to LMT. "In simplest terms, what good would promotion of gambling (a misdemeanor) arrests be if murder and property theft like auto theft, (for) which at one point Laredo was labeled No. 1 in the U.S., are out of control."
RELATED: Former employee allegedly robbed maquinita business in Laredo
In March, LPD announced the dismantling of an auto-theft ring that delivered stolen vehicles to the Zetas drug cartel. The operation led to a number of arrests and indictments.
Baeza said in the statement that the community could accomplish much more by not providing maquinitas their substantial client base.
"The cacophony of front burner priorities is endless here at Laredo PD and its officers and detectives are doing a rather decent job of meeting essential quality of life issues regarding law enforcement in this city," Baeza said. "There are not many cities that can boast about a near 40 percent reduction in overall crime these days.
"Nonetheless, we will continue to make positive strides whenever and wherever possible with regards to compliance enforcement against casino-themed businesses."
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CODRINGTON, ANTIGUA and BARBUDA - Jenita Cuffy rounded the old almond tree, its branches now snapped like twigs, as she headed toward her office at Barbuda's ruined hospital. The island's public-health nurse hadn't been back in nearly three weeks, since every soul was evacuated from this flat disk of an island laid waste by Hurricane Irma.
With the people gone, it was as if Barbuda had gone feral. Abandoned dogs had formed packs and were taking down livestock. From the hospital courtyard, Cuffy could smell death - animal carcasses rotting in the rubble. A corner of the roof had collapsed, the windows blown in. The medical dorms were a scrap heap. An ambulance was wedged into a tree.
"This doesn't look like my island," Cuffy said.
Before the storm, Barbuda was a forgotten Eden about the physical size of the District of Columbia. Its 1,800 inhabitants were family, literally. The descendants of African slaves brought centuries ago by the British, many islanders were related. The workdays were short and the rock lobster - freshly caught and free - was sweet. They'd grill them up at picnics down by the caves at Two Foot Bay National Park. There were no street addresses. Collecting mail meant a call from Joyce Lynn Webber at the post office.
"Eh, you got mail down here, come by," she'd say.
That life was blown away.
Now Cuffy was back, just for a few hours, to help set up a temporary clinic - a step, she hoped, toward getting scattered Barbudans back to their island home.
But would they come back? Should they? Would she?
In this, the cruelest season of storms that anyone alive has known, entire islands, such as Barbuda, have been wiped clear. There's no power across Puerto Rico, and it probably won't fully return for months. Dominica is devastated, with no commerce and hardly any usable homes. St. John and St. Martin - playgrounds for the affluent and homelands for the descendants of slaves, adventurers and colonizers - have been boomeranged back to a time before luxury resorts and timeshare condos.
The storms pushed the islands back to the primitive, basic state that made the sandbars of the Caribbean so alluring to European empires, pirates and tourists for half a millennium.
Investors, governments, visitors and the people who have called these islands home for generations now wonder: Has something elemental changed? Might paradise turn uninhabitable? Is it time to go?
Devastation is part of the natural cycle of life in the islands. During the past four decades, the region has been hit by more than 200 major storms, which killed more than 12,000 people and caused nearly $20 billion in damage, according to an International Monetary Fund study. About 1 percent of the Caribbean's gross domestic product is wiped out every year.
"Storms shape the history of these places," said Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, a geographer and author of "Island People: The Caribbean and the World." "And people have been leaving these islands for decades," heading for New York, London, Paris and other more stable places in countries that once colonized the Caribbean.
But in recent years, hurricane season has delivered more intense storms. "A person in the Caribbean generally would experience one Category 5 hurricane in a generation," said Tahseen Sayed, the World Bank's Caribbean country director. "In two weeks, we've had two Category 5 hurricanes."
The result is not only physical damage and economic duress, but a new category of psychic storm.
"There's a new, strong consensus that storms are getting worse and climate change is to blame," Jelly-Schapiro said. "You didn't hear that even a few years ago. For the first time, people are saying, I love this place but maybe it's not a place where we can live."
- - -
Three hundred miles west of the devastation that was Barbuda, Maria Roman and her husband, George Matta, live on what feels like a new island within their island home of Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Maria cut their neighborhood off from the rest of their mountain town, collapsing the bridge over a 200-foot-wide river. Roman and Matta were left marooned, without food stores, gas stations or emergency services. The only way out was to wade across the river or drive more than three hours around the mountains - nearly impossible with little to no gas.
"I call it lost in space," Roman said.
This is home, but it wasn't always so. Roman, 54, grew up in Jersey City, then moved to Puerto Rico in the mid-1980s, when her parents decided to retire to their native island. Roman met the man who became her husband, and he got a job running a ranch, and next thing they knew, they'd made a life on the island.
But Roman often has felt the pull of the mainland. She doesn't like the isolation of the countryside. And each time a hurricane has hit, each time her neighborhood of San Lorenzo lost power or water, she longed for the comfort of New Jersey.
After Hurricane Georges in 1998, she wanted to leave, but she needed to care for her wheelchair-bound mother and father, who have since died. And she felt connected to her neighbors. Her husband had a good job. And college was cheaper for her daughters than it would be on the mainland.
After Georges, "everything was calm for 19 years," Roman said. Until this year, until Irma, and then Maria. "This is like a nuclear bomb was thrown at Puerto Rico," Roman said.
Roman has had it. As soon as her younger daughter graduates from nursing school in May, she said, the family will move to the mainland.
That daughter, Merari Matta, 24, longs for the better pay and quality of life up north. On the island, "the power always goes, hurricane or not," she said. "The water always goes. There's a lot of inconsistency." If the storm had hit the mainland, she said, help would have arrived faster.
Like many people in the Caribbean, Roman and her family have a relatively easy way out. The Caribbean diaspora is vast and deeply connected. About as many Caribbean natives live in North America or Europe as in the islands; immigrants from the region make up 20 percent of the population in greater Miami and 7 percent of New York City. Half of Caribbean immigrants around the world send remittances to support relatives back home, and 70 percent belong to organizations on their islands, according to a World Bank study.
For Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens, the back and forth is even more fluid.
Roman's sister, Aurea Roman, lives in Jersey City. She can't imagine living on the island. As a single parent on partial disability, she said, "all the convenience for me is here." She can get food delivered to her home. She can use public transportation, such as buses, trains and taxis.
"I like the island to visit, but to so-called live? No," she said. In Puerto Rico, "I panic."
Aurea had not heard from her sister in Puerto Rico after the hurricane, and was relieved to learn from a reporter that she is okay. She now wants them to join her in the land of safety and comfort.
"If they want to come," she said, "I'll buy them a ticket right now."
- - -
Hurricanes kill and destroy. Things small and large - toys and family photos and entire buildings - vanish in torrents of water and gusts of wind.
"Eden is broken," Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said at the United Nations after Hurricane Irma. "To deny climate change . . . is to deny a truth we have just lived."
The tragedy storms wreak was powerful enough that William Shakespeare heard about it in England. "The sea that roar'd to us," Prospero said in "The Tempest," "did us but loving wrong."
Hurricanes can also revive and renew. Crops come back stronger than before. People learn to build smarter.
Storms also cement the bonds of people who share the intimate spaces of islands, which are, as Jelly-Schapiro put it, "both a world apart and connected to everywhere by the sea."
Storms drive people out. "Hurricanes have been an important aspect of migration in the Caribbean at least since the late 19th century," said Yale historian Stuart Schwartz, author of "Sea of Storms," a history of hurricanes. People leave because they are dispirited or because the storm destroys their livelihood, wiping out sugar plantations or gutting resort hotels.
"Puerto Rico was already in an out-migration crisis before the storms," Schwartz said. The island lost 10 percent of its population in the past two years, mainly because of deep financial woes. "This could make it much worse."
But in a struggling economy, many people can't leave. Gabriel De la Cruz, his wife, Luisa Rodriguez, and their son Ismael, lived in Loiza, one of the poorest suburbs of San Juan. It had already suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Irma when Maria ravaged the town on Sept. 20, destroying 90 percent of all residences. The family lost nearly everything.
De la Cruz, who works as a cook, might move to an area less prone to hurricane damage. Loiza "is going to be a desert town," he said. But moving to the mainland is impossibly expensive, he said. He's been there before, living in the Bronx for four years, paying more than $800 a month for a room in a shared apartment. In Loiza, the family's three-bedroom house cost just $400 a month.
But it is gone, and De la Cruz doesn't know how it might be replaced. That work is months, maybe years, away.
While $48 million already has flowed from an 18-nation insurance consortium to seven island governments to jump-start the buildback, the region's U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, were in financial distress even before the storms. Now, their paralyzing debt crises have been compounded by a near-halt in commerce.
The World Bank has encouraged island nations to build in resiliency - put much of the electrical network underground, invest in drainage systems, pass stricter building codes, rebuild hospitals so they can double as storm shelters.
On islands that have taken such steps, recent storms have caused far fewer deaths than strong hurricanes did in the past, Sayed said.
"The whole thing is about cost-benefit analysis," said Saurabh Dani, a disaster-risk-management specialist at the World Bank. "The social and economic cost of trying to recover from a devastating storm makes you realize that it might be worth the cost" to invest in expensive precautions such as moving electrical wires from overhead poles to underground trenches.
Major storms can paralyze production in agriculture and industry for years, Schwartz said, but "hurricanes bring benefits too - eliminating insects, renewing fields." The difference between long-term devastation and quick recovery depends on "the willingness of the government to spend on preparation," he said. "One dollar spent in preparation is worth four in recovery."
Gaston Browne, prime minister of the former British colony of Antigua and Barbuda, views the storm as an opportunity. From the ruins of his country's smaller island, he wants to build a Barbuda powered only by solar energy. Telephone lines could go underground. Houses and the hospital could be rebuilt to withstand monster storms.
Since Irma, Browne said he's won commitments for grants, loans or other aid from China, Venezuela, the United Arab Emirates and Canada. He's soliciting more.
Browne, an Antiguan, said Barbudans must learn to be more self-sufficient, and that means abandoning a centuries-old communal land system in which the descendants of slaves built houses on land they believed belonged to all. Browne wants to create modern property rights, allowing Barbudans returning home to their ravaged island to buy their land for $1. That would pave the way for them to win mortgages to rebuild and to buy insurance.
"We are trying to build an ownership class in Barbuda," he said. "What is so bad about the government bringing Barbuda into the 21st century so that it's not a giant welfare state?"
Some Barbudans smell a rat, a land grab that could lead to large-scale development. Indeed, the government is backing major tourism projects, including one led by actor Robert De Niro that would revive a long-shuttered resort once favored by Princess Diana.
Cuffy is among those who fear the government plan. Paying $1 for prime land near a Caribbean beach might seem like a gift. But Barbudans saw land as a birthright. You picked your parcel and you built. Nobody owned it. Everyone did.
That land is now barren, a mudpit of ruins.
"I'm not really ready to take it in, what's happened," Cuffy said. "It's just, where do you start?" Her voice broke. "How do you start? Can you? I worry that it will never be the same. Everybody's gone. Everybody. And I know some won't come back. I don't know if we will."
- - -
She is decked out in her Sunday best, her husband, Peter, and son Garen by her side. They have come to worship at a small revival hall behind St. John's Pentecostal House of Restoration on Antigua, 39 miles across sparkling turquoise waters. Their preacher from back home on Barbuda, Bishop Nigel Henry, offered solace and spirit to his displaced flock. By boat and airlift, Barbudans had found a temporary home on Antigua, in shelters and the homes of Antiguan families.
"Affliction," Henry cried out, his voice echoing through the church. "My people, we have an affliction. It's like a lawn mower took down our island, and it's amazing that we're still here, still alive. Our little island didn't bother anyone. All we did was love to have fun. And yet still, we had it. A Category 5 plus plus plus."
The old folks might go back, the bishop said, but "a lot of the younger ones, they're going to find jobs, go to schools, here in Antigua. I don't think they're going back."
It's a question Cuffy and her family already are mulling. On Antigua, Garen, 9, swiftly acquired a taste for KFC and Big Banana Pizza - the kind of chains that never made it to Barbuda.
Last week, he was in the back seat of a family friend's car when it suddenly started to rain. Garen curled up in a ball. The rain summoned memories of the bathroom cupboard where his parents had hid him as Irma tore at their Barbuda home.
"He says he won't go back, ever," Cuffy said. "It puts me of two minds, you know. I want to go back . . . but he's my son."
Later, in the small Antigua apartment a cousin has lent them, Cuffy's 60-year-old mother, Junie John, wasn't hearing any of it.
"We got to go back, it's home," she said, slapping her hands on her lap.
Lestroy John, Junie's husband and Cuffy's stepfather, chimed in: "Oh, we goin' back. My people there. Gonna be there."
Cuffy went silent. She recalled the 1995 storm, Hurricane Luis, which tore things up good, but not like Irma. Junie remembers the earthquake in 1974. It was bad, too. And it's not as if family never left. One sister moved to the District, the other to Antigua. But they left for work, not to escape the storms.
"We always rebuilt, we always stayed put," Junie John said. "My mother always told me, 'Junie, mind your land.' We have done that. No gonna stop now."
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Faiola reported from Antigua and Barbuda; Schmidt from Puerto Rico; and Fisher from Washington.
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Video: A 'post-apocalyptic' landscape: Barbuda after Hurricane Irma
The Washington Post's Anthony Faiola and Salwan Georges traveled to Barbuda almost a month after Hurricane Irma struck the island. Here's what they saw.
Short URL: http://wapo.st/2xG1Bnu
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DES MOINES -- The weather was unseasonably warm, the steak seasoned just right and the Democrats were nervous. At the inaugural Polk County Steak Fry, their party's rising stars confirmed every bad thing that Iowa had heard about their leaders.
"We've left behind Americans who run lunch counters and small businesses across this great nation," said Rep. Seth Moulton, Mass.
"Sometimes, we come off as so anti-business," said Rep. Tim Ryan, Ohio.
"It's a knife to my heart that there are some in the Democratic Party who just want to write off districts like mine," said Rep. Cheri Bustos, Ill., "that think we should just be flown over."
It was a stark message for an event designed to set up Iowa's Democrats for a comeback. In Washington, the clock was running out on the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Sept. 30, the day of the streak fry, was the day that the 2017 budget resolution expired, and the day after Secretary Tom Price left the Department of Health and Human Services in disgrace.
In Iowa, those victories hardly registered. The battered state party had watched loyal Democrats switch en masse to the Donald Trump-led Republican ticket, then watched a Republican-run legislature pass bills that undercut labor unions. Democrats had won most of the year's special elections, but the trauma of 2016 lingered.
For Polk County's Democrats, urban progressives who worried that they had lost touch with their rural neighbors, one response was the resurrection of what used to be the Harkin Steak Fry, the decades-long fundraiser hosted by former congressman and senator Tom Harkin where meat was grilled and activists were revved up by star political guests.
Harkin retired in early 2015, with Hillary Clinton working the grill at his last hurrah. This year, local Democrats revived and re-branded the event but were clear from the outset that they were not holding a presidential cattle call.
"The three qualifications we had were: new faces, bolder messages and an economic focus," said Sean Bagniewski, chairman of the Polk County Democratic Party. "The less people know about you, the more they want to come and see you - which is great for us."
Instead, the event became a friendly airing of grievances about the direction of the country under President Trump and the direction of a Democratic Party led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Calif., and Sen. Charles Schumer, N.Y. Seven candidates for Iowa's 3rd congressional District, which includes Des Moines, had five minutes each for speeches; so did seven candidates for governor.
Bagniewski had hoped to outsell Republican Sen. Joni Ernst's "roast and ride," which had booked Vice President Mike Pence and moved 1,450 tickets; the Polk County event moved 1,500 tickets, hundreds of them for local candidates.
Most of those candidates, such as gubernatorial front-runner Nate Boulton, decried a state and country that had been misled into Republican rule. They talked about small roots, about 99-county tours and - most frequently - about rural hospitals that were on the chopping block after Republicans privatized Medicaid.
"They've defunded Planned Parenthood," said Boulton, a state senator who represents fast-growing Des Moines but emphasizes his roots in tiny Columbus Junction. "They've cut whole programs for our state. I've talked to a physician who couldn't fill a prescription for a little girl because of Medicaid cuts."
There was far less talk about Washington; the party's leaders were not mentioned by name. Moulton, Ryan and Bustos walked from conversation to conversation, would-be candidates and volunteers getting friendly face time. They had the brand that made the most sense, post-Trump - young and unpretentious, with plenty to say about rural voters.
"I think we need a new generation," said Vince Geraci, 63, who took a knee during the steak fry's playing of the national anthem. "I wouldn't want that job. We've got 75-, 80-year-old people in charge. I like Kirsten Gillibrand, I like Cory Booker. I want to see some younger folks in leadership positions. It's time for some of these old-timers to retire. We need the post-Vietnam generation to come in."
There's little sense that the party's current leaders want to give up - or that they're interested in a rural apology tour. In interviews, Pelosi has mocked Republicans' plan to campaign on an anti-Pelosi platform in 2018, counting on her low favorable ratings to tarnish local Democrats' brands.
"They do that because they're bankrupt in terms of their ideas," the House Democratic leader told the New York Times in a podcast interview last week. "They have to resort to personal assaults."
Iowa's Democrats, who hope to win the 3rd District and the bluer 1st District in 2018, are more worried. The response, helped by Democrats such as Bustos, has been to build campaigns early and focus on local issues, before Republicans can go negative.
And to blunt the attacks, Democrats would own their mistakes. In her remarks at the steak fry, Bustos described how in her state, as in Iowa, rural voters fell away to Trump because they felt ignored by Democrats.
"The heartland is far from Trump Country," she said. "I saw too many forgotten corners of our country - frankly, too many places forgotten by our own party. You know what? We can never let that happen again."
Ryan, who unsuccessfully challenged Pelosi for speaker after the 2016 election, was even more damning on the 2016 message. As a backbench congressman, he'd endorsed Clinton for president and even spoken at "Ready for Hillary" events before she announced her candidacy in 2015. He has since become convinced that Clinton's rainbow coalition strategy allowed Republicans to portray Democrats as a hodgepodge of interest groups.
"We said, well, if you're African-American, we're going to talk to you about voting rights," Ryan said. "If you're Latino, we're gonna talk to you about choice. If you're a woman, we're gonna talk to you about choice. If you're gay, we're gonna talk to you about LGBT rights. We affirmed their divisions! We played right into their hands!"
But there was little in the Democrats' Iowa message that Clinton had not said in 2016. Ryan suggested that Democrats could be the party in favor of "reversing global warming." Moulton called for high-speed rail that could shrink three-hour commutes into 30 minutes.
None of the policies on this agenda were conservative. The main difference was in who was selling them. Not even Pelosi's apparent victories in 2017, deals with the White House that saved Democrats' spending priorities, were considered enough to change the party's image so long as she led it.
"You can just look at the numbers," Moulton said. "Look at the polling. I give her all the credit in the world for negotiating the best deal with President Trump that she could. But imagine how much better that deal would be if we were in the majority."
In the meantime, rural Democrats could agree on one message: more and better flag-waving patriotism. In the hours before the steak fry, Bustos attended a training session for a dozen local candidates at Wildfire Contact, a media firm that had helped her and other rural Democrats hold on in 2016. Some of the advice was standard - short stump speeches, clear values, personal stories that would stick.
Other advice was more tailored to the Trump era. At one point, the candidates saw a direct-mail advertisement Bustos had sent after passing a bill that required the federal government to buy U.S. flags that had been entirely made in the United States.
"Made in America, thanks to Cheri Bustos," read the front of the ad.
A consultant running the session said that it looked like an outtake from the HBO series "Veep" - and that it had worked.
"It's the best piece of mail I've ever sent," Bustos said.
By PTI: Kashmir
Srinagar, Oct 1 (PTI) A group of tourists from Australia today sought lifting of a negative travel advisory to Kashmir Valley by their country, saying Kashmiris were "very warm and most hospitable".
"If there is a travel advisory on Kashmir, then why is there no travel advisory on travelling to Mumbai or Delhi? Kashmir is more peaceful than those places as locals here are very warm and most hospitable. We feel as if we are roaming and travelling in our own place without any issue," Garry Weare, who is leading the group of 13 tourists, said here.
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Weare, a prominent adventurer and author of many books who is on a familiarisation visit to the valley, said he wanted his country to lift the travel advisory to Kashmir and the aim of the visit here was to promote the place.
"Travel advisory on Kashmir is a misplaced regulation by many countries on their citizens. I will want our country to lift the advisory on Kashmir. I am bringing in tourists here so as to promote Kashmir and help in lifting travel advisory," he said.
Johan Bahnisch and his wife Allison Havvey, who are part of the group, were also delighted to have visited Kashmir for the second time after 1977. "People are as friendly as they were on our first visit. Nothing has changed," Bahnisch said.
Kashmirs Director of Tourism Mahmmod Shah, who interacted with the Australian group members, assured them of all the assistance in the valley.
"We are happy many foreign tourists are now visiting Kashmir and they dont pay heed to what is fed to them through some TV channels. Currently, we have a few foreign groups and they are really amazed at the hospitality and the warmth of the people," Shah said.
He said the department was planning to tap more foreign markets by organising roadshows and showing them the testimonials of how tourists were enjoying their stay in Kashmir. PTI SSB SMN
--- ENDS ---
FERRARA, Italy - Italy has become the latest country to expel North Korea's ambassador, saying that isolation was "inevitable" if Pyongyang continued to push ahead with its nuclear weapons program.
The decision comes as the United States urges countries that have diplomatic relations with North Korea to sever or at least scale them back.
Angelino Alfano, Italy's foreign minister, said the North Korean ambassador in Rome, Mun Jong Nam, had been ordered to leave.
"We want to make Pyongyang realize that their isolation is inevitable if they don't change tack," Alfano told Italian newspaper la Repubblica in an interview published Sunday.
Mun had been in Rome barely a month, with his appointment announced by the North's Korean Central News Agency on Aug. 28.
Italy becomes the fifth country to expel a North Korean ambassador, following in the footsteps of Spain, Mexico, Peru and Kuwait.
A United Nations Security Council resolution passed late last year required member states to reduce the number of staff at North Korean diplomatic missions and consular posts, and to limit the number of bank accounts to one per diplomatic mission and one per diplomat.
The Trump administration has been vigorously lobbying governments that have diplomatic relations with North Korea to curtail them as punishment for North Korea's continued defiance of the international community's calls to stop missile launches and nuclear tests.
After launching two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July technically capable of reaching the United States, North Korea detonated what it claimed to be a hydrogen bomb - a claim that most analysts and many governments believe is true.
In addition to pushing for tougher sanctions, President Donald Trump has been encouraging North Korea's diplomatic isolation.
In a directive signed early in his administration, Trump included instructions to diplomats and officials to bring up North Korea in virtually every conversation with foreign interlocutors and urge them to sever all ties with Pyongyang.
Those conversations have had significant success, particularly in recent weeks as North Korea has tested another nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles, officials said, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
The United States does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea. Its interests in Pyongyang are represented by the Swedish Embassy there, while U.S. officials can talk to through the "New York channel" to North Korean diplomats accredited to the United Nations.
In the interview with la Repubblica, Alfano also said that he was "comforted" by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's remarks that the United States had a direct channel to North Korea, signaling that diplomacy remained on the table for dealing with a defiant Pyongyang.
The Italian government would not completely sever all diplomatic relations with North Korea, the minister said, because it was useful to have a line of communication to Pyongyang.
Italy, which chairs the sanctions committee of the Security Council, has also been calling on the international community to apply strong pressure on the Pyongyang regime, Alfano said.
Italy's Foreign Ministry convened a meeting on North Korea in Rome last week, it said in a statement. Members of the Group of Seven countries, together with the European Union, South Korea and Australia, met to discuss how sanctions are being applied, the ministry said in a separate statement.
A school booster club member in Montgomery admitted to embezzling thousands of dollars over two years, recent court documents reveal.
Kimberly Brooke Cordia, who served as treasurer for the Bonnie Belle Booster Club at the time, is facing up to two years in jail for allegedly stealing $13,000 from the Montgomery High School dance line team's booster club fund. School booster clubs are formed to fundraise on behalf of the students for equipment, trip funding and other activities.
The booster club president noticed Cordia allegedly wrote checks from the booster club bank account and then deposited them in her personal bank account, dating back to August 2015. The most recent incident happened in February, detectives said.
Investigators with the Montgomery ISD Police Department and Montgomery County District Attorney's Office pulled bank records from the booster club's account and reportedly found Cordia stole close to $13,000 over the year-and-a-half period.
Detectives confronted Cordia on Sept. 20, where she allegedly admitted to writing the checks and stealing the money. She told detectives she was remorseful that she stole the money from the girls on the team, court records show.
"Kimberly was the treasurer and did have signing authority on the account," Assistant District Attorney Joel Daniels said. " She was writing the checks to herself and depositing them to her own account."
Cordia told detectives she would like to pay restitution, court records show.
An attorney for Cordia was not listed.
For Caribbean islands plunged into darkness after hurricanes Irma and Maria, more resilient, small-scale electric systems powered by the sun are looking increasingly attractive. Transforming a grid, though, doesn't come cheap.
In making the case for so-called microgrids, environmental nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute pointed to solar installations on the Turks and Caicos islands that remained largely intact while the local utility reported more than 1,200 poles down. That was the case on Richard Branson's Necker Island, too. Even Bruce Walker, the nominee to lead the Energy Department's electricity office, hailed Puerto Rico's devastated grid as an opportunity to test technologies that'll make it more resilient to storms.
The catch is the price tag. By Rocky Mountain Institute's estimates, it would cost roughly $250 million to build about 90 megawatts of solar and storage across a chain of Caribbean islands. That's enough to power an estimated 15,000 U.S. homes. While it may be sufficient for the Turks and Caicos, about a million households live in storm-battered and debt-ridden Puerto Rico.
Sure, there's a lot of interest in small-scale power systems now, said Yayoi Sekine, an energy storage analyst for Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "But without state support or external funding, it's very difficult to actually see community microgrids flourish or have any investment at all."
Some funding efforts are under way. Earlier this month, the Energy Department said it was awarding as much as $50 million to its national laboratories to research technologies that would make the nation's power grids more resilient. And even before Irma and Maria came along, the Rocky Mountain Institute had the hopes of leveraging $300 million in financing for energy projects on islands by 2020.
The islands' existing infrastructure has been "completely destroyed, so in terms of building back, we have a clear strategy to build back 100 percent renewable," Justin Locke, director of the institute's Islands Energy Program, said by phone.
Renewables alone won't solve the region's problem. Puerto Rico's rooftop solar owners can attest to that.
Sunnova Energy Corp., the U.S. territory's largest rooftop solar-power supplier, has no idea whether its 10,000 systems survived back-to-back hurricanes this month. And even if they did, the panels wouldn't be able to power customers' homes, John Berger, the company's chief executive officer, said in an interview Thursday.
That's because rooftop panels rely on the local power system to deliver electricity, even if the power is just going to the customer's house. And with Puerto Rico's energy infrastructure out of commission, possibly for months, Sunnova's panels aren't able to help.
"It was devastating," Berger said. "The distribution system was destroyed."
That's where batteries come in. Microgrid advocates say small systems that run on solar panels backed up by energy storage could help prevent widespread blackouts by steering dependence away from the antiquated, centralized systems islands now depend on.
The Islands Energy Program is working with 10 otherwise diesel-hungry Caribbean islands to develop energy plans, analyze the economics and identify the stakeholders to make projects market-ready. Someone still has to finance the initiatives, but since the hurricanes there's been interest in adding to relief efforts, Locke said.
Statia Utility Co., the electricity and water provider for the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, already generates about 23 percent of its power from a solar park primarily funded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The grid-tied installation had been hardened for Category 4 hurricane-strength winds, so it was unscathed by Irma and Maria, said Fred Cuvalay, the utility's chief executive officer.
Even Cuvalay acknowledged that solar panels aren't invincible. In aerial photos, Puerto Rico's solar panels showed damage. Wind turbines were snapped like twigs.
"Some of the islands were not as fortunate because their panels blew away," Cuvalay said by phone. "Those islands that lost panels shouldn't go back. They should be determined to construct it in a sturdy way."
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Bloomberg's Christopher Martin contributed.
JERUSALEM - In his first on-camera interview since taking up his position this year, U.S. Ambassador David Friedman declared that only 2 percent of the West Bank is occupied and that settlements are part of Israel, sparking angry reaction from Palestinians.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat described the interview with the Israeli news site Walla on Thursday as the "latest attempt by Freidman to "advocate and validate the Israeli government's policies of occupation and annexation." The U.S. ambassador had previously referred to Israel's "alleged occupation" of the West Bank.
The State Department said Freidman's comments do not indicate a policy shift and "should not should not be read as a way to prejudge the outcome of any negotiations that the U.S. would have with the Israelis and the Palestinians."
When asked by a reporter if the ambassador had gone "rogue," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert's response appeared to imply that there were other figures that were more representative of U.S. policy - like Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and President Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner.
"An ambassador is supposed to represent his official government's position," said Xavier Abu Eid, an adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization's negotiation department. "It's really confusing."
Friedman's appointment as U.S. ambassador earlier this year caused a stir, and Palestinians have accused him of sounding more like an Israeli official than an American one. An Orthodox Jew who had worked as Trump's bankruptcy lawyer and had no political experience, Friedman and his family had supported settlements in the West Bank that most of the international community deems illegal.
Here are some of the key points he made:
On settlements: "I think the settlements are part of Israel."
This is a departure from U.S. policy. Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War. Since then, Israel has expanded its presence in the area, building towns and communities, with nearly 400,000 Israelis now living in the occupied territory, fenced off from Palestinians. That doesn't include settlements East Jerusalem, which was also seized in 1967.
A 1978 opinion issued by the State Department's legal adviser deemed settlements built on land captured by Israel in 1967 as "inconsistent with international law". That has never been formally refuted though President Reagan said in 1981 that he did not see them as illegal. Since then, the United States has generally referred to settlements in softer terms, such as an "impediment to peace" but no administration has deemed them as part of Israel.
Israeli settlers commended Friedman for "using facts to describe the reality in a Judea and Samaria," the biblical term for the West Bank.
On U.N. Resolution 242: The idea was that "Israel would retain a meaningful portion of the West Bank and it would return what it did not need for peace and security."
U.N. Resolution 242, as Friedman also pointed out, is one of the most widely agreed upon resolutions on the conflict, and has been the basis for past negotiations. It made two main points. The first was that Israeli armed forces would withdraw from the territory occupied by Israel in 1967, which is contradictory to Friedman's comments.
The second was the termination of "belligerency" and acknowledgement of the "sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force."
It also added that "demilitarized zones" may need to be established to ensure security for all states in the region.
On occupation: "[Israelis] are only occupying 2 percent of the West Bank, so I think that's consistent with resolution 242 and its been the basis for 50 years for the parties to proceed."
Most of the international community views the entire West Bank as occupied, and as already stated, Resolution 242 called for the removal of all Israeli forces.
As a result of the 1993 Oslo Accords, the West Bank has been divided into three areas of control.
Area C consists of around 61 percent of the West Bank and Israel retains almost complete control of the area. It has full security control and also most civil matters, including land allocation and construction. Israel has now allocated 63 percent of Area C to local and regional settlement councils, according to B'Tselem, a Jerusalem-based liberal nonprofit that documents human rights violations in the occupied territories.
Area B is 22 percent of the West Bank. It is under joint control by Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Area A is around 18 percent of the land of the West Bank and includes most of the Palestinian people and all Palestinian cities. The Palestinian Authority controls the area but the Israeli military still carries out operations inside.
The arrangement, which was meant to be temporary, effectively means that Palestinian population centers "are floating islands in an area of Israeli control" cut off from resources or room for expansion, said Amit Gilutz, a spokesman for B'Tselem.
The 2 percent figure refers to built up settlement areas within Israel's separation boundary, he said. "It disregards the myriad of mechanisms Israel uses to dispossess Palestinians from their lands and resources in the West Bank."
The total area of the West Bank assigned to settlement councils is around 40 percent, he said.
On moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: "I do believe he will decide to move the embassy and most importantly declare Israel as the eternal capital of the State of Israel and the Jewish people"
President Donald Trump made the pledge during his campaign, but Palestinians have described it as a "red line." The United States' previous position has been that the status of Jerusalem should be resolved through negotiations. Israel captured the eastern part of Jerusalem, which was then under Jordanian control, during the 1967 war. Israel considers Jerusalem its "eternal, undivided capital."
Every U.S. administration has wrestled with the issue of whether to move the embassy since the 1967 war.
On the two-state solution: " I think that phrase has largely lost it's meaning ... It's not a helpful term, because it just doesn't mean the same thing to different people."
The Trump administration has refrained from endorsing a two-state solution, which has been the basis for previous peace negotiations.
On Trump: "I think he trusts me. I have great respect and admiration for him, and we are close . . . I have no doubt that he is not the slightest bit, in any way shape or form, racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, homophobic, or any other horrible adjective that you can come up with, it's not him."
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Authorities on Thursday arrested a 20-year-old woman who allegedly arranged over Snapchat to have sex with a man, and then shocked him with a stun gun and robbed him with the help of two others.
Elexis Justine Lopez now faces a charge of aggravated robbery. She remains in the Bexar County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
RELATED: Off-duty police officer drives pickup truck into SE Side sinkhole
According to her arrest affidavit, Lopez agreed to meet the victim for sex on Sept. 25 in the 4500 block of Everest Loop on the city's North Side.
When she arrived, the victim told her they could have sex in his car, but she insisted they do so in hers, the affidavit says.
The two got into the car, but before things heated up, two men, one of whom was wearing a bandanna, began banging on the car windows, telling the victim to get out, police said.
Then Lopez allegedly used the stun gun on him and stole his gold chains off his neck.
He got out of the car, and the two male suspects proceeded to assault him and steal his belongings, authorities said.
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All three suspects then fled, though Bexar County Deputies were able to track down Lopez and arrest her. Aggravated robbery is a first-degree felony carrying a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison.
The status and identity of the other two victims is unknown.
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There are few issues in Washington more pressing than reforming the federal tax code, which has been broken for decades, and the Trump administration last week released broad outlines for such reform.
The current tax code takes too much money from individuals and families struggling to make ends meet. It drives jobs and investment overseas with a corporate tax rate thats the highest among major economies. And it is rigged to the advantage of special interests, which benefit from innumerable deductions and other handouts.
Progress on tax reform had been slowed by lawmakers who flirted with the idea of including a $1.2 trillion tax on imports, which would ultimately be paid by consumers. Americans for Prosperity activists spoke out against the so-called border adjustment tax, and their voices were heard: House Speaker Paul Ryan and the Trump administration now say it is off the table.
With this divisive proposal behind them, Congress and the White House can now unite around a positive vision of tax reform. Their efforts should be guided by the principles of simplicity, efficiency, fairness and predictability and they must not create any new burdens for taxpayers.
We should make the tax code simpler. Trying to comply with the codes convoluted requirements cost Americans $195 billion in 2015. Simplifying the code would leave more for businesses and taxpayers, who could put the money to better use.
We can make the code more efficient by lowering tax rates and broadening the base, providing relief to hardworking Americans while ensuring that the government collects the revenue it needs with as little economic disruption as possible.
We can make the code fairer by eliminating the special-interest carve-outs that rig the economy in favor of the well-connected.
Finally, we must make the code more predictable. That means ending the temporary tax breaks and other features of the code that make it difficult for businesses to plan for the long term.
All these reforms can and should be done without saddling the American people with new taxes.
Critics of tax reform worry that cutting taxes will lead to a decrease in government revenue. But in the past 50 years, tax cuts at the federal level have led to more, not less, tax revenue. Under the Kennedy administration, for instance, individual income taxes were cut about 20 percent across the board, and the corporate tax rate was cut 4 percentage points. Over the 10 years following these cuts, federal tax receipts increased by $283 billion.
Theres nothing mysterious about this. When individuals and businesses are allowed to keep more of their earnings, some of that money will be reinvested in the economy. Over time, the added investment leads to economic growth and higher tax revenues.
Of course, Texans deserve relief at the state and local level as well. Although we are taxed less than most states and pay no state income tax our sales taxes are the 12th highest in the country at 8.19 percent. Homeowners are getting fleeced with property taxes more than double those in California. State lawmakers will need to tackle these problems when the Legislature reconvenes in 2019.
With so much to gain from principled tax reform, it should remain a top priority for lawmakers in both Austin and Washington. Our activists will continue to hold them accountable and advocate reforms that will unrig the economy and benefit millions of hardworking Texans.
Samuel Sheetz is the Texas policy director of Americans for Prosperity.
Guiseppe Barranco /Guiseppe Barranco /The Enterprise
Its shameful the state of Texas must resort to what amounts to crowdfunding to meet its obligation to have evidence in rape cases analyzed. Seeking private donations for work that should be publicly funded might help get the job done, but it does not absolve the state from its responsibility to do right by victims of crime.
Nonetheless, we encourage generous support of the creative funding mechanism to get criminals off the streets. Lack of timely rape kit testing has a traumatic impact on victims, as reflected in a recently filed lawsuit against the city of Houston by a 2011 rape victim. She alleges her assailant could have been apprehended and prosecuted if there were no testing backlog.
By Ashish Pandey: Thousands of devotees participated in a mock stick fight during annual Banni Banni festival of Sri Mala Malleswara Swamy temple at Devaragattu in Holagunda mandal of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.
Picture courtesy: Facebook/My city-KURNOOL
Villagers of Neraniki, Neraniki Thanda, Kothapet, and 10 adjoining villages participated in the ritualistic mock stick fight, before the Sri Mala Malleswara Swamy temple at Devaragattu village in Holagunda mandal of Kurnool district on the night of Vijayadashami, amidst high security.
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Also Read: The other side of Dussehra: These tribal groups worship Ravana
As many people suffer injuries during the 'fight', administration had advised people to avoid the usage of sticks as a fighting tool. However, devotees preferred celebrating the festival in the traditional manner itself, resulting in injuries to several people, who were either treated on the spot or shifted to hospitals.
Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ramesh Nishanth
Speaking to India Today, SP Gopinath Jetty said, "In comparison to last year, injuries are comparatively less this time, because of our active participation. A total of 11 people have been admitted for treatment."
Also Read: #HappyPujo: Kolkata airport welcomes its passengers home with folk music, dance and dhak
As per the tradition on the day of Vijayadashami, first priest performs the Ganapathi pooja, kankanadharana and nischithartham of Sri Mala Malleswara Swamy with goddess Parvati. Deities are carried on 'aswavahanam' by a group of people, while thousands of people carry flaming torches and long sticks--which have metal-ring tips--dance to the drumbeats to start the mock stick fight.
Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ramesh Nishanth
The idols of the presiding deities were carried from the top of a 800-foot-high hillock amidst maddening drum-beating and frenzied chanting.
The festivities would come to an end on October 4, while the security was beefed up by the administration to prevent any mishap.
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By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) Indias Goods and Services Tax (GST) may have an adverse impact on the Bhutanese economy through trade and revenue channels, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its latest report.
The total trade between India and Bhutan was valued at USD 817 million in 2016-17, up from USD 750 million a year ago, as per Indian government data. Indias exports to Bhutan totalled USD 509 million while imports came in at USD 308 million.
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"Indias Goods and Services Tax (GST), implemented in July 2017, may have an adverse impact on the Bhutanese economy... through trade and revenue channels," stated the Asian Development Outlook 2017 Update report.
According to the report, Bhutans imports will likely increase as Indian exports are zero rated under GST, making the imports cheaper.
"Exports to India will be subjected to GST, removing Bhutans previous competitive edge over Indian producers," it stated.
Additionally, rebates of Indian excise duties to the Bhutanese government will end as these taxes have been subsumed within GST, implying a loss of budget revenue, it said.
The Government of Bhutan, the report said, has decided for the time being not to levy higher taxes on imports from India, but to use credit policy to restrain import demand, especially for automobiles.
Bhutan imports machines, medical equipment, processed food, iron and steel, fibre, pharma, hardware and electrical transformers, among others, from India, while exports include household articles, pepper, electric components and electricity. PTI NKD CS ARD ABM
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Aarav beat contestants Snehan, Harish Kalyan, and Ganesh Venkatraman, and finally emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss Tamil Season 1.
By India Today Web Desk: Reality show Bigg Boss Tamil hosted by Kamal Haasan reached its conclusion last night, and controversial contestant Aarav was declared the winner of the show.
Aarav had earlier attracted attention due to his alleged affair with co-contestant and Tamil actress Oviya.
Other participants who were in the finale race were Harish Kalyan, Ganesh Venkatraman, and Snehan. Host Kamal escorted the final two contestants Snehan and Aarav out of the house, and even made a speech about his decision to join politics before handing the winner's trophy and a cheque of Rs 50 lakh to Trichy model Aarav.
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After his fallout with Oviya, it didn't seem likely that Aarav would be the one to walk away with the trophy, but he managed to stick to the house successfully for 100 days, and beat his competition to emerge as the ultimate winner.
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The next person to be appointed will be the thirteenth to hold the role in 12 years and the third in just two months
Washington: India has made it a huge priority to reduce its massive food waste, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has told American industry leaders seeking their investment and technology in this regard.
India, one of the world's largest producers of food, is also the largest producer of milk and second largest producer of fruits and vegetables. This huge raw material base, paired with a growing 1.3 billion population, presents vast investment and partnership opportunities for the US, Badal said.
"However, India is currently only processing 10 per cent of its food, resulting in enormous food waste," said Badal, minister of food processing industries, at an industry round table organised by US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).
Badal is currently on a week-long visit to the US to interact with the agriculture industry and food processing companies in Chicago, Washington and New York.
MARTINSVILLE Martinsville Commonwealths Attorney Clay Gravely on Saturday was challenged to a formal debate by his opponent in the Nov. 7 election, Joan Ziglar, the citys previous chief prosecutor under whom he worked prior to being elected to the office four years ago.
The challenge was made during an Elections Matter Conference at Mount Sinai Church on Peters Street. About 100 people attended the event, which included speeches about the importance of voting and comments by 11 candidates for state and local races in the election.
Ziglar suggested that she and Gravely square off sometime during the second week of October.
Gravely did not respond to Ziglar during the conference. In an email to the Martinsville Bulletin after the event, however, he wrote "I might consider debating Ms. Ziglar if and when she starts putting names to her factually baseless accusations that some members of local law enforcement believe my office is not tough on crime.
He was referring to a comment made by Ziglar during the conference that employees of Martinsvilles police department asked her to seek re-election to put an end to what she described as Gravelys catch and release program.
Ziglar has criticized Gravely for what she believes is an overuse of plea agreements in resolving court cases. Yet she has said that based on her recent experiences as an assistant commonwealths attorney in Danville, if she is elected again, she might use them more than she did in the past.
I am extremely proud of my office's record of working closely with law enforcement to fight and reduce crime in Martinsville, Gravely wrote in the email, and am thankful for their steadfast and unwavering support during my time in office.
If she wants to debate the issues, then I'm all for it, he continued. But I think it is only fair to the voters that candidates talk about facts, and not peddle blatantly false accusations supposedly made by anonymous and unverified third-party sources."
Gravely was elected to be Martinsvilles commonwealths attorney in 2013. Ziglar held that office from 1998 until 2013 when she lost her bid for a fifth consecutive term to Gravely, who had worked for her as an assistant commonwealths attorney.
During the conference, Gravely said he has strived to be tough, but efficient and fair, in prosecuting cases. He said that people who come to his office know theyre going to get a fair shake.
He pointed out that Martinsville has seen a 60 percent drop in violent crime in recent years.
Ziglar, meanwhile, indicated that crime levels started falling while she was commonwealths attorney.
When she started the job, Martinsville was known as Little Chicago due to the high number of murders in the city, Ziglar said. When I left office, we had historic lows of violent crime.
Opioid Abuse
Responding to a question from the audience about whether a high level of opioid abuse locally can be reduced by trying to prosecute doctors who prescribe the painkilling drugs unethically, Gravely said physicians mostly are regulated by the federal government, not the state. But if cases involving doctors were to come before his office, wed go after them with fervor, he said of himself and his assistants.
Ziglar commented that she believes there are situations in which the state could prosecute doctors, working in cooperation with police and federal officials.
In Virginia, commonwealths attorney is a constitutional office basically, a local government office largely overseen and funded by the state. Other constitutional offices are sheriff, commissioner of the revenue, treasurer and clerk of circuit court.
Stephanie Cook, a teacher from Sontag who is a Democrat and challenging five-term incumbent Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Franklin County, for the 9th District House of Delegates seat, was the only state legislative candidate at the conference. She asserted that the state government needs to take a long, hard look at how its treating rural areas, such as in providing funding for their needs.
Cook said she favors increasing the minimum wage and expanding Medicaid. She said that if Pioneer Community Hospital in Stuart had been able to receive more in Medicaid payments to cover services it provided to financially-strapped patients, it might not be closing.
Martinsville Sheriff Steve Draper said the city is saving more than $500,000 a year by using inmate labor on work projects.
Draper, who has been sheriff for the past 23 years, also noted the citys use of electronic monitoring, which allows people convicted of lesser crimes to continue to work and support their families. Because offenders pay for the service, the city gets revenue from it, he said. And, the city saves money because it does not have to feed them or provide them medical care, he added.
Those programs have been implemented under his watch, he pointed out.
Drapers challenger, Jackie Dillard, a retired deputy with the city sheriffs office with 24 years of experience as a corrections officer and courtroom bailiff, said he wants to work with young people to discourage them from getting involved in crime.
In Martinsville, the police department is responsible for law enforcement. The sheriffs office runs the jail, provides security in the municipal building and its courtrooms and serves civil papers.
Dr, Makunda Abdul-Mbacke, who is running for the county school boards Iriswood District seat, said that if elected, she would be the only person on the board with children in the school system.
She and Naomi Hodge-Muse, who is seeking to become the districts next supervisor, agreed that schools need to provide students more vocational and technical training opportunities.
Earning a four-year degree is great, Abdul-Mbacke said, but not everyone wants to do that in order to get a well-paying job.
There is some kind of disconnect, she added, when the community has high unemployment yet at least one of its major companies cannot hire local people with skills needed to do its jobs.
Hodge-Muse, who is president of the Martinsville-Henry County NAACP, said the board of supervisors needs to take a really good look at how the county is managed and operated.
She questioned the countys plan to build a new 400-bed jail when the Henry County Public Service Authority has not yet extended water and sewer service to all parts of the county and not every neighborhood in the county has fire hydrants. She questioned if the lack of a nearby hydrant contributed to an August fire in which an Axton home was destroyed. The jail is estimated to cost $68.751 million, with the local portion of that estimated at $51.5 million.
Martinsville Commissioner of the Revenue Ruth Easley said her office tries to provide personal service to city taxpayers, such as by listening to their ideas for improving services.
We answer to you, Easley told city residents at the conference, referring to city officials. Alluding to the citys population, she said we have over 13,000 bosses.
Brad Kinkema, who is running for the Henry County Board of Supervisors Collinsville District seat, and Teddy Martin, who is running for the Reed Creek District seat on the Henry County School Board, pledged to listen to anyone who wants to discuss issues with them.
Martin, who is running unopposed, was appointed in April to fill the school board seat left vacant by the late Betsy Maddox. This is his first time seeking election to the board.
Also running unopposed is Martinsville Treasurer Cindy Dickerson. She said that although she is not officially being challenged by anyone, marking her name on the city ballot will indicate to her that voters think she is doing things right.
Get out and vote
One vote can make a difference. It could even change the course of national or world history, for better or for worse.
That is why it is important for everyone 18 years of age and older to be registered to vote, several speakers on Saturday emphasized.
Anyone not already registered can do so if they will turn 18 on or before Election Day, said Teresa Barrow, a civics teacher at Martinsville Middle School. This years election will be on Nov. 7.
However, the registration period ends 22 days before the election, Barrow said. Therefore, Oct. 16 will be the deadline this year.
A misconception, she pointed out, is that people who are incarcerated cannot vote. Convicted felons cannot cast ballots, but those in jail for misdemeanor offenses still can vote absentee, she said.
Dont just vote in presidential elections every four years, she advised.
General elections those that include city, county and/or state and congressional races are just as important, if not more, because officials at those levels set most policies and laws, especially those that have the most impact on individuals, according to Barrow.
Voting gives people a voice in government, she noted.
If you dont vote, you really dont have the right to complain if you disagree with lawmakers actions, she said.
So on the first Tuesday in November, take your soul to the polls and cast a ballot, said Bishop Don diXon Williams, retired associate for African-American church relations for Bread for the World, a nonpartisan, Christian-oriented organization working to end hunger in the United States.
Quoting the late political scientist Harold Dwight Lasswell, Williams gave the roughly 100 people attending the conference a simple definition of politics: Who gets what, when, where and how.
He pointed out that today the nation and world is full of hunger, poverty, terrorism, economic turmoil, corrupt government leaders and ethnic and religious tensions.
That is nothing new. The world was full of it, too, when Jesus was on Earth, Williams recalled.
But the United States has hope, he said.
If God can raise Jesus from the dead, He can certainly do other miracles for our nation, he added.
By PTI: Bengaluru, Oct 1 (PTI) In a horrifying ritual, an 18- month-old boy was wrapped in banana leaves and made to lie on a "slightly hot" charcoal bed by his parents at a dargah today.
In a video of the incident, a man can be seen placing the toddler wrapped in banana leaves on a charcoal bed in Allapur in Dharwad district during Muharram observance.
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The video showed the baby crying and struggling to escape the heat as smoke kept emanating from the charcoal.
"The parents of the baby had prayed for a boy two years ago. On their wish being fulfilled, they had come to fulfil their promise. The baby was placed on a bed of charcoal that was doused off. As it was slightly hot, banana leaves were used. It was for just couple of seconds," police said.
The police said no case has been registered in connection with the bizarre ritual, but added the Child Welfare Committee has been informed with a request to counsel the parents.
The incident has come to light only a few days after the Karnataka cabinet cleared its much-awaited legislation to end "inhuman evil practices", popularly known as the anti- superstition bill.
The proposed Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017 - to be tabled in the next assembly session - seeks to prohibit coercing any person or persons to perform fire walk. PTI KSU RC ABH
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BERNARDSTON - Three people were arrested in Bernardston on Wednesday and are now facing charges for heroin trafficking, police said.
A 19-year-old man from New York and a man, 33, and woman, 30, both from Newport, Vermont, were taken into custody early Wednesday morning after a traffic stop led police to find drugs in their car.
A Massachusetts state trooper pulled over the trio's Subaru on Route 91 in Bernardston around 2:40 a.m. Wednesday, after witnessing the vehicle make a number of lane violations.
After discovering that the operator of the car was driving with a suspended license and was unable to find the vehicle's registration, the trooper searched the Subaru and discovered 198 "bundles" filled with bags of heroin inside of it, police said.
The suspects have not been publicly identified.
All three are facing charges of heroin trafficking as well as conspiracy to violate the drug laws.
Bail was set as $20,000 for all three and they were arraigned in Greenfield District Court, police said.
LUDLOW - The Police Department is notifying residents that a new Level 3 sex offender has moved into the community.
Michael Belanger, 46, is living at 32 Chestnut St. Apartment 9. He works at 71 Walnut St., Springfield, Sgt. Daniel Valadas said.
Belanger is described as white, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing about 235 pounds. His hair is black and his eyes are brown.
He was convicted in 1992 of assault with intent to commit rape, Valadas said.
Level 3 sex offenders are those most likely to re-offend and are required to register with the local department every year.
None of the Level 3 offenders are wanted by police. It is also illegal to harass an offender, police said.
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to serve 12 years in prison after authorities said he tried to engage in sexual activity with a 9-year-old Massachusetts boy he met while playing online PlayStation games.
Robert Rang, 28, of Coaldale, Pennsylvania was sentenced in federal court in Boston last week on a charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor after a seven-day trial earlier this year. Rang will be on 15 years of supervised release once he gets out of prison.
A Massachusetts woman contacted police on Oct. 29, 2014 to report her 9-year-old grandson had been in contact with an adult male via Sony PlayStation and text messages, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The child lived with the grandmother.
"The woman discovered the illicit contact when she observed sexually explicit messages from Rang on her grandchild's iPod," authorities said.
Investigators discovered Rang had been communicating with the boy for months through PlayStation, telephone and Facebook. Rang, according to authorities, sent the child gift cards to make PlayStation-related purchases.
Rang asked the child to send him naked pictures and perform sex acts, but the child refused.
Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Rang's home on Dec. 29, 2014. Investigators said they found child pornography on Rang's cell phone and evidence of his "sexually explicit" communications with other minors including boys in New York and Kentucky.
Authorities found evidence Rang made plans to visit the boy in Massachusetts. Rang has a prior conviction for corruption of minors in Pennsylvania.
HOLYOKE -- As they worked like an assembly line placing items into the donated U-Haul truck parked outside Nueva Esperanza, volunteers chanted "Puerto Rico," all beaming with smiles.
"This has been incredible. The support we have seen from the community, not only Puerto Ricans, but all ethnicities, has touched my heart," said Maria Perez, founder of Women on the Vanguard, and one of the many members of Western Massachusetts United for Puerto Rico who was on hand Sunday to load 200 boxes for delivery to Bradley International Airport Monday morning.
The Western Massachusetts community has been collecting items for victims of Hurricane Maria which devastated several islands 12 days ago, including Puerto Rico.
"The items will be delivered to Spirit Airlines, which will then be shipping them as part of the Spirit National Relief Effort to help the victims of Maria," said Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield. "On Tuesday they fly out and they will be delivered to two airports, San Juan and Aguadilla."
Once the products arrive in Puerto Rico they will be distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he said.
There are about 10,000 items being shipped in 200 boxes collected in Springfield, Westfield and Holyoke, where most of the donations have been accumulating for weeks, said Nelson Roman, executive director of Nueva Esperanza.
"People have been incredibly generous, and the amount of volunteers that have come out to help has been inspiring," he said.
Carmen Ocasio, the president of the South Holyoke Neighborhood Association and Jesse Jack, of Revitalize CDC, and formerly the American Red Cross, have organized and led the volunteer efforts at Nueva Esperanza.
"We have seen a lot of people coming in wanting to donate their time, because they just want to do something to help," Ocasio said. "We are sending over first-aid kits, water purification tablets, diapers, batteries, flashlights, so many things that people donated."
Jack focused on instructing volunteers how to properly pack and label the boxes so that they could travel safely.
"You have to package things in certain categories in order to prevent boxes from splitting open or being potentially hazardous," she said.
The coalition has had support from many Western Massachusetts cities and towns, primarily Holyoke, Springfield and Westfield.
Eddie Diaz, of the Westfield Spanish American Association, said everyone from the city's superintendent of schools, to the mayor, city councilors, state representatives and senators have been on board from the moment the association asked for help.
"It has been incredible. Everyone has been terrific and very supportive of this effort," he said.
The Westfield YMCA, Boys & Girls Club and Westfield Bank have also joined the effort.
Springfield City Councilor Adam Gomez who represents the city on the coalition said it's been a collective effort.
"It it wasn't for community organizations, local businessmen, the residents and the mayor opening up sites for people to donate we wouldn't be here today," he said. "I'm humbled to be a part of the regional effort, but I think it's important that we look at each other, and we see what we have done, not city to city, but just as people."
Waleska Lugo De Jesus, of the coalition, said there is a sense of relief in knowing that many of the items donated by people in Western Massachusetts will make it to Puerto Rico to help people in need.
"It has been a tremendous outpouring of love and hands on effort today," she said. " This has been really short notices, but people have come out in love and support to make sure that these 200 boxes get shipped to Puerto Rico this week."
Gonzalez said the Western Massachusetts community stepped up in a big way.
"We are grateful to every citizen across Western Massachusetts who has joined the effort to aide our fellow US citizens in Puerto Rico," he said. " We are a united community."
By PTI: Srinagar, Oct 1 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Police today doubled the reward to Rs six lakh for any information leading to the nabbing of people involved in braid cutting incidents in the state.
Earlier, the reward was Rs three lakh.
"The reward for giving information or assistance in nabbing any person found involved in braid cutting doubled to six lakh rupees.
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"The name and particulars of the person would be kept secret," a police spokesman said here.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also chaired a meeting of senior civil and police officers in this regard here yesterday.
During the meeting she asked the DGP to constitute special teams in every district and track down the culprits spreading fear among young women by chopping their hair.
Other than that, the CM also directed Kashmirs Divisonal Commissioner to ask all the deputy commissioners to instill confidence among local people and solicit their cooperation in nabbing the culprits.
Recently, the J&K police constituted special investigation teams (SITs) in every district of the valley to investigate incidents of braid cutting. PTI SSB MG AAR
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By Andy Metzger
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, SEPT. 29, 2017......Senate members of the Judiciary Committee on Friday advanced a 114-page criminal justice bill that would phase out the indigent counsel fee, require regular reviews to determine whether a prisoner should stay in solitary confinement, and allow people to effectively wipe old charges from a national database.
The proposal received support from four of the five Senate Democrats on the 17-member Judiciary Committee in a poll that ended Friday afternoon, according to the Senate chairman, who said there were no votes against it. The committee on Friday did not release a tally of the vote or how committee members voted.
A bill that also moved out of committee Friday with a favorable recommendation focuses on rehabilitating people already caught up in the justice system and giving them more opportunities at early release from incarceration. That bill was reported to the House.
Senate President Stan Rosenberg this week said anticipates floor debate in the Senate on criminal justice legislation in the next couple weeks.
"There are going to be two moving vehicles here," Sen. William Brownsberger, a Belmont Democrat and Senate chairman of the Judiciary Committee told the News Service. He said, "Hopefully we'll all go across the goal line together."
Rep. Claire Cronin, the House chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee, has met with more than 50 House lawmakers so far about criminal justice, according to an aide.
"We will be putting forth a bill that will reflect the shared priorities of our House membership," Cronin said in a statement.
The House bill roughly follows legislation filed by Gov. Charlie Baker, based on recommendations from the Council of State Governments. Cronin said, "The House will continue to work with our members to build upon the gains of the CSG legislation."
Cronin had advised House members, who hold a majority on the committee, to reserve their rights on the Senate bill, allowing it to advance to the Senate with a favorable recommendation.
Wrentham Sen. Richard Ross, the only Senate Republican on the Judiciary Committee, told the News Service he reserved his rights on both bills.
The Senate bill will head next to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, Brownsberger said.
The Senate bill is ambitious, seeking to alter how people who break the law are handled by prisons, the Registry of Motor Vehicles and by human resources departments that want to review job applicants' criminal histories. Many of the topics addressed in the Senate bill are not addressed in the House bill, which could foreshadow difficult negotiations ahead.
Under current law, someone can seal records for felonies after 10 years and misdemeanors after five years, but a trace of those old criminal charges remains in the national fingerprint database, according to Brownsberger, and those records can torpedo employment prospects.
"People say, 'Oh sealing doesn't work. There's something wrong with our sealing process in Massachusetts.' No. You could seal; you could expunge; you could destroy the entire court system in Massachusetts and all the computers. Still down in Washington, there's this record," said Brownsberger.
He said the Senate bill will allow the state to coordinate with the federal government to better shield those old records in federal custody, so sealed records could still be accessed for national security checks but most employers would not be able to see them. The bill would also allow people to seal felony records after five years and misdemeanors after three, and allow the crime of resisting arrest to be sealed.
The Senate legislation would impose stricter sentences on fentanyl trafficking, putting that drug in the same category as heroin, where people face mandatory minimum sentences for trafficking. The bill would also relax sentencing for cocaine crimes, repealing mandatory minimums for trafficking anything less than 100 grams of coke.
"For all the concern about opiates, there's more cocaine sentencing going on than heroin sentencing even today, so this bill is focusing our resources on our biggest problem, which is opiates," said Brownsberger. He said, "Dealers know that from a criminal justice standpoint it's almost safer to sell fentanyl. So we actually have the wrong incentives in place. Fentanyl is clearly a more dangerous drug than heroin."
If an inmate attacks someone, Bay State prison officials can put them in restricted housing, including what is commonly referred to as solitary confinement, for up to 10 years, according to Brownsberger. The Senate bill would require regular reviews to determine whether the restricted housing is appropriate and mandate that prisoners receive programming while they are segregated from the general prison population, Brownsberger said.
"There are a few people - the Hannibal Lecters that you never want out of the cell, ever," said Brownsberger, who said there are several hundred inmates in some form of Department of Correction restricted housing.
The state would forego some revenue under the plan advanced by the Senate side of the Judiciary Committee. Over three years the bill would phase out the $150 fee imposed on criminal defendants who are unable to afford a lawyer. When fully implemented that would mean the state goes without about $7 million annually that it currently receives, according to Brownsberger.
State Auditor Suzanne Bump in 2016 found that the Parole Board assessed a total of $794,865 in supervision fees in fiscal 2015 and only collected about 75 percent of that. The Senate bill would do away with parole fees at a cost of about $800,000, said Brownsberger, who said he wanted to eliminate probation fees, too, but the Senate Committee on Ways and Means determined that was infeasible.
The state's bail system would be overhauled under the Senate proposal so that it better accounts for defendants' ability to pay, according to Brownsberger, who said, "The bail statute is a mess as written. It's a disaster."
The Senate bill does not incorporate a proposal sponsored by Baker to make drug dealers liable for manslaughter charges if the product they sell winds up killing a user.
"I understand the motivation behind it," said Brownsberger, who said he was concerned that the possibility of serious criminal charges would discourage people from alerting authorities when people overdose.
License suspensions for missed court dates and unpaid traffic tickets can become a "financial trap" for people who need a car to get to work, and the Senate bill aims to "reduce the number or ways that people can get tangled up" in the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Brownsberger said.
The state's prison population has fallen since 2012, according to Department of Correction data, which reports there are now about 9,200 people incarcerated in its system. The state has the second lowest incarceration rate in the country, according to the Office of Public Safety and Security. Overall, Brownsberger said the Senate bill should reduce the state's inmate population further.
"I believe this will result in fewer people being incarcerated or for people being incarcerated for shorter periods of time and that's the direction of change we think we need to go in," Brownsberger said. He said, "We can turn a knob here in the legislature but they can turn another knob back if they don't think we're doing the right thing, so I have some humility about the extent to which the changes we make will have direct impact."
The state last passed a major criminal justice reform bill in 2012, when lawmakers maximized penalties for three-time felons and reduced some mandatory minimum drug sentences. At the time, legislative leaders told then-Gov. Deval Patrick they would follow-up with further reforms but those have been slow to materialize.
The rate of violent crime dropped in Massachusetts between 2010 and 2016, when there were 25,677 offenses reported, according to the FBI.
"Native American Business Advisors provide critical services to entrepreneurs in Montanas Indian Country," said Director Haxby-Cote. "Their support helps Native American-owned businesses to grow, create jobs and strengthen the local economies of reservations and other tribal communities around the state."
http://commerce.mt.gov/News/PressReleases/director-haxby-cote-announces-grants-to-support-tribal-business-development
Montanans earning minimum wage will see rate increase to $8.30 per hour next year
Governor Steve Bullock today announced Montanans earning minimum wage will see the rate increase to $8.30 per hour beginning January 1, 2018.
"People who work full time for a living shouldnt be living in poverty. This modest increase in minimum wage means more Montana workers will have a little extra money in their pockets," said Governor Bullock. "This economic boost will help hard-working Montana families make ends meet and ensure they arent falling behind."
http://governor.mt.gov/Newsroom/governor-bullock-announces-montanas-minimum-wage-increasing
Theres an enormous need to develop and implement policies that support the establishment and growth of businesses in stagnant communities-and redirect some VC dollars away from the coasts.
These are "the places that have fallen through the cracks of the U.S. economy," according to the report. In these communities, the recession essentially never ended, and the gulf between them and the top economic engines of the country is only growing wider.
By Eillie Anzilotti
https://www.fastcompany.com/40473390/huge-swaths-of-americas-communities-are-economically-stagnant-how-can-we-make-them-grow
The Montana Department of Commerce works with statewide and local partners, private industry and small businesses to enhance and sustain economic prosperity in Montana. - Montana Is On The Move
By India Today Web Desk: Celina Jaitly gave birth to twins, Arthur Jaitly Haag and Shamsher Jaitly Haag, on September 10. The actor took to Facebook on the occasion of Dussehra to announce the "bittersweet news".
"The Gods above have blessed us yet again with another set of very handsome twin boys 'Arthur Jaitly Haag' and 'Shamsher Jaitly Haag' in Dubai on 10th September 2017. However, life is not always how we plan it to be. Our son 'Shamsher Jaitly Haag' succumbed to a serious heart condition and could not continue his journey in this world," she wrote.
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Celina opened up about the last two "tumultuous" months. She not only lost her son, but also her father, VK Jaitly, in July this year. However, she chooses to focus on the "light at the end of a tunnel", her son, Arthur.
Celina and her husband Peter Haag are already parents to five-year-old twin sons, Viraaj and Winston.
ALSO WATCH: Celina Jaitly takes on Baba Ramdev
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By PTI: By K J M Varma
Beijing, Oct 1 (PTI) China today celebrated its 68th national day, with over 115,000 citizens gathering at the Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing to take part in celebrations.
The crowd stood in silence as it watched the hoisting of the national flag after which the national anthem was played.
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At the backdrop was a 17-metre-tall giant display in the shape of a floral basket, which holds flowers and fruits such as persimmons, pomegranates, apples, peonies and Chinese roses -- all symbolising a thriving and prosperous country, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Watching the flag raising ceremony at the Tiananmen Square has been a way of Chinese celebrating the national day. Some joined the gathering for sight seeing, as several others assembled to express their patriotism.
The national day is celebrated with a week-long holiday, while the Chinese traditional Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Cake Festival, featuring family gathering, falls on October 4 this year.
Major parks in Beijing have been decorated with around 1.6 million potted flowers of 150 different species, according to Beijing Municipal Administration Centre of Parks.
Traffic information from the Ministry of Transport showed that traffic on highways in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai became heavy from 6 am this morning, as holiday goers rushed to scenic spots, the agency reported.
Today, the scenic area of the landmark Badaling section of the Great Wall in northern Beijing was opened earlier than usual to welcome holiday tourists.
Badaling, where the oldest sections of the Great Wall have been dated back to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 557), is decorated with over 100,000 flowerpots to add the festive air for the National Day.
The ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal opened its first transport hub today, marking the start of a modern transport era on the 2,500-km man-made waterway, the longest in the world. PTI KJV KIS
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"A doctor or pharmacist can choose any number of medications, which the machine would combine into a single dose," Shtein said. "The machine could be sitting in the back of the pharmacy or even in a clinic."The technique was developed through a collaboration between the Michigan Engineering departments of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering, as well as the College of Pharmacy and the Department of Physics in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.The researchers adapted a technology from electronics manufacturing called organic vapor-jet printing. One key advantage of the technique is that it can print a very fine crystalline structure over a large surface area. This helps printed medications dissolve more easily, opening the door to a variety of potential new drugs that today are shelved because they don't dissolve well when administered with conventional approaches, including pills and capsules."Pharma companies have libraries of millions of compounds to evaluate, and one of the first tests is solubility," Shtein said. "About half of new compounds fail this test and are ruled out. Organic vapor jet printing could make some of them more soluble, putting them back into the pipeline."The process begins by heating the active pharmaceutical ingredient -- usually a powder -- and evaporating it to combine it with a stream of heated, inert gas like nitrogen. The evaporated medication travels, along with the gas, through a nozzle pointed at a cooled surface. The medication then condenses, sticking to the cooled surface in a thin crystalline film. The formation of the film can be tightly controlled by fine-tuning the printing process. The process requires no solvents, no additives and no post-processing."Organic vapor jet printing may be useful for a variety of drug delivery applications for the safe and effective delivery of therapeutic agents to target tissues and organs," said Geeta Mehta, the Dow Corning Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering and a co-author on the paper.The tight control over solubility may also be useful later in the drug testing process, when potential new drugs are applied to cultured cells in a lab. Today, most compounds must be dissolved in a chemical solvent before they're applied to cells. The new technique could enable printed medications to dissolve easily in the water-based medium used to culture cells, without the need for a solvent."When researchers use solvents to dissolve drugs during the testing process, they're applying those drugs in a way that's different from how they would be used in people, and that makes the results less useful," said Anna Schwendeman, an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at U-M and an author on the paper. "Organic vapor jet printing could make those tests much more predictive, not to mention simpler."While printing mass-market drugs is likely years away, Shtein believes that the drug characterization and testing applications may come to fruition more quickly--internally in pharmaceutical companies."One of the major challenges facing pharmaceutical companies is speed to clinical testing in humans," said Gregory Amidon, a research professor in the U-M College of Pharmacy and an author on the paper. "This technology offers up a new approach to accelerate the evaluation of new medicines."The team is exploring additional applications for the technology and plans to collaborate with experts in pharmaceutical compound design and manufacturing, as well as those working on treatments. Eventually, they envision vapor jet printing being scaled to mass production, including roll-to-roll continuous manufacturing.Source: Eurekalert
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By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 1 (PTI) Czech Republic, which is witnessing a steady growth in arrivals from India, is gearing up to welcome 1,00,000 travellers from the country by 2020, an official of CzechTourism India said.
"We are seeing steady growth in Indian tourists arrivals. In 2016, 66,500 Indians visited Czech Republic and this year from January to June 42,000 travellers from India have already visited Czech Republic. Looking at this trend we are expecting 40 per cent growth in arrivals from India this year," CzechTourism India Head Arzan Khambatta told PTI.
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The target is 1,00,000 tourists from India by 2020, he added.
Speaking further, he said Indian visitors spend is also growing at a steady rate and is 30 per cent above the global average. "Indians are considered good spenders spending around 4,000 Czech Koruna per day (over EUR 150)," he added. CzechTourism, which is promoting the country as an affordable premium destination, is targeting families, well travelled Free Independent Tourists (FITs) and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events (MICE), he said. "We are targeting big on families and those well travelled FITs in the age group of 25-45 years, who are looking at customised holiday experience and to do something different. We are also targeting MICE segment, which has a huge potential in India," he added. CzechTourism India office is focused on presenting new regions, products and experiences to the Indian travellers, he said. Besides the scenic beauty, the culture and history, food and wine, Indians also love visiting the glass making factory that allows tourists to create their own souvenir, he added. CzechTourism is initially targeting markets in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, Khambatta said. "In India, we want to gradually expand our promotions in the big cities. This year we are promoting Czech Republic in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and will add Ahmedabad and Kolkata to the list in 2018. "In 2019, we will then expand our promotions to Hyderabad and Chennai. After which we may look to penetrate deeper to tier II cities," he added. Bollywood, Khambatta said, is another segment that CzechTourism is exploring. "Several Bollywood movies have been shot in Czech Republic, showcasing the natural beauty of the central European country. We know cinema is very good medium to promote tourism and are hoping to collaborate with more productions in future," he added. PTI SM ARS MR ABM
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The Mamata Banerjee government has secured a resounding win in fight against Hindu hardliner outfits over idol immersion on Muharram row. But how?
By India Today Web Desk: Towing the Mamata government-drawn line of not immersing Durga idols today on the occasion of Muharram, Durga Puja Committees in Kolkata have awarded Didi a win in fight against Hindu fundamentalists, or have they been made to?
The state government had imposed restrictions on Durga idol immersion on Vijaydashami on September 30 after 10 pm and October 1 which is the 10th day of the holy month of Muharram.
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But the order was stayed effectively by the Calcutta High Court.
Regardless of the high court order, no organising committee sought permission for idol immersion today, thereby silencing the BJP and Hindu hardliner outfits who had long been trying to browbeat the TMC government.
According to sources, about 95 per cent Trinamool Congress leaders are associated with pandals or organising committees in their districts, which could have pivoted the Durga idol immersion plans in favor of Banerjee government .
Interestingly, of all the 25,000 worship communities in Kolkata, not one has till now sought permission from the police or the local administration for statuary immersion.
CALCUTTA HC RAPS DIDI GOVT
Quashing state government's diktat, the Calcutta High Court on September 21 had ruled that Durga idol immersion can continue till 12 am on all days, including Muharram.
During the hearing, in a castigating remark, the high court told the Mamata Banerjee government that it was "exercising extreme power without any basis."
While adding, "If you get a dream, that something will go wrong, you cannot impose restrictions... There is a difference between regulation and prohibition." The court further instructed the police to make separate routes for both Durga idol immersion and Muharram processions.
Defiantly to which, the state government then issued a new order that read- a government permit is mandatory for immersion .
Dismissing murmurs that TMC leaders are exercising 'influence' over the worship committees, a senior Kolkata Police officer said that an application might come at the last moment. Further adding that if it did, the police and local administration will act upon it in accordance with the high court order.
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"I have just launched the party. I am waiting for some people to join, then I will decide the future course (of action)," the 65-year-old Konkan strongman said at a press conference here.
By Press Trust of India: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane, who had recently resigned from the Congress, today announced the launch of a new party called Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh.
"I have just launched the party. I am waiting for some people to join, then I will decide the future course (of action)," the 65-year-old Konkan strongman said at a press conference here.
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Ranes move comes after days of speculation that he may join the BJP. Last week, Rane had also met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi.
Rane had resigned from the Congress last month while accusing the party of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister when he had joined the party 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena.
He had also resigned as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
A prominent leader from the influential Maratha community, Rane was the chief minister in 1999 while in the Shiv Sena.
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By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) It was as a girl of nine that artist Rita Jhunjhunwala attended one of Lal Bahadur Shastris motorcades, and the former Indian Prime Ministers iconic slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan was etched on her memory forever.
"I remember we were so influenced by his message that we stopped consuming ann (grains) once in a week," she says.
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To celebrate the contribution of Shastri, Mahatma Gandhi and other "Indian legends" in making India the great nation it is today, the city-based artist has come up with an evocative portrait collection that is being exhibited at Indian Habitat Center here.
Titled Immortals, the exhibition, that begins here today, has 35 large works in various media -- acrylic and charcoal on paper, acrylic and mixed media on canvas and sculptural installations in wood.
Jhunjhunwala says she has consciously refrained from creating mere photo-realistic renditions of the personalities, and instead placed the portraits against symbolic backgrounds, with incidents associated with each of them.
The artworks have been executed in her trademark brush strokes.
The artist began the series with a couple of portraits of Gandhi.
She recreates Bapus Salt March in one, and portrays the Mahatmas affectionate relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru in the other.
"Mahatama Gandhi was the prime figure in my mind when I planned to pay tribute to some of the legends in India. Today, we may analyse his decision with a critical eye but he has been the most instrumental in Indias freedom," she says.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patels portrait is replete with symbols of strength while Subhash Chandra Boses portrait lights up with the colours of nationalism.
The collection also has features Rabindranath Tagore gazing calmly into a cascade of books, while Mother Teresas image is all about compassion.
The exhibition also has on display images of renowned artist M F Husain, Indian classical vocalist Kishori Amonkar, Swami Vivekananda, Dr C V Raman, Ramkrishna Paramhans, Amrita Shergil, A P J Abdul Kalam among others.
Recalling her meeting with Kishori Amonkar, Jhunjhunwala says the vocalist touched her "deeply".
"She was extremely encouraging and loved the portrait I had made of her with her mother, Mogu Bai," the 61-year-old artist says.
The exhibition is set to continue till October 5. PTI RJS TRS TRS
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By PTI: Midnapore(WB), Oct 1 (PTI) Five persons including four members of a family were killed when their car collided with a dumper in Paschim Midnapore district today, police said.
Four members of a family were on their way to Ranchi from Tamluk in Purba Midnapore when their car collided with a dumper near Kharagpur, the police said.
Two of them died on the spot while the rest succumbed to injuries on way to hospital, they added. PTI COR JM RG
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Scores of Connecticut politicians reliant on public campaign financing got a stay of execution when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy vetoed the Republican budget last week, but some are still making contingency plans during the ongoing impasse over the states $3.6 billion deficit.
The fluid nature of the negotiations, which are entering their fourth month, has cast uncertainty over the states decade-old clean-elections program.
The GOPs budget fix called for raiding $35 million from the Citizens Election Fund for 2018, creating potential upheaval for state office hopefuls who have spent as much as a year raising qualifying contributions for public aid.
A record number of candidates up and down the ballot are on pace to qualify for funds, including more than half a dozen gubernatorial hopefuls, who must each raise a total of $250,000 from at least 2,500 individual donors. That would unlock $1.4 million for the primary and $6.5 million for each partys nominee in the general election.
A hallmark of the program is the $100 cap on individual contributions to curb the influence of special interests.
Weve already put in place a preliminary contingency plan in the event that the Citizens Election Program is eliminated, said Tim Herbst, the Republican first selectman of Trumbull and candidate for governor. I think its to recognize those people who wanted to give more than $100, but couldnt and go back and ask for more.
Toward ending abuses
Jolted by a pay-to-play scandal that led to the resignation and imprisonment of Gov. John G. Rowland, the state created the program to wean candidates off special-interest money and free them from the time required for fundraising. The programs popularity has been on the rise, with $33.4 million awarded to 287 candidates for statewide office and the Legislature in 2014. Nearly half of that total $15.8 million was spent on the governors race.
Democrats almost universally howled when the Republican caucus leaders in the House (Themis Klarides) and Senate (Len Fasano) targeted the public campaign finance system for cuts. Among them is Chris Mattei, who led the prosecution of Rowland and is exploring a run for governor.
Frankly, if the program was not in effect, people like me just wouldnt be able to run, said Mattei, who is from Hartford.
Elona Vaisnys, founder of CEProud, a League of Women Voters of Connecticut initiative to protect clean elections, said the investment is one worth making.
Its so basic to get special interest money out of elections, said Vaisnys, who is from North Haven. Im hoping that CEP, itll be one of the negotiable parts of the budget that the Republicans will be convinced to keep for us.
GOP leaders are warning of a $10 million shortfall in the program for 2018, however. Until now, the program has relied on proceeds from the sale of abandoned property and unclaimed bottle deposits to cover its cost.
Klarides said Republicans are open to compromise on suspending the program, but will try to override Malloys veto when legislators reconvene Oct. 10. Despite being a recipient of public funds herself in past elections, Klarides said the state simply doesnt have the money to pay for campaign swag such as bumper stickers and water bottles, not at the expense of funding the social safety net.
We still maintain that our budget is the best thing for the state of Connecticut, and we are pushing for the override, said Klarides, who is weighing a run for governor.
There is at least one Democrat who seemingly stands to benefit if lawmakers suspend the program: Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim.
Exploring a run for governor, the mayor of the states largest city has been ruled ineligible for public funds by the state Elections Enforcement Commission because of his conviction for public corruption during his first stint at City Hall. Ganim is suing the commission, arguing that his exclusion is unconstitutional and tilts the playing field toward other gubernatorial contenders.
You really cant have a fair election for voters or even a fair primary if you have one candidate getting $8 million and another candidate getting zero dollars, Ganim said. Im a very real and credible candidate in the democratic process garnering support around the state.
Not counting in the money
Known for his fundraising chops, Ganim isnt rooting for the demise of the program.
I certainly support and laud the goals of the program thats been put in place, he said.
But Liz Kurantowicz, a former chief of staff for the Connecticut GOP and political consultant from Fairfield, said it would be unwise for candidates to assume the public money will be there.
The thing about a campaign is you have to be nimble and capable of handling, whatever the circumstances throw at you, she said.
Kurantowicz served as finance director during the 2006 governors race for Republican incumbent M. Jodi Rell, who was elected to her first full term after taking over for Rowland in 2004.
Governor Rell announced her candidacy ... about 10 months before the 2006 election and she raised $4.1 million, with no primary contributions, and without accepting donations from lobbyists, state contractors or prospective state contractors, Kurantowicz said. So clearly it can be done.
Herbst, who has raised about $200,000, said his campaign is prepared to recast its net for contributions outside Connecticut if the program is suspended. The current cap on out-of-state money is $25,000.
I cannot blame Senator Fasano and Representative Klarides for putting this on the table, Herbst said. If I were in their position, I probably would have done the same thing.
But Herbst said lawmakers should take into account how far along so many candidates on both sides of the aisle are in trying to qualify.
So what I would recommend is, if theyre going to put it back on the chopping block, that they examine a plan to phase it out after the 2018 cycle, Herbst said.
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Another chapter was written this week in what seems like a never-ending court battle over school funding in the state.
Really? Bridgeport School Board Vice Chairwoman Sauda Baraka said when she heard oral arguments would be presented Thursday to the Connecticut Supreme Court.
The news brought a momentary glimmer of hope to her face. It disappeared as she stood up in the foyer of Dunbar School to decry another probable year of budget cuts.
Another year of deciding which new cuts would do the least harm to more than 21,000 Bridgeport school children.
Oral arguments in the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding vs. Rell come nearly 12 years after the case was filed by a broad group of towns, parents and advocacy groups.
The case was on its second trip to the states highest court. The first time, the Supreme Court remanded the case back to superior court saying the lower court had erred in dismissing the action.
That was 2010. It was called a huge win for Connecticut schoolchildren, though many knew at the time they were in for the long haul.
When Hartford Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher got the case in January 2016, it took five months of testimony and another three months of deliberating to craft a 90-page decision that found that while the level of state spending on education fulfilled its constitutional obligation, how the state distributed that funding was irrational, arbitrary and unconstitutional.
More hope.
This decision by Judge Moukawsher is a game changer for our children, Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim said at the time.
Then another appeal.
Inching closer
On the steps of the courthouse Thursday morning, groups supporting the plaintiffs, including several members of the clergy, said they were ready for something to happen.
It is continually mind-boggling that in 2017 we are still dealing with issues of equity and fairness, Rev. Lindsay E. Curtis, pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Norwalk, said when it was his turn at the microphone. I hope the Supreme Court will rule to uphold the mandate for fair funding.
Jennifer Alexander, chief executive officer of ConnCAN, an organization that supports school reform said whatever the court decides, state leaders know they finally have to come up with a school funding formula that treats all public school students fairly.
For the sake of our kids, I hope the Supreme Court upholds the ruling, Alexander said.
Oral arguments before the high court took more than two hours. Joseph Moodhe, lead attorney for the plaintiffs said he felt it could have gone on twice as long.
The time-frame for a decision is uncertain.
I feel this court will give whatever time it needs to give to consider entire record, Moodhe said. The issues, he acknowledge, are complex.
Moodhe also said that the states budget problems should not negate its constitutional obligation to provide all its students with an adequate educational opportunity.
As oral arguments were heard, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was across the street vetoing a Republican budget he called irresponsible.
On Monday, party leaders will meet with Malloy even as a legislative session to try and overturn the veto is being planned.
Meg Green, a Malloy spokeswoman, said in the year since the superior court decision, the urgency to create a more predictable, transparent and fair formula has not diminished.
We agree ... the time for bold action to address the issue of fair funding in our education system is now, Green said.
State Rep. Steve Stafstrom, D-Bridgeport, said that a functioning education formula needs to push additional resources to our lowest-performing school districts.
Danbury Schools Superintendent Sal Pascarella, who testified during the court trial, agrees that positive change doesnt have to wait for a court decision.
The (lower) court recognized inequities, Pascarella said. The conversation is being had at the level it needs to be had, he said of legislative efforts to finally put an equitable school funding formula in place.
Ground zero
With no state budget a quarter of the way through the 2017-18 fiscal year, all school districts are on edge.
In Bridgeport, which gets 74 percent of its budget from the state, panic has set in.
This is for real, Baraka said at a Monday night school board meeting. We dont have a scrape. We have an artery gushing out blood.
If there is a light at the end of the CCJEF tunnel, Baraka and others arent certain their districts will survive long enough to reach it.
We dont have enough money, said Av Harris, director of legislative affairs and public policy for Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim.
Last week, a letter from Ganims budget office unsettled the district; it said city funds for schools were depleted.
It took assurances from State Budget Director Ben Barnes that funding was on the way to calm district officials.
Harris, who sat through oral arguments to hear Bridgeports name come up often, left the courthouse saying he thinks the justices get it. Meaning that a system that gives Bridgeport $14,343 per student while Hartford gets $19,313 is one based on politics, not need.
I think you can see judges are very careful to want to stay in their lanes, they dont want to be legislating from the bench, but I think they are taking it very seriously, Harris said.
Maria Pereira, a Bridgeport school board member who was a frequent visitor to Hartford this session in her attempt to get the district more funding, said she can only hope the justices truly understand the gravity of the situation.
For me to even think it is not going to help our over 21,000 students its too much to bear, she said.
Though most tourists are only familiar with the city's airport, Frankfurt is fast emerging as a destination in its own capacity. Here are the eight ways you can explore this culturally and ethnically diverse German city.
By Mail Today: EXPLORE OLD TOWN REBUILT AFTER WORLD WAR II
While most buildings in the historic district were destroyed during World War II, many of them have been meticulously rebuilt.Romerburg, the central square, is home to its Rathaus (City Hall) which dates back to1405, and is flanked by half-timbered,gabled houses.
The city has a special project called the Dom Romer project, where many buildings are being reconstructed as exact replicas of their medieval counterparts.Don't miss the majestic cathedral of St Bartholomeus where kings and emperors of the Holy Roman empire were crowned in the 17th and 18th centuries.Paulskirche or St Paul's Church hosted the first German National Assembly.
Picture courtesy: Mail Today
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RAISE A TOAST WITH APPLE WINE
The cozy Sachsenhausen neighbourhood with its cobbled lanes and medieval architecture is the city's pub district serving the local signature drink - apple wine with a tart taste. This area escaped the bombing to a large extent so has a lot of original architecture, well-preserved.
Today there are more than a hundred apple-wine pubs and a dozen fountains including the Frau Rauscher Brunnen fountain where a lady holding a jug of apple wine, keeps spitting water at regular intervals, on pedestrians.
Apple wine became popular in the 16th century,when local Riesling grapes suffered from fungus, so people tried making wine from apples instead. Apple wine is poured from special blue and white jugs,called Bembels.
Also Read: #WorldHeartDay: Travel, travel, travel to keep your heart happy
VISIT ITS NUMEROUS MUSEUMS
Take a walk along the river Main on the 'Museum Embankment' lined by some of the best museums in the country, housed in classic buildings. Among them is the German Film Museum and the world-famous Stadel Museum,which focuses on seven centuries of art (has masters like Rembrandt,Picasso and Monet). Don't miss a visit to the Museum of Architecture, which also gives you a glimpse into the problem of housing for immigrants.
Outside this area the other museum really worth a visit is the Senckenberg Museum which houses fossils, dinosaur skeletons and Egyptian mummies.
You can buy a two day Museum Surfer pass which gives you access to over 29 museums and costs about Rs 900.
NEVER MISS A VELO TAXI TOUR
A unique way to experience the city is to take a velo taxi tour with a driver-cum-guide. I took a tour with this electric bike taxi that took me along green spaces by the River, some striking modern architecture and then the Old Town as well as the apple wine taverns. It whizzes down pavements and streets, even by the riverside.
The guide gave me a good insight into local culture and architecture and would recommend this as a good orientation to the city.
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A one hour tour costs 38 euros (about Rs 2,800).http://frankfurt.velotaxi.de/en
Also Read: Can an airplane fly even after engine failure? Yes, it can
GET A TASTE OF ITS CAFE CULTURE
The German tradition of Kaffee and Kuchen is firmly entrenched in Frankfurt. Today there are a lot of new cafes serving specialty coffees with confectionery.
Take a tour of the city's cafes from family-run businesses like Wacker's Kaffee in Kornmarkt and Cafe Karin (near Goethe's house) to quirky cafes like IImori Patiseries where Japanese style snacks as well as cakes , tarts, and macarons are served with great coffee.
Picture courtesy: Mail Today
GET A MAJESTIC VIEW FROM THE TOP
The city has some striking and modernistic architecture with a bunch of towering skyscrapers perched on the banks of the river , dubbed Germany's"Manhattan. "
To get a view of the city's skyline, head to the 650-feet high platform of the Main Tower and get a sweeping panoramic view of Frankfurt's skyline - the green spaces, the river and the high rises.Look at the shining facades of the twin towers of Deutsche Bank called Debit and Credit by the locals, the striking Euro Tower (home of the European Central Bank), and the headquarters of Commerz bank,designed by Norman Foster.
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INDULGE IN RETAIL THERAPY
Explore the bustling pedestrian street called Zeil, with a line-up of chic boutiques and department chains.Don't miss the spectacular 10-floor shopping centre, the "ZeilGalerie" with a vaulted glass structure and cutting-edge architecture.
To get a peek into local food culture visit the local indoor market called Kleinmarkthalle,with more than 150 stalls selling a wide range of fresh foods,cheeses and local produce.
You should definitely pick up typical souvenirs like bottles of apple wine, bembels - pitchers used for apple wine - and local mustard. Another good buy is fashionable Birkenstock footwear.
GO BACK IN TIME AT GOETHE'S HOUSE
The famous writer and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethewas born in Frankfurt in 1749. His house in Hirschgraben was destroyed in the Second World War, and was lovingly rebuilt from its original plans.
Many rooms are furnished with baroque pieces, porcelain and art: explore the old fashioned kitchen, music room, a library, the writer's desk and even the room where the author was born.
Don't miss the Puppet theatre that was presented to Goethe when he was four years old and inspired him
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In the new campaign five all-women teams from five different parts of Gujarat will start their journey across the five different zones of the state.
By Supriya Bhardwaj: In a bid to woo women voters in Gujarat, Congress' women wing- Mahila Congress will roll out its campaign on October 2 in Dahod district of the state.
In this campaign five all-women teams from five different parts of Gujarat will start their journey across the five different zones of the state.
These groups of Congress women leaders will travel across length and breadth of various districts in Gujarat and hold public meetings.
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These five teams will 'officially' launch the Congress campaign targeting women voters following which the local district Mahila Congress will launch door to door campaign specifically reaching out to women voters.
Mahila Congress President Sushmita Deb while talking to India Today said, "There will be a campaign run by women for women in Gujarat. Our Campaign will be around What Women (voters) Want."
The party has zeroed in on various issues like Health, job, security and better transportation facilities.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, in his recently concluded Gujarat tour, has already given a clear signal that his party will take various steps to financially empower women.
Congress plans to include a separate chapter on women in its Gujarat Poll Manifesto.
To build up their case, Gujarat Congress pointed towards few figures that When it comes to the state ranking about offering jobs to women Gujarat comes at number 14 out of 22 states.
70.33% women in Gujarat between the age of 15 and 34 are jobless.
In last decade there is a huge increase in robbery and murder of old people including women.
The NCRB data also shows poor rates of conviction in gender.
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The Grand Valley State volleyball team claimed an impressive 3-1 win over the Wildcats of Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 30) in front of former Lakers, as the team hosted their annual alumni tailgate prior to the match. The Lakers took down Northern Michigan - who entered the match with an 11-3 overall record - by scores of 25-23, 19-25, 25-21, and 25-23. The victory pushes GVSU to 8-7 overall and they now sport a 5-2 record in conference play.
Neither team hit particularly well in the match, as the Lakers posted a .133 hitting percentage with 26 errors and the Wildcats hit .188 with 28 errors. Both teams did post double-digit blocks however, with GVSU stuffing 11 attack attempts to Northern Michigan's 13. The Wildcats led the Lakers in kills (55-46), assists (53-36), digs (68-54), but the Lakers held an 11-4 advantage in aces.
Junior middle blocker
stepped up in a big way for the Lakers, on an otherwise rough attacking day, as she posted 17 kills to four errors and hit .394 throughout the match. Brower also assisted on five blocks defensively. Fellow middle blocker
posted 10 kills of her own while chalking up four block assists, while
also assisted on four blocks.
Sophomore
led the squad in digs with 14 and also pitched in three aces as well. Senior setter
tallied 27 assists to go along with her 10 digs and defensive specialist
also served up three aces while picking up eight digs.
The Lakers got off to a rough start in the first set, as the Wildcats opened up an early 7-1 lead over GVSU. Grand Valley State then answered with five straight points, as Brower put down a kill, Doby served up back to back aces, Northern recorded an attack error, and Brower put down another kill. The Wildcats wouldn't give up the lead so easily though, as they pushed the score out to 16-11 in their favor. After a few back and forth points, GVSU found themselves down 22-18 and proceeded to use an unbelievable 8-1 run to stun the Wildcats and secure the 25-23 victory.
The second set opened up much more competitively than the first, as the teams were tied 7-7 early on. After Northern Michigan took a 13-11 lead, they used an 8-5 run for the 21-16 lead late in the set. GVSU wouldn't manage to overcome the deficit and fell in set two, 25-19.
GVSU got off to a hot start of their own in set three, as they went up 12-6 early. The large deficit didn't faze the Wildcats however, as they battled back to tie the match at 17-all. The teams then tied at 18, 19, and 20 before the Lakers closed it out by scoring six of the final seven points for the 25-21 victory.
The fourth set started off much like the first, as Northern opened up an early 11-5 lead. Once again, the Lakers didn't break down and tied the match at 15-15. The teams would trade points until the 21-21 mark, when the Lakers scored three straight for the 24-21 lead. After two points from Northern brought the score to 24-23, the Lakers used a final kill from Doby to secure the 25-23 fourth-set victory and the 3-1 win in the match.
GVSU will have a few days to rest up before their next match, as they are scheduled to travel to Ferris State next Friday (Oct. 6) and Northwood on Saturday (Oct. 7). Following next weekends matches, the Lakers will take part in the annual Midwest Region Crossover Tournament in Aurora, Ill.
LAPEER, MI - The city of Lapeer will use nearly $1.9 million granted by the state to perform sanitary sewer and pump stations improvements including replacement of a 14-inch sewer force main.
Lapeer was recently chosen as one of 14 communities in the state to receive a Community Development Block Grant Infrastructure Capacity Enhancement, or ICE, grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
"This is great news and a great project that we can move forward with sooner than later," said Lapeer Mayor Bill Sprague in a news release. "We're extremely pleased with getting this grant and doing this project. And we're blessed to have a staff here that works together to get thing done."
The effort to secure the grant included a push by Pam Reid, the city's Department of Public Works Director and Gary Bartow, project manager for consultant Fleis & VandenBrink, as well as backing from state and federal legislators.
"Replacing a 14-inch force main has been in our (Capital Improvement Plan) for over four years now and the pump station has been in there for over seven," Reid said. "The force main is 36 years old and has ruptured several times."
The force main also crosses the Flint River and effects about one-third of the city's population. The McCormick Street Pump Station which goes to the wastewater treatment plant is expected to be replaced with the grant dollars.
"It would have a devastating impact on our community if this thing failed," said Reed.
Additional aspects of the infrastructure project will include the installation of includes is bioswales that helps retain and filter water along the route, which Bartow said is "environmentally sound," and directional, trenchless drilling to cut down on disruption to residents.
Dale Kerbyson, Lapeer City Manager, said the project work has been part of Lapeer's capital improvement plan for years, calling it "critical infrastructure."
"This money saves us because ultimately we might have had to go the citizens for funding help," he added.
State Rep. Gary Howell, R-North Branch, lauded what he called said he was "a progressive community effort."
The ICE grant was announced in November 2017 by the state and allows for improvements to water lines and related facilities, sanitary and storm sewer lines and related facilities, and wastewater treatment plants and related activities.
Communities receiving the grants between $500,000 and $2 million must have an approved capital improvement plan and provide a minimum 10 percent match.
Funds for the grants were allocated to the State through the Michigan Strategic Fund by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Michigan Strategic Fund, in cooperation with the MEDC, uses the funds to award grants to eligible counties, cities, villages and townships with populations under 50,000 for economic development, community development and housing projects.
CEDAR SPRINGS, MI -- Police have located a parent to a young girl found along along a Cedar Springs Street.
Kent County sheriff's deputies about 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, said a parent was located for the girl, believed to be 3-4 years old.
The girl was found about 2 p..m. in the area of Grant and Elm streets by a citizen. The citizen called police.
At about 5 p.m., police issued a press release seeking the public's help to locate the parents.
At about 5:30 p.m., Kent County dispatchers called out Cedar Springs firefighters to look for her parents.
However, at about the same time, a deputy reported that police were on the phone with someone believed to be the father.
The whereabouts of the parent from 2 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. were not immediately known.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - ArtPrize Executive Director Christian Gaines apologized Sunday, Oct. 1, to the artists involved in the Cultura Collective on the Southwest Side and residents of the neighborhood for failing to give the venue proper exposure at the start of the event.
"I want to take this moment to acknowledge where we failed a group of artists through a lack of mapping of information and directional signage at the beginning of ArtPrize this year,'' said Gaines, before the announcement of the top 20 public vote finalists in the 19-day international art competition.
"We apologize to the artists, to the residents of the neighborhood and to everyone who didn't get to experience the work in those early days, and we urge you to add this venue to your list of must see exhibitions while you still can," Gaines said.
The Cultura Collective at Rumsey Street is a community-driven venue in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood. It focuses on honoring and documenting narratives described as crucial to the fabric of the neighborhood as it currently exists, working to maintain the cultural and historic elements of a community during major change.
The Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH) -- operating from a stop located behind the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) on Louis Street -- were taking visitors to the venue through 6 p.m. Sunday for a pre-planned community celebration there.
According to the ArtPrize website, artists at the venue show work in three buildings, slated for complete removal by the end of 2017 -- an auto garage, a former church, and the church's rectory -- to present works that explore the complex narratives of pain, joy, and fear of a community in transition.
Gaines told MLive that ArtPrize wanted to be transparent about the concerns from the artists and community that were raised shortly after the event kicked off on Sept. 20. He said they noticed that the Rumsey Street venue wasn't included in some things and they were fixed as quickly as they could.
For example, the ArtPrize team pulled the Critics' Choice Experience Guides from all ArtPrize HUBs to correct them, and updated the wayfinding maps that were on the Cultura Collective. The venue is located at 333 Rumsey St. SW.
Steffanie Rosalez, curator at Rumsey Street and leader of the Cultura Collective, was the first to bring the oversight to ArtPrize's attention on Friday, September 22, officials confirmed.
"My initial reaction to the public apology is that I've heard this apology before, even if the public has not,'' said Rosalez, who said she has been working with ArtPrize on issues of equity over several years.
"I hope by making an apology in front of hundreds of people that it gives the Artprize leadership the motivation to reflect and hold themselves accountable because that's the only way that anything is going to change.''
At the request of ArtPrize, Rosalez said that she has made repeated suggestions for how ArtPrize can engage more people of color that are both easy, as well as expensive and time consuming. However, she said they have not made them a priority.
She said the issue with their venue is not specifically about marketing but the culture of priorities.
Rosalez said the title of their show is "Undocumented,'' which is about stories not being told and about systems that disenfranchise people. She said these incidents are still prevalent in our community today and the ArtPrize oversight is just another example of what their show is trying to convey.
Gaines said the artwork of the Cultura Collective is "absolutely remarkable.'' He described the community as being largely black and Hispanic and the artwork as "really personal and site responsive,'' saying it was sort cathartic for the neighborhood in a lot of ways.
"Our failures had no impact on the jurors ability to see the brilliance of the work," said Gaines, pointing out that the site was nominated for best venue, and two of the artworks made the shortlist in jurors category.
"We absolutely missed out on the opportunity to tell one of most important stories at ArtPrize this year," Gaines told the audience.
"The artists of Cultura Collective didn't walk away from ArtPrize, as they could have done, and they didn't let our flaws define them, that is something to which we can all aspire.''
"As we head into our tenth year, we are committed to evolving into a better version of ourselves, one in which the most people can and must truly belong.''
HOLLAND, MI -- Two suspects are being sought in connection to thefts at Hope College.
According to the Holland Department of Public Safety, a man and woman stole thousands of dollars worth of textbooks from Hope College. Security photos place the pair in the campus bookstore.
The photos, taken before 3 p.m. on Sept. 23, show a black man wearing a black shirt and a hat, and a white woman with a black shirt and gray pants.
Holland police did not release additional information about the thefts. The public is asked to email the investigating officer at n.khodl2@cityofholland.com if they have information about the suspects.
While their colleague regained consciousness, the three labourers suffocated to death.
By Ajay Kumar: Three labourers died and one was injured during the clean-up of an underground paint tank in an auto component company in Gurgaon on Saturday.
The deceased have been identified as Raj Kumar, Rinku and Nanhe
They died trying to rescue their colleague Binesh Kumar from the tank. While they suffocated to death, Kumar regained consciousness during treatment.
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The incident took place in JNJ electronics Ltd in Sector 37, when maintenance staff went to remove sludge at the bottom of the tank at around 10 am.
The maintenance supervisor and senior officials allegedly asked Kumar to enter the tank and remove the muck manually, without realising that gas inside the tank could prove fatal.
"I entered the tank without any safety gears such as oxygen cylinder, mask and rope. I felt suffocated within two minutes after inhaling poisonous gas and became unconscious. When I gathered consciousness, I found myself on a hospital bed," Kumar said.
Another employee Vijay claimed that he too attempted to enter the tank, but the security staff asked him not to.
Gurugaon police PRO Ravinder Kumar said that an FIR has been registered against the company officials for causing death due to negligence. No arrests have been made so far.
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JACKSON, MI - The sound of music, smell of food and beer filled the streets of downtown Jackson on Saturday, Sept. 30.
A section of W. Michigan Avenue was blocked off for the Dirty Bird's inaugural brew fest in honor of the restaurant's one year anniversary.
The festivities brought 25 Michigan breweries such as Founders, Perrin, Wolverine State, Grand River, Witch's Hat and Jolly Pumpkin to the city for tastings.
Live Music and food was available from from nearby restaurants Bella Notte, Night Light and the Dirty Bird, 140 W. Michigan Ave.
Dirty Bird owner Randy LeMaster hopes to build on it every year after a strong first year of business. "It's been a little bit better than expected. It's been a good year," he said.
By PTI: Srinagar, Oct 1 (PTI) Opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir reacted sharply today to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwats remarks that constitutional amendments on Kashmir were needed, saying any move to tamper with Article 370 would be fraught with "dangerous consequences".
Bhagwat, in his more than an hour-long address on Vijayadashmi in Nagpur yesterday, had said "necessary" constitutional amendments will have to be made for the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to be "completely assimilated" with the rest of the country.
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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has long demanded abrogation of the Article 370, which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir, but Bhagwat did not make any reference to it in his speech.
Opposition parties in the state slammed the RSS chiefs remarks with the Congress and the National Conference asserting that any tampering with the special status of the state would be dangerous.
Reacting to the Sangh leaders demand, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), in a statement, said, "Bhagwats remarks about the need for constitutional amendments....are unfortunate and unacceptable."
"Any kind of tinkering with the special status of J-K is fraught with dangerous consequences," it said.
The Congress blamed the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a "complete sell-out to the BJP-RSSfor the sake of remaining in power".
The statement alleged that both the coalition partners, from the day they assumed power, were bent upon repealing the special status, which works as a bridge between the Centre and the state.
Criticising the RSS chiefs comments, National Conference (NC) state spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said J&Ks special status was the only constitutional bridge that connected the state to the rest of the country.
The RSS chief "should stop misleading the people to stoke passions in the face of growing criticism over the drastic economic slowdown in the country", Mattu said.
"While the RSS and the BJP have repeatedly made their intentions absolutely clear with regard to Article 35-A and Article 370, it is the PDPs apologetic silence that is a matter of grave concern and is indicative of a complete sell- out that could have dangerous and far-reaching implications for the state and its people," he alleged.
Article 35A allows the state legislature to define "permanent residents".
Senior CPI(M) leader and MLA Kulgam, M Y Tarigami, said the RSS chiefs statement was an eye opener for those "who still have illusions about the intentions of the RSS and its affiliates".
"It is not surprising because RSS and its political affiliates Bhartiya Jan Sangh and BJP have a consistent position about the Article 370. The special status of J&K was always an eyesore for them," he said. PTI SSB ASK SC ASK
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The European Commission has shied away from ranking which cities should host Europe's drugs regulator and banking authority after Brexit, saying the decision is up to the 27 member states which will remain.
The EU executive said its assessment, published on Saturday, was wholly based on the information provided by governments in their bidding war to host the two agencies, which will be forced to relocate from Britain when it leaves the bloc.
"It (the assessment) respects the member states' decision that the criteria should be unweighted and does not provide a ranking or shortlist of any kind," the Commission said in a statement.
Nineteen member states have bid to host the European Medical Agency (EMA) and eight want the European Banking Authority (EBA).
The final say on where to move the agencies rests with EU leaders who will try to reach a deal at their next summit in three weeks' time, with a final decisions a month later.
Candidate cities will be appraised based on their ability to have an office ready in time, their accessibility, the quality of schools, healthcare and jobs for the families of staff, and how disruptive the move would be.
In their eagerness to host the agencies, some governments have offered tax breaks or rent-free headquarters for the EU institutions - a big break for the bloc's budget.
However, the EU's need to ensure business continuity could clash with another EU ambition - spreading the bloc's agencies more evenly across Europe and giving newer, eastern member states a chance to catch up.
The EMA on Tuesday warned that it could lose more than 70 percent of its staff, making it unable to function, if politicians pick an unpopular base for the London-based agency once Britain leaves the European Union.
Amsterdam, Barcelona or Vienna were the top three choices of staff, according to a survey of around 900 of its workers. The Netherlands, Spain and Austria all already host one or more EU agencies.
The EMA has said it would take at least three years to recover fully from the disruption to its operations. It sees retaining staff as key to maintaining essential services such as new drug approval and monitoring side effects.
By Larissa Fernand
In Morgan Housels various writings, of which I am a great fan, he has mentioned a point which I would like to dwell upon here Few things have as much impact on your lifetime investment returns as the decisions you make during bubbles.
Conversely, that logic can be extended to include that decisions made during a market downturn are as impactful. Note, there is no reference to good or bad. If you choose wisely, it could make you wealthy. If you choose rashly, you could lose heavily. Both are impactful.
This is how Housel puts it.
Imagine yourself in the middle of a galloping bull run. You decide to rebalance your portfolio by offloading your profitable equity holdings. That is a good rebalancing move. You will profit from your sale of equity. And you will become wealthier.
On the other hand, you get caught up in the euphoria and decide to throw caution to the wind and keep buying at stretched valuations fully convinced that the market will keep rising. You are treading very precariously and letting greed egg you on. Your decision could do severe damage to your portfolio.
Lets extend this to a bear market.
You lose if you sell out of panic and flee to fixed deposits or savings accounts. But, you could gain tremendously if you look for solid companies whose stocks are available at great bargains.
Buy stocks trading way below their intrinsic worth. Sit tight. Be patient (it should take years for a revival). Not easy. As billionaire hedge fund manager David Tepper observes: Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to do nothing. But markets move in cycles. The inevitable rise will take place. If you bought wisely, you make a killing.
All this sounds wonderful when reading a post. Reality is different.
We all like to think we are rational. But, let the value of your investments drop by 50 percent and suddenly emotion gets the better of you.
And all your rationality and objectivity flies in the face of traditional and fundamental stock analysis which tells you that out of favour is not wrong. If you want to be a successful stock investor, the distinction must be made.
In todays market, the advice would be not to get too comfortable with excesses.
Here is some wisdom from world-renowned investor Seth Klarman to keep in mind.
1. The real success of an investment must not be confused with its success in the stock market.
2. A rise in the stock price does not ensure that the underlying business is doing well or that the price increase is justified by a corresponding increase in underlying value.
3. The latest trade of a stock creates a dangerous illusion that its market price approximates its true value. This mirage is especially dangerous during periods of market exuberance.
4. The value in relation to price, not price alone, must determine your investment decisions. The cheapest security in an overvalued market may still be overvalued.
5. An investment must be purchased at a discount from underlying worth. This makes it a good absolute value.
6. Being a good absolute value alone, however, is not sufficient for investors must choose only the best absolute values among those that are currently available. A stock trading at one-half of its underlying value may be attractive, but another trading at one-fourth of its worth is a better bargain. This dual discipline compounds the difficulty of the investment task for value investors compared with most others.
7. You may not want to sell believing that the market may go higher and you could lose out on those incremental gains. Nowhere does it say that investors should strive to make every last dollar of potential profit; consideration of risk must never take a backseat to return.
8. An investor who is too worried about missing out on the upside of a potential investment may be exposing himself to substantial downside risk precisely when valuation is extended. A thoughtful investment approach focuses at least as much on risk as on return. But in the moment-by-moment frenzy of the markets, all the pressure is on generating returns, risk be damned.
9. Price is perhaps the single most important criterion in sound investment decision-making. Every security or asset is a "buy" at one price, a hold at a higher price, and a "sell" at some still higher price. Yet most investors prefer what is performing well to what has recently lagged, often regardless of price. They prefer full buildings and trophy properties to fixer-uppers that need to be filled, even though empty or unloved buildings may be the far more compelling, and even safer, investments.
10. Most investors take comfort from calm, steadily rising markets; roiling markets can drive investor panic. But these conventional reactions are inverted. When all feels calm and prices surge, the markets may feel safe; but, in fact, they are dangerous because few investors are focusing on risk. When one feels in the pit of one's stomach the fear that accompanies plunging market prices, risk-taking becomes considerably less risky, because the risk is often priced into an asset's lower market valuation.
Disclaimer: The author is Editor, Morningstar India. The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on Moneycontrol is his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Milkshakes brand Keventers is looking at doubling its retail footprint to 300 outlets by end of this fiscal as it undergoes a rapid expansion in India and overseas.
The company, which runs over 150 Keventers outlets in India, recently forayed overseas with a store in Dubai.
"We are looking at operating 300 outlets in India and abroad by the end of this financial year. UAE is our first international destination and we foresee great potential for a heritage brand such as Keventers. In the coming year, we look forward to expanding exponentially," Keventers CEO and Director Sohrab Sitaram told PTI.
The company has planned to enter several international markets such as Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Maldives, Sri Lanka and countries in Africa this fiscal and by mid of the next fiscal year.
The brand's outlets in the country are a mix of company-owned, franchised outlets and joint ventures. It plans to expand overseas through joint venture agreements.
Keventers, a privately held company was first established in 1922 by Edward Keventers. It was then acquired by Ram Krishna Dalmia in 1940. The brand was then revived in 2015 by Agastya Dalmia, Aman Arora and Sohrab Sitaram.
"After reviving the brand in 2015, the real thrust on expansion came in the financial year 2015-16. In the last one and half years, we have opened over 150 outlets and 60 more are in the pipeline in this fiscal," he added.
When asked if the company is looking at raising funds in the near future to support its rapid expansion plans, Sitaram said: "No, we are not looking at raising funds through equity dilution. So far we have been self-funded and used internal accruals to expand. Going forward, if needed we may look at debt options."
Keventers is looking at closing the year with a revenue of Rs 60 crore.
The company has forayed into Dubai with 30 products on its menu.
Twelve gold bars weighing around 19.95 kg were seized by Customs officials here today, a department official said.
The gold bars were found concealed in a vehicle plying between Imphal and Jiribam around this morning, Custom Division SP N Meiraba said. The seized gold bars valued at about Rs 5.9 crore, he said adding that the gold bars were brought from Myanmar.
Acting on a tip off, the vehicle was intercepted at Yumlembam locality in Imphal West district and the driver Md Nazimuddin was taken to custody for investigation.
The Jammu and Kashmir police has arrested two notorious drug peddlers in separate incidents in Kashmir and seized over 100 kg of contraband from their possession.
In the first incident, Mohammad Yousuf Dar alias Yousuf Joker was arrested from his house in south Kashmirs Anantnag district and 105 kg of 'fukki', a narcotic substance, and cannabis were allegedly seized from his possession, a police spokesman said here.
In another incident, drug peddler Farooq Ahmad Dar was arrested from Handwara area of north Kashmirs Kupwara district.
Poice seized one kg of charas, which was to be sold to youths in the district, from his possession, the spokesman claimed.
Dar is said to be one of the main suppliers of drugs especially in Rajwar and Handwara areas of the region, he said.
Complaints have been registered and investigations are on in both the cases, he added.
BSF
The Border Security Force (BSF) today unearthed a 14-feet-long tunnel at the international border in Arnia sector here which was being dug from the Pakistani side, scuttling a major infiltration bid and a possible terror attack, officials said.
Inspector General of the BSF Ram Awtar said an area domination party noticed the suspicious movement of nearly a dozen armed people near the zero line who fled after seeing the uniformed men.
"The unfinished tunnel, dug from the Pakistani side, approximately having three-feet height and two-and-a-half feet width on the slope of the bank at Dhamalla nulla (stream) ahead of border fence was detected by the alert BSF jawans this morning," he told reporters here.
The BSF patrolling party commander got suspicious and launched a thorough search and survey operation of the area which led to the detection of the tunnel and recovery of "war-like stores".
Among the items recovered from the location included a US-made compass, two magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition, a hand grenade, and other items and most of these items were carrying the marking of Pakistan, he said.
Terming the tunnelling activity as a "nefarious act" of Pakistan, the officer said timely action by the BSF foiled a major attack on the Indian soil.
Sector commanders of the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers held a flag meeting in the Suchetgarh sector along the international border yesterday at the request of Pakistan to defuse the tension in the wake of intense cross-border skirmishes this month.
"The flag meeting happened yesterday and several issues came up for discussion. The BSF has not lowered its guard but had remained alert, knowing the history of Pakistan which on the face value does something else but behind it are up to something else," he said, adding it is because of the "alertness" of the force that the tunnel was detected.
He said the recovery of huge cache of Pakistan-made food items are indicative that there was an attempt to complete the tunnel before its detection and carry out a major strike on the Indian soil.
In response to another question after a brief video clip of the tunnel was played during the press conference, Awtar said the entry to the tunnel is in Pakistan and its dead-end is just between fencing and the zero line, around 10-metres towards Pakistan.
He said the Pakistani Rangers might be aware of the digging of the tunnel because nothing escapes the eyes of the BSF along the international border.
"It is presumed that any civilian activity without the knowledge of the Pakistani Rangers is not possible," the IG BSF said.
He said the length of the zero line and fencing is around 14-metres but the recovery of various items, including digging tools, indicated that services of experts were utilised.
"Simple digging tools were not recovered and the selection of the area was also where there is a short distance. The services of experts in tunnel digging were utilised so that anyone with half-bent can move easily through the tunnel," he said.
He said the BSF is fully alert to meet any challenge along the international border to foil the "nefarious designs" of Pakistan.
"The whole border is surveyed and mapped and we know such suspicious areas which are kept under constant observation," Awtar said.
He said the BSF party after taking all risk think jungle area having a number of blind mortar bombs fired from Pakistan (during the recent cross-border shelling) reached close to the area to know the nefarious design.
The BSF officer said this was the second tunnel unearthed since February and fourth in the past one year.
Earlier, a tunnel was detected on February 13 in Ramgarh sector.
"The digging tools, freshly dug earth and length of tunnel indicated that the tunnelling has started very recently about three days back, with an intent to infiltrate a strong group of terrorists. Once again the intent of the Pakistani Rangers to push in anti-national elements has been exposed," Awtar said.
The IG BSF said the force foiled at least four tunnelling activities along the international border over the past one year.
I have decided to form a new party, it will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh: Narayan Rane, former senior congress leader pic.twitter.com/GP1VwqfTwp
ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
Former senior Congress leader and politician Narayan Rane will soon launch his own party, which will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh.
On September 21, Rane quit the Congress party accusing them of reneging on the promise of making him the state's chief minister when he joined the party 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena.
Rane had also resigned as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC).
The Maratha leader quit amid speculation that he was keen on joining the BJP. On September 26, he also met BJP president Amit Shah in New Delhi.
However, according to sources, no political discussions took place during the meeting.
The conjecture about Rane joining the BJP was triggered by reports suggesting he had met BJP president Amit Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago.
At a recent rally in Kudal, Rane had blasted the Congress for what he described as the injustice it had done to him and said his supporters would contest the upcoming panchayat polls under a new entity--'Samarth Vikas Panel'.
The former firebrand leader of the Shiv Sena joined the Congress on July 26, 2005, and was the next day made revenue minister in the then Congress-led government in the state.
Rane, who has pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled from the Sena by then supremo Bal Thackeray after he voiced displeasure over the latter's son Uddhav gaining prominence in the party.
A tough-talking leader, Rane, who was handpicked by Thackeray as chief minister when he decided to remove Manohar Joshi ahead of the 1999 Assembly polls, had recently claimed he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.
He, however, did not say if he was offered any post.
"It's not about any post. I said I don't want to rejoin the Sena. If the Sena doesn't want me, why would the offer have been made," Rane had said.
TCS Q4: Profit drops 0.85% to Rs 8,049 crore, revenue rises 0.23% to Rs 39,946 crore QoQ. Dollar revenue dips 2.5% to $5,444 million QoQ. (Image: Moneycontrol)
Tata Consultancy Services in a filing to the stock exchange said that a US court more than halved the USD 940 million jury award granted to Epic Systems, a healthcare software company that had accused the Indian IT player of stealing its trade secrets.
The Western District Court of Wisconsin issued an order reducing the USD 940 million awarded to EPIC to USD 420 million.
TCS said it plans to appeal the decision.
The company has received legal advice to the effect that the order and the reduced damages awarded are not supported by evidence presented during the trial and a strong appeal can be made to superior court to fully set aside the jury verdict, TCS said in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Last year, a US Grand Jury slapped Tata group companies TCS and Tata America International Corp with a USD 240 million fine in a trade secret lawsuit filed against them by Epic Systems. The Tatas have also been asked to pay another USD 700 million in punitive damages.
Epic had accused TCS employees of "brazenly stealing trade secrets, confidential information, documents and data", and using this to build its own healthcare system.
The company did not misuse or derive any benefit from EPICs documents and plans to defend its position vigorously before the trial judge as well as in appeal, TCS said in the filing.
The company also said the order will not have an impact on its second-quarter results, which will be announced on October 12.
By PTI: Hyderabad, Sep 30 (PTI) The Cyberabad Police today apprehended a man for allegedly kidnapping a 20-month old baby girl in Kukatpally here.
According to the complaint lodged by the girls father, a car driver, his daughter was kidnapped while she was playing near her house this morning, sub-inspector of Kukatpally police station, P Anil Kumar said.
"There was a CCTV camera installed near the crime spot. After verifying the footage we noticed a person carrying a little girl. We identified the person as M Naga Raju, a stone cutting labourer. We went to his house and found the baby," Anil Kumar told PTI.
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The officer said the accused was in an inebriated condition when he was caught and would be questioned later. PTI GDK ARS
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"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
October 01, 2017
On Catalonia's Referendum
Some people in Catalonia, a rich and culturally distinct area in north-east of Spain, want to secede from the larger country. According to polls (pdf) less than half of the people in the area support the move. The local government prepared for a referendum and called for a local vote.
Polling stations were set up for today. But Spanish laws do not allow for such polls or a separation. Catalonia, like other Spanish regions, already has a good degree of autonomy. If Catalonia were to secede the Basque areas in the north would likely follow. Spain would fall apart. Under Spanish law the referendum is illegal. The central government sent police to prevent the procedure. Street melees ensued.
A lot of mistakes have been made by the central government. It was stubborn in negotiations. It reacted too late to - at least partially - reasonable demands. Its insensitivity only incited resistance to it. But it is also responsible for the country as a whole. The behavior of local government is not much better. It is just as conservative, in its own way, as the government in Madrid.
Catalonia has a GDP per capita of some $33,580/year. For Spain as a whole the GDP per capita is $26,643/year. Many factors account for the difference. Catalonia has an advantages in climate, in the vicinity of the French border, the high attractiveness for tourists with its capital Barcelona and its beaches. It has a well developed industry. But the "rest of Spain" is also, by far, its biggest market.
A richer part of the country does not want to subsidize the poorer ones. But it still wants to profit from them.
In general the splitting off of sub-states from the bigger, established nations weakens both. It is easier for outside forces to manipulated smaller states than larger ones. While the motives in this or that case are understandable, they are also, in my view, shortsighted.
During the Spanish civil war in the 1930s Catalonia and Basque areas were the last Republican strongholds against the winning right-wing Nationalists. That history lives on in today's conflict. No one should wish to repeat it.
Posted by b on October 1, 2017 at 10:16 UTC | Permalink
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Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)
Today
Mostly cloudy skies early then periods of showers late. Low 53F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..
Tonight
Mostly cloudy skies early then periods of showers late. Low 53F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
By PTI: Washington, Oct 1 (PTI) An unexpectedly strong solar storm hit Mars this month, sparking a global aurora and doubling radiation levels on the red planet, NASA scientists say.
The solar event on September 11 sparked an aurora more than 25 times brighter than any previously seen by the MAVEN orbiter, which has been studying the Martian atmospheres interaction with the solar wind since 2014.
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It produced radiation levels on the surface more than double any previously measured by the Curiosity rovers Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) since that missions landing in 2012. The high readings lasted more than two days.
"NASAs distributed set of science missions is in the right place to detect activity on the Sun and examine the effects of such solar events at Mars as never possible before," said Elsayed Talaat, programme scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Strangely, it occurred in conjunction with a spate of solar activity during what is usually a quiet period in the Suns 11-year sunspot and storm-activity cycle.
This event was big enough to be detected at Earth too, even though Earth was on the opposite side of the Sun from Mars.
"The current solar cycle has been an odd one, with less activity than usual during the peak, and now we have this large event as were approaching solar minimum," said Sonal Jain of the University of Colorado Boulders Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, who is a member of MAVENs Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument team.
"This is exactly the type of event both missions were designed to study, and its the biggest weve seen on the surface so far," said RAD Principal Investigator Don Hassler of the Southwest Research Institute in the US.
"It will improve our understanding of how such solar events affect the Martian environment, from the top of the atmosphere all the way down to the surface," Hassler said.
RAD monitored radiation levels inside the encapsulated spacecraft that carried Curiosity from Earth to Mars in 2011 and 2012 and has been steadily monitoring the radiation environment at Mars surface for more than five years.
RAD findings strengthen understanding of radiations impact on Mars habitability, a key objective of the Curiosity mission.
NASA is also using RAD findings for planning the safety of human-crew missions to Mars.
Highly energetic solar events can significantly increase the radiation that penetrates through the atmosphere to the Mars surface.
The increased radiation also interacts with the atmosphere to produce additional, secondary particles, which need to be understood and shielded against to ensure the safety of future human explorers.
"If you were outdoors on a Mars walk and learned that an event like this was imminent, you would definitely want to take shelter, just as you would if you were on a space walk outside the International Space Station," Hassler said.
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"To protect our astronauts on Mars in the future, we need to continue to provide this type of space weather monitoring there," he said. PTI MHN MHN
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Pervis Evans is the executive director of Education Midland, which according to its website is an initiative with a mission to empower and align the entire community by connecting people, ideas and resources with opportunity and hope so that all students achieve their highest educational potential.
Evans grew up in the South Plains, and for nearly 20 years has served in various leadership, advocacy and reform roles in K-12 education, higher education, nonprofit and state agency. The Educate Midland website also shows this leader in the education arena is also a songwriter, a recording artist and co-owner of a small publishing company.
Moving forward, Educate Midland says it will be responsible for convening and facilitating a leadership team, data support team, focus groups and other community partners around a common agenda for education in Midland.
Evans provides more information about where Educate Midland is going in this question-and-answer with MRT Media.
MRT Media: Can you report any collective impact successes yet?
Evans: What began as a partnership between Midland ISD and community leaders to address concerns of teacher shortage and academic downturn has evolved into a collective impact initiative made up of cross-sector citizens committed to advancing student achievement from cradle to career.
Through our efforts with Educate Midland, collaboration and alignment of resources is becoming more natural to the way programs and services are rendered. There seems to be a greater effort between community partners to communicate with and engage one another in decision-making. Our partners are becoming more open to the shared use of data to inform best practices in education. More specifically, Educate Midland has:
chartered a community leadership team and a data support team;
developed an early childhood action network;
defined community focus areas around early childhood learning, middle grade achievement and high school/post secondary success;
begun developing goals and metrics for each focus area;
aided the expansion of best practice models, programs and initiatives (i.e. - culture of ownership, early development instrument, summer reading initiatives, tutoring/mentoring programs);
partnered with several community learning initiatives (i.e. - Fun Club, Project Literacy, United Way of Midland Book Fair, Symposium for Early Educators Conference, Midland Health Reading Initiative)
supported educator recruitment, retention and development (i.e. - coordinated the Celebrate Teachers, Crockett Staff Appreciation, Teacher Rally and Education Impact Series events, organized a recruitment/ retention task force, supported the MISD goal development and superintendent search process, involved with the System of Great Schools).
Our work is just beginning and will increasingly involve greater ownership and participation from the broader community.
MRT Media: What are Educate Midlands main objectives for the 2017-18 school year?
Evans: Educate Midland is in its early stage of development, and the last school year was a period of organizing, learning and relationship-building within the organization and among community partners. Educate Texas was instrumental in consulting our community and getting us started.
During the 2017-18 school year, we are stepping out on our own. We expect to expand our board, staff and volunteer members, to present a baseline scorecard explaining our common agenda and outcome measures, to execute strategies developed by our community action networks and to have a working system in place to analyze the progress and outcomes of those community strategies.
MRT Media: How does having a permanent superintendent in place impact Educate Midland?
Evans: MISD is a key partner in this work, so having a permanent superintendent in place will only help accelerate the work. It is important that we work in collaboration with and understand the vision of our educational leaders in order to make the greatest impact.
MRT Media: What are your first impressions of the new superintendent?
Evans: The MISD board of trustees went to great lengths to gather input from the community about the professional characteristics we desired in a new superintendent. I think Mr. (Orlando) Riddick is the result of a thoughtful search. He immediately joined the Educate Midland Leadership Team and has communicated a desire and a plan to engage with educators, parents, students and partners from all sectors of our community.
My impression is that Mr. Riddick understands what is expected of him, is not afraid of change or challenge and is ready to present solutions and accept responsibility. At the same time, while the responsibility of a superintendent is great, he is not Superman and will need the support of other stakeholders along the way.
MRT Media: What opportunities are there for people who want to get involved?
Evans: There are always opportunities for volunteers to get involved in the education system. The first involvement begins with parents and family members taking time to be the first teachers for a child. Ninety percent of brain development occurs (through age 5). Regularly reading to an infant or toddler enhances learning and school-readiness.
Early learning centers and K-12 campuses need substitute teachers. Families can get involved with their local Parent Teacher Association. Tutoring and mentoring programs can use more volunteers. Visit midlandvolunteerconnections.org to find out specific volunteer opportunities in education.
If you would like to discover what is going on with Educate Midland and how you can be a part, we encourage you to visit our website, educatemidland.org and join our subscriber list. Perhaps you represent a church, business or organization that wants to be more involved. Contact us at info@Educatemidland.org or -818-2620, and well work together to get you plugged into areas of need and interest.
MRT Media: Would you care to reflect on the impact Rod Schroder had as interim superintendent?
Evans: Mr. Schroder led with purpose, clarity and direct boldness during his year as interim superintendent. He used data to justify the changes he believed needed to take place. He took time to study the culture of the district and the Midland community and offered honest feedback and encouragement. He maximized the limited time that he served by addressing the immediate needs of the district with a focus on instructional development and a shift in mindset.
MRT Media: You recently hosted Sir Ken Robinson during an Education Impact Series event. What can you share from that event?
Evans: Through special contributions from the Abell-Hanger Foundation, Educate Midland was recently able to bring internationally acclaimed innovation speaker and author, Sir Ken Robinson, to the Permian Basin. This event served as a kick-off to the new school year and to the Education Impact Series, a public forum meant to bring community awareness and diverse perspectives on the possibilities for education in Midland.
The Sir Ken Robinson event was well-received by the nearly 600 diverse participants who attended. Prior to his speaking, over 40 vendors participated in an education resource fair, sharing information about the educational services they provide to the community. We also enjoyed a dance performance by the Midland Festival Ballet and a spoken word piece by a high school sibling duo. These precursor events fell right in line with the message of Sir Ken Robinson for a community to work together to create learning environments that embrace student creativity and innovation.
He stressed how everything we need to enhance student learning is right here in our community, if we pay attention and make what is needed accessible to all students. In addition, Sir Ken pointed out the dangers of a culture that overemphasizes testing performance and cookie-cutter programs. His thought-provoking ideas will serve as catalysts for future dialogue and exploration of what matters to our Midland citizens, and we plan to bring in other thought leaders on occasion to build upon the community conversation. It was refreshing to learn from survey participants that 100 percent of them would attend another Education Impact Series event in the future, and we are working on plans for the next.
MRT Media: Are there other dates, events or meetings you want to share?
Evans: Our leadership team, data support team and early childhood action network each meet on a monthly basis, and as action plans are being developed, there are times community partners will be called upon for volunteerism and support. Within the next few months, we will be organizing expert community volunteers to form action networks in the areas of middle-grade achievement (fourth through eighth grades) and high school/post secondary success (ninth-grade credential). The role of each action network will be to develop strategies to support the community goals set by the leadership team. Leaders with vested interest in being a part of either of those networks should contact us.
To stay current with Educate Midland sponsored or partnering events,
subscribe to our emailing list on our website www.educatemidland.org,
follow us on Facebook @educ8midland
or
send inquiries to info@educatemidland.org or 818-2620. m
A hearing is scheduled this month for Clinton Lee Young -- the only current death row inmate who was convicted in Midland County. An order for the hearing signed by Judge Robert H. Moore, presiding by assignment, came after evidence was tested, according to court documents.
The hearing in the 385th Judicial District Court will allow parties to present documents and witness testimony and hear counsel arguments, according to the order. The hearing is set for Oct. 16, 10 days before Youngs execution date at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Huntsville Unit.
Young, 34, was sentenced to death in 2003 after he was convicted of the murders of Doyle Douglas and Samuel Petrey.
Youngs attorneys submitted a motion to the 385th Judicial District Court to withdraw or modify the execution date, according to a document filed Aug. 28. The motion states a pair of gloves found near Petreys body contained DNA from David Lee Page, a co-defendant in the case.
RELATED: Judge signs execution warrant for Clinton Young
Moore signed an order on May 25 granting Youngs motion to authorize the release of the gloves for independent examination, according to a document.
The gloves werent tested for gunshot residue before trial but were tested in 2015, according to the motion filed Aug. 28.
After additional testing, the gloves were found to contain gunshot residue in locations and in amounts that are most likely the result of the shooter wearing them, the motion states. Other new evidence includes Pages admissions to people, according to the document.
Both Douglas and Petrey were fatally shot during a 2001 crime spree, according to previous Reporter-Telegram reports. Douglas, 41, was killed near Longview, and Petrey, 52, was kidnapped in Eastland and killed in an oilfield near Midland, according to the reports.
Youngs warrant of execution was signed in June, and the date was set for Oct. 26. Young is being held in the Polunsky Unit in Livingston as of Friday, according to TDCJ records.
Page, 35, was serving a 30-year sentence for aggravated kidnapping as of Friday, according to TDCJ records. Moore signed an order that was filed on Sept. 15 granting use immunity except for perjury to Page as a witness at the hearing.
A staff member at a Texas high school has been placed on administrative leave after a video showing him involved in a physical altercation with a student was posted to YouTube.
The video taken at a Sweetwater High School pep rally Sept. 22 shows a man getting into a shoving match with what appears to be a student. The staff member seems to wrestle the student down before other staff members separate the two.
By PTI: By Shruti Verma Khare
Shenzhen, Oct 1 (PTI) Homegrown handset maker Lava plans to focus on sub-Rs 10,000 mobile phones with 6-7 models in its portfolio to capture a bigger pie of the market in this price segment.
"We want to focus and dominate in the sub Rs 10,000 mobile phones segment with a portfolio of 6-7 models. Our strategy is to have limited number of products and drive volumes. With our R&D centre in Shenzhen in China, we are working hard to enhance customer experience," Lava International Head Smartphones Deepak Mahajan told PTI.
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The company, which has presence in 11 countries, offers 8-9 feature phones and 6-7 smartphones. Lavas current market share, in the under Rs 10,000 price segment, is around 11 per cent.
Mahajan expects India to be become a hub for IT and handset makers and sees global brands emerging from the country. He also expects a big opportunity for his company.
He gave example of how giants such as Google and Facebook made it big from the US, Sony in Japan, Samsung, LG and South Korea and Huawei and Oppo in China. He expects similar opportunity to arise from India.
According to Counterpoint Research, under Rs 10,000 mobile phones contribute 59 per cent of the total smartphone sales in the country.
Lava has operations in 11 countries such as India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the UAE, Indonesia, Mexico, Myanmar, Pakistan and Egypt.
The company reported a revenue of Rs 7,626 crore in the 2015-16 fiscal and 23 per cent growth as compared to the previous year.
When asked if the company is looking at foraying into new markets overseas this year, Lava International Senior VP Head of Product Gaurav Nigam said: "We will continue to grow and expand our business in new markets to make Lava products and services available to more customers."
Lava, which has a strength of 15,000 employees, plans to increase its head-count to close to 1 lakh in the next 8-10 years, Nigam said.
The company said that majority of the increased workforce will be in the manufacturing and field sales team.
On the China R&D centre, Nigam said: "With our established R&D centre based out of Shenzhen, Lava is in the process of spearheading the R&D road map among Indian manufacturers in the country...On an average, Lava develops about 8 smartphones and 3 feature phones per year at its China facility". PTI SVK SR ANU MKJ
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Steve Pruett has seen more than his share of booms in three decades in the oil business. None, though, as strange as the one gripping the Permian Basin right now.
The telltale signs are the same as always, with companies like his desperate for skilled workers to man the drilling rigs that pierce the horizon in West Texas. Whats unusual, and unnerving, is that the Permian is still thrumming with activity after prices cratered for the stuff it pumps out. Crude is trading for around $50 a barrel, but this is the hottest oil patch anywhere on Earth, a swing producer influencing the trajectory of global markets and threatening OPEC.
That either means the industry has become so incredibly efficient that production can continue to rise even if prices dont, or that its throwing money after a mirage. Pruett, chief executive officer of Midland-based Elevation Resources, is more concerned about the latter.
Oil men are innately optimistic, and sometimes our optimism is our own worst enemy, he said.
This is the funny thing about the business. Ups and downs are so ingrained that crazy success is seen as an omen that the end may be around the corner. It has often been the case. Midland has ridden the roller coaster since oil was discovered in the Permian in 1923. Now the place is on a major upswing thats permeated every sector, from auto sales to hotel bookings to home construction.
You would think oil is $100 a barrel the way the real estate market is going, said Victoria Printz, a Realtor representing properties selling for more than $1 million.
The average new-home sales price in the metro area shot up 8.5 percent in the past year, and permits for new construction climbed 76 percent.
This is extraordinary -- even for Midland,Printz said.
A new estimate of the oil contained in the Permian underscores the boom mentality. It holds 60 billion to 70 billion barrels of yet-to-be pumped crude, enough to supply every refinery in the U.S. for 12 years, according to a study by IHS Markit.
What gives oil people pause is that costs for everything from pressure pumps to well casing have been rising, up from 20 to 30 percent in the last year, a marker of an overheated situation that could burn out. Another is that possibly too-eager drillers are starting to venture from prime acreage to less bountiful formations, where they may get less bang for their bucks.
Experienced workers are harder to find, and training newbies adds to expenses. The quality of work can suffer, too, erasing efficiency gains. Pruett said Elevation Resources recently had a fracturing job that was supposed to take seven days but lasted nine because unschooled roughnecks caused some equipment malfunctions.
By this point, weve given up all of our profit margin, he said, referring to the industry. Were over-capitalized, were over-drilling and, if prices dont rise, we might be facing a double dip in drilling.
Pruetts hands are tied: Hes working on University of Texas land, and the lease requires development, so he has to keep boring drill bits into the ground. But other companies are slowing down or putting plans on hold as they assess whether what theyre spending will bear enough fruit.
Nobody wants this play to die out -- and certainly not because of boom-happy decisions that will flood the market and spur another crash.
Its important that we try -- during these periods that look pretty volatile to us -- to pace, said Al Walker, CEO of Anadarko Petroleum on a recent conference call with investors.
Anadarko is one of several large energy companies, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum among them, that have expanded operations in the Permian. It covers 75,000 square miles, nearly the size of Great Britain, in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
Hundreds of millions of years ago, it was a vast inland sea. The water evaporated and thousands upon thousands of feet of shale slowly built up, pressure-cooking deceased aquatic life and creating a massive reserve of oil trapped in the fine-grained sedimentary rock.
Other U.S. shale patches have petered out, but this one is special, blessed with unusually thick bands of the mudstones, 10 to 15 times the diameter of those in the Eagle Ford in South Texas. Oil- and gas-soaked layers are stacked on top of each other like a tiramisu, bearing names such as Spraberry, Wolfcamp, Bone Spring and Avalon.
Those werent worth a whole lot until the 1980s, when the industry began perfecting fracturing, a method of coaxing petroleum out of shale. It uses directional bores to carve out horizontal holes and blasts the tunnels with high-pressure bursts of water, chemicals and sand. That creates millions of tiny cracks, vastly expanding the areas for escape.
The process isnt cheap, which didnt matter when crude was commanding so much in the early part of this decade. Thats when the Permian and other shale fields, including the Eagle Ford and the Bakken in North Dakota and Montana, helped the U.S. reverse decades of declining output.
The American surge was a reason for the glut in 2014-the benchmark price went from $140 to $30 in six months -- and there were more than a few obituaries written for high-cost shale. But the Permian roared back within two years, thanks to a combination of more intense fracturing and the use of technology to mark more precise plotting for drilling targets.
The number of active rigs has more than doubled since May 2016. In August, Permian output exceeded that of eight of the 13 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The flow is projected to rise to a record 2.63 million barrels a day in October, which would account for more than a quarter of the total from the U.S.
To Nate Steadmon, who runs the Midland branch of W-B Supply Co., those are just statistics. He knows from behavior which way the wind is blowing. When times are good, drillers want equipment as fast as possible. When its bad, they want it as cheap as possible.
In the last couple of months, theyve started asking how quickly we can do it again, Steadmon said. Now time is more of the issue, not money.
That is one of those danger signs. But companies are constantly coming up with workarounds to rein in costs, like the hub being set up in a New Mexico pasture. A herd of cows feasted on hay on a recent afternoon, staring through a fence as dump trucks, bulldozers and backhoes kicked up a fog of dust. Occidental Petroleum is building a logistics-and-maintenance center that will host fracturing pumps, steel pipes, sand and other materials by next year.
Right now, all that has to be hauled in from Odessa, some 120 miles away. Oxy, which spends about $6.6 million on a well, hopes to slice off from $500,000 to $750,000 of that total. This will be a game-changer, said Jody Elliott, president of the domestic oil and gas division.
Maybe the experts will figure it out, and this one will last. But its so reminiscent of the last boom that went bust that it has folks on edge. Curtis Helms, a geologist, was amazed when he drove through the town of Orla, near the New Mexico border.
Holy cow, said Helms, director of the Petroleum Professionals Development Center at Midland College. Theres man camps, RV parks, food trucks. You have to be careful not to get blown off the road by the tanker trucks whooshing by. It is crazy.
Midland Politicos: Please dont spoil the Midland-Odessa relationship again.
Just last night, I attended a wonderful gathering put together by Patrick Payton of Stonegate Fellowship, Collin Sewell of Sewell Family Dealerships and Bob Brescia of the John Ben Shepperd Leadership Institute attempting to Start the Conversation between Midlanders and Odessans on how to make our piece of West Texas an even greater place to live for the future. What a novel concept for our part of the world. Cheers to them for their vision and fortitude to see this conversation through.
RELATED: Stonegate pastor: Midland, Odessa will rise together
But, much to my chagrin, I opened my mail last week to see another hit piece against one of our Odessa elected officials that smells of the same negative mailings that came out two years ago. Even worse, it is coming from the same group as before, Empower Texans and their sister group Texans for Fiscal Responsibly that according to Wikipedia is funded by the same Midland money guys and several board members of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, as was the case in 2015. Interestingly, they try and humiliate Odessas State Rep for scoring low (65 percent) on their fiscal index when Midlands state representative scored even lower (58 percent) than Odessas. Funny though, the Midland guys dont dare run the same hit piece in Midland which clearly makes this a personal vendetta against Odessa and our elected officials.
To me, relations could not be better between the Midland and Odessa folks as far as working together for higher education and joint projects to come out here. We definitely click well as far as the oil business goes. But there are still some individuals that want to control us in Odessa by getting their own candidates elected; candidates that they will certainly control.
Sen. Kel Seliger and Rep. Tom Craddick for decades now and more recently Rep. Brooks Landgraf for his first two sessions have done a stellar job for both Midland and Odessa and our common interests in the Texas Legislature, especially when it comes to higher education and energy. I hope many of you can see through what will surely be a huge negative blitz against these men in the coming months by the very rich Midland money folks and their paid for hit piece organizations called Empower Texans and Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. You can be assured that any candidate those two groups back will be beholden to them and their increasingly negative and demeaning way of politicking. It is truly a shame that these organizations and their leaders feel the need to attack and tear someone else down so as to build themselves up. In life, true leadership is not a zero-sum game. We have great leaders representing us in both Midland and Odessa. People from both of these communities are united and steadfast in supporting their achievements and their representation. We will continue to strongly disapprove of the political bullying that serves only to disintegrate our combined regional progress. Join with me in denouncing these smear tactics - they are not worthy of our collective character. Midlanders and Odessans are so much smarter and capable than those promoting these attacks on one of the proudest areas of our great state.
We have come a long way in getting our two communities closer together over the last couple of decades. It is time to Include in the Conversation on how politically, we can become even more powerful together too. Lets please dont let a few well-off individuals try and break our communities apart again. Midland Odessa: we are better together.
By PTI: Washington, Sep 30 (PTI) Older adults who have trouble identifying common odours are more than twice as likely as those with a normal sense of smell to develop dementia within five years, a study has found.
Researchers at University of Chicago in the US conducted a long-term study of nearly 3,000 adults, aged 57 to 85 years.
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They found that those who could not identify at least four out of five common odours - peppermint, fish, orange, rose and leather - were more than twice as likely to develop dementia within five years.
The team found that although 78 per cent of those tested were normal - correctly identifying at least four out of five scents - about 14 per cent could name just three out of five.
Five per cent could identify only two scents, two per cent could name just one, and one per cent of the participants were not able to identify a single smell.
Researchers noted five years after the initial test, almost all of the study subjects who were unable to name a single scent had been diagnosed with dementia.
Nearly 80 per cent of those who provided only one or two correct answers also had dementia, with a dose-dependent relationship between degree of smell loss and incidence of dementia.
"Loss of the sense of smell is a strong signal that something has gone wrong and significant damage has been done," said Jayant M Pinto, professor at the University of Chicago.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, used a well-validated tool, known as "SniffinSticks."
These look like a felt-tip pen, but instead of ink, they are infused with distinct scents. Study subjects smell each item and are asked to identify that odour, one at a time, from a set of four choices.
The five odours, in order of increasing difficulty, were peppermint, fish, orange, rose and leather.
Researchers noted that 78.1 per cent of those examined had a normal sense of smell, 48.7 per cent correctly identified five out of five odours and 29.4 per cent identified four out of five.
They noted that 18.7 per cent, considered "hyposmic," got two or three out of five correct and the remaining 3.2 per cent, labelled "anosmic," could identify just one of the five scents or none.
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The olfactory nerve is the only cranial nerve directly exposed to the environment, researchers said.
The cells that detect smells connect directly with the olfactory bulb at the base of the brain, potentially exposing the central nervous system to environmental hazards such as pollution or pathogens. Olfactory deficits are often an early sign of Parkinsons or Alzheimers disease.
They get worse with disease progression, researchers said. PTI APA SAR SAR
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Area politicians let loose in a new music video that aired Saturday as part of an annual variety show to raise money for scholarships. And if you thought S.A.'s new mayor was all business, you should see him dance.
The Gridiron spoofs the year's news events and politicians and is produced by the local chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. It involves many Express-News staffers and other media and public relations specialists.
Over the past three years a video segment for the show featuring city leaders dancing has become one of its cornerstones.
This year's 2017 Gridiron show was no exception as new Mayor Ron Nirenberg joined Council members getting down to summer hit "Despacito."
The video stars Michael Quintanilla, San Antonio Express-News emeritus and the city's popular fashion guru. It was filmed and directed by local videographer Roseann Garcia and drone operators Steven Quintanilla and Greg Wallace.
Quintanilla has helped produce the videos since 2014. The first was to "Footloose," the second to "Blurred Lines" and last year's was to "Uptown Funk."
And each year leaders such as City Manager Sheryl Sculley, County Judge Nelson Wolff, former Mayor Ivy Taylor and others bust out their best dance moves.
"Sheryl is a great dancer and a great sport to do this every year," Quintanilla said before the show Saturday at Texas A&M San Antonio. "She has never said no to me. And we always have fun, which is the point of my dance videos a chance to show a different side of our local politicians," Quintanilla said.
New to this year was the addition of S.A.'s First Lady, Erika Propser-Nirenberg, who joined her husband dancing along to the Luis Fonsi hit.
The entire City Council gathered to take part in this year's video, another first. Past videos only had a few Council members at a time. But in the video above you can see all 10 members congaing all over City Hall.
Quintanilla says he already has an idea for next year's video.
Perhaps we will finally see a dancing Gregg Popovich?
Editors note: This article was written by a Westhill High School student and published in the schools newspaper, The Westword. The Stamford Advocate is republishing the article as part of a collaboration with Stamford Public Schools.
As most people know, Michael Rinaldi is the newest principal at Westhill High School. But how much do students and faculty members really know about him?
Rinaldi was born and raised here in Stamford. He made his way through the Stamford Public Schools system and graduated from Westhill. This alone was a reason why he was so attracted by the prospect of becoming head honcho at The Hill.
Rinaldi also said it was at Westhill where he discovered his passion for teaching. In an interview with the Westword, he describes the moment he realized he wanted to become a teacher.
I had study hall, and Mr. Kotch, my chemistry teacher, read the bulletin that day, Rinaldi said. He said if you had a study hall in that particular period, you can go to the pool and help kids learn how to swim.
Rinaldi, at first, intended to go down to the pool to swim. But he realized teaching was for him.
I only wanted to go down there because I wanted to go to the pool, he said. But, I discovered how much I really enjoyed helping those kids learn how to swim.
Rinaldis teaching career started at Northeast Elementary School. He has also been an administrator at Dolan and Rippowam middle schools and Stamford High.
Rinaldi is also fluent in Spanish, which is imperative in a school comprised of 36 percent Hispanic students. While teaching at Northeast Elementary, Rinaldi noticed he had trouble communicating with Hispanic kids and their parents. Rinaldi decided to take a yearlong absence to go to Puerto Rico and learn the language, as well as get a feel for the culture.
He found a teaching job there, and having that experience has now allowed him to truly connect with the Hispanic population.
Rinaldi describes himself as someone who truly is invested in every single students success, and every school day he can be seen greeting students, his playlist pumping through the sound system for all to hear in the background.
Nathan Isenstein is a Westhill High School student and writer for the schools newspaper, The Westword.
Editors note: This article was written by a Stamford High School student and published in the schools newspaper, The Round Table. The Stamford Advocate is republishing the article as part of a collaboration with Stamford Public Schools.
Over the weekend of Sept. 16 and 17, Stamford High hosted its first Google Summit event. The Google summit was a technology-oriented event organized by SHS Head of Media Mary George.
By PTI: (Eds: Adds details)
Mumbai, Oct 1 (PTI) Days after quitting the Congress, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane today launched a new party called Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh, and indicated his organisation may align with the BJP.
"I have just launched the party. I am waiting for some people to join, then I will decide the future course (of action)," the 65-year-old tough-talking leader, who has pockets of influence in the Konkan region, told a press conference here.
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Rane, who served as the chief minister in 1999 when he was in the Shiv Sena, hinted that his outfit might be veering towards the BJP camp.
"I have friends there, so I have no issues with the party (BJP). Let me first make new friends for my party, and then I will be able to announce my next move."
Asked if he aspires to become the chief minister, he said, "I still have an ambition to become the chief minister of Maharashtra. It never dies. I will wait for the right time to come."
He said he or his new party will never oppose any development work, including Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitious bullet train project.
The BJPs saffron ally Shiv Sena has been critical of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The criticism has become increasingly strident following the stampede on the narrow foot overbridge linking Parel and Elphinstone Road stations that claimed 23 lives recently.
Earlier, there was speculation that Rane may join the BJP as some reports suggested that he had met party president Amit Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago and later in New Delhi.
However, a section in the BJP was learnt to be not in favour of Ranes induction into the party.
The Shiv Senas threat to review its continuance in the Maharashtra government was also seen as a hint to the BJP not to take Rane into the party fold. The Shiv Sena has been bitterly critical of Rane, who had objected to Uddhav Thackerays elevation in the party.
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had expelled Rane from the party following which the Maratha leader joined the Congress on July 26, 2005. He was made the revenue minister in the then Congress-NCP government in the state the very next day.
Ranes son Nitesh, an MLA known for his strongarm tactics, had launched Swabhimani Sanghatana around a decade back. His organisation was often locked in confrontation with the Shiv Sena. Today, senior Rane borrowed the name for his new party from his sons organisation.
Asked about the future of his sons outfit and his own party, Narayan Rane said, "Now, both would become one entity. The Swabhimani organisation will be a part of the political party."
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Rane had resigned from the Congress last month after accusing the party having reneged on the promise of making him the chief minister when he had joined it 12 years ago. He had also resigned as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Asked if he would contest the election for the seat that has fallen vacant following his resignation, Rane said he would take a call after the Election Commission announces the schedule.
Rane also criticised Uddhav, saying "Everyone in Shiv Sena, except for Uddhav Thackeray, is my friend. He hardly understands any issue and keeps criticising BJP leaders and their decisions. It is due to his leadership that the party has been widely ridiculed."
"I have similar equations with Ashok Chavan (the state Congress chief). Except for him, everyone in Congress is my friend," he said. PTI ND NM GK SK SK
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An 8-year-old Liberty County boy died Saturday night while shooting guns with his family members at their property on CR 3560 near Plum Grove in north Liberty County, according to a report from the sheriff's office.
Around 10 p.m. Saturday, the boy, his father, 35-year-old Aaron Rincon, and other family members were using a very old .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle with no trigger guard to take turns shooting at tin cans near a wood pile, the report states.
The Czech billionaire whose upstart party shook up the establishment four years ago now wants to realign the political middle ground on his own terms.
Andrej Babis, who's almost certain to become the Czech Republic's prime minister after next month's elections, said he wouldn't partner with parties on either extreme of the political spectrum. It's less obvious for Babis, however, where his ANO party will find its natural allies.
"Common sense and problem-solving" is how Babis, 63, defines his agenda. "I don't know, maybe we will be in the opposition," he said in an interview in Prague last week.
The second-richest Czech is taking a different tack from other leaders in Europe, who've at times sought compromise with political outliers. In Sweden, the biggest opposition party opened itself up to cooperation with an anti-immigration party with neo-Nazi roots. The junior coalition partner in Bulgaria is a loose alliance of nationalist parties.
Babis, himself no stranger to anti-immigration rhetoric, said ANO, the overwhelming favorite to win elections on Oct. 20-21, won't accept the Communists or the anti-immigration Freedom and Direct Democracy party -- known by its Czech acronym SPD -- as a coalition partner. The latest poll published Friday shows the two parties garnering almost a fifth of the vote, with the Communists finishing third and SPD clearing the 5 percent threshold to enter parliament.
SPD's leader, Tokyo-born lawmaker Tomio Okamura, has urged voters to harass Muslims by walking dogs and pigs by mosques and to stop buying kebabs because they fund Islamic movements. The virulent campaign has made inroads in the European Union member of 10.6 million, despite the country having a tiny Muslim community.
The Communists have never officially renounced the crimes of the Soviet-dominated Czechoslovak regime and want the country to leave the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Meanwhile, Babis is looking to protect his political flanks and bend the mainstream to his liking after rising to popularity among Czechs by channeling anti-EU sentiment.
Blaming German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy for terrorism, he's denounced a shared system of quotas for a redistribution of migrants already in the EU, and advocated using NATO forces to sink people smugglers' ships off the North African coast. Babis has also rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's call for faster EU integration and said he doesn't want the Czech Republic to adopt the euro.
While calling the Social Democrats corrupt and fiscally irresponsible, Babis stopped short of rejecting future cooperation. ANO has already been part of the coalition with the left-of-center party, and despite their differences, the ruling alliance is set to be the first since 2002 to survive a full four-year term.
"It's about the people" on the other side of the political divide, Babis said when asked if he could imagine forming a coalition with the Social Democrats again. As examples of Social Democrat politicians with whom he could "have good chemistry, go for dinner, discuss, form a team," Babis named parliament Speaker Jan Hamacek and Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek.
Babis has often criticized his coalition partners as lazy and incompetent. Similarly to President Donald Trump, he wants to run the state like a business. Babis also said he would like to change the country's electoral system from proportional to majority representation, reduce the number of ministers in the government and simplify parliamentary procedures to expedite the adoption of laws.
Uneasy to start with, the current government coalition of ANO, the Social Democrats and the junior Christian Democratic party has gradually devolved into outright hostility between Babis and Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who teamed up with the opposition to pass a law that forced the tycoon to put his assets into a trust fund.
The premier eventually fired Babis as finance minister and convinced lawmakers to strip him of parliamentary immunity that was shielding him from a criminal probe into the alleged misuse of EU funds.
The perceived conflict of interest and the fraud investigation haven't put a dent in the billionaire's popularity. The most recent opinion poll shows ANO enjoys the support of 31 percent of decided voters, more than double the backing of its nearest challenger, the Social Democrats.
Under Sobotka's leadership, the ruling party has been steadily losing support despite a generous boost to pensions and increases in the minimum wage and public-sector salaries.
Babis admitted that he, too, wants to keep up increases in pensions, which are a fraction of those in the EU's wealthier west.
"Of course we have to take care of old people," Babis said.
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Bloomberg contributors: Paul Abelsky, John Micklethwait, Peter Laca and Michael Winfrey.
MAGDEBURG, Germany - For years, debate in the parliament of this east German state capital on the banks of the Elbe flowed as languidly as the cool waters of the river on a clear autumn's day.
But then, in March 2016, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party stunned the cozy local political establishment with a second-place finish. Ever since, the currents in the state parliament have boiled and churned, the glass-paneled debating chamber transformed into a forum for seething exchange.
Lawmakers question each other's patriotism, and some refuse to sit together in the parliamentary cafeteria. Innocuous-seeming debates over issues such as elder care devolve into bitter re-litigations of the country's refugee policies. And, almost daily, insults fly that evoke the worst of German history.
"Nazis!" the far right's opponents shout.
"Stasi!" the AfD's lawmakers reply, using the name of communist secret police in Cold War East Germany.
The sudden transformation of the political culture in Magdeburg from numbing to noxious offers a preview of the future that could await Germany's federal Parliament in Berlin after the AfD surged to third place in Sept. 24's election, becoming the first far-right party in more than half a century to win seats in the Bundestag, the legislature's lower house.
As in Magdeburg's legislature before last year, the tone in the Bundestag has long been consensual in the extreme, with the two major parties joined in a coalition government and with little else to disturb the harmony of a body where, in direct response to the darkest chapters of Germany's past, civil discourse is prized.
But the AfD, which won 94 seats in the recent vote, has vowed to intrude noisily on the quiet. On election night, party leader Alexander Gauland thundered that the AfD would use its prominent new platform to "hunt" Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government.
The five parties that control the remainder of the seats in the 709-member Bundestag have said they will not cooperate with the AfD and have denounced the party's anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric. That makes the AfD's chances of actually using its perch in the federal Parliament to enact legislation minimal, at best.
Yet, as Magdeburg shows, the party doesn't need to pass laws to have an outsize influence.
"The tone has changed," said Roger Stocker, a political scientist at the city's Otto von Guericke University. "It's more aggressive. It's more rough. There's less respect. The language used is not what you'd expect in [the state] parliament.
"I think," Stocker said, "the Bundestag will go the same way."
The AfD's emergence last year as the second-largest party in Saxony-Anhalt, the struggling eastern German state of which Magdeburg is the capital, was even more surprising than its relative triumph nationally on Sept. 24.
At the time, the three-year-old party had never scored higher than 12 percent in a state election. But on March 13, 2016, it doubled that total in Saxony-Anhalt, storming its way into a parliament that had been dominated for a decade by a tightknit coalition between the country's two dominant parties.
"It was a big shock," said Stocker, who is an active member of one of those establishment parties, the Social Democrats. "There was paralysis. Nobody thought they would get that kind of result."
The outcome forced the two main parties to add a third - the Greens - to the state's coalition government, just as results of the national election are likely to yield an uncomfortable three-way coalition among parties that are less than natural allies.
And just as it plans to do nationally, the AfD's disruption of the existing order did not stop there. AfD opponents in the state parliament say the party's lawmakers brought a new mode of behavior to the chamber, one in which they openly cheered their own, jeered others, interrupted when they disagreed and smashed long-standing taboos.
When climate change comes up, AfD members interject that it's a hoax. If there's a debate over funding for the elderly, the far-right party demands to know why refugees are getting money that it says should be going to German senior citizens. Issues that were never on the state parliament's priority list, such as the wearing of burqas among members of the very small Muslim population in Saxony-Anhalt, have crept onto the agenda.
"It's not who makes the best argument anymore," said Tobias Krull, a member of the state parliament from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which leads the government here and nationally. "It's who makes the loudest argument."
Krull said a group of children recently visited the parliament to observe the debate. Afterward, one of them shared his impressions, Krull said: "He said, 'If we behaved in school as you behave here, we'd be kicked out.'"
It's not just in Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD now has a presence in 13 of the 16 German state parliaments. A recent study by the Otto Brenner Foundation found the party had brought a sharper and more belligerent tone to state government, along with a new focus on polarizing issues such as refugees, Islam and immigration.
Members of other parties in Saxony-Anhalt said the behavior goes well beyond rudeness, and echoes the rhetoric of the Third Reich.
In February, the AfD's leader in the state, Andre Poggenburg, denounced left-wing activists in local schools. "Help us once and for all get rid of these malignant growths on the German national body," he said, words that struck many here as being uncomfortably similar to those of Nazi leaders.
Members of left-wing parties say they've been verbally attacked in ominous and dehumanizing ways, including with the German word "versifft," meaning "filthy."
"Their choice of words is shameful," said Dorothea Frederking, a member of the Saxony-Anhalt parliament from the Greens. "It's really a pity that right-wing extremists are sitting in our parliament 70 years after the Second World War. Years ago, it was unthinkable to have these kinds of debates. But now they've come back."
Poggenburg, blond, blue-eyed and younger-looking than his 42 years, acknowledged in an interview that his party's members are inflaming tensions. But that, he said, is what they were elected to do.
"Before the AfD, the debates had been very sleepy and comfy," he said. "It's our goal to provoke. That's what the people wanted."
He also dismissed any similarity between his party's rhetoric and that of the Third Reich.
"If you're going to make 10 statements, the likelihood of one of them being used in Nazi times is high," said Poggenburg, who described his party as the only patriotic one in Germany.
And he accused the AfD's rivals of stooping to incivility first. Members from some other factions, he said, won't shake the hands of AfD members, sit with them in the cafeteria or acknowledge them at social events. Plus, he said, the name-calling goes both ways, with the far-left Die Linke party being especially aggressive.
"For every three times they call us Nazis or fascists, we might call them communists or Stasi once," he said.
Not every party has responded to the AfD with pure derision. The state premier, 63-year-old Reiner Haseloff, said the party has repeatedly gone "below the belt" with its rhetoric, and that the AfD's use of language that echoes Germany's Nazi past is particularly intolerable. But his party, the ruling CDU, has shown a willingness to work with the AfD that other factions see as disconcerting.
The CDU recently teamed up with the far right to pass legislation creating a commission to investigate left-wing extremism - a move that drew a swift rebuke from Merkel, who has sworn not to engage the AfD.
Haseloff, once an ally of Merkel who broke with the chancellor over her response to the refugee crisis, said his party has an obligation to take seriously the forces that gave rise to the AfD, even if it disagrees with the far right's tactics.
"Up until now, there hasn't been a discussion about German identity and how much migration is a good thing and to what extent are we bringing conflicts that are happening all over the world to Germany," Haseloff said. "If we don't hear the signal from voters, then the AfD is not going away."
By Nicole M. Bautista
San Antonio police said they were called to a home on the Southwest Side Sunday morning after receiving a report that an 11-year-old was shot in the leg.
Upon arrival, they discovered the shots were fired in attempt to break up a fight between two family dogs, and the girl was injured when fragments of a stray round struck her leg.
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A family disturbance call led to an hours-long standoff that went into the evening Saturday on the Northwest Side.
San Antonio Police Department spokesman Sgt. Michelle Ramos said police responded to a family disturbance at about 4 p.m. in the 8600 block of London Heights.
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If you were looking to check out San Antonio's newest eating and outdoor live music venue, you're going to have to wait a few more days as the public grand opening for The Rustic has been delayed once again.
A spokesman for the restaurant, bar and live music venue said they are still trying to get their final inspection complete and approved, something club management had thought would be complete by Saturday.
The bar's website on Friday announced the opening date as Saturday, Sept. 30.
"Unfortunately we're still working on final inspections for the space," Matt Schmertz, director of marketing for FreeRange Concepts, said Saturday.
RELATED: The Rustic makes grand opening in S.A with Pat Green performance
The Rustic had a massive grand opening Thursday night, but did so with a temporary permit, allowing them to operate for that single night.
The 28,000-square-foot restaurant is on the far North Side in The Rim shopping center, and is partly owned by Pat Green, who performed there Thursday.
According to San Antonio Fire Department spokesman Joe Arrington, the issue holding up the public opening deals with the venue's fire alarms.
The original public opening was to be Friday evening, but was pushed back until Saturday night.
Now Playing: San Antonio's massive food and drink complex The Rustic made its grand opening Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017, with an invitation-only party. Singer and part owner Pat Green also performed at the grand opening. Video: San Antonio Express-News
Employees who showed up for work Saturday were told by local managers to go home and that the club was now closed until sometime next week, according to a person who knows workers of the club, but did want to be identified.
RELATED: SAFD forces The Rustic to close for 1 day following star-studded grand opening
Schmertz, who attended the private grand opening Thursday, said he and the rest of the management group "had a really incredible experience with our staff Thursday." He noted they were excited to open and get those employees back to work.
"We'll know more next week," Schmertz said. "We are planning on opening mid-week, but no firm date is set."
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San Antonio police say speed was a factor in a fatal single-vehicle crash just north of downtown Sunday morning.
According to police, a white pickup truck was traveling south at a high rate of speed on the 1200 block of Brooklyn Avenue around 12:15 a.m. when it crashed into a utility pole.
Officials said the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
A female passenger was rescued from the vehicle by firefighters, who removed the roof from the pickup truck using Jaws of Life.
The female was transported to University Hospital in critical condition.
Investigators continue to investigate.
NBautista@express-news.net
By PTI: Panaji, Sep 30 (PTI) Goa Governor Mridula Sinha has has described father of nation Mahatma Gandhi as a true "patriot and philanthropist."
"In todays time feelings of patriotism, truth and non-violence have taken a back seat. The materialistic world is facing much trouble because of our selfish needs and desires.
"Therefore, there is a need to remember and inculcate in ourselves the feelings of oneness and non-violence, preached by Mahatma Gandhi," Sinha said in a message released this evening.
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"He (Gandhi) was a true patriot and a true philanthropist in all sense because he not only thought about India and its people, but also was concerned about the complete humanitarian race," she said.
She recalled that the idea of truth and non-violence was at the core of Mahatma Gandhi?s thoughts.
"He was the epitome of patience, peace and perseverance. He played a pivotal role in Indias struggle for Independence and started the satyagraha movement in India to protest the acts that deprived all Indian of important civil liberties," the Governor said. PTI RPS NRB
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A layer of cold, damp air has drifted in from the ocean and nearly smothered a trio of wildfires on California's Central Coast that were endangering homes and forcing evacuations just a few hours earlier.
All 900 people told to evacuate in the city of Lompoc on Friday afternoon were told they can return, Santa Barbara County fire spokesman Mike Eliason said.
"Thing have died down considerably," he said. "We're feeling really optimistic that we can put this thing to bed tonight.
The blazes are 10 percent contained, but even inside the fire lines there is no visible flame in several places, Eliason said.
Earlier, a half-dozen small fires that erupted along a road merged into the three blazes that burned 300 acres of thick manzanita, chaparral, grass and oak, Eliason said.
Winds pushed the flames close to Lompoc neighborhoods, threatening about 199 homes, and about 900 people were told to evacuate, he said. The historic La Purisima Mission, founded in 1787, was threatened and evacuated.
By evening, however, the winds had eased and a marine layer of cooler, wetter air was arriving. Flames that had crept close to homes and sent fiery embers into backyards had vanished from many stretches of the 600-acre fire, he said.
About 270 firefighters and 11 aircraft fought the blaze. Neighborhoods were doused with colorful fire retardant from the air.
"Some of the houses are completely red; the houses, the cars, the roads, everything is painted Phos-Chek red," Eliason said, referring to the fire retardant.
One shed was damaged, vegetation in the gutters of one home burned, and smoke drifted into a house with open windows, but there were no significant damages from the fires, Eliason said.
There was no immediate word on what caused the fires, although the California Highway Patrol indicated it was investigating whether a car dragging a chain might have sparked them.
Meanwhile, a Southern California fire that damaged four homes earlier in the week was 75 percent contained Friday.
The Canyon Fire that erupted Monday along the border between Corona and Anaheim turned 2,600 acres about four square miles of land to ash.
Firefighters managed to protect nearly 2,000 homes as the blaze shifted in unpredictable winds southeast of Los Angeles.
On Saturday, the California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony honored 31 California firefighters who died in the line of duty, adding their names to more than 1,300 already inscribed on the limestone wall in Sacramentos Capitol Park.
The memorial bears the names of California firefighters who have died in the line of duty since California became a state in 1850.
'We can never say 'thank you' enough to the brave men and women who give service - and their lives - to keep us safe," said Attorney General Xavier Becerra. "Today we memorialize 31 firefighters who answered the call...and offer our promise that their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten."
The wall first unveiled in 2002 is the site of an annual ceremony sponsored by the California Fire Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by California Professional Firefighters in 1987.
"The dedication and honor of the men and women we remember today cannot remain inside the walls of the firehouse it deserves to be on display for all to see," said Lou Paulson, chair of the California Fire Foundation and president of California Professional Firefighters. "Our fellow Californians will come to this hallowed place, see the names on this memorial, and never forget what it means to give 'the last true measure of devotion,'" he added.
The annual ceremony is conducted by the California Fire Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization created by California Professional Firefighters in 1987.
The California Highway Patrol is reporting that two women were killed during a fatal head-on collision on northbound Interstate Highway 880 in Oakland on Saturday morning.
The collision occurred at the Broadway off-ramp and was first reported at 4:18 a.m., according to the CHP.
According to witnesses, the collision happened after one of the women came on to the interstate southbound, against traffic, with her headlights off.
Other vehicles sustained damage as drivers hit their brakes to avoid the vehicle traveling in the wrong direction.
The CHP issued a Sig-alert due to the collision, closing three lanes. It has since been cancelled.
The incident is still under investigation, including a possible DUI, but that's only conjecture since both drivers are dead.
Authorities have found the hiker who went missing in Californias Sequoia National Park.
The parks' helicopter spotted 49-year-old Edward Newbegin hiking towards Mineral King on the Franklin Lakes Trail.
Park rangers made contact with Newbegin and have confirmed he was uninjured and escorted him out of the wilderness to reunite with his family.
"We're very glad to be able to report that the missing hiker was found alive and uninjured," said Incident Commander David Fox. "There are extra hazards in the mountains at this time of year. We ask that our hikers take extra precautions and check extended forecasts before they leave for the wilderness."
Newbegin became separated from a group of hikers last Wednesday in the lower Big Arroyo area of the park, which is located in the Sierra Nevadas.
The park is no advising hikers to stay together, stick to their planned itinerary and let someone know when they return from their trip.
Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the Chicago area are getting more than $42 million from the federal government.
In a news release, U.S Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin of Illinois say the money is coming from the federal Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families.
The city of Chicago is getting more than $20 million. Organizations in the city receiving money are the Christopher House, Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois, Chicago Commons Association and the Ounce of Prevention Fund.
Other Illinois recipients include Kankakee School District No. 111, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet, the Child Care Resources & Referral in Joliet and Two Rivers Head Start Agency in Aurora.
Accusations that Puerto Ricans aren't doing enough to help themselves is outraging many in North Texas.
Saturday morning, President Trump tweeted, Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort
Louis and Sandy Polemeni arrived in North Texas from Puerto Rico three days ago.
They brought Sandy's 85-year-old mother with them.
It took them days to get out.
Despite what the President tweeted, they say they witnessed neighbors helping neighbors before they left.
We cannot get out of thin air things that we need. We need the gasoline, we need the water, We are doing everything we can. We're not just twiddling our thumbs waiting for the government to come help us. We're doing whatever we can, Sandy Polemeni said.
The sentiment was shared among Puerto Rican diners at Adobos Puerto Rican Cafe in Irving.
"He don't know what he's talking about. He just doesn't know," said Jorge Candeleria, who moved to Irving from Puerto Rico seven years ago.
By PTI: New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) The Urban Affairs Ministry will "examine the issues" raised by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the proposed fare hike by the Delhi Metro, a senior official today said.
Terming the fare increase as "unacceptable", Kejriwal had written to Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, demanding that the decision be withheld and reviewed.
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"The minister (Puri) has asked UD Secretary D S Mishra to examine the issues raised by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the proposed fare hike," a spokesperson of the ministry told PTI.
Kejriwal has stiffly opposed the planned hike, to be effected from October 10, and yesterday claimed that it would a violation of the recommendations of the fare-fixation panel.
"The fare-fixation committee had recommended a gap of one year between two fare hikes. This recommendation is being completely violated because the proposed second hike in October, 2017 will take place even before six months since the previous fare hike," he said in the letter to Puri.
The committee, comprising representatives of both the state and the Centre, which have equal stakes in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), is entrusted with recommending fare hikes.
The Delhi Metro fares were last revised in May. If the hike is effected, the fares will go up by a maximum of Rs 10 from October 10.
The existing fare structure is: up to 2 kms -- Rs 10, 2-5 kms -- Rs 15, 5-12 kms -- Rs 20, 12-21 kms -- Rs 30, 21-32 kms -- Rs 40 and for journeys beyond 32 kms -- Rs 50.
From October 10, for a distance of up to two kilometres, the fare will remain Rs 10, but for a distance between two and five kilometres, it will go up from Rs 15 to Rs 20.
For the subsequent slabs, it will go up by Rs 10 each, which means the maximum fare will be Rs 60.
The Delhi Metro, on its part, has been maintaining that it has a "huge loan liability" and a rapidly rising operating ratio, which means its expenditure as against every rupee earned is going up.
In his letter, Kejriwal had referred to the financial model of the Hong Kong Metro and suggested that following it would significantly improve DMRCs finances and lead to a much lower fare hike.
He also mentioned that his assertion was based on the "advise" of the fare-fixation panel.
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"The fare-fixation committee has advised the DMRC to raise funds through real estate development from the large number of properties allotted to it by the government.
"If this is done efficiently and transparently, the resultant income will help reduce the fare of the ordinary commuter, as in the case of the Hong Kong Metro," the statement quoted the chief minister as saying. PTI MP KND RT
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The sole African-American member of the board overseeing Austin's public transportation authority has said a black executive should not be hired to lead the transit agency.
Beverly Silas made the remark during an August meeting of the Capital Metro board as members discussed hiring a new CEO and president.
A video recording of the meeting shows her saying, "Austin is not the place for them."
Silas clarified Friday to the Austin American-Statesman that she doesn't oppose hiring an African-American.
But she says that, "because of the environment here, they might be subject to failure."
Silas says Austin has drawn strong black managers who excelled in prior roles but ran into problems when they took posts in the capital.
U.S. Census figures in 2014 show Austin had an African-American population of just 8 percent.
An Air France flight to Los Angeles from Paris was forced to land in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador following "serious damage" to one of the plane's four engines on Saturday.
The airline said the plane landed safely in the afternoon after being diverted to Goose Bay airport as a precaution.
Passengers on board the aircraft tweeted photos and video of the plane flying through the clouds with a damaged engine.
"We heard this tremendous bang. It was like the plane hit a Jeep at 35,000 feet," passenger Pamela Adams said in a telephone interview. "We grabbed onto something and then we sat down, and the plane righted itself fairly soon."
Passengers nervously joked to one another as they tried to make sense of the commotion, Adams said. She figured the plane had struck a bird, but then, it became clear that the situation was more dramatic.
The pilot came on over the loudspeaker and said the plane had lost one of its engines and would be landing in Canada, Adams said.
The plane landed 90 minutes later. The crew handed out meals as they waited on the runway for hours.
Air France said it brought in two flights to carry the 497 passengers from Goose Bay to Los Angeles.
It's been a long journey, but Puerto Ricans, Ketsy Echevarria and her husband Luis Nieves were reunited at last, in the maternity ward of Baptist Hospital in Kendall on Saturday and they welcomed their baby boy to the world.
"I'm very excited because we've been desperate for him to get here because baby Lukas was supposed to be here in two weeks and they have to induce my baby so he's coming out today hopefully," said Ketsy Echevarria.
With the help of American Airlines, the expectant mother and her eight-year-old daughter were able to fly out of Puerto Rico, arriving in South Florida on Thursday.
"We're very excited and we're very grateful to be here," said Echevarria, "because if I didn't come and I don't know what would happen over there."
Her husband was forced to stay behind on the island at first, but after some coordinating American Airlines was able to get him on a last minute flight on Saturday. He said he felt happy to be back at his wife's side as she gives birth to their baby boy, Lucas. They've been trying for a second child for five years.
"Yesterday I received a text message if I could help a 38 week pregnant patient that was coming from Puerto Rico and of course I said yes, bring her immediately," said Dr. Jennifer Schell, and Obgyn at Baptist Hospital.
Dr. Schell is a boricua herself who grew up and went to medical school on the island. She felt a personal connection and took this challenge full on.
"Ketsy left behind her husband and her parents and she came with her eight year old daughter to Miami just to find a better place to deliver her child," said Schell, "She knew she wouldn't be able to get to a hospital and probably if she did the doctor wouldn't get to the hospital because of the lack of gas."
Even though they're joyful to welcome a new life, the family wants to use their story to shed light on a tough situation after they were forced to leave their hurricane stricken homeland, which is still in dire need of help.
"It's a mixed feeling because I feel very fortunate to be here and all the people that are helping us but I left my parents and my family and everybody over there and they don't have even food or water because it's not getting to them," said Echevarria.
Dr. Schell is seeking donations to send necessary medical supplies to the island through her non-profit, Doctors 4 Puerto Rico.
For more information on ways to contribute or help the situation in Puerto Rico you can click here.
An arrest has been made in the shooting of a 6-year-old boy in North Philadelphia.
On Friday around 7:45 p.m. police responded to a report of a person shot on 24th and Norris streets. When they arrived they were met by a man who stated his 6-year-old son had been struck by gunfire. The boy was taken to the hospital and treated for a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. He was then taken to St. Christopher's Hospital where he is currently in good condition.
Police don't believe the boy was the gunman's intended target.
On Saturday police identified a suspect in the shooting. On Sunday, police and a SWAT team executed a search warrant at his home and took him into custody without incident. Police say his identity will be released Monday morning.
"If I wasnt there, if the Navy chose not to send me, they would have been all killedtheres no question in my mind, Vietnam veteran CAPT Paul Jacobs told NBC 7.
Jacobs and the crew of the USS Kirk received two congressional commendations from the U.S. government at the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in Balboa Park this weekend for their role in leading the effort to save more than 30,000 Vietnamese veterans near the end of the war.
Saturday was the first time the crew had been recognized formally by the U.S. government. The ceremony included dignitaries and congressional, county and city officials.
On April 30, 1975, Jacobs was told to return to the coast to rescue what was left of the South Vietnamese Navy.
After Saigon fell, Frank Doah was one of thousands of South Vietnamese refugees fleeing Communist forces.
The American ships who has been picking up Vietnamese refugees at that time, and would just go there and we was picked up and we [got] onboard, and thats how we came to this nation, Doah said. Were so grateful.
After a six-day journey, the USS Kirk escorted the refugees to safety in the Philippines. Though they were not thanked immediately after the war, four decades later their service has not been forgotten.
The ship was first homeported in San Diego and CAPT Jacobs is leading a donation drive to get it back here.
The mission was the largest humanitarian effort ever undertaken by the U.S., and became the greatest influx of refugees in U.S. history as 1.5 million Vietnamese came to the United States over the next 15 years.
Melania Trump has responded after a Massachusetts school librarian rejected a shipment of 10 Dr. Seuss books sent by the first lady as part of National Read a Book Day.
In a lengthy letter titled Dear Mrs. Trump posted to the Horn Book blog, Cambridgeport Elementary School librarian Liz Phipps Soeiro thanked the first lady for the note she sent to students at the school, but said she was returning the books because "...my school doesnt have a NEED for these books." She added, "Why not go out of your way to gift books to underfunded and underprivileged communities...?"
She also suggested that more thought could have gone into the selection of the books, saying that "Dr. Seuss is a bit of a cliche..."
The White House responded to NBC Boston's request for comment on Thursday afternoon.
"Mrs. Trump intends to use her platform as First Lady to help as many children as she can. She has demonstrated this in both actions and words since her husband took office, and sending books to schools across the country is but one example," said Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's communications director. "Turning the gesture of sending young school children books into something divisive is unfortunate, but the First Lady remains committed to her efforts on behalf of children everywhere."
Many in Cambridge said they agreed with the school librarian's decision to send back the books.
"The people in the White House need to do some homework on different topics, and Cambridge does not need extra books," resident Dan Trajman said.
"Perhaps the nature of the books that were selected could be a bit more thoughtful as well," noted Chris Walter, the parent of a Cambridgeport Elementary School student.
"Given that we are in Cambridgeport, I think thats to be expected that theyre going to make a political statement," said Natasha Ristivojevic, a Cambridge mother.
Still others were surprised that any school would turn away a cornerstone of learning.
"She should have said thank you to that, not sent them back," parent Renaud Vinson said.
"I think all books are readable," added Maeve Condon. "I think that no matter what your opinion is, if theres multiple, then thats great. That means two kids can take them out at the same time."
Cambridge Public Schools said they support their employees right to voice personal opinions, but noted, "We have counseled the employee on all relevant policies, including donations policies and the policy against public resources being used for political purposes."
Catalonian separatists vowed Saturday to ignore a police ultimatum to leave the schools they are occupying to use in a vote seeking independence from Spain. As police methodically sealed off hundreds of schools, some parents decided to send their children home and girded for pre-dawn confrontations Sunday with police.
Tensions rose across the country over the planned vote. In the Spanish capital of Madrid, thousands marched to protest the separatists' attempt to break up their nation, demanding that Catalan leaders be sent to jail. In Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, thousands more took to the streets to urge their prosperous region to stay inside Spain.
The police deadline of 6 a.m. Sunday for the activists, parents and children in the occupied Catalan schools is designed to prevent the vote from taking place, since the polls are supposed to open three hours later.
Spain's Constitutional Court suspended the independence vote more than three weeks ago and the national government calls it illegal. Police have been ordered to stop ballots from being cast on Sunday and have been cracking down for days, confiscating millions of ballots and posters.
Catalonia's defiant regional government is pressing ahead despite the ban and the police crackdown, urging the region's 5.3 million registered voters to make their voices heard.
Spain's foreign minister said Saturday the Catalan government's plan is anti-democratic and runs "counter to the goals and ideals" of the European Union.
"What they are pushing is not democracy. It is a mockery of democracy, a travesty of democracy," Minister Alfonso Dastis told The Associated Press.
A top Spanish security official in Catalonia says police have already sealed off more than half of the 2,315 polling stations and disabled software that was to have been used in the referendum. Enric Millo, the highest-ranking Spanish official in the northeastern region, said parents and students were found to be occupying at least 163 schools but about 1,000 more still need to be checked.
The regional police force has been ordered not to use force in vacating the schools. Millo said anyone remaining in schools after 6 a.m. will need to be removed in line with a judge's order.
"I trust in the common sense of Catalans and that people will operate with prudence," he said.
Authorities have already confiscated 10 million paper ballots in the last few days which will make it much more difficult for Catalonian officials to carry out an effective vote.
Millo said the government would tolerate ad hoc voting in the streets but that any results could not be considered a valid electoral test.
"They can always put a makeshift table in the street, with some buckets, and put papers in," he said. "But what Catalan authorities have promised, an effective referendum with legal basis and binding, is something that won't happen."
At the Congres-Indians school in Barcelona, designated as a polling place, activist Quim Roy said he would be sending his two daughters home before the deadline out of concern for possible violence. He said other parents planned to do the same.
"Who knows what will happen if the Guardia Civil comes?" Roy said, referring to the Spanish national guard.
He said he would not resort to violence but will not leave the building voluntarily.
"If they tell me I can't be in a public school to exercise my democratic rights, they will have to take me out of here. I won't resist, but they will have to carry me out," he said.
Organizers have set up a range of activities in the schools including yoga sessions, games, film screenings and picnics to keep spirits high as the historic confrontation with Spain's central government unfolds.
Roy said there were no ballot boxes or ballots yet at the school but he was not bothered by that.
"They will appear," he said with a shrug.
At the La Sagrera primary school in Barcelona, parent Saverio Trioni said 20 parents and children slept over on Friday but "we expect way more tonight. The plan is 100 at least." They are holding a music festival to keep everyone occupied.
Trioni said, however, that "we will leave if ordered to."
A pro-independence grassroots group admitted that Sunday's vote could be in jeopardy unless more schools were kept open for it. Open Schools spokesman Ramon Font told the AP he did not have an exact number on how many schools were being occupied by activists but felt it was more than the number stated by police.
"If the number of schools kept open does not rise, then the ability to exercise our right to self-determination will be in serious jeopardy. It will be very difficult to vote," Font said.
In Madrid, thousands of people rallied Saturday in a central plaza to protest the Catalan independence vote, angry that it could divide Spain. Some shouted "Long live Spain!" and "Puigdemont to jail!"
Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont, who openly favors breaking away from Spain, is among those promoting the independence vote.
In Barcelona, Francisco Morales, a 69-year-old retiree, said he was marching Saturday to defend the unity of Spain against the "lies" of Catalan separatists. Morales and his wife were among thousands protesting the independence referendum.
"We don't want division. It's been enough lies telling people that they can't be Catalans and Spanish at the same time," Morales said. "The politicians supporting independence are bending the law to tear this country apart."
The main civic group behind Catalonia's push for independence said given the concentrated efforts by Spain to block the vote that a turnout of 1 million voters, less than a fifth of the electorate, should be considered an "overwhelming success."
Jordi Sanchez, president of the Catalan National Assembly, told reporters that police actions in Catalonia may make a large turnout difficult.
Catalan authorities had hoped previously for a larger turnout than the 2.3 million people who voted in a mock referendum in 2014 in which 80 percent favored independence.
The Catalan government has pledged to declare independence from Spain within 48 hours of Sunday if the 'yes' vote wins, no matter what the turnout is.
Giles reported from Madrid. Aritz Parra contributed from Barcelona.
The Trump administrations top education official scrapped Obama-era guidance for evaluating campus sexual assaults last week.
Every college in the country can now determine for themselves how they assess and investigate sexual assault claims. The guidance the Obama administration released in 2011 and updated in 2014 instructed universities to use a preponderance of the evidence standard.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced on Sept. 22 new, interim guidelines that give colleges the option to stick with that standard or implement a harder-to-meet "clear and convincing evidence" standard.
News4 asked eight colleges in the D.C. area what standard they will use for evaluating sexual assault claims. Three schools said they will stick with the Obama-era rules, three schools said they're still deciding what to do and two schools did not respond to inquiries.
Here's what the schools said:
Georgetown University
Georgetown will keep the Obama-era rules in place until further notice, a statement from the school says.
Our current policies and processes will remain in place while we review the Q&A guidance and await the Departments formal regulations, the statement says. A university spokesman declined to make additional comments.
George Washington University
GW will continue to use the Obama-era preponderance of evidence standard, according to a statement by university president Thomas LeBlanc.
Student Eve Zhurbinsky, a senior with double majors in political science and history, participated in a protest against DeVos' decision. Zhurbinsky said she wants her school to keep the Obama-era standard and do a better job of helping students who say they were attacked.
No matter what happens at the federal level, GW needs to take a closer look on how best to prevent violence from occurring and how to ensure that survivors feel safe, she said.
Another student told News4 she was sexually assaulted by a fellow student. She chose not to report the attack to school officials or police.
I was worried that if I did report, it would be a lot more pain and drama for me. People would assume I was lying," she said. She asked that News4 withhold her name to protect her privacy.
She said she worries that the DeVos policy change will deter survivors from reporting crimes and make it harder for them to prove their cases if they do report.
"Things are probably going to get even worse now," she said. "This is the wrong direction. We need more protection, not less.
University of Maryland
UMD will continue to comply with the Obama-era standards, a university spokeswoman said.
Steven Clark, a junior who belongs to the school's College Republicans group, said he supports DeVos' decision.
I think the Obama administration had good intentions when they put that out, he said. "But I agree with Secretary DeVos with the need to have more due process.
Clark said he thinks the Trump administration's move will make college judicial proceedings on sexual assault more fair.
Catholic University
Catholic has yet to decide whether or not they will impose stricter standards, a university spokeswoman said.
Sophomore Griffin Namin, a politics major, said he's eager for the school to announce what they will do.
Party politics aside, there needs to be a standard [for all universities], he said.
George Mason University
GMU administrators are evaluating DeVos interim guidance, President Angel Cabrera said in a statement. School officials did not respond to requests for additional information.
American University
AU said in a statement issued Sept. 8, a day after news broke that DeVos would change federal policy, that "any federal guidance that may come will be reviewed thoroughly with our community."
The school has not made additional comments about whether they will continue to follow the Obama-era guidance or if they will adopt a higher standard for evidence.
School officials did not respond to requests for additional information.
Maureen Smith, a senior at the school and the director of a student-run women's rights group, said she thinks DeVos' decision is a step backward.
My thoughts went to ... how much work it took to have Title IX processes be supportive of survivors, and how regressive these changes will be," she said.
Howard University
Officials at Howard did not respond to inquiries about what they will do.
University of the District of Columbia
Officials at UDC did not respond to inquiries about what they will do.
A New Hampshire man was shot and killed outside of his home in Saco, Maine early Saturday morning.
Maine State Police said 53-year-old Michael Burns, a Rochester, New Hampshire native, was shot on the front porch of his home on Nye Street just before 1:30 a.m.
Detectives said the man who shot Burns called the police. Two other people were inside of Burns' home at the time of the shooting.
Detectives investigating the incident said that there is no threat of danger to the public.
One person was killed in an officer-involved shooting in Belmont, New Hampshire Saturday afternoon.
Joseph Mazzitelli, 46, was shot by a Belmont police officer just before 3 p.m. at an Irving Gas Station located at 9 Plummer Hill Road.
According to Attorney General Gordon MacDonald, an officer recognized Mazzitelli at the Irving as the subject of several outstanding warrants. The officer confronted Mazzitelli, who acknowledged his identity and wanted status.
MacDonald said that at this point Mazzitelli drew a firearm. The officer then drew his weapon and shot Mazzitelli once.
Mazzitelli was transported to the Lakes Region General Hospital where he was later pronounced dead from his injuries.
The officer was not injured in the incident. Eleven eyewitnesses inside the Irving were also unharmed.
The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information on the incident or on Mazzitelli is advised to contact Belmont police at 603-223-8849.
Mohammad Azmal Haque served in the Indian Army for 30 years before retiring as a Junior Commissioned Officer last year. He lives in Guwahati, Assam. On October 13, he will have to prove that he is an Indian citizen.
By India Today Web Desk: Appointed as the Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army by former President APJ Abdul Kalam and now retired after having served the forces for 30 years, ex-army engineer Mohammad Azmal Haque has been asked to prove that he is an Indian citizen.
The foreigners tribunal has summoned Azmal Haque to appear before it on October 13 with documents to prove that he is not an illegal migrant from Bangladesh living in India.
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Azmal Haque's wife Mumtaz Begum had to go through the same process in 2012 when Azmal Haque was still a mechanical engineer with the Indian Army serving at Chandigarh.
Azmal Haque received a notice from the Foreigner's Tribunal last month asking him to appear before it with documents that may prove that he is a citizen of India by birth. The notice had asked Azmal Haque to present his case before September 11. But, the notice landed his place after the expiry of date.
Azmal Haque got another notice later asking him to appear before the foreigners tribunal in Guwahati on October 13. The tribunal has listed him in the category of 'doubtful voters'.
WHAT IS A FOREIGNERS TRIBUNAL?
Several foreigners tribunals have been set up in Assam to identify illegal immigrants in the country. These tribunals were set up in Assam under the Foreigner (Tribunal) Order of 1964 to determine the status of citizens whose Indian nationality is found to be doubtful.
First such tribunal came up in 1986 after the Assam Accord signed in 1985 between AASU and the Rajiv Gandhi government at the Centre. The agreement fixed March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date for detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Assam.
As per 2015, the number of tribunals increased to 100 following the complaints about the increase in the number of cases related to alleged illegal migrants. It was a big election issue in Assam during the last Assembly polls in 2015. The Sarbananda Sonowal government has looked to strengthen the tribunals to keep BJP's election promise.
CURIOUS CASE OF AZMAL HAQUE
The summons sent to Azmal Haque states that he arrived in India after 1971 following the political and national upheaval in Bangladesh. But, Azmal Haque has a different story to tell. According to Azmal Haque, his father Maqbool Ali was an Indian citizen.
Maqbool Ali's name, according to Azmal Haque, was in the 1966 voter's list and also in village surveys in done in 1961-62. He says he has the kheraj patta from 1963. His mother Rahimon Nesa's name was mentioned in the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC).
(Photo: @AmanWadud)
Now, a lawyer by the name of Aman Wadud has shared some documents of Azmal Haque's family on Twitter to prove his Indian roots. According to one of the documents, Azmal Haque was born in Kamrup district in 1968. Now retired from the Indian Army, he lives at Kalahikash, Guwahati.
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Azmal joined the Indian Army in 1986 as a mechanical engineer. Another document shows that the former President Kalam appointed him as a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the rank of Naib Subedar in 2003 during Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He retired last year as JCO.
(Photo: @AmanWadud)
Incidentally, his wife Mumtaz Begum too had to prove her citizenship in 2012 before one of the foreigners tribunal. After she presented the documents, the foreigners tribunal held her as Indian citizen.
(Photo: @AmanWadud)
The documents show Azmal Haque as her husband. Azmal Haque was posted at Chandigarh when his wife had been summoned by the foreigners tribunal.
(Photo: @AmanWadud)
Interestingly, in May this year, Azmal Haque had applied for a franchise of customer point of bank. The Assam police officials visited him and verified his credentials.
One of his sons is studying at the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun. The RIMC is a feeder institution for the National Defence Academy, Indian Naval Academy and subsequently the Indian Armed Forces.
Dear India,AzmalHaque,ex-IndianArmy,wants u all to listen to him& request @PMOIndia to stop harassing IndianCitizens in d name of foreigners pic.twitter.com/5xHfB1Ldji- Aman Wadud (@AmanWadud) September 30, 2017
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Azmal Haque claims to be a Khilonjia Axomiya - an identity for those who trace their origins in Assam. On the other hand, as per the Supreme Court directive, the Assam government is required to update its National Register of Citizens by the end of this year.
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A Massachusetts man who was shot in an apparent drive-by shooting last week has died.
Chelsea police and Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said Sunday that the 37-year-old city resident died at Massachusetts General Hospital on Saturday night. A 19-year-old woman is recovering from injuries she sustained in the Wednesday shooting that took place in the area of 119 Congress Ave.
The man's death is being investigated as a homicide.
No one has been identified.
Last week, police said they were interested in a small gray sedan, possibly a Honda, that appeared to have fled the scene down Congress Street towards Shurtleff, then Marginal.
Police were not sure if the shooting was gang related, but had said the incident did not appear to be random.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to call the 24-hour tip line at 617-466-4880.
Christian charity does Big Sleep Out for homeless Christian charity does Big Sleep Out for homeless
On Friday October 13 Norwich homeless charity, Hope into Action, will be hosting its Big Sleep Out event at Cafe Britannia.
The charity is challenging the people of Norfolk to join them for an evening to experience a very small taste of what it might be like to be homeless overnight. The event will start with food, acoustic music and personal testimonies from local people who have experienced homelessness. At 10pm when the cafe closes, those who are willing and able are invited to bed down in front of the cafe and on the heath for a potentially wet and cold night without the comforts of home. The aim of the event is to increase awareness of the struggles faced by homeless people in Norwich and to raise funds to enable Hope into Action to continue their work to combat these issues.
The award-winning charity was founded in Peterborough in 2010 and opened a Norwich project in 2012. The aim of the charity is to change the lives of the most disadvantaged in our city by providing them with beautiful homes and surrounding them with positive role models who will encourage them to make good life choices. Hope into Action Norwich have seven houses open and has housed 67 people since it opened. They are opening an eighth house later in the year and are currently in the process of buying house number nine.
When looking for a venue to hold their Big Sleep Out, Hope into Action approached Britannia cafe first. As Norwich Coordinator, Kate Doran-Smith says, Finding new and exciting ways to fundraise is always a challenge, especially for a small charity like ourselves. Hope Into Action are committed in our holistic approach to work in partnership with other agencies, not only to deliver excellent service, but to also join in unity with other likeminded people who are also trying to support the most marginalised and vulnerable in society. Cafe Britannia are an example of this and our event with them on Oct 13th is evidence that together we are stronger.
Homelessness is a growing concern in the UK with rough sleeping increasing by 16% in 2017. The need for services such as those provided by Hope into Action is greater now than ever before. As Davina Tanner OBE, Chief Executive of Britannia Enterprises says, "We are delighted to be working with Hope into Action on The Big Sleep Out event as it is an issue close to our hearts. Here at Britannia Enterprises we offer mentoring, training, employment and rehabilitation to prisoners in order to reduce re-offending We know, first hand, how challenging it can be for ex-prisoners to find somewhere safe to live A lack of housing options puts people at risk and we support all work that seeks to help people get a roof over their head - because having a place to live gives people a fresh start and can often be the first step towards a brighter and better future. We are grateful for all the work that Hope into Action do in helping people to achieve this.
Tickets for the event are 20, which includes a meal and also breakfast in the cafe for those braving the elements! Click here to buy a ticket or phone Kate Doran-Smith for further details: (01603) 927271.
Hope Into Action relies on the local church daily to operate this project and they are calling on them again to support this event.
By PTI
CHENNAI: Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth today said fame and clout earned in the world of cinema were not enough to help one make a mark in politics, and stressed there was something beyond these attributes that ensured success in public affairs.
Rajinikanth said his contemporary Kamal Haasan possibly knew what that something was, but might not want not share the secret with him.
The two stars were among a host of dignitaries at the inauguration of a memorial constructed by the Tamil Nadu government for the iconic actor Sivaji Ganesan.
To press his case, Rajinikanth cited the instance of the late thespian, saying that he could not succeed in politics despite being immensely popular.
"Sivaji (Ganesan) has left a lesson not just in cinema but also in politics. He started his own political party, fought and lost (elections) from his own constituency. This was not an insult to him, but the people of that constituency," he said at the function, attended by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Haasan, among others.
"So, the message is, to succeed in politics, it's not enough to just have fame and clout (earned in cinema). There is something beyond that... I don't know what it is," he said, adding that Kamal Haasan possibly knew what this was.
"But even if he knows it, he won't share it with me," he said, as the gathering laughed.
If you have to succeed in politics, merely name, fame and money are not enough. It is something else that is needed: Rajinikanth in Chennai pic.twitter.com/6Hm1rU5rds ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
Tamil Nadu has had a rich history of cinema marrying politics. Ganesan's contemporary, M G Ramachandran, not only floated the AIADMK after walking out of the M Karunanidhi-led DMK, but also went on to become the state chief minister.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Deputy CM, Kamal Haasan & Rajinikanth at inauguration of actor Sivaji Ganesan's memorial. pic.twitter.com/95A4t6Xo0K ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
Of late, both Haasan and Rajinikanth have been indicating that they may join politics, with Hasasan taking repeated potshots at the ruling AIADMK over issues such as corruption and the spread of dengue.
AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had met Haasan here recently but while their meeting triggered speculation about a political alignment, the two did not make any announcements.
ALSO READ: I want to be Chief Minister for people of Tamil Nadu; I will wear the crown of thorns, says Kamal Haasan
At the event today, Rajinikanth said Haasan might have shared with him the secret to success in politics "if I had asked for it two months ago".
"He might have shared it. When I say you (Haasan) are senior to me in cinema, and are like an elder brother and ask him to share that with me, he says come with me I will tell," he said.
Haasan had recently reportedly said he had held talks with Rajinikanth amid rumours that the two would join hands politically.
Actors Kamal Haasan & Rajinikanth interact with each other at inauguration of actor Sivaji Ganesan's memorial in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/igwhUJqfrQ ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
Heaping praise on Ganesan, Rajinikanth said the memorial, and an earlier statue put up in his honour by Karunanidhi when he was chief minister, were not installed only because he was an actor.
Such honours were in recognition of the fact that Ganesan brought to life freedom fighters and kings with his onscreen performance and took them to the masses, he said.
Rajinikanth recalled that Ganesan had vibuthi (sacred ash) on his forehead "at a time when atheism was at its peak".
"He touched great heights only due to his performances," he said.
The actor of mega hits such as Kabaali thanked late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for the memorial and Karunanidhi for the earlier installation.
Rajinikanth also said Panneerselvam was "fortunate" to have been able to inaugurate the memorial.
"Panneerselvam is very fortunate, it has been proved many times," he said in an obvious reference to the leader being made chief minister thrice-- twice when Jayalalithaa was convicted in different court cases, and later after her death in December 2016.
When asked Kamal Hassan how to be successful (in politics), he said, 'Come along with me, then I will tell you.' : Rajinikanth in Chennai pic.twitter.com/3NmlK1Yeit ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
Haasan, who is at loggerheads with the ruling AIADMK, said Ganesan was an actor who had "transcended" all kinds of boundaries -- political, regional and national.
"If I had not been in cinema, I would have been a fan and even if I was not allowed entry here, I would have been waiting (outside). None could have stopped me," he said.
Any government has to respect "this great artiste and they will respect him... No need to compel or plead with anyone...It will happen by itself," he said in an apparent reference to the controversy surrounding today's function.
Earlier, many sections including Ganesan's actor son Prabhu, opposition DMK and fans of the late star had demanded that top leaders of the government including Chief Minister K Palaniswami inaugurate the building though originally Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and his cabinet colleague Kadambur Raju (Information Minister) were supposed to have led the event.
Palaniswami had later clarified that he could not attend the function because of prior commitments, even as he expressed his respect and admiration for Ganesan.
He, however, deputed Panneerselvam to inaugurate the building, constructed at an estimated Rs 2.80 crore.
Haasan thanked the "film world, government and politics for allowing" him to felicitate Ganesan today.
CHENNAI: Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth today said fame and clout earned in the world of cinema were not enough to help one make a mark in politics, and stressed there was something beyond these attributes that ensured success in public affairs. Rajinikanth said his contemporary Kamal Haasan possibly knew what that something was, but might not want not share the secret with him. The two stars were among a host of dignitaries at the inauguration of a memorial constructed by the Tamil Nadu government for the iconic actor Sivaji Ganesan. To press his case, Rajinikanth cited the instance of the late thespian, saying that he could not succeed in politics despite being immensely popular. "Sivaji (Ganesan) has left a lesson not just in cinema but also in politics. He started his own political party, fought and lost (elections) from his own constituency. This was not an insult to him, but the people of that constituency," he said at the function, attended by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Haasan, among others. "So, the message is, to succeed in politics, it's not enough to just have fame and clout (earned in cinema). There is something beyond that... I don't know what it is," he said, adding that Kamal Haasan possibly knew what this was. "But even if he knows it, he won't share it with me," he said, as the gathering laughed. If you have to succeed in politics, merely name, fame and money are not enough. It is something else that is needed: Rajinikanth in Chennai pic.twitter.com/6Hm1rU5rds ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017 Tamil Nadu has had a rich history of cinema marrying politics. Ganesan's contemporary, M G Ramachandran, not only floated the AIADMK after walking out of the M Karunanidhi-led DMK, but also went on to become the state chief minister. Chennai: Tamil Nadu Deputy CM, Kamal Haasan & Rajinikanth at inauguration of actor Sivaji Ganesan's memorial. pic.twitter.com/95A4t6Xo0K ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017 Of late, both Haasan and Rajinikanth have been indicating that they may join politics, with Hasasan taking repeated potshots at the ruling AIADMK over issues such as corruption and the spread of dengue. AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had met Haasan here recently but while their meeting triggered speculation about a political alignment, the two did not make any announcements. ALSO READ: I want to be Chief Minister for people of Tamil Nadu; I will wear the crown of thorns, says Kamal Haasan At the event today, Rajinikanth said Haasan might have shared with him the secret to success in politics "if I had asked for it two months ago". "He might have shared it. When I say you (Haasan) are senior to me in cinema, and are like an elder brother and ask him to share that with me, he says come with me I will tell," he said. Haasan had recently reportedly said he had held talks with Rajinikanth amid rumours that the two would join hands politically. Actors Kamal Haasan & Rajinikanth interact with each other at inauguration of actor Sivaji Ganesan's memorial in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/igwhUJqfrQ ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017 Heaping praise on Ganesan, Rajinikanth said the memorial, and an earlier statue put up in his honour by Karunanidhi when he was chief minister, were not installed only because he was an actor. Such honours were in recognition of the fact that Ganesan brought to life freedom fighters and kings with his onscreen performance and took them to the masses, he said. Rajinikanth recalled that Ganesan had vibuthi (sacred ash) on his forehead "at a time when atheism was at its peak". "He touched great heights only due to his performances," he said. The actor of mega hits such as Kabaali thanked late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for the memorial and Karunanidhi for the earlier installation. Rajinikanth also said Panneerselvam was "fortunate" to have been able to inaugurate the memorial. "Panneerselvam is very fortunate, it has been proved many times," he said in an obvious reference to the leader being made chief minister thrice-- twice when Jayalalithaa was convicted in different court cases, and later after her death in December 2016. When asked Kamal Hassan how to be successful (in politics), he said, 'Come along with me, then I will tell you.' : Rajinikanth in Chennai pic.twitter.com/3NmlK1Yeit ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017 Haasan, who is at loggerheads with the ruling AIADMK, said Ganesan was an actor who had "transcended" all kinds of boundaries -- political, regional and national. "If I had not been in cinema, I would have been a fan and even if I was not allowed entry here, I would have been waiting (outside). None could have stopped me," he said. Any government has to respect "this great artiste and they will respect him... No need to compel or plead with anyone...It will happen by itself," he said in an apparent reference to the controversy surrounding today's function. Earlier, many sections including Ganesan's actor son Prabhu, opposition DMK and fans of the late star had demanded that top leaders of the government including Chief Minister K Palaniswami inaugurate the building though originally Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar and his cabinet colleague Kadambur Raju (Information Minister) were supposed to have led the event. Palaniswami had later clarified that he could not attend the function because of prior commitments, even as he expressed his respect and admiration for Ganesan. He, however, deputed Panneerselvam to inaugurate the building, constructed at an estimated Rs 2.80 crore. Haasan thanked the "film world, government and politics for allowing" him to felicitate Ganesan today.
By India Today Web Desk: Visuals show Mumbai stampede victim being robbed of jewellery, cops launch probe
Distressing visuals viral on social media show miscreants robbing a dead victim of the Mumbai stampede, which killed 23 people. Mumbai Police has launched an investigation into the matter.
Hafiz Saeed slaps Rs 100 million defamation notice on Pakistan FM for 'darling of US' remark
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Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had said at an event in the US that 26/11 attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, the Haqqanis and the Lashkar-e-Taiba were "liabilities" for Pakistan.
India aim for top ranking as Australia look to end series on a high
India, having already clinched the five-match ODI series with an unassailable 3-1 lead over Australia, will be aiming for the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
Is Ranveer going to a psychiatrist? Padmavati is to blame
Getting into the skin of Alauddin Khilji has reportedly taken a toll on Ranveer Singh.
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Champaign, IL (61820)
Today
Snow showers. Low near 30F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..
Tonight
Snow showers. Low near 30F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
New Delhi: India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) may have an adverse impact on the Bhutanese economy through trade and revenue channels, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its latest report.
The total trade between India and Bhutan was valued at $ 817 million in 2016-17, up from $ 750 million a year ago, as per Indian government data.
India's exports to Bhutan totalled $ 509 million while imports came in at $ 308 million.
"India's Goods and Services Tax (GST), implemented in July 2017, may have an adverse impact on the Bhutanese economy... through trade and revenue channels," stated the Asian Development Outlook 2017 Update report.
According to the report, Bhutan's imports will likely increase as Indian exports are zero rated under GST, making the imports cheaper.
"Exports to India will be subjected to GST, removing Bhutan's previous competitive edge over Indian producers," it stated.
Additionally, rebates of Indian excise duties to the Bhutanese government will end as these taxes have been subsumed within GST, implying a loss of budget revenue, it said.
The Government of Bhutan, the report said, has decided for the time being not to levy higher taxes on imports from India, but to use credit policy to restrain import demand, especially for automobiles.
Bhutan imports machines, medical equipment, processed food, iron and steel, fibre, pharma, hardware and electrical transformers, among others, from India, while exports include household articles, pepper, electric components and electricity.
New Delhi: India will receive its first ever shipment of US crude oil when a very large crude carrier (VLCC) docks at Paradip port in Odisha on Monday.
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) in early July booked the first US cargo, opening floodgates that saw other state-owned refiners including Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) rush to buy US crude oil.
"The ship carrying 1.6 million barrels of US crude will reach Paradip sometime around midnight tonight or early tomorrow morning," IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh told PTI here.
The Indian government has encouraged state-controlled refiners to buy US and Canadian crude from the US Gulf coast as it looks at cheaper alternatives that have emerged due to global supply glut.
A US energy official had on Friday stated that IOC and BPCL have committed to buy eight shiploads of US oil by March 2018.
"We have booked a second cargo as well for delivery at Vadinar in Gujarat in about a month from now," Singh said. "We expect to buy one shipload of US crude every month through tenders."
While in the first purchase IOC is importing 1.6 million barrels of high sulphur crude Mars from the US and 400,000 barrels of Western Canadian Select oil, in the second it has bought 1.9 million barrels of US crude, half of it being shale oil, he said.
"We have bought 950,000 barrels of light sweet Eagle Ford shale oil and 950,000 barrels of heavy sour Mars crude in the second tender," he said.
India, the world's third-largest oil importer, joins Asian countries like South Korea, Japan and China to buy US crude after production cuts by oil cartel OPEC drove up prices of Middle East heavy-sour crude, or grades with a high sulphur content.
Buying US crude has become attractive for Indian refiners after the differential between Brent (the benchmark crude or marker crude that serves as a reference price for buyers in western world) and Dubai (which serves as a benchmark for countries in the east) has narrowed.
Even after including the shipping cost, buying US crude is cost competitive to Indian refiners, an industry official said.
The IOC deal cames within weeks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's June-end visit to the US when President Donald Trump talked of his country looking to export more energy products to India.
To encourage US crude purchases, the government has allowed refiners to use a foreign rather than an Indian-owned vessel for the purchase. Indian refiners typically have to use domestic vessels for their crude imports.
BPCL has bought two of the US cargoes -- 500,000 barrels each of Mars and Poseidon varieties of medium-to-high-sulphur crude for delivery to its Kochi refinery between September 26 and 15 October and 1 million barrels of US WTI Midland sweet crude for delivery in October.
HPCL too has made its first purchase of the US oil, buying 1 million barrels of Mars crude from trading firm Trafigura for delivery in December at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Bharat-Oman Refineries Ltd (BORL) has also bought 1 million barrels of Mars crude from Trafigura for November 16- 25 arrival.
BORL is a 50:50 joint venture between BPCL and Oman Oil, which operates a 6 million tonnes a year refinery at Bina in Madhya Pradesh.
A VLCC can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil.
New Delhi: The apex consumer commission has asked real estate firm Unitech Ltd to refund over Rs 41 lakh to a buyer, who had booked a property in one of its projects, saying the realtor had indulged in unfair trade practice.
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) has asked the company to refund Rs 41,15,320, to Haryana resident D K Mathur, saying "the allottee cannot be expected to wait for possession of the apartment for an indefinite period".
It also noted that the firm was not in a position to hand over the possession of the apartment.
The bench headed by Presiding Member Ajit Bharihoke also awarded Rs 10,000 as litigation cost to Mathur and said that the firm had failed to hand over the possession even after eight years of promised delivery date.
"The opposite party (firm) is not in a position to offer possession of the apartment. The company shall refund the amount with simple interest at 10 percent per annum without any further liability.
"Thus, in our view, this is a case of the opposite party not being in a position to offer possession of the apartment as the allottee cannot be expected to wait for possession of the apartment for indefinite period," the commission observed.
It also said that despite receiving almost 95 per cent of the amount, the firm failed to deliver the possession of the apartment.
"In absence of any explanation for failure to comply with the stipulation of delivery of possession, we have no hesitation in concluding that the opposite party has committed deficiency in service as also has indulged in unfair trade practice," the commission said.
According to the complaint, in 2006, Mathur had paid over Rs 41 lakh and booked an apartment in Unitech Horizon, a residential project of the firm in Alistonia Estate at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
Mathur was promised delivery of possession of the apartment by the end of 2008, but he failed to get it.
The company had said it was not in a position to hand over the property as the delay in completing the construction and delivery of possession, were beyond its control.
New Delhi: Tata Motors said its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) C Ramakrishnan has retired with effect from Saturday.
Consequently, he ceases to be the CFO and key managerial personnel of the company, Tata Motors said in a BSE filing. Besides, the company said Ravindra Pisharody, who has resigned, ceases to the Executive Director (Commercial Vehicles) and key managerial personnel of the company with effect from September 30.
In June, Pisharody had resigned from his role as head of the company's commercial vehicles division citing personal reasons.
He held the position of Executive Director (Commercial Vehicles) since June 21, 2012, having joined Tata Motors as Vice President Commercial Vehicles (Sales and Marketing) in 2007.
By PTI: By Harinder Mishra
Jerusalem, Oct 1 (PTI) In an apparent dig at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who claimed Israels spy agency Mossad had a hand in the Kurdish referendum for independence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that whenever "uncomfortable" such leaders see a "Mossad" hand.
"Israel had no part in the Kurdish referendum, apart from the deep, natural sympathy that the people of Israel have had for many years for the Kurdish people and their aspirations," Netanyahu told his cabinet today at its weekly meeting.
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"I understand why those who support Hamas and want to see the Mossad everywhere that is uncomfortable for them," the Israeli Prime Minister said a day after Erdogan accused Israel of interfering in the Kurdish independence vote.
Netanyahu was the only world leader to endorse an independent Kurdistan.
The Israeli leader had said that Israel "supports the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to achieve a state of their own" ahead of the September 25 referendum vote.
Erdogan yesterday said that the fact that Israeli flags were waved during events celebrating the yes vote in Kurdish areas proves Israels involvement.
A foreign news agency quoted the Turkish leader as saying that "this shows one thing, that this administration (the Kurdish leadership in northern Iraq) has a history with Mossad, they are hand-in-hand together".
Iraqi Kurds overwhelmingly backed independence in the referendum with 92 per cent voting yes, defying neighbouring countries which fear the vote could fuel Kurdish separatism within their own borders and lead to fresh conflict.
The Kurdish population is scattered along Iraqi, Iranian, Turkish and Syrian territory. It has stuck to its identity despite all attempts to assimilate and disperse it.
The referendum took place in the territories of Iraqs Kurdish Regional Government.
The Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah also struck a note similar to the Turkish leader with its head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah describing the referendum as part of a US-Israeli plot to carve up the region. PTI HM KUN
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New Delhi: After serving in the Army for 30 years, an Assam-based veteran has been asked to prove his nationality by a Foreigners Tribunal.
A notice by the tribunal places Mohd Azmal Hoque, who retired as Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), in the 'doubtful-voter' category, asking him to submit relevant documents to prove his Indian citizenship.
He has been asked to appear before the local tribunal on October 13, a report in the DNA said. The notice reportedly says that Hoque entered India in 1971 without proper documentation.
Hoque is not the first in his family to be subjected to this ordeal. In 2012, his wife Mamtaj Begum was summoned by the tribunal to prove her citizenship.
I have served the Indian Army for 30 years. In 2012, I got a notice saying I was a doubtful foreigner, but I submitted all documents in the tribunal court which had declared me an Indian citizen. Why do I have to be humiliated so many times? I request the Prime Minister, the President, and the Home Minister to end this harassment of a proper citizen, Hoque told CNN-News18.
The matter was brought to the attention of the Indian Army by lawyer Aman Wadud via Twitter.
Mohd.Azmal Haque,served in Indian Army for 30yrs, Retd as Junior Com Officer,now accused of being illegal immigrant by AssamPolice. @adgpi pic.twitter.com/UYrSuyr5U5 Aman Wadud (@AmanWadud) September 30, 2017
Replying to Waduds tweet, Major DP Singh notified the Eastern Command which said necessary assistance will be provided to the veteran.
Kochi: Father Tom Uzhunnalil, the Kerala priest who was released recently after more than one-and-a- half years in captivity in Yemen, reached Kochi on Sunday morning.
"I thank God Almighty. I thank everybody who has worked for my release," Manorama Online quoted the priest as saying on his arrival from Bengaluru.
Earlier this week, Father Tom had landed in New Delhi from the Vatican City and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, thanking them for their support.
In March 2016, militants had barged into the care home for the elderly set up by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Yemen's Aden and shot dead many, including four nuns, among whom one was from India.
Father Tom was only one who was taken away by the terrorists and held in captivity by them till he was released.
He was kept blindfolded for most part during his captivity and held at more than one location, IANS reported.
New Delhi: Former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi has exposed the rot in the railways and hit out at the government for the poor standards of hygiene maintained on trains, including premium category ones like the Shatabdi Express, by showing the contaminated beverages being served to passengers.
Trivedi boarded the Shatabadi to Delhi on Saturday and showed to CNN-News18 the dirty water and lemon juice that was served to him. Today is Dussehra. I just opened the Fresca lime water and see what I found inside. Have a look at it. This is what we are supposed to drink, he said in a video, as he displayed the juice pack with grime at its base.
He rued the fact that fares have been hiked so much but even then clean water is not available on trains. Slamming the BJP government at the Centre, he said the people must protest against the poor facilities or they will continue to suffer.
We too are responsible for this as we do not protest enough. We take a shot of it, it runs in your channel, people will tweet it and railways will say this is what the company has given us, he said and demanded that the government cancel Frescas contract.
The TMC leader, who was sacked as railway minister in 2012 after proposing formation of a rail regulator for fare hikes, said that there must be surprise checks on vendors contracted by the railways. The government had instituted a new catering policy this year to improve the quality of food. At the end of the video, Trivedi said that he may begrudgingly accept the poor quality of food but there can be no compromise when it comes to safety.
The railway ministry thanked CNN-News18 for highlighting the issue and tweeted that it would take action on the complaint. Catering supervisor has met Dinesh Trivedi Ji on the train regarding this issue. We will be taking further action based on this complaint. Thanks to @CNNnews18 FOR HIGHLIGHTING this issue, the ministry of railways wrote.
Catering supervisor has met Dinesh Trivedi Ji on the train regarding this issue. We will b taking further action based on this complaint.1/2 Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) October 1, 2017
Thanks to @CNNnews18 for highlighting this issue. 2/2 Ministry of Railways (@RailMinIndia) October 1, 2017
The fresh controversy comes just two days after 23 people were killed and more than 39 were injured in a stampede on the foot overbridge linking Mumbais Elphinstone and Parel stations. While what triggered the stampede is still not clear, the incident once again exposed the poor infrastructure. More than a 100 twitter users, Sachin Tendulkar, regular commuters and even MPs had warned that it was a tragedy waiting to happen, but the railways failed to act in time.
Although former Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had sanctioned Rs 12 crore to build a second pedestrian bridge in 2016, the Western Railways allotted only Rs 1,000.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had also revealed major lapses in the catering services in an audit report tabled in the Parliament two months ago.
The audit had found that that cleanliness and hygiene were not being maintained at catering units at stations and in trains. Unpurified water straight from the tap was used in preparation of beverages, food were not covered to protect them from flies, insects and dust, rats and cockroaches were found in the train etc., the report said. It added that contaminated food and food unsuitable for human consumption was also being served on stations.
Swedish author Bertil Falk took years to write Feroze, The Forgotten Gandhi, some chapters being two years old and some over two decades. Yet, he says, he would not have had it any other way and would have still chosen Feroze Gandhi over anyone else from the family to write about. In conversation with News18s Aishwarya Kumar, he says the Congress party owes whatever it has in Rae Bareilly and Amethi to Feroze.
Edited excerpts:
You met Indira Gandhi multiple times, yet you chose to write on Feroze Gandhi. Why him?
I found there were more and enough books about Indira. I saw she had her children and grandchildren. Out of the three times Ive met Indira Gandhi, there was this one time when a little Rahul Gandhi walked into her room when I was sitting. I saw they were very close. But then there was no sign of his grandfather and that got me curious. So I started asking people who Feroze, Indiras husband, was.
He was a nobody. He died in 1960. He was just a son-in-law of the then PM, everyone told me. But I knew there was something more to that. Then I found the Mundhra case, the Dalmia case, the Press Law, Kerala government case. Thats when I realized that Feroze was an important person in Indian history. He considered himself a Parsi, but he was not religious. He could recite the Bhagwad Gita, both in Hindi and Sanskrit.
You cant take away what he did in the Parliament. Its still there like a watermark. From the idea of India that he had, he was special and well ahead of his time. If you read one of his speeches at Yale when he was 18, you would know what sort of a country he imagined India to be.
You speak of Ferozes political acumen to be spot on ahead of his time. Please tells us a little more about it.
Feroze went into the smallest detail when it came to issues he wanted to fight for. That was his biggest asset, according to me. His efforts made the then finance minister TT Krishnamachari to resign, something that did not go down well with Nehru. But Feroze fought on.
Take the Mundhra and Dalmia cases. Ferozes intervention is one of the prime reasons why India, now, has a centralized insurance system.
And then, of course, the Press Law. There was a time in India when a journalist who reported on what was going in the Rajya Sabha could be persecuted. Feroze brought around a private bill, and you know private bills even now hardly become a law. But his Bill became a law. The press as we see it now is part of Feroze Gandhis legacy.
Other than these, his resistance at the time when Indira toppled the Kerala government, which was a popularly elected communist leadership. Nehru was reluctant too, but Indira got him to do it. Feroze called her a fascist on the breakfast table at Teen Murti, and that was the end of it.
How was his relationship with Indira?
Something or probably the only thing that he had in common with his wife was an interest in nature and flora. Their relationship was extremely complicated. There are many complicated marriages in the world but Im sure theirs surpassed them all. He was always there when she needed him and she has been vocal about it. But they had different opinions on almost everything.
He was a democrat, she wasnt. She wanted to be Mother India in that sense and he fought her. He fought her in the Parliament and also within the Congress party. When her father became the PM, Indira took the children from Lucknow and moved to Teen MurtiFeroze didnt like it. He didnt move in with her.
Even after she moved to Teen Murti, Feroze used to make sure that he had breakfast with his family. He stayed at the house he had as an MP. Those breakfasts also stopped after Feroze called his wife a fascist.
They kept their relationship very tight to their chests. Didnt speak to to anyone about it. Indira did, however, say certain things about their relationship after Feroze died, but Feroze said nothing. Lal Bahadur Shastri knew about their relationshipits ups and downs. Shastri was extremely fond of him too.
How did Nehru see Ferozes idea of India?
Nehru considered Feroze to be an amateura young kid. Nehru never saw a potential in Feroze.
Can you share an instance that gives a peek into Feroze as a leader?
His biggest identity was the unofficial spokesperson of the opposition. He was a back bencher. His party was in power but he had his own independent voice. And it was a time when leaders like Nehru ruled, a character the opposition lacked. In a democracy you need an opposition, and this was what Feroze brought to the table. He filled the gap by doing his research meticulously. He used to tell his friends that he wanted full knowledge and grasp over the subject before he spoke in the Parliament.
Do you think the Gandhi family has ignored his legacy?
Yes, the family has neglected his legacy. Everyone has. The Congress party has, the historians have.
In fact, when I met Indira Gandhi, Feroze had already been marginalized for years. It was Indiras fault she did not want him to come to the forefront.
Feroze has not gotten his due. He had done so much for his constituency, Rae Bareilly. He set up the college which was initially to be named after Indira Gandhi. But when Feroze died suddenly around the time of the colleges inauguration, the party named it after him. Voters in Rae Bareilly always voted for him in the highest proportionhigher than Nehru. What the party has there as legacy is because of Feroze, a person who is rarely talked about.
While I still think Congress still has life in itself, despite losses in elections, I believe the party would have been different had Feroze been alive. But, as I said, he has not been given his due. The party owes a lot to him.
New Delhi: The catering wing of Indian Railways, IRCTC, delisted a juice brand after former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi complained that he was served a contaminated drink onboard a premium train.
Trivedi was travelling on board the Kathgodam-Delhi Shatabdi on Dussehra, when he was served lemon juice of a well-known brand. On opening the can, he found filth floating at the bottom, which he showed to CNN-News18.
IRCTC spokesperson Siddharth Singh said the railways has reacted to Trivedi's complaint swiftly and delisted the brand pending laboratory investigation. We have delisted the agency pending lab investigation. The brand will not be seen any more on any train for the time being, he said.
In the video of the incident recorded by CNN-News18, Trivedi showed the dirty lime juice served to him. Today is Dussehra. I just opened the lime water and see what I found inside. Have a look at it. This is what we are supposed to drink, he said in the video, as he displayed the juice pack with grime at its base.
He rued the fact that fares have been hiked so much but even then clean water is not available on trains. Slamming the BJP government at the Centre, he said the people must protest against the poor facilities or they will continue to suffer.
The IRCTC (Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation) really needs to pull up its socks. The railways needs to put in checks and balances so that there is some accountability of its subsidiary departments," Trivedi said.
This incident comes months after a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which revealed glaring lapses in rail catering services.
Trivedi said the rail minister could not be blamed for such lapses as the departments need to be held accountable. "Action must be taken against the caterer as well as the brand concerned. How can this 'kachra' be allowed to be served on trains? There should be an inspection at the factory where the juice was produced to see under what circumstances the drink was being churned out," he said.
The TMC leader, who quit as the railway minister in 2012 after a controversy over his recommendation for the formation of a rail regulator to hike fares, said there must be surprise checks on vendors contracted by the national transporter.
Kolkata: Elaborate security arrangements were made in Kolkata on Sunday for mourning processions by Shia Muslims on 10th of Muharram, the first month of Islamic calendar, police said.
"Nearly 7,000 to 8,000 personnel have been deployed on the streets to monitor the processions," a Kolkata Police officer told IANS.
Shia Muslim devotees take out large processions, beat drums and thump their chests on this day to mourn the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussain in 680 AD at Iraq's Karbala.
According to police, the processions in various parts of the city began at 9 a.m. and would continue till Monday morning.
Like the previous year, Muharram this year falls right after the Bijoya Dashami or Dussehra that is vastly celebrated throughout the city by Hindus.
The West Bengal government had initially issued a directive prohibiting the Durga idol immersion on the day of Muharram to avoid any form of unrest between the two communities.
However, the Calcutta High Court cancelled the state government's directive and allowed the Durga Puja immersion to take place on all days after Dussehra till midnight.
The High Court also asked the administration to take up necessary security measures to ensure that the processions of both communities can be conducted peacefully.
Kolkata Police have made necessary security arrangements on the river banks where the immersion would take place, an officer said, adding most of the prominent community pujas have decided not to immerse the goddess on Sunday.
"We have deployed the forces and have taken adequate security measures in case anyone wants to immerse the idols. However, most of the big pujas have asked permission for immersion on October 2 and 3."
Los Angeles: Actor Jim Carrey's late former girlfriend Cathriona White reportedly held him responsible for introducing her to cocaine and diseases according to a note left behind.
Written on April 8, 2013 on her iPad, the note was discovered by lawyers working for White's former husband Mark Burton and her mother Brigid Sweetman in a wrongful death lawsuit against Carrey, reports dailymail.co.uk.
In the note, which was uncovered "during a forensic examination of White's iPad," White wrote: "This is what I want, you gave me hsv and hpv, I want you to apologize for it because you care enough to. I met you, you introduced me to cocaine, prostitutes, mental abuse and disease."
"You did good things for me but being with you broke me down as a person Jim. I was promised Jekyll and instead I got Hyde. Because I love you I would have stuck out Hyde all year and done everything he wanted to be with Jekyll for five of those but you threw me away when you absorbed anything worthwhile that was left of me," the note read.
In response to the note, Carrey's attorney Ray Boucher said: "This note helps establish the evidence that this was pure fraud, and that White, her lawyers and others were trying to establish a basis for Jim into ultimately settling with her based on these claims. This was part of her and her lawyers campaign to extort money from Jim and ultimately he succumbed."
On Friday, Carrey filed a cross-complaint against Burton, Sweetman, their lawyer Filippo Marchino and The X Law Group.
In 2016, they hit the actor with a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming that Carrey illegally obtained, under the name Arthur King, and gave White the powerful painkillers she used to kill herself in September 2015.
According to the cross-complaint, Carrey alleged that between March and August of 2013, White, "with the participation and assistance" of her attorney, threatened to "go to the press" with false claims that Carrey had given her "Herper I and Herpes II--unless Jim paid her millions of dollars."
White was found dead in a Sherman Oaks, California home on September 28, 2015.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office ruled White committed suicide by overdosing on prescription drugs, including Ambien, Propanolol and Percocet (oxycodone). Carrey attended the Irish-born woman's funeral and served as a pallbearer.
Mumbai: Maharashtra strongman Narayan Rane, who quit the Congress last month, announced the formation of his political party, the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha, on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, Rane launched a direct attack on Shiv Sena, which he had quit in 2005, and its chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Who is Uddhav Thackeray? He targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and me at a rally in Shivaji Park yesterday. What is his contribution to the government? He criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demonetisation. Why were his ministers silent then? Rane asked.
Most of them sleep through Cabinet meetings. I am asked whether the Shiv Sena will stick with the BJP alliance till full term. I have always maintained that Sena will not leave the government, but will be kicked out, said Rane.
His attack on Thackeray came a day after the Shiv Sena chief took on alliance partner BJP over issues ranging from patriotism to cow vigilantism.
"Don't teach us patriotism. The day when we need to be taught patriotism hasn't come yet," Thackeray had said, addressing the annual Dussehra rally of his party at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai. "We are not opposing the ban on cow slaughter, but what is that the BJP wants to achieve from it? We believe in the Hindutva defined by late Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who was quite practical about its exercise in daily life.
Accusing the Sena of corruption, Rane said, No one in Shiv Sena gets a ticket without paying crores. If you are in power, you have to give suggestions. Are you helpless in power, Uddhav, he asked.
Rane also sought to turn the tables on the Sena over the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, which is facing flak since 22 people were killed in stampede at Elphinstone Railway Station.
Dont you (Uddhav Thackeray) want development? Balasaheb (Thackeray) said a Marathi manoos (man) should be rich at heart. But his (Uddhavs) heart is rotten. He played the role of Raavan yesterday when he called PM Modi a liar. I didnt like it, Rane said.
Talking about his Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha, which will support the BJP, Rane said it will work for the development of farmers, minorities and women. We will register the party soon and will announce the flag and electoral sign as well, he said, adding that he will always aspire to be CM.
Rane had resigned from the Congress last month, upset at not being made the chief minister when he joined the party 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena. The 65-year-old Konkan strongman was the chief minister in 1999 while in the Sena.
The former Shiv Sainik joined the Congress on July 26, 2005, and was the next day made revenue minister in the then Congress-led government in the state.
Rane, who has pockets of influence in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, was expelled from the Sena by then supremo Bal Thackeray after he voiced displeasure over the latter's son Uddhav gaining prominence in the party.
A tough-talking leader, Rane, who was handpicked by Thackeray as chief minister when he decided to remove Manohar Joshi ahead of the 1999 Assembly polls, even claimed he had received an offer from the Sena to return to its fold.
He, however, did not say if he was offered any post.
Ahmedabad: The Election Commission is yet to declare the dates when the Gujarat Assembly goes to polls, but the parties have already entered the yatra mode. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi completed the first phase of his Navsarjan Gujarat Yatra earlier this week, and BJP president Amit Shah kicked off party's Gujarat Gaurav Yatra on Sunday.
Shah started the campaign from Karamsad, the birthplace of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It's not just about the Yatras anymore in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state. The BJP is countering Congress' "Vikas Gone Crazy" slogan with "I am Vikas, I am Gujarat", an attempt to connect state's development with its pride and identity.
Flagging off the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, BJP president Amit Shah told the gathering, "A lot of developmental work and people-oriented progress has been done by the Narendra Modi government in the past three years. It is the duty of our karyakartas to go and explain this to the people."
Shah, then, took potshots at Rahul Gandhi, saying, "You are asking us to give an account of the progress made by us. What about the injustice that three generations have done to Gujarat."
Also speaking on the occasion, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said: "For the Congress, development, and growth must be a matter of joke, but for the BJP, it is a matter of pride. A matter of Gujarati pride."
Quite clearly, Rupani was referring to the onslaught of "Vikas Gone Crazy" memes on social media that have rattled the BJP leadership over the past one month or so.
State BJP president Jitu Vaghani said that since 2002, the Congress had been trying to derail progress and development in Gujarat. "But the people of Gujarat have rejected the Congress over and over again, and these elections are not going to be any different," he said.
Meanwhile, a group of Patidar youth tried to disrupt the speech of BJP President Amit Shah at Anand. They raised slogans - 'Jay Sardar Jay Patidar' - before the police stepped in and took them away. A fortnight ago, Patidars had protested against the Narmada Rath Yatra as well in various parts of Saurashtra and North Gujarat.
Four such Gujarat Gaurav Yatras will begin from Central Gujarat, Saurashtra, North Gujarat and South Gujarat and culminate in Ahmedabad in a massive BJP rally that is likely to be addressed by Prime Minister Modi later in October.
New Delhi: Having assailed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the "mess" in the economy, BJP veteran leader Yashwant Sinha attacked the government on the Kashmir imbroglio, insisting "India has lost people of the valley emotionally".
In an interview to 'The Wire' recorded on Friday, the former Union minister answered questions from journalist Karan Thapar on him being criticised for an article he wrote in a leading English daily on the state of economy that left the BJP embarrassed.
Sinha termed as "exaggerated claims" the success of the various reforms and schemes undertaken by the government like the Mudra Bank.
"I am looking at the alienation of the masses of people in Jammu and Kashmir. That is something which bothers me the most We have lost the people emotionally You just have to visit the valley to realise that they have lost faith in us," Sinha said.
Sinha leads a civil society organisation--Concerned Citizens Group (CCG)-- which has visited the troubled Valley several times and interacted with various stakeholders to explore the possibility of finding a lasting solution to the seven-decades-old problem.
The group comprises eminent people from different walks of life like Justice (retd) A P Shah, former Mumbai police commissioner J F Ribeira, Wajahat Habibullah, A S Dulat, Aruna Roy and Ramchandra Guha.
Sinha claimed he has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue 10 months ago and was "hurt" as it did not materialise.
"I am hurt. I am absolutely hurt. That you ask for time, ten months has gone byLet me tell you, ever since I have been in public life, no prime minister of India, starting with Rajiv Gandhi, has ever said no to a meeting I have sought no prime minister has said to Yashwant Sinha, I dont have time for you.
"And this is my own prime minister who has treated me like this. So if somebody rings me and says please come talk to mesorry, the time has passed I have been treated shabbily," he said.
Sinha also took on Jaitley for suggesting that his shifting from the finance to external affairs ministry when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister was a "demotion". "How can [Jaitley] say that shifting from the ministry of finance to external affairs was a demotion for me? If Mr. Jaitley with the same stroke wants to say that Sushma Swaraj, the external affairs minister of today, is handling a totally insignificant portfolio, nobody is going to believe it."
He debunked claims by several BJP leaders and ministers, including his own son Jayant, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, that the government has made massive structural changes which will help the economy in the long run.
Sinha claimed Mudra scheme set up to provide funding to non-corporate, non-farm sector income generating activities of micro and small enterprises, was another name for the Pradhan Mantri Swarozgar Yojana launched by the Vajpayee government. He said the average loan in these accounts was a meagre Rs 11,000.
"And you tell me, in todays day and age, what kind of business can be set up with Rs 25,000 rupees, Rs 50,000. The party president said that all these 80 million people today are self-employed which means we have created 80 million job opportunities. This is absolutely untenable," he said.
By PTI: Bhopal, Oct 1 (PTI) Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said a (toll free) helpline would be soon set up to provide security and help to senior citizens in Madhya Pradesh.
"A helpline will be soon set up to provide security assistance and help to senior citizens in the state," Chouhan said at a function organised to mark on the International Day for Elderly Persons at the Academy of Administration here.
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"State government will not let the elderly persons suffer," he added.
"Information of senior citizens staying alone in town and big villages will be collected and listed to ensure proper service and security to them," Chouhan said.
He announced that a panchayat (meeting) of elders would be convened at his (CMs) house shortly to interact with the elderly to know their problems and come out with solutions.
"The state government is with the elderly persons," the chief minister said.
He said that welfare of senior citizens was one of the top priorities of the state government. PTI LAL RMT
--- ENDS ---
Ahmedabad: If there is one major problem that has plagued the Congress in Gujarat for the past decade and wiped out its chances of wresting power from the BJP, it is the partys inability to win urban seats.
In the 2012 Assembly election, the BJP won 15 of the 17 seats in Ahmedabad, 15 of the 16 seats in Surat, all the five seats of Vadodara and three out of the four seats in Rajkot city.
But two events demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Service Tax could upset the equation for the BJP performance in urban seats in the upcoming Assembly election.
Results of previous elections show the business and trading communities in urban areas siding with the BJP. Whether it is the diamond industry in Surat, the textile industry in Ahmedabad or several industrial clusters in other cities of the state, the BJP has secured an overwhelming majority in all urban seats.
This time, however, the tables may be turned.
Sensing the anger and frustration among the business community over note ban and GST, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi met traders and small businessmen in Saurashtras Jamnagar town during the first phase of his recent Navsarjan Yatra.
The NDA government has made some serious errors like demonetisation and GST. Assuming that all thieves converted their black money to white, the truth is that small and medium businesses were hit very hard. On GST, we had asked this government to go slow, but they implemented it in haste. The end result is that our small businesses are suffering now, he had said.
According to the Congress, issues such drinking water problem, farmer woes and unemployment will dominate the electoral discourse in rural areas.
In urban areas, the hugely popular Vikas Gone Crazy platform will be complemented by the losses suffered by small and medium businesses after demonetisation and GST implementation.
Dinesh Nanvati, regional chairman, Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, told CNN-News18, There is no question that the BJP will suffer a setback in terms of votes from the diamond industry. More than demonetisation, it is the way in which GST was implemented, that is causing anger and frustration in the industry. This anger will reflect in the way people of the industry vote.
The diamond industry is not the only headache for the BJP. Clearly, there is anger and resentment in the textile industry. All the constituents of the chain weavers, processors and traders have been hit by demonetisation and GST. People of the industry might not vote for the Congress, but they will not vote for the BJP either. But there is still some time for the BJP to rectify GST issues if it wants the textile industry to back it like in the past, said Jitu Vakhariya, president of the South Gujarat Textile Processors Association.
However, not everyone agrees that GST and demonetisation are a factor in this election. I do not believe that demonetisation and GST will actually swing urban votes against the BJP in huge numbers. Demonetisation is almost a year old now. And frankly, for the common man, introduction of GST has not really altered family budgets drastically, said Vishnu Pandya, a political observer.
Hemantkumar Shah, a social scientist, disagrees. More than demonetisation, it is GST that is causing huge resentment among the business and trading community. Not just in the big cities, the adverse impact of GST is visible in smaller towns as well. I feel this anger will reflect in the way people vote in the Assembly election.
The BJP, however, is hoping that the development plank and Prime Minister Narendra Modis public meetings will help it retain the urban vote share.
Nagpur: Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said the Narendra Modi government is not anti-Dalit and asserted that reservation for the oppressed community will remain intact.
The minister of state for social justice and empowerment was addressing a function at the Deekshabhoomi where B R Ambedkar converted to Buddhism with thousands of followers on Ashok Vijaya Dashami in 1956.
"Modi government is not anti-Dalit and reservation of the Dalits will be intact with no possibility of change in the Constitution. The prime minister, though a Hindu, is a follower of Gautam Buddha and Babasaheb Ambedkar," the Republican Party of India leader said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present on the occasion, praised Ambedkar, saying the architect of the Constitution had contributed immensely to nation-building.
"Ambedkar is our 'Rashtra Nirmata' (creator of the nation) and has contributed immensely in the nation building," he said.
"There is no possibility of changing the Constitution (on reservation)," added the chief minister.
Echoing similar views, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said, "There is no question of changing the Constitution or removing reservations".
"We are determined to ensure social equality and welfare for the last person of the society," said Gadkari, who handles the transport portfolio.
Lakhs of devotees thronged to Deekshabhoomi to mark the 61st Dhammachakra Pravartan.
Chennai: Politics took centre stage at the inauguration of Sivaji Ganesans memorial on Sunday when Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan two heavyweights of the Tamil film industry shared the dais.
Speaking at the event, Rajinikanth said fame and money alone were not enough in politics. If you have to succeed in politics, merely name, fame, and money are not enough. It is something else that is needed," he said.
"There is something bigger that transforms an actor into a politician. May be Kamal Haasan knows what it is. If I had asked him two months ago, may be he would have told me. Now, when I ask him, he says come with me, and Ill tell you, the actor, called Superstar by fans, said.
Haasan, too, had his share of fun, but at the expense of the AIADMK, when he took a dig at the government for the delay in inaugurating Ganesans memorial.
Sivaji was an actor whose popularity and influence goes beyond politics. We need not request or beg anyone to unveil this staute. I would have attended this function no matter who opposed by presence. I would have been standing outside, but I would have been here, the ulaga nayagan (global hero) said.
At the start of the event, the two actors were seen sharing a comfortable camaraderie, belying the intense speculation over their respective political debuts.
Of the two, Haasan has been more vocal of his political ambition, saying he would launch his own party soon as none of the existing ones can provide him a platform for his reformatory ideology.
If you have to succeed in politics, merely name, fame and money are not enough. It is something else that is needed: Rajinikanth in Chennai pic.twitter.com/6Hm1rU5rds ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
He has also held meetings with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal but dismissed speculation of joining either. At loggerheads with the ruling AIADMK, Haasan has also ruled out siding with the DMK or the BJP, saying Rajinikanth is a more suitable ally for the latter.
Rajinikanth, meanwhile, has said he wants to enter politics to clean up the system and BJP leaders have been quick to woo him. Last month, the actor had joined cause with Prime Minister Narendra Modis Swachh Bharat campaign, fuelling the rumours.
I extend my full support to our hon. Prime Minister @narendramodi jis #SwachhataHiSeva mission. Cleanliness is godliness. Rajinikanth (@superstarrajini) September 22, 2017
The event which the two actors attended on Sunday was also not bereft of politics.
Inaugurating the late actor Sivaji Ganesans statue was deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, who was picked for the job two days ago after Ganesans family had objected to the government sending just a minister.
Earlier, the government had announced that Information and Publicity Minister 'Kadambur' C Raju would inaugurate the memorial, following which Ganesans family and the Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Samooga Nala Peravai, a social welfare body run by the actor's fans, said it should be done by the chief minister.
The 28,300 sq ft memorial has been built by the Public Works Department at a cost of Rs 2.80 crore at Adyar in the Dravidian style of architecture.
In 2015, then chief minister Jayalalithaa had announced in the Assembly that a memorial will be built honouring Sivaji Ganesan, who ruled the Tamil film world since the 1950s.
A winner of the coveted Dada Saheb Phalke award, Ganesan had acted in over 300 films most of which were big hits. He passed away on July 21, 2001.
Khorramabad, Iran: A huge burst of flame lights up a pre-dawn backstreet, silhouetting the young men caked from head to toe in brown mud, as chants for Iran's most revered imam rend the air.
Khorramabad, a city of around 400,000 sheltered among the Zagros mountains of southwestern Iran, has always done things a little differently on Ashura, the holiest day in Shiite Islam.
Drawing on burial traditions in their native Lorestan province, the men cover themselves in mud as a sign of their grief over the death over 1,300 years ago of Imam Hossein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
It is unique to the area, and adds a slightly more festive spirit to a religious day that is known elsewhere in Iran for reducing the faithful to tears as they reflect on the tragic injustice of Hossein's final stand against rival claimants to the leadership of Islam -- a battle that remains at the heart of the split between Sunnis and Shiites.
As elsewhere, there are huge processions in which men whip themselves rhythmically to pounding drums -- though these days the whips are ceremonial, with the practice of actually lacerating one's back banned by the government and driven underground.
The other familiar trappings of Ashura -- and the preceding 10-day period of Moharram -- are also present, from the near-ubiquitous black clothing, to the stalls that sprout up at every street corner offering free food and drinks to passers-by.
But in Khorramabad, there is added mud.
Men -- and a very few women -- come out into the street shortly after the first call to prayer and gather around sandboxes which they fill with rosewater to form a mud bath.
Over the next few hours, thousands of men submerge themselves in the mud and position themselves around burning woodpiles to dry, before proceeding through the streets.
"It goes back to our ancient traditions," said Mohammad, a teacher in his thirties, fresh from the mud bath.
"People would rub mud on themselves when someone died. The more the person was loved, the more mud people would rub on themselves. Later it was used to mark the death of Hossein because he is really dear to people."
'For the people'
Chants of "Hossein, Hossein, our Lord!" take up periodically and the crowds beat their chests in time to the religious chants playing over loudspeakers.
But there are noticeably far fewer tears on display here than in other parts of Iran, and clerics are almost entirely absent for the muddy sections.
"This is a celebration for the people, it has nothing to do with the authorities," says one man on the sidelines.
The event has proved increasingly irresistable for photographers and journalists, who swarm around the mud-caked men.
Among the snappers is world-renowned director Jafar Panahi, who was banned from making films after the anti-government protests in 2009-10.
"There are more photographers here than worshippers," he jokes, only slightly exaggerating.
Across Iran, similar processions have taken over the towns and villages, with the streets of Yazd and Tabriz in particular known for turning into seas of black bodies.
It is the one time of year when the whole of Iran feels like it has come out onto the streets, and children enjoy the chance to escape parental control.
Yet it is also a time when grown men and women can be reduced to tears by the impassioned recitations and singing that recount the last stand of Hossein and his followers against the massed armies in Karbala in modern-day Iraq -- a tale of woe and desperate resistance that runs deep in the Iranian self-image to this day.
Canada: An Air France flight from Paris to Los Angeles made an emergency landing in eastern Canada on Saturday after one of its four engines sustained "serious damage" over the Atlantic, the airline said.
Air France Flight 66, originating at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, landed at Goose Bay in Labrador at 1542 GMT, the airline said, and no one was hurt in the incident.
"The regularly trained pilots and cabin crew handled this serious incident perfectly," the airline said in a statement.
The aircraft involved in the incident was an Airbus 380 that was about seven years old, according to airfleets.net, an aircraft database. The engine was made by Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric Co and United Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney unit.
The forced landing in Canada's easternmost province is reminiscent of an incident seven years ago in which one of the Rolls Royce engines on a Qantas A380 suffered mid-engine damage after taking off in Singapore. The November 2010 incident prompted the grounding of the entire Qantas A380 fleet -- six A380s at the time -- for over three weeks.
Photographs taken by passengers aboard the Air France flight circulated on the internet soon after the aircraft landed. The images appeared to show that the inlet, or front part, of the engine had torn off, but the main part of the engine was intact.
Rick Engebretsen, one of the passengers, wrote a Twitter message saying he had heard a loud thud and felt vibration while in the air.
It was not immediately clear how the engine became damaged.
Airbus was not immediately available for comment. Engine Alliance said in a statement that it was looking into "reports of an issue" involving one of its engines.
Officials with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday.
The airline said it was making arrangements to send the plane's passengers to their destination of Los Angeles.
Aircraft on trans-Atlantic flights commonly use Goose Bay Airport in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador for emergency fueling stops.
Washington: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he told the top US diplomat not to waste his time trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Kim.
Trump's comment came the day after Tillerson disclosed that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue.
"Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!" Trump said.
Tillerson said during a trip to China on Saturday that the United States had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, the first such disclosure from the Trump administration, and that it was probing North Korea to see whether it is interested in dialogue.
Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland.
"We are probing, so stay tuned," Tillerson told a small group of reporters during a trip to China. "We ask: 'Would you like to talk?'" He said the United States had "a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang."
A senior US official, asked for clarification about Trump's Sunday morning tweets about North Korea, played down the significance of the communication channels.
"At a time when North Korea is continuing its provocations, the president does not think now is the time to negotiate with them," the official said.
The official also said that to the extent that diplomatic channels exist between Washington and Pyongyang, they are aimed at securing the return of Americans detained by North Korea.
Trump has vacillated between direct personal attacks on the North Korean leader and a willingness to negotiate. After announcing new US sanctions last month on North Korea, he also acknowledged diplomacy was still possible, asking: "Why not?"
London: An Indian-origin entrepreneur, whose company is the biggest supplier of poultry to supermarkets in the UK, is to face a parliamentary inquiry after reports of alleged safety breaches at his factory.
Ranjit Singh Boparan-owned '2 Sisters Food Group' is to be investigated after an undercover media operation exposed footage of workers allegedly altering the source and slaughter date of poultry being processed at the company plant in West Bromwich in the West Midlands region of England.
The West Bromwich factory, which is part of the 2 Sisters Food Group, supplies chicken to major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Lidl.
Other footage gathered as part of a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News showed chicken being picked off the floor and being thrown back on to the production line, and older poultry being mixed with fresher birds.
The 2 Sisters group was founded in 1993 by Ranjit Singh Boparan, who is also known as 'Chicken King' and now employs 23,000 staff.
The chairman of the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee, Neil Parish, said he was preparing to call Boparan before the panel to answer questions about the allegations.
"It would be good if we could have a short, sharp inquiry. We need to restore both food safety, animal welfare and consumer confidence to these massive chicken plants run by 2 Sisters," Parish said.
"We would certainly head for the highest levels of the company and ask them to present evidence to us. We are producing chicken to a very high standard in this country," he said.
The UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has also launched its investigation into the company, which produces a third of all poultry products eaten in the UK.
"Should we find any evidence of any risk to public health, any products on the market which we believe to be a cause of concern will be urgently removed from sale," said FSA chair Heather Hancock.
Some of the biggest chains, including Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Lidl, have meanwhile stopped sourcing chicken from the company's West Bromwich plant while the probe continue, which the company said it was taking "extremely seriously".
The Guardian and ITV News said in a statement that more than 20 workers had confirmed that unhygienic practices took place, while some said they would no longer eat chicken from supermarkets.
Some workers also claimed the chicken that supermarkets reject is sometimes repackaged at the factory and sent out again.
Although it has diversified, the bulk of the group's income still comes from processing poultry.
The company said that it had been made aware of the allegations on Thursday but had "not been given the time or the detailed evidence to conduct any thorough investigations to establish the facts, which makes a fullsome response very difficult".
"2 Sisters Food Group ensures all staff are fully trained on hygiene and safety matters, and enforces a number of policies to ensure compliance with all regulations.
"It is subject to regular audits in these areas and staff have a number of ways in which to voice their concerns," it said in a statement.
It claimed hygiene and safety remained at the "core" of its business, which was subject to frequent unannounced audits from the FSA and Red Tractor the UK food industry's assurance scheme among others.
The joint media investigation involved taking secret recordings during a spell of 12 working days inside the 2 Sisters' plant in West Bromwich.
Bologna, Italy: Pope Francis on Sunday urged governments and people to do more to help migrants and not see them as enemies, wearing a plastic ID bracelet used by sylum seekers to drive home his message.
Francis visited a drab refugee centre on the outskirts of Bologna known simply as "The Hub". Run by a charity, it is home to about 1,000 asylum seekers, most of whom risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean from Africa and the Middle East.
There, they live in grey containers and other forms of temporary housing while awaiting decisions on their asylum requests to be moved to other towns in Italy.
Many of the refugees and migrants are without documents and all wear a plastic yellow bracelet. The pope wore one bearing his name and the number 3900003 on his right wrist. It was given to him by an African refugee.
"Many who don't know you are afraid of you," he told them as a light drizzle fell. "That makes them think they have the right to judge (you) coldly and harshly," he said.
He paid homage to those who "never arrived because they were eaten up by the desert or the sea".
Some 600,000 impoverished migrants and refugees have arrived in Italy in less than four years. In that time, more than 13,000 have died trying to cross the Mediterranean.
Francis, who has made defence of migrants and refugees a major plank of his papacy, also condemned internet trolling against foreigners, saying they had been subjected to "terrible phrases and insults."
"If we look on our neighbours without mercy we risk that even God will look on us without mercy," he said.
The pope's defence of migrants, his second in less than a week, comes at a time of growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and many European countries where far-right parties have made inroads.
Last week, the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (Afd) party surged to third place in a national election, tapping into public disquiet over the arrival of more than a million migrants in Germany over the past two years.
Francis called on more governments to facilitate initiatives backed by the private sector and community groups to set up "humanitarian corridors for refugees in the most difficult situations."
This was a reference to programmes such as one run in Italy by the Rome-based Sant' Egidio peace community, which regularly brings into Italy refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria.
Italy's anti-immigrant Northern League, whose base is in the regions just north of Bologna, has vowed to clamp down on migration from developing countries if it forms part of a coalition government after next year's elections.
Beirut: The powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah said on Saturday that an Iraqi Kurdish independence vote marked a first step towards the partition of the Middle East, warning that this would lead to "internal wars" and must be opposed.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Iran-backed group, said events in northern Iraq, where Kurds overwhelmingly voted for independence on Monday, were a threat to the whole region and not just Iraq and neighbouring states with Kurdish populations.
"It will open the door to partition, partition, partition," Nasrallah said. He added that "partition means taking the region to internal wars whose end and time frame is known only to God".
Nasrallah noted that his group's arch enemy Israel had come out in support of Kurdish statehood and described the referendum as part of a U.S.-Israeli plot to carve up the region.
The United States came out in opposition to the vote, along with major European states and neighbouring countries Turkey and Iran. The government of Syria, where Kurdish groups have established autonomous regions, also opposed the referendum.
Nasrallah was speaking to supporters on the eve of Ashura, when Shi'ites commemorate the slaying of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, at Kerbala in 680 AD.
Hezbollah, a political and military movement, is a major player in the Syrian conflict, where it has deployed thousands of fighters in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
Hezbollah fighters are currently fighting along with other Iran-backed militias and the Syrian army against Islamic State militants in eastern Syria.
"Daesh is at its end. It is a matter of time in Iraq and Syria," Nasrallah said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
He said counter attacks mounted by Islamic State in eastern Syria in the last two days were expected as the group was besieged, adding that it was "incapable of recovering
An increase in hard drug usage in Virginia has led to a spike in the number of local families permanently losing custody of their children.
In Lynchburg, the Department of Social Services has had 15 children enter foster care this year specifically due to parents use of meth or opioids as of Sept. 27, more than any year in the past, April Watson, the departments foster care supervisor, said.
Typically the department only takes in three to five children, she said.
This year already, weve had tons of babies come in, which usually, babies dont come into foster care, Watson said. But this year, weve had baby after baby after baby coming in, [and] a lot of them are having withdrawal symptoms and things of that nature.
Andy Crawford, director of the Bedford County Department of Social Services, said Bedford County started seeing the same pattern a few years ago: an increase in hard drug usage, in families losing children, in demand for foster homes.
He said the department began noticing the increase due to meth and opioid drug use about two to three years ago and about one or two years ago for heroin. In that same span, he said fewer children have been able to return home.
In Fiscal Year 2017, which runs from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, Bedford County DSS took in a total of 27 children.
Between July 1, 2017, and the end of August, Bedford County DSS has already taken in 19 kids, Crawford said Wednesday.
In Virginia, families usually have 12 to 18 months to get their kids back after the children are removed from the home due to drug use. An increasing number of families dont succeed because parents are unable to overcome their addiction.
Brent McCraw, director of Centras Pathways Addiction and Recovery Services, said addiction is a disease not unlike cancer or diabetes.
One of the features of a dependence of any sort is a compulsive use, and from a cognitive standpoint, a very strong obsession, McCraw said. In the later stages of addiction, people are either thinking about using, going through the motions of getting drugs, preparing to use, using or recovering from use. Its just consuming.
If people could stop, they wouldnt have a disorder, he said.
No one wakes up and says, I want my kids to go in foster care today; Im going to neglect them, Watson said. Nobody ever grows up and wants to be that parent.
People genuinely love their children; they just dont have the coping mechanisms and the tools and a lot of times, they have such significant trauma from their childhood that they cant overcome that leads to these situations.
But social workers are on a tight schedule.
We have 12 months to find permanency for children, Watson said in a June interview. So we are not seeing parents able to conquer that substance abuse in 12 months, so a lot of those kids are not returning home to their birth parents. Theyre either going to relatives or adoption.
Twelve months probably isnt long enough to kick a substance use disorder, she said, noting that the department expects relapses.
Thats just a part of recovery. Its going to be a lifelong struggle but for a child, a year is forever. Its a long time, and its not really fair to make a child wait for something that might never happen.
Bedford County requires parents to make marked progress, usually measured through reports from court-ordered substance abuse treatment programs and family therapy, to be constantly in treatment and demonstrate the ability to parent, Crawford said.
Lynchburg requires parents to be sober for six consecutive months, Lynchburgs Vassar said.
If theres a relapse, that [timer] starts over, she said.
A July 1 state policy change regarding substance-exposed infants also has affected the number of children being taken in by the foster care system, Vassar said.
Policy [changed] on July 1, where even if the mother has received treatment or is receiving treatment for substance abuse, normally that would not be validated because shes in some kind of treatment program, and theyre working with her, she said. Now, that will be valid. So we will open that [case] even if shes in treatment or if shes prescribed prescription medicine and the babys positive.
Another policy change went into effect July 1 that requires each department to respond to calls for children younger than 2 years old within 24 hours something Crawford said he saw maybe once or twice per month in Bedford previously but has seen almost five times per day since the change.
As a result of the new policies, each social services department across the state received additional funding to hire more staff or rearrange resources from the Childrens Services Act, Crawford said, adding increased demands still are spreading the department thin, even with additional help.
The act is a 1993 Virginia law that created a single pool of funds allocated by the state to purchase services for at-risk youth and their families, according to the Virginia Office of Childrens Services website.
Regardless of cause, area social services departments are seeing a marked increase in drug-related foster care cases.
As of Thursday, Watson said Lynchburg had about 145 children in foster care. That same day, Bedford had 68 children in care, Crawford said.
In Amherst County, methamphetamine use is the biggest problem for the countys department of social services, Director Susan Mays said.
Lynchburg used to mostly see marijuana cases in parents of kids in foster care, Lynchburg DSS Senior Child Protective Services Supervisor Tiffany Vassar said in June. Now its PCP, meth, cocaine and opioids in the form of the illegal drugheroin and prescription pills, she said.
A lot of times, [wed] find that those [drugs] are connected to cases, but its not the reason for removal, Watson said. Nowadays, that is the reason for removal.
In fiscal year 2017, 21 children entered the agencys care because of drug use in the home, 13 specifically related to the use of opiates and meth, she said.
And the increases have led to a shortage in available foster care homes, Watson said.
The shortage especially is noticeable when it comes to placing teens and adolescents, Crawford said.
Though Lynchburg currently has about 90 foster care homes and Bedford has about 30, each department says its not enough for the demands its seeing.
For us, a lot of these homes, theyll adopt the children, Watson said, adding that once the homes adopt children, they often leave the foster care program forcing social services to recruit new foster parents.
Whereas back in the day, we would cycle through [foster] family after [foster] family; nowadays kids are coming and staying, and so theyre being closed, and we need more families to open their doors.
Foster care is the last resort, Watson said, so most social services departments offer preventative services such as parenting classes to give parents the tools they need to reunite with their children.
The problem is when parents struggle with behaviors and substance abuse that puts children at risk of abuse and neglect, Crawford said.
Thats when the department gets involved and tries to get parents any services or treatment while the children are placed somewhere else, Vassar said.
Watson said ideally the department will return children to their birth parents, but thats not always possible with the current trends in drug use.
Our highest goal is adoption right now, and its never been before, she said.
Nelson, Appomattox and Campbell counties social services departments did not respond to requests for comment.
Rachel Mahoney contributed.
Launching his own Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh, Narayan Rane today said that his younger son and Congress MLA Nitesh Rane too would join his party.
By India Today Web Desk: Little over one week after he quit the Congress party, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane today floated his own party Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh.
While his elder son Nilesh Rane is with him, his younger son and Congress MLA Nitesh Rane in the Maharashtra Assembly has avoided being seen with the heavyweight politician father in his new innings.
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Nitesh Rane stayed away from the press conference in Narayan Rane in September when he quit the Congress after 12 years of association. Rane senior had joined the Congress after resigning from Shiv Sena.
But, today, while launching his own political outfit, Narayan Rane indicated that his younger son was on his side and ready to quit Congress. "I have consulted a jyotishi (astrologer). Whenever he says (Nitesh Rane will join the new party)," Narayan Rane said in Mumbai.
NARAYAN RANE LAUNCHES NEW PARTY: THINGS TO KNOW Narayan Rane was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1999 when he was with the Shiv Sena. But his equation with the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray has been anything but friendly. At the launch of his Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh, Narayan Rane said, "I don't consider Uddhav as an opponent. Not worth it. Shiv Sainiks are no longer strong enough." Narayan Rane said his party is open to members from all the parties ready to switch sides. "I have just launched the party. I am waiting for some people to join, then I will decide the future course (of action)," the 65-year-old Konkan strongman said. "I have friends everywhere. Except for Uddhav everyone in Sena and except for Ashok Chavan everyone in Congress is friend," Narayan Rane said. Rane's move comes after days of speculation that he may join the BJP. Last week, Rane had also met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi. Rane also praised the BJP leadership and PM Narendra Modi for bullet train project. Rane had resigned from the Congress last month while accusing the party of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister when he had joined the party 12 years ago. Rane had also resigned as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Narayan Rane is a prominent leader from the influential Maratha community.
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APPOMATTOX The sun hung low over the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park as dozens gathered Friday to tour the grounds and history by lantern.
The Appomattox 1985 Foundations 6th annual lantern tour, hosted during the last weekend in September, featured John Robinson and Cile Turner re-enactors and four other historical figures who crossed boundaries of race and culture or made an impact on Appomattox, according to the foundation.
German Justus Altmiller, member of the 198th Pennsylvania infantry band, was the first to greet the group.
Portrayed by Rick Neller, Altmiller told the story of how he played Auld Lang Syne outside of the McLean House after the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
This was a first for Lynchburg residents Ryan and Emily Dawson, who pushed a stroller carrying their almost 8-month-old daughter Vivian across the grass and gravel.
Appomattox is so full of history and were right here, Emily Dawson said. Shes obviously a little too young to understand whats going on, [but] as she gets older I want to make sure that we show her the history in our area.
History was alive with music during the tour, which featured Second Virginia Cavalry member and fiddle player Robert Miller Sweeny, played by Chris Bingham; the first documented white banjo player Joel Sweeney, portrayed by David Woolridge, and his younger, equally musical sister Missouri Sweeney, portrayed by Kara Dean; John Sears, portrayed by Ernie Prince, who told the story of John Robinson, a black cobbler and founder of the first black church in Appomattox, Galilee Baptist Church; and Cile Turner, a white musician inspired by black southern music, portrayed by Brenda Coleman.
Partway through the tour the moon began to rise and volunteers lit electric lanterns that dotted the grounds.
In near darkness, about 200 people made their way through the park as a chill began to creep through the area, a light breeze causing people to push up their hoods and tuck their hands into their pockets as they walked the winding path from scene to scene.
One of those people was Nelson County resident Jeremiah Bond, who had never been to a lantern tour at Appomattox before.
He said he loved learning about the different people, how music affected them and how it plays a big role in everyones life.
Emily Dawson said its fun to learn about the nuances of people and history. Ryan Dawson said he loved the way history allows people to see how everything intertwines.
Foundation volunteer Eileen Huffman said about 400 people attended the two-day event, which she hopes will help people see just what the park is about.
Not only did we want to preserve the history of what happened in April of 1865, we want to tell the story of all the folks and how they were impacted that are beyond that, she said. People of color, musicians we have a very interesting and checkered history, so theres more to talk about than Lee and Grant.
And thats really what were doing, telling the story of what happened here.
Tour guide and Appomattox Court House National Historical Park volunteer Bob Moeller said events like this keep the story of Appomattox alive.
Not just by getting people to know the history of the area, but by acting as a fundraiser for the park, he said.
Events such as the tours helped to raise the funds to restore the outside of the Sweeney-Connor Cabin found on the grounds, and will hopefully fund the restoration of the interior, Jeff Taylor, volunteer with the foundation, the parks friend group that was founded in 2012 said.
And they make history real for some, especially as Appomattox was the place emancipation was realized and is one of the only two surrender spots in the United States, he said.
It puts [history] on a level people can understand, he said. The folks back there were just as human as they are this is where the reconciliation that we still are trying to do today began, almost 153 years ago.
Piedmont Community Health Plan, which is owned by Centra Health and provides insurance to about 5,000 individuals through the Affordable Care Acts health exchange marketplace and many more through its group insurance plans, has voted to remain on the exchange and raise those rates an average of 53 percent.
Insurers across the nation have fled the Affordable Care Acts marketplace or stopped offering coverage in some areas because they have no assurance the government will enforce the individual mandate requiring everyone to purchase insurance or subsidize plans, helping lower costs for consumers.
Despite the uncertainties, PCHP said Friday the decision to continue offering insurance plans on the exchange, which opens Nov. 1, was unanimous by both boards of directors. PCHPs board voted Sept. 21 and Centras on Sept. 25. Piedmont formalized its commitment in writing Sept. 27.
PCHP has always wanted to be on the exchange; it was never a philosophical question, Neil Heller, vice president of sales and marketing for PCHP, said Friday, noting board members wanted to know what would happen to the community if PCHP left the marketplace and what the risks were to the company if it stayed.
We assumed that if we were not in the marketplace, there would be no coverage, for local residents, Heller said. In all likelihood, we would have been an area of Central Virginia without insurance coverage, and that would have meant extreme hardship for very many people.
According to the latest maps available from Enroll Virginia, which educates consumers about the Health Insurance Marketplace at HealthCare.gov and provides free application assistance, PCHP is the only marketplace provider available to residents in the cities of Lynchburg and Danville; the town of Bedford; and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Nottoway, Pittsylvania and Prince Edward. PCHP is one of two providers on the exchange in Nelson, Mecklenburg and Halifax counties.
The departure of Anthem and Optima from the Lynchburg area market recently left an estimated 15,000 residents without an insurance provider.
In a statement issued Friday, Centra Board Chair Walker Sydnor said, The Centra board had to consider many factors in evaluating this decision, but ultimately, our duties are two-fold: we must protect the well-being of Centra and at the same time be strong community advocates.
Anything that increases the number of uninsured that we treat is bad for both Centra and the community, he said.
Without a local option on the exchange, residents may have been faced with purchasing insurance that forced them to use costly out-of-network health care providers or they may have decided to go without insurance and instead rely on emergency departments, where care is most costly.
Despite the lack of competition, Heller said the decisions on rates were based not on profit but on finding a way to hopefully break even. An actuarial firm that considered members; probability of government rebates and the enforcement of the government rebates; health care costs; and more, recommended the 53 percent average increase. That increase applies only to insurance offered on the marketplace.
In a statement issued to Centra staff last week, Centra CEO E.W. Tibbs said the rate increase is due to several factors among them, rising medical costs and utilization, lack of predictability of the future of the ACA and the need to plan to cover a larger percentage of sicker patients.
Anthem has announced it will raise rates an average of 55 percent and Optima will increase rates an average of 82 percent in the Virginia localities they continue to serve.
The bulk of what drove our increases were the uncertainties from the government, Heller said, adding PCHP no longer knows about its risk pool because there potentially could be 15,000 new clients. Although he has high hopes they will join PCHP, he does expect there to be some falloff.
PCHP, which was not turning a profit when Centra took full ownership of it in December 2014, has yet to turn a profit as a whole.
Were looking at losing profits of a couple million [dollars] per year on the exchange; PCHP was not a money generator for Centra, Centra spokesperson Diane Ludwig said.
The new plans being offered on the exchange are HMO point-of-service plans, which Heller said help lower costs. The point-of-service benefit is what allows enrollees to seek care outside of the HMOs provider network. Deductibles will be different, and there are fewer plans, all of which are simplified compared to last years offerings.
Heller said Friday those who purchased PCHP through the exchange last year will see the same providers, but the plan options will look a bit different.
He encourages individuals using the exchange to go through the process and look at their final costs, after subsidies and tax credits, before making a decision on a plan.
I hope people keep in mind that if we werent here, then its not as if theres necessarily a better option. We took considerable risk to keep an option in the marketplace, Heller said. I think its better for the community, and its better for Centra as well.
Heller said hes thrilled to have the support of the boards and understands it would have been easy for PCHP to walk away from the marketplace.
From a financial standpoint, you could argue that would be the better decision given all the uncertainty, Heller said. What was foremost in the minds of the board from what I could hear, and whats foremost in the minds of PCHP management and staff, is that we offer a community service thats important and [that] makes you feel good about being part of it.
The Supreme Court convenes Monday after its summer recess and on Tuesday takes up a case that could end extreme partisan gerrymandering.
Justices will hear arguments in Gill v. Whitford, a case from Wisconsin where, after Republicans took complete control of the state government in 2010, the state legislature redrew state Assembly districts, resulting, a federal court ruled, in unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering.
The plan purposely favored Republicans and hurt Democrats to such a degree that it violated the constitutional guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection clause and the First Amendment right of association, the district court ruled.
Wisconsin appealed, saying its plan does not violate the Constitution and, besides, partisan gerrymandering is nothing new. The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and granted the states request to block the lower courts order to create a new redistricting plan by fall.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says Gill could be the most important case of the entire term.
And she told CBSs Charlie Rose Tuesday: Its drawing a map so people think, Why bother voting? This is a secure Republican district or this is a secure Democratic district, so my vote doesnt count. Thats not a good thing for democracy.
Gerrymandering creates safe political districts that make general elections uncompetitive and give party insiders greater power than constituents, a bipartisan group of current and former members of Congress said in a friend of the court brief, one of dozens filed in the case. Rep. Don Beyer, Democrat of Virginia, was among the briefs signers.
The Supreme Court, mindful that redistricting is a state responsibility, has been reluctant to rule on political gerrymandering disputes, although it has kept a watchful eye on racial gerrymandering.
A question for the court now is how much partisan gerrymandering is too much.
Judicial tea leaf-readers say the Supreme Court, by putting the lower courts ruling on hold, suggests it may side with the state. Much depends on swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy and whether a majority can agree on standards for judging whether redistricting plans are so partisan as to be unconstitutional.
Whatever the court decides, two things are clear: Gerrymandering has been with us always and it erodes voter confidence and trust in government.
Charles Ledyard Norton tells the story of the term gerrymander in his 1890 book, Political Americanisms.
Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a bill in 1811 that adjusted legislative district lines. When artist Gilbert Stuart took a look at the map, he penciled in a few lines and told a Boston newspaper editor: That will do for a salamander.
Salamander? the editor riposted. Call it a Gerrymander.
Poor Gerry has been carrying the gerrymander burden ever since. But should he?
One of the first gerrymandering episodes actually took place years before in Virginia.
An atmosphere of bitterness hung over the first federal election in Virginia in 1789, following Virginias unconditional adoption months earlier of the Constitution, the editors of the James Madison papers explain.
Gov. Patrick Henry, a leader of the anti-Federalists, wanted revenge on the Federalists, so he changed voting lines to make Federalist James Madison run against anti-Federalist James Monroe for a seat in the U.S. House. Henry made Orange County part of an eight-county district that was strongly anti-Federalist and had opposed ratifying the Constitution.
Madison campaigned hard, and in the end he beat Monroe by 336 votes out of 2,280 cast.
In his biography of Henry in the late 1890s, Moses Coit Tyler wrote: Surely it was a rare bit of luck in the case of Patrick Henry that the wits of Virginia did not anticipate the wits of Massachusetts by describing this trick as henrymandering,
Henry thus narrowly escaped the ugly immortality of having his name handed down from age to age in the coinage of a base word which should designate a base thing one of the favorite, shabby maneuvers of less scrupulous American politicians, Tyler wrote.
Yes, Henry was lucky, but American voters are still victims of the shabby maneuver.
Gerrymandering may be as American as Patrick Henry, but if voters are lucky, the Supreme Court will agree with Ginsburg that extreme partisan gerrymandering is bad for democracy and end it.
Mercer writes from Washington. Email her at marsha.mercer@yahoo.com. 2017 Marsha Mercer. All rights reserved.
GOP prevarications and exaggerations
Republicans at the district, state and national levels are still using the same old, tired tactics of misinformation that they used in past campaigns.
Ed Gillespie, the Republican nominee for governor, has claimed in a TV ad and on his website that Virginias economic growth is below average. Del. Scott Garrett made a similar claim in a letter he sent to the Lynchburg Voters League for its Sept 21 candidate forum.
What are the facts on economic growth? Gillespies website uses data from 2014 and 2015 to support his claim. Why doesnt he use more recent data? Maybe its because the most recent data contradicts him. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce released a report on July 26 of this year. It shows that Virginia ranks eighth in economic growth among the 50 states and DC.
As for President Trump, he has spewed out so much misinformation that its impossible to list all of it here. One recent example from the Sept. 27 issue of The News & Advance: Trump tweeted that Iran had just test-fired a missile it never happened.
So, there is more reason than ever for voters to be skeptical of candidates ads and other political claims. Find out the facts for yourself, and I dont mean on Twitter or Facebook.
JEFFREY ROSNER
Lynchburg
On Hugh Hefner
I have read with some sadness the various and sometime effusive tributes given to Hugh Hefner at his passing. Perhaps my sadness is that there are such tributes extolling him at all.
What tribute is due to a man who earnestly helped to create the environment that opened the way for thousands of unexpected pregnancies, to foster a society that promotes a billion dollar a year porno industry, a man whose efforts led to the popularization of sex with no commitment, who himself proudly claimed to have had intercourse with more than 1,000 nameless women and whose efforts helped create the abortion culture and the present thorough degradation of masculine responsibility, leadership and spirit.
Of course, he was not the sole cause of all of this, but he worked hard to open the gates to such sadness. Hence my confusion: How does one pay tribute to an assassin of the soul and the executioner of responsible sexuality? To a man whose life promoted the belief that the greatest and most beautiful of all human acts means nothing at all?
One doesnt. I sure wont.
God rest him and have mercy upon him.
Rev. Msgr. MICHAEL D. MCCARRON
Lynchburg
Editors note: McCarron is the pastor of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
A BULAWAYO-BASED company, Battlefront Investments has started constructing a $150 000 specialised state-of-the-art donkey abattoir that will have a capacity to dress more than 70 animals per day.
The abattoir, located in Waterford suburb is expected to come on line by the end of the month and will be the first in the country. Battlefront Investments managing director, Mr Gareth Lumsden said the company has already started buying donkeys which will be slaughtered in the next three weeks. Battlefront Investments also owns four butcheries, three in Bulawayo and one in Victoria Falls.
I think we will have finished (constructing the abattoir) maybe in two or three weeks time and we should start slaughtering. That abattoir is for the slaughtering of donkeys, said Mr Lumsden.
Sunday News toured the facility which is almost complete while final touches were being put on processing rooms for meat and offals. Mr Lumsden said the company would adhere to the regulations pertaining to the buying and movement of livestock.
Nothing really has changed in terms of how the animals will be dealt with. It will be the same as if you are buying cattle, sheep or goats but if you get to a particular area if you are buying cattle, goat or sheep you need to get police clearance. You still have to get a Department of Livestock Veterinary Services movement permit. You still have to seek with a particular council, if there are funds to be paid to the respective council. All of that is being done, its in place and we should be good to go in a couple of weeks, he said.
He said the company got the nod to construct the abattoir from relevant authorities.
Obviously before we started we had to consult with various ministries and we got the blessing of various ministers. When we first applied to the various ministries we consulted with the local veterinary officials and inspectors at Cold Storage Company . . . , added Mr Lumsden.
He said the company was looking forward to inviting a senior Government official to officially open the abattoir.
We have already started buying (donkeys) around the country as far as Gokwe, Plumtree, Gwanda and in between Gweru. Our target market is the Asian market of which I have even employed some Asian people, Chinese people in particular. We have already procured the market for that product, said Mr Lumsden.
However, he could not say how much they were buying the animals for. The company expects to export donkey meat as well as its offals and hides. He said the development was also to take advantage of the closure of the donkey abattoir in Botswana. Botswana suspended export licences for the animal products three months ago. This was after villagers had complained that they were losing their donkeys to thieves who were selling the animals to the abattoir.
Mr Lumsden however, acknowledged that the countrys donkey population was low but was optimistic the companys export business would be viable.
At the moment the number of animals that are out there are quite few. The conditions of those animals we are buying and have bought are in terrible conditions. You find that they have broken legs, there are sores on animals from beatings, usually they are draught animals. The condition is not that great.
Mr Lumsden said the company was mainly targeting buying old donkeys and those in a bad state. Sunday News
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has opened a large-scale investigation into externalisation and fraud allegations involving about US$200 million against directors and managers of six failed banks.
Zaccs investigations committee chair Mr Goodson Nguni confirmed that the probe was underway.
The net is closing in on some former directors and managers of failed banks because there are a number of questionable transactions. Money was siphoned out of the country and everyone involved must be held to account, he said.
The Sunday Mail understands that a team of Zacc investigators has in recent days been perusing documents related to transcations by bankers who cannot be named at this stage as this may jeopardise investigations.
According to information gathered so far, the failed banks under probe are Interfin, Royal, Trust, Allied, Tetrad and AfriAsia. Preliminary evidence shows that the money was siphoned from banks as insider loans while some directors gave loans to their relatives and lovers.
Close to US$200 million was trapped in non-performing insider loans.
The paper trail being perused by Zacc indicates the bankers may have taken money from Zimbabwe to invest in South African companies, in addition to buying luxury beach front properties in Cape Town and Durban, and mansions in in the plush Sandton suburb of Johannesburg. Zacc is also interested in a Harare-based businessman who reportedly accessed about US$20 million from Kingdom Bank and moved it to South Africa.
Another case invloves an MDC official and businessman who was given a total of US$16 million by three banks, which he used to buy a cotton ginning firm across the Limpopo River.
The investigation is expected to be complete in the next few weeks. The directors, chief executives and managers of some of the failed face criminal liability. These people accessed loans and gave loans to friends and relatives for purposes of externalisation.
We believe that serious fraud was committed against depositors because some of the funds which were stolen were ordinary peoples money.
The bankers thought the cases died a natural death but how can we ignore people who externalised money when the country is facing problems of foreign currency. These are the culprits who created the cash problems and they will soon be brought to book. The long arm of the law is soon catching up with the bankers, said an investigator.
We have it on good authority that the money was used to buy mansions and companies mainly in South Africa. The fight against the suspected criminals has started.
The Zacc investigation comes against a background of a spike in illegal street trading of bond notes against foreign currencies. President Mugabe, through Statutory Instrument 122A of 2017, has gazetted regulations to deal with illegal cash vending.
The failed six banks saw 54 990 depositors losing their money. However, the Depositors Protection Scheme has compensated US$3,2 million. Sunday Mail
Top BJP sources said PM Narendra Modi will interact with all BJP councillors later this month. It has been learnt that the interaction was planned following discussions between Modi and Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari during the two-day national executive meeting of BJP this week.
By Rakesh Ranjan: It's time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's paathshala for budding politicians, who seem to have got "low grades" at the step of political governance - civic bodies.
The BJP greenhorns in three municipal corporations will be getting lessons on civic politics and administrative skills from Modi soon. Top sources in the BJP said the PM will interact with all BJP councillors around mid-October, a move seen as an attempt to set the house in order in the Capital.
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It has been learnt that the interaction was planned following discussions between Modi and Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari during the two-day national executive meeting of BJP this week. A senior BJP leader told Mail Today that "corruption-free" governance, and the Digital India and Swachh Bharat initiatives of the Modi government would remain the key focus of the interaction.
With the BJP gearing up for the 2019 general elections, effective implementation of these initiatives in Delhi will be crucial for the party. This assumes significance in the wake of corruption charges against BJP councilors and party's criticism for failing to deal with the sanitation mess in the city. The BJP had promised a garbage-free Delhi in 100 days after it came to power in the MCDs in April this year.
But the sanitation woes are only getting worse. And with the festive season on, civic bodies are having a tough time cleaning the city. MCD leaders said the garbage collection and disposal mechanism in Delhi was in tatters and this might cost the BJP dearly in the next elections.
It's worth noting that the BJP's major poll promises included sanitation, decongestion, and the cleaning of the Yamuna river.
While the Centre has initiated a number of road projects to decongest the Capital, there has been little progress on the other two fronts.
DATE YET TO BE FINALISED
A BJP leader said the PM's interaction has been planned for a date before Diwali, but that date is yet to be finalised. He said the meeting was necessary, as the state leadership was unhappy with the performance of the councillors, all of whom are first-timers and lack political and administrative acumen. Corruption charges against these councillors have added to Tiwari's woes.
The BJP has 180 councillors in the three MCDs - 70 in SDMC, 63 in NDMC and 47 in EDMC. The party has run the MCDs since 2007.
"A big responsibility lies with the councillors for the successful implementation of Swacch Bharat Mission and Digital India initiatives. Cleanliness is the primary job of civic bodies, and being the interface on the grass-toot level, councillors have a major role to play. Modi will educate them on carrying out their task with sincerity," a BJP leader said.
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The BJP has also made all public services in the MCDs online with its programme "Digital by default". As part of this program, the BJP-ruled MCDs will make services such as birth/death certificates, paying all kinds of taxes and sanctioning of building plans digital. This, officials said, will reduce public interface and thus put a check on corruption. The programme is in keeping with Modi government's Digital India initiative.
The meeting also aims at cautioning the councillors against indulging in corruption. At the same time, building a positive and development-oriented image of the corporations will bolster the BJP's prospects in the coming elections.
It may be recalled that the BJP had denied tickets to all sitting councillors in 2017 civic polls to counter allegations of corruption and to defeat anti-incumbency. Instead, the BJP fielded all new faces in the elections but fresh allegations have given the party cause for concern.
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WATCH | Dussehra celebrations: Society has to destroy all the Ravanas around, says PM Modi
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Well, that's one way to earn a vote. The Des Moines Register reports Andy McGuire, one of seven Democratic candidates for governor of Iowa, was hanging out at the Polk County Streak Fry fundraiser on Saturday when she heard someone shouting for a doctor. McGuire, a physician, headed for the commotion and found a woman on the ground, choking on a piece of food. According to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, the choking woman was a Democratic Party volunteer. McGuire performed CPR on the woman and also busted out some doctor lingo. She was very tachycardic. She was hanging in there, but real thready, McGuire tells the Register. An ambulance arrived while McGuire was performing CPR, and the Polk County Democrats chairman later told a crowd McGuire may have saved the woman's life. "I'm just glad I was at the right place at the right time," McGuire tweeted. (Read more CPR stories.)
Spain erupted into chaos on Sunday as Catalonia held a referendum on independence, with police firing rubber bullets at protesters and smashing into polling stations in an effort to halt the vote, reports the AP. The officers fired the rubber bullets while trying to clear protesters who were trying to prevent National Police cars from leaving after police confiscated ballot boxes. The Spanish government has ordered police to stop the voting process, saying it's illegal. Catalan officials said more than 300 people were injured, some seriously. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont condemned the crackdown. "Police brutality will shame forever the Spanish state," he said as crowds cheered. Tension has been on the rise since the vote was called in early September, crystalizing years of defiance by separatists in the affluent region, which contributes mightily to Spain's economy.
Enric Millo, the Spanish government's rep in the region, said police and National Guard forces acted "professionally" to enforce court orders to suspend the vote. He dismissed the vote's validity, saying, "today's events in Catalonia can never be portrayed as a referendum or anything similar." Clashes broke out less than an hour after polls opened. Polling station workers reacted peacefully and broke out into songs and chants challenging the officers' presence. Spanish officials had said force wouldn't be used, but that voting wouldn't be allowed. Regional separatist leaders pledged to hold it anyway, promising to declare independence if the "yes" side wins, and called on 5.3 million eligible voters to cast ballots. (Read more Catalonia stories.)
Police in Montana say a man told friends he needed help moving and got their unwitting help stealing $40,000 worth of items from another man's home. One of the friends allegedly rented a U-Haul in the July incident without knowing it would be used in a crime, the AP reports. The other told police he became suspicious and left after he saw military medals in the Great Falls home; he doubted 36-year-old Patrick Joseph Adams Jr. served in the military. Investigators say the true homeowner came home later that night, found his home had been burglarized, and called 911. Per the Great Falls Tribune, neighbors told cops they'd seen a U-Haul and an SUV at the home earlier that day, and so police headed over to the local U-Haul rental office.
They discovered a man ID'd as "RP" in court documents had rented a vehicle that day, and when they spoke to him, he said he'd rented it as a favor for "Big Mike" (later identified as Adams) because Adams said he didn't have a current driver's license. Police also tracked down the man driving the SUV, known as "NW," and NW revealed he, RP, Adams, and Adams' girlfriend, Chantelle Beal, all helped move items out of the home. NW is the one who says he thought it odd to see military medals on the walls (Adams had never talked about his service) and that Beal couldn't find the home's basement. Prosecutors charged Adams on Thursday with burglary and criminal mischief, both felonies. The Great Falls Tribune reports Adams faces up to 30 years in prison and $100,000 in fines. It wasn't clear if Adams had a lawyer. (Read more weird crimes stories.)
John Kasich revealed over the weekend he's been doing some soul-searching, but it's not his own soul he's scrutinizing. The Ohio governor chatted with Jake Tapper Sunday morning on CNN's State of the Union, and he had harsh words for both major political parties. He admitted he had "no idea what the Democrats are for," but he was even more blunt about his own party. "I want [the GOP] to be straightened out," he said, adding that "what I'm trying to do is struggle for the soul of the Republican Party the way that I see it." And the way he sees it as it stands now is infiltrated by "divisive" far-right forces that are "anti-immigration" and "anti-trade" and not terribly concerned about debt. The conversation arose after Tapper asked Kasich if he supported Judge Roy Moore, who recently won the Alabama GOP primary for Jeff Sessions' former Senate seat.
Tapper pointed out Moore has railed against homosexuality, helped perpetuate birtherism lies about Barack Obama, and voiced anti-Muslim sentiments, per HuffPost." "I don't support that. I couldn't vote for that," Kasich replied, calling Moore's claims "ludicrous." "If the party can't be fixed, Jake, then I'm not going to be able to support the party, period," he said. "I'm worried about the country and my kids' future." He waffled, though, when Tapper asked him if he'd actually ditch the GOP. "No, not at this ... what I'm saying to you is, we need to fix it," he said. "I want this party to be straightened out. But I not only want the party to be straightened out, I want the country to be straightened out." Kasich also touched on Trump's Puerto Rico tweets, noting, per the Hill: "It's not appropriate. ... When people are in the middle of a disaster, you don't start trying to criticize them. ... Their lives are in danger." (Read more John Kasich stories.)
After lamenting the "almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico" and blasting "politically motivated ingrates" there Sunday morning, President Trump moved onto a new topic on Twitter: North Korea and its nuclear weapons program. The Guardian reports that barely 24 hours had passed since Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tried to assuage Americans by calling for calm and noting our "lines of communication" with Pyongyang, when Trump decided to put in his two cents on Tillerson's efforts. "I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," he tweeted midmorning, using a recent nickname he'd coined for Kim Jong Un.
He followed that up with: "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!" Later Sunday afternoon, Trump returned after a several-hour Twitter hiatus to add some more thoughts on the matter, tweeting, "Being nice to Rocket Man hasn't worked in 25 years, why would it work now? Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed. I won't fail." During a press conference in Beijing Saturday, Tillerson had deemed Trump's rhetoric on the situation "overheated." It's not clear what Trump's "what has to be done" entails. (Read more President Trump stories.)
A man with a knife attacked people at the main train station in the southeastern French city of Marseille on Sunday, killing two women before paramilitary soldiers fatally shot the assailant, officials said. French police warned people to avoid the Saint Charles train station, tweeting that an operation was underway. Soldiers and police took up positions outside the station, which was evacuated, the AP reports. The incident is being treated as a terror attack, the city prosecutor's office told CNN. Three police officials said one woman was stabbed to death; two of the officials said the other woman's throat was slit. The assailant was shot dead by soldiers who were patrolling the station.
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb tweeted that he would travel to the scene. The Guardian notes that the soldiers who opened fire were from Operation Sentinelle, which was launched after the deadly terror attacks in France in 2015. The soldierswhose numbers are said to range between 7,000 and 10,000patrol major tourist sites, places of worship, train stations, schools, and airports across France. Earlier this month, four American college students were attacked with acid at the same train station in Marseille. At the time, French authorities said the assailant was suffering from a mental illness and it wasn't investigated as a terror attack. No further details were immediately given for this attack, including a motive. (Read more Marseille stories.)
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By PTI: Aizawl, Oct 1 (PTI) Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana today said that the state government has not received any report of even a single Rohingya Muslim entering its soil till date.
The Centre had alerted the state government to beef up security in view of Rhingyas entering North Eastern states adjoining Myanmar in the wake of recent clashes between the Myanmar army and the Rohingyas.
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Lalzirliana said that security forces guarding the borders were instructed to step up vigil along the Mizoram-Myanmar border and Mizoram-Bangladesh border.
The Assam Rifles intensified patrolling along the 404-km-long Mizoram-Myanmar international border and more troops were sent to the border areas.
Lalzirliana said it is unlikely that the Rohingyas would come to Mizoram as the communitys home state of Rakhine in Myanmar is quite far off.
Meanwhile, around 170 refugees from Myanmars Arakan, who entered Mizoram and took shelter in southern district of Lawngtlai, had returned recently.
The refugees had fled Arakan due to recent clashes between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Liberation Army (ALA). PTI HCV JM SNP
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Fairbanks, AK (99707)
Today
Mostly cloudy with snow showers during the evening. Low 6F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%..
Tonight
Mostly cloudy with snow showers during the evening. Low 6F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%.
By PTI: Mumbai, Oct 1 (PTI) US-headquartered Otis will start manufacturing escalators in India from next year as it expects demand to rise due to rapid urbanisation and modernisation of railway stations, a top company official said.
"We will start manufacturing escalators next year. It will be manufactured in our Bengaluru facility. By 2020 we see modernisation of railway stations, tier II and III cities are growing in population and this can bring in more next decade infrastructure growth, retail segment growth.
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"All this will fuel the growth of escalators and that is why it is a strategic project for us," Otis India President Sebi Joseph told PTI.
The company is bullish on India and plans to indigenise its products over a period of time.
"Otis has great confidence and belief in India. Over a period we will indigenise most of the products. Right now we have 40 per cent global components and about 60 per cent Indian components. In 2012, it was other way round. Our goal is to get into total indigenisation. We are expanding the range of products manufactured," he said.
The Indian elevator industry is the second largest market after China, with an estimated 49,000 units in a year, growing at 6-7 per cent annually.
Around 75 per cent of the market is residential. About 80 per cent of market is of speed of 1 metre per second and below.
"Due to GST implementation and RERA, this year I think the market will be flat. The projects have slowed down and it should pick up next year," Joseph said, adding that the company is eyeing a growth of 19 per cent this year on the back of new product launches. PTI DS ARS ABM
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New Delhi:
Maruti Suzuki on Sunday launched an updated variant of S-Cross model in India at a starting price of Rs 8.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The company has launched four variants priced between Rs 8.49 lakh and Rs 11.29 lakh.
MSI MD and CEO Kenichi Ayukawa in a statement said, S-Cross, in its newest form, is an important milestone in our journey of transformation.
The new all-new S-Cross will be equipped with green technology DDiS200 with Smart Hybrid, which the company claimed that will bring down emissions to as low as 105.5 gm/km, he added.
We are confident that S-Cross will strengthen Maruti Suzuki?s position in the premium urban segment, Ayukawa said.
MSI and its suppliers have invested over Rs 100 crore towards development of the all-new S-Cross. It comes with over 95 per cent localisation.
(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi:
The State Bank of India has asked the customers of its 5 subsidiary banks and 1 other bank to stop using their cheque books as they will be invalid from Sunday. The banks have merged with the largest bank of the country from October 1.
The six banks include State Bank of Raipur, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad and Bhartiya Mahila Bank.
The customers of these six banks will have to apply for the new cheque books from their respective banks. Apart from the cheque books, the old Indian Financial System (IFS) codes will also become invalid.
In its post dated September 20, 2017, the SBI had said, We request customers of SBI's erstwhile Associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank to apply for new SBI Cheque books as soon as possible.
We request customers of SBI's erstwhile Associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank to apply for new SBI Cheque books as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/iWhq4xtbrn State Bank of India (@TheOfficialSBI) September 20, 2017
The customers can avail the new cheque books via internet and mobile banking, ATM or by visiting the home branch.
ALSO READ: Good news for SBI account holders, minimum balance requirement reduced to Rs 3000
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New Delhi:
The politics has intensified on the tragic Mumbai stampeded in which at least 23 people died and 38 others were injured. On Saturday, Shiv Sena workers allegedly assaulted two doctors of KEM hospital for marking numbers on the foreheads of deceased.
The doctors have filed an FIR and Police have registered a case against accused Shiv Sena workers. It was being said that Sena workers were angry on the writing of identification numbers on the forehead of Elphinstone stampede victims.
The incident took place on Saturday evening when two Shiv Sena workers entered the cabin of Forensic Science Department head Dr Hari Pathak and thrashed him, said a police official.
The police officials further informed that the accused also brought a sketch pen with them and tried to write something on the forehead of Dr Pathak.
Also Read | Papa, you go ahead, I will come, let the crowd thin out: Last words of Elphinstone stampede victim
Along with the accused Sena workers, Mumbai Police is also searching for five other persons who provided help to them.
At least 23 people including a child were killed and 38 others suffered serious injuries in a rush-hour stampede caused after rumours of a bridge collapse in Mumbais Elphinstone Road station on Friday.
The stampede took place around 10:30 am on a small bridge connecting Elphinstone Road station and Parel station. According to the Western Railways, the bridge is five meters wide and 32 meters long having a dual exit.
New Delhi:
Aarav/Arav, the winner of Bigg Boss Tamil Season 1 hosted by Kamal Haasan is an Indian model who has acted in more than 100 television commercials.
Aarav made his acting debut with the 2016 film Saithan and the following year, he appeared as a contestant on the first season of Bigg Boss Tamil and emerged the winner.
Aarav was born on October 31, 1988, in Nagarkovil to a Tamil Muslim family and his real name is Nafeez Kizar. His father was a Professor at Trichy Government Law College.
Aarav moved to Trichy when he was a child and completed his schooling after which he moved to Chennai for his under graduation.
He studied BE in Mechanical Engineering at Hindustan College, Chennai.
Celebrity photographer VS Anandhakrishna spotted Aarav and gave him the launchpad to make it big in the world of modelling and it is then he changed his name from Nafeez to Aarav after Vijay Television misspelt his name in Bigg Boss show as Aarar.
His height is 5 feet 9 inches and he weighs 75 kg.
Aaravs initial days in the Bigg Boss house were not so happening because he was a newcomer in a house full of celebrities. It was his proximity with Oviya that made the audience take notice of him.
Aarav was not politically correct on the show and due to his ability to accept his faults and telling the truth after any conflict endeared him to the viewers.
He had his bittersweet moments in the house, especially with Oviya, Gayathri, and Snehan. This only helped to raise his popularity.
The viewers appreciated his competitive skills necessary to survive in the house. Aarav won the audience with his never-say-die attitude and his ability to adapt in the competitive household.
Aarav received a cash prize of Rs fifty lakh from Bigg Boss and Vijay Television along with the winning trophy.
As of the latest reports, Aarav is very much single.
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New Delhi:
Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu have all the reasons to be on cloud nine these days. The couple, who has been married for over two years now, was blessed with a baby girl on September 29.
And while Soha and Kunal can't stop gushing about this new addition in their life, the proud parents have come up with a rather unique name for their little princess.
The couple has named their daughter as Inaaya Naumi Kemmu
The Golmaal Again actor took to micro-blogging site Twitter today to reveal the name of their daughter.
"We have named our daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu. Little Inaaya is happy and healthy and she thanks all of you for your love and blessings," wrote the actor.
We have named our daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu. Little Inaaya is happy and healthy and she thanks all of you for your love and blessings a kunal kemmu (@kunalkemmu) October 1, 2017
Kunal had even announced the arrival of his little one, who was born on the ninth day of Navatri festival, on the microblogging site.
"We are over the moon to share we have been blessed with a beautiful baby girl on this auspicious day. Thank you for the love and blessings," he had written.
The couple got engaged in July 2014 in Paris and tied the knot in Mumbai on January 25, 2015.
Soha announced her pregnancy in April 2017.
On the work front, Soha was last seen in the film "31st October". Kunal will be seen next in "Golmaal Again" scheduled to release on Diwali.
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New Delhi:
Priyank Sharma is quite a known face in the television industry. The 25-year old actor has won hearts of audience with his stint in reality shows like Roadies and Splitsvilla.
A Delhiite by birth, Priyanka is a choreographer by profession and even hold a graduation degree from graduation at Skyline Institute of Engineering and Technology.
Priyank's shot to fame came after he participated in MTV Roadies Rising, which was the fifteenth season of the show.
He was also seen in the tenth season of MTV Splitsvilla where he emerged as one of the strong contestants.
Well, with his stint in the previous reality shows, Priyank has indeed garnered a huge female following.
It will be interesting to see if he will be able to spark some cupids on Salman Khan's Bigg Boss 11.
New Delhi:
Bigg Boss 11, one of the most popular reality shows on Indian television has finally launched on Colors channel. Benafsha Soonawalla is one of the contestants who is part of the Salman Khan hosted show.
-Benafsha Soonawalla is all set to set the temperatures soaring in the Bigg Boss House. The bombshell started her career as a VJ and then went on to do MTV Roadies X4.
-Benafsha entered the popular reality show as a wild card contestant and ended up impressing the fans. Her stint in Roadies has earned her many fans and well-wishers.
-The sensuous beauty also hosted MTV Campus Diaries.
-The hottie keeps on posting sizzling pictures on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Her pictures have made many people skip their heartbeats.
-The diva has completed her graduation from Mumbai's HR College.
-Benafsha, a Parsi girl has been born and brought up in the city of Mumbai. She has a younger sibling.
-The beautiful girl made news for her alleged relationship with co-contestant on Roadies, Varun Sood.
-If Bigg Boss 10 had Nitibha Kaul, then the eleventh season has Benafsha who can add the much need style and oomph factor to the show.
New Delhi:
Assam Police has accused a retired Indian Army soldier, who serve as Junior Commissioned Officer for 30 years, of being an illegal immigrant.
The Assam Police claims Mohd Azmal Haque came to India illegally after 1971. The state police has has termed Haque as a "doubtful voter."
Haque has claimed that he was in Assams Kamrup district in 1968 and that his mothers name features in the 1951 National Register of Citizens.
In a twitter video uploaded by Aman Wadud, Haque has expressed his grief after being served a notice to prove his citizenship.
Mohd.Azmal Haque,served in Indian Army for 30yrs, Retd as Junior Com Officer,now accused of being illegal immigrant by AssamPolice. @adgpi pic.twitter.com/UYrSuyr5U5 Aman Wadud (@AmanWadud) September 30, 2017
The ex-army personnel, in the video has requested the Indian President, Prime Minister and Home Minister to take adequate action so that rightful citizens are not harassed.
Dear India,AzmalHaque,ex-IndianArmy,wants u all to listen to him& request @PMOIndia to stop harassing IndianCitizens in d name of foreigners pic.twitter.com/5xHfB1Ldji Aman Wadud (@AmanWadud) September 30, 2017
Haque said, I am very said. I have cried a lot because I am an ex-jawan of Indian Army. I gave 30 years of my life for my country in the Indian Army. I have served in the most difficult terrains during my service period.
Also read: Assam Police and Army nab 5 HNLC ultras, recover arms and explosives
In the video the ex-army man adds, After retirement I shifted to Guwahati. Kamrup superintendent of police (SP) has issued a notice saying doubtful foreigner.
Earlier in 2012 Haque was accused of being an illegal immigrant in 2012 by Foreigns Tribunal.
The Assam Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay told the media, I will look into the matter and see why a notice has been served.
The Indian Armys East Command contacted Haque and has promised to all necessary assistance till the matter is solved.
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By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain
Islamabad, Sep 30 (PTI) At least three persons, including a soldier, have been killed and four others injured in alleged firing by Indian troops across the Line of Control, the Pakistan Army said today.
The Army said that Indian troops resorted to "unprovoked firing" yesterday, targeting the civilian population in Rakhchikri area of Rawalakot.
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As a result of the shelling, two civilians, including a woman, were killed while one person sustained injuries.
An army patrol assisting rescue operations in the area also came under fire, resulting in the killing of Naib Subedar Nadeem. Three soldiers were also injured, it said.
The Army claimed that Pakistani "troops gave a befitting response to the cross-border firing". PTI SH NSA
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New Delhi:
In a major achievement, Ludhiana Police arrested seven members of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) on Saturday.
It was a combined operation of Ludhiana Police and Counter Intelligence Wing of Punjab Police. Five of the arrested accused are between the age of 18 and 23 years, including a class XI student, a Granthi at a Gurudwara, and a minor.
According to an investigating official, an England-based active member of BKI Surinder Singh Babbar had approached them through social media site Facebook to carry out terrorist activities in Punjab.
Anti-Khalistan and anti-Sikhs groups which are active on social networking sites were their targets and they were planning a big strike in Punjab.
"The Babbar Khalsa International was planning to carry out subversive activities in Punjab for which the active member of BKI in England, Surinder Singh Babbar, picked these seven people from different districts of Punjab. He approached them through social networking sites and emotionally provoked them to be a part of the terrorist organization," said Commissioner of police R N Dhoke.
The arrested accused have no criminal background He added, "Though the arrested accused have no criminal background, and they have joined the terrorist organization couple of months ago, they were preparing for a big strike in Punjab. They had also held a few meetings in Ludhiana for the same purpose."
The police recovered one .32 bore pistol, 20 cartridges, and two .315 bore country-made pistols with 13 cartridges.
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Ambala:
In a bid to deploy the first squadron of the Rafale jets, the Indian Air force has initiated major infrastructure upgrade at Ambala and Hasimara frontline base.
The Rafale jets will provide India a greater "potency" over Pakistan as these will be capable of carrying nuclear weapons and other missiles.
According to the IAF officer, the government has already sanctioned Rs 220 crore to set up 14 shelters, hangers and maintenance facilities at the 78-year-old base for the Rafale jets, whose delivery is scheduled to begin from September 2019.
"We are creating infrastructure keeping in mind infrastructure requirement for the Rafale jets for next 40-50 years," the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to media.
The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from it. Currently, the base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison.
Also Read: Defence Minister indicates India may get Rafale jets sooner than 36 months
Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh, who passed away two weeks ago, was the first commander of the Ambala base in independent India.
Several teams from French defence major Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, have already visited the Ambala air force base and finalized the requirement for the first squadron of combat jets.
The IAF is also carrying out infrastructure upgrade at its Hasimara base in West Bengal+ which will house the second squadron of the Rafale jets, the official said.
In September last year, India had signed a Euro 7.87 billion (approx Rs 59,000 crore) deal with the French government for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets.
Eighteen Rafale jets will be deployed in Ambala while an equal number of the new generation jet will be stationed in Hasimara."We are planning to put in place all required infrastructure for Rafale squadron by end of next year," said the IAF official.
The Ambala, as well as Hasimara stations, will also have simulator-based training facilities for the aircrew of Rafale jets. The IAF has already selected a batch of pilots to fly the jets and they are being given training by Dassault Aviation in France.
Also Read: RAL's joint venture Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation integrated
The Rafale squadron to be deployed in Ambala will be known as Golden Arrows which was originally based in Bhatinda and was disbanded two years ago.
The Rafale combat jets will come with various India- specific modifications including Israeli helmet-mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10-hour flight data recording and infra-red search and tracking systems among others.
The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF, which is currently down to 34 squadrons as against a sanctioned strength of 44, includes its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range of 150 KM.
Its integration on the Rafale jets will mean IAF can hit targets inside both Pakistan and across the northern and eastern borders while staying within India's territorial boundary.
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New Delhi:
A 30-year-old farmer committed suicide by hanging himself at his home in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. The farmers relative claimed that the cultivator took the extreme step due to the fallout of indebtedness and government apathy.
Sehore is the native district of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Opposition Congress has blamed that 116 cultivators, including 13 in Sehore district alone, have killed themselves between June 7 and October 1 since the launch of farmers stir in June this year.
Bane Singh Parmar (30) committed suicide by hanging himself with the ceiling of his house in the wee hours today at Dhabla village, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Avdhesh Pratap Singh said.
He said a case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
The exact reason behind the suicide would be known after the investigation, the officer said.
However, family members of Parmar alleged that he took the extreme step due to indebtedness and crop failure.
He was under stress due to loan outstanding of Rs five lakh and the crop failure. The soybean produce in his farm was only 10 quintal this year. He was also not given the compensation under the governments crop insurance scheme, Parmars sister Sumitra Bai said.
Also Read | Farmers protest: Ex-Mandsaur district collector, former SP suspended
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Ajay Singh claimed that 116 farmers have committed suicide in the last 110 days in the state.
116 farmers have ended their lives between June 7 and October 1. In Chief Ministers home district Sehore, 13 peasants have committed suicide during the same period, Singh alleged.
He said farmers are fed up with empty promises being made by the state BJP government in the last 14 years.
Farmers are finding themselves helpless and are killing themselves, Singh alleged.
Also Read | Mandsaur: MP CM Shivraj Singh meets families of deceased farmers
Farmers in western Madhya Pradesh had launched a massive stir for a loan waiver and better remunerative prices for their agri produce in June this year. Five farmers were killed in the police firing in Mandsaur district on June 6, as the agitation turned violent.
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New Delhi:
Yog Guru Baba Ramdev has suggested that Muslims should also drink cow urine as something used for treatment and claimed that it's written in Quran.
In an interview with India TV, founder of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Ramdev also said that some people are targeting Patanjali by saying that it is a Hindu company.
"It is written in Quran that cow urine can be used for treatment. Some people are targeting Patanjali by saying that it is a Hindu company. Did I ever target Hamdard (a company set up by a Muslim)?
"I have full support for Hamdard, and Himalaya Drug Company too. Farooq Bhai of the Himalaya group even donated land to me for setting up yoga gram. If some people level such charges, they will only be creating a wall of hate," Ramdev said in the interview.
Also Read | Ramdevs Patanjali, Ambanis Reliance Jio among India's top 10 most influential brands
Ramdev also shared his plans for Patanjalis future and said his successor would not be a businessman or any worldly man but a team of Sadhus (monks) trained by him.
"My successor will not be a businessman or a worldly man, it will be a team of nearly 500 sadhus whom I have trained," he said.
The 52-year-old Yog Guru turned businessman said, "I never think small. I think big. I think about our nation 500 years hence. I think about Patanjali group for the next 100 years. I will be leaving my successor when I go."
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New Delhi:
Former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, who recently resigned from Congress, on Sunday announced the launch of a new political party called 'Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh'.
I have decided to form a new party, it will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh, said Rane while addressing a press conference. It is said that Rane could join NDA soon.
Rane's move comes after days of speculation that he may join the BJP. Last week, Rane had also met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi.
Rane had resigned from the Congress last month while accusing the party of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister when he had joined the party 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena.
I have decided to form a new party, it will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh: Narayan Rane, former senior congress leader pic.twitter.com/GP1VwqfTwp ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
He had also resigned as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Also Read: Congress leader Narayan Rane resigns from party
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New Delhi:
In an order to provide smooth pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, the Centre is expected to come out with a new Haj Yatra policy this week and the main features of the policy will be implemented from the next year.
According to the government sources, the option of sending pilgrims via the sea route to Jeddah, after a long break of more than two decades could be included into the new policy.
In 2012, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to abolish the airway subsidy offered to Haj pilgrims by 2020. After that, the option of commuting the faithful from the coastal city of Mumbai to Jeddah has been considered as sea route will help to reduce the travel expenses.
As per the sources, the Muslims will continue to have the option of travelling to their holiest site by air from 21 embarkation points in the country, including Delhi and Mumbai.
Another feature of the policy is to limit the pilgrimage to the once-in-a-lifetime affair, they said, adding the government will come out with the policy this week.
"It is in line with the apex court's order and revives the option of sending pilgrims via ships to Saudi Arabia as it is a cheaper yet comfortable option," a source said.
The practice of ferrying the pilgrims by waterways was discontinued in 1995 on account of MV Akbari, the ship which used to transport them, growing old, the source said.
The sources said a modern ship can ferry 4,000 to 5,000 passengers at a time and cover the 2300-odd nautical miles distance between the two cities in two-three days.
Before the sea route was closed, it used to take nearly a week for the pilgrims to reach Jeddah from the Yellow Gate in Mumbai's Mazgaon, the source added.
On the idea of restricting the pilgrimage to once in a lifetime, another source added it is to ensure that all desirous people get a fair chance to undertake the journey.
"The experience so far has been that the rich people would travel more than once to Saudi Arabia. Since we have a fixed Haj quota, this meant, others would be left out. Capping the journey to once in a lifetime will ensure the fair chance for all," the source said.
Saudi Arabia had earlier this year increased India's Haj quota from 1.36 lakh to 1.70 lakh. A total of 1.35 lakh Indian pilgrims undertook the pilgrimage last year.
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New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted President Ram Nath Kovind on his 72nd birthday on Sunday. He wished him a long life dedicated to India.
"Birthday wishes to Rashtrapati Ji. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life devoted to the service of our nation @rashtrapatibhvn," Modi tweeted.
Kovind turns 72 today. He was born on October 1, 1945.
PM Modi called the President "simple & compassionate," adding that he was "sensitive towards the aspirations" of the Indian people.
Birthday wishes to Rashtrapati ji. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life devoted to the service of our nation @rashtrapatibhvn Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 1, 2017
Birthday wishes to Rashtrapati Ji. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life devoted to the service of our nation @rashtrapatibhvn
Birthday wishes to Rashtrapati ji. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life devoted to the service of our nation @rashtrapatibhvn Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 1, 2017
"Since his tenure began Rashtrapati Ji has endeared himself to the people of India through his simple & compassionate nature @rashtrapatibhvn," Modi tweeted.
Birthday wishes to Rashtrapati ji. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life devoted to the service of our nation @rashtrapatibhvn
Since his tenure began Rashtrapati ji has endeared himself to the people of India through his simple & compassionate nature @rashtrapatibhvn
On 25th July 2017, he became the 14th President and the second Dalit who hold office. Before that, he was the governor of the Bihar. He came into politics in 1994 when he was elected as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh.
After becoming President, Kovind highlighted India's diversity as a key to its success.
"Our diversity is the core that makes us so unique. In this land, we find a mix of states and regions, religions, languages, cultures, lifestyles and much more. We are so different and yet so similar and united," the former Bihar Governor had said.
Also Read: PM Modi, President Kovind greet nation on Dussehra, to attend celebrations at Red Fort in Delhi
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Gandhinagar:
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi wasted no time to pick up from where BJP leader Yashwant Sinha left his scathing attack on the Narendra Modi Government over the state of the economy.
Gandhi accused Modi government of ignoring the plight of the masses while extending favours to a select few.
The former Union Finance Minister, in his article, headlined 'I need to speak up now' wrote, "I shall be failing in my national duty if I did not speak up even now against the mess the finance minister (Arun Jaitley) has made of the economy".
He even claimed that people in the BJP are not raising their voices "out of fear".
Gandhi was addressing a gathering near Chotila in Surendranagar district where he cited the article to attack PM Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
"Today, I read an article written by Yashwant Sinha, who is a senior BJP leader. He wrote that Modiji and Jaitleyji have destroyed the Indian economy. This is not my view. This is the opinion of a BJP leader," Gandhi said on the third and last day of his campaign tour of poll-bound Gujarat, PM Modi's home state.
"He even wrote that though BJP leaders know that our country is in deep trouble, no one is ready to speak up as they are afraid of Modiji," added Gandhi.
"This has happened because the BJP government never listens to farmers, youngsters, labourers, traders and women, who actually run this country. People from BJP listen only to businessmen and then tell the citizens their own 'Mann ki Baat'," Gandhi alleged, taking a jibe at the PM's monthly radio programme.
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New Delhi:
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday urged people to help Geeta in finding her parents. Geeta, a deaf and mute girl, had returned to India from Pakistan in 2015.A A
Sushma also announced a reward of Rs one lakh to the person who will extend help in finding her parents.
Geeta was staying at an institute for hearing and speech impaired persons since her returning.
Earlier, several couples had come forward claiming to be Geeta's parents, but she did not recognise any of them and could not substantiate their claims.
EAM Sushma Swaraj appeals people to help Geeta (Indian girl brought back from Pakistan in 2015 ) in finding her parents pic.twitter.com/hBdQT83qn2 a ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
Sushma had assured Geeta that the Centre is making every effort to trace her parents.
Main ye bhi ghoshna karti hoon ki jo vyakti hamein Geeta ke maa-baap ko milwa dega hum ussey 1 Lakh rupaiye ka inam denge: EAM Sushma Swaraj a ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017
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New Delhi:
Tension gripped Param Purwa area of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday when a clash broke out between two communities leaving six persons injured during Muharram procession.
Members of both communities threw bricks at each other and put vehicles on fire. The incident took place when the procession deviated from its fixed routes. A
aPerturbed, some members of another community started throwing stones at it in Parampurva,a Inspector General of Police (Kanpur zone) Alok Singh told.
Two cars and four motorcycles were set ablaze during the clash, he said.
Param Purwa (Kanpur): Tension between 2 groups over Tazia procession route. Nobody reported hurt, situation under control (earlier visuals). pic.twitter.com/AGpANsht77 a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 1, 2017
Police resorted to baton-charge to control the situation, the IG said. He said three persons were injured in the incident.
Four companies (around 400 personnel) of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and a company of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed in the area to maintain peace.
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By PTI: Jammu, Oct 1 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh today lauded the BSF for unearthing a 14-feet-long tunnel being dug from across the border and said Pakistan was "desperate" after tasting "defeat militarily and diplomatically".
Singhs remarks came a day after the Border Security Force (BSF) unearthed the tunnel at the International Border in the Arnia sector here. The tunnel was being dug from the Pakistani side.
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"Pakistan is desperate after it tasted defeat militarily and diplomatically (at the hands of India) along the borders and within Jammu and Kashmir," Singh told reporters.
Pakistan was left isolated in the world and even China, its closest friend, made it clear that it will not support Pakistan over terrorism, he claimed.
Singh said the Islamic countries, whose leadership Pakistan used to claim, have also rejected it over terrorism.
Asked about the BSFs unearthing of the tunnel, Singh said Pakistan was doing everything with the intention of destabilising Jammu and Kashmir and the country.
Singh accused Pakistan of murdering innocent people, indulging in cross-border firing and supporting militancy and terrorism to create instability.
The deputy chief minister lauded the forces for being alert, saying they have scuttled Pakistans nefarious designs. He also hailed the BSF for its timely detection of the tunnel.
"Jammu and Kashmir police, security forces and Army enjoy excellent synergy in dealing with this monster and its proxy war," Singh said.
That is why Pakistan is not achieving any success, the BJP leader said.
Singh claimed that 54 attempts were made by Pakistan to push armed intruders into the state recently but alert forces foiled 44 such attempts.
"Those who succeeded (in infiltrating) were either killed on the borders or in the hinterland," he said, adding that over a dozen top militant commanders of various terrorist organisations have been eliminated this year.
"There is a a joke doing the rounds in Kashmir that the post of (militant) area commander or (militant) commander is vacant and is there anybody to fill the post...One who gets nominated today is getting eliminated shortly," he said.
"We are focusing on a multi-pronged strategy to deal with terrorism," Singh said.
Asserting that the government was prepared to deal with any situation, he said those who speak the language of the gun will be answered in the same manner while those interested in talks and desirous of peace need to come forward with their grievances.
"We have made it clear that a terrorist is a terrorist and will be dealt accordingly," Singh said.
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Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav have already extended an olive branch to the people desirous of peace in Jammu and Kashmir during their recent visits, Singh said. PTI TAS MG ASK ASK
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New Delhi:
A Uttar Pradesh police constable in inebriated condition has been suspended after he tried to rape a minor with police station premises.
The constable posted at Rampur districts Kemri Police Station was caught in act of molesting a six-year-old girl inside the police station.
According to a senior police official of Rampur district the constables heinous act was caught in CCTV installed in the police station premises.
The constable has been suspended, said the senior police officer.
Also read: West Bengal Police constable rapes minor inside barrack
The officer added that the constable has been booked under appropriate sections under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and POSCO act.
While, the BJP-led government claims that several steps have been taken to prevent any crime against women in Uttar Pradesh.
Also read| Delhi: Elderly man lured 7-year-old, raped her repeatedly after sedating says police
But, in the last four months at least four incidents have been reported where a police personnel was allegedly involved in raping a minor.
In the month of August, a constable from Ballia district was arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl atop a police outpost.
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New Delhi:
Despite the Tamil Nadu state government efforts to control the vector-borne disease, dengue, the number of dengue cases this year has also only risen. The city has registered around 131 cases of dengue this year and as per the records, more than 7,000 cases have observed.
On Saturday, three children died in the hospitals. The victims have been identified as 6-year-old Sanjana from Nellore, 3-year-old Joy Benita from Ambattur and 6-year-old Divya, also from Ambattur.
Due to low platelet counts, Sanjana was being treated at the Egmore Children's Hospital, while Joy Benita was admitted to the Kilpauk Hospital a few days ago.
Dean Dr. Ravi Chandran said, The girl was referred from a private hospital in Chennai in a state of shock and was admitted to the hospital and survived for 12 hours.
Also Read: Upsurge in swine flu cases, Delhi witnesses 320 cases so far
Amidst rising dengue cases, the health secretary has requested patients to go for checkup doctor if the fever persists and emphasized that measures should be taken to control dengue and ensure that there was no stagnating water in their homes or nearby areas. He also appealed to people to take their children to government hospitals.
According to the health secretary, the government hospitals are well-equipped to handle the dengue and appealed to people to take their children to government hospitals.
Although the state health department claims that they are taking effective measures to control the spread of diseases and has made an allocation of 13.95 crore for control measures but due to the paucity of staff and facilities at Primary Health Centers (PHCs), the city is unable to emerge from the challenge for doctors in the treatment of the fever and dengue patients.
While the pediatric ward needs at least 6 doctors, there are only 3, making it difficult to render services round the clock. Our first concern is lack of staff and then machinery, as enough staff is needed to use them, said a staff at Pediatric ward at PHC in West Mambalam.
Also Read: Hypertension, TB, Dengue cases spike in Delhi: Survey
New Delhi:
In a breakthrough discovery, researchers have found a 19-inches-long Vangunu giant rat species on the Soloman Islands. It is gonna be a first new rat species discovered in the area in about eight decades.
Due to the isolation of the Solomon Islands biologically, the Islands are also home to several mammals that cannot be found in other parts of the world. Solomons are located in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,100 miles off the Australian coast.
Vangunu giant rat is also known by the scientific name Uromys Vika and it is four times larger than the average rodent.
Tyrone Lavery, a fellow at Chicagos Field Museum and Australias Queensland Museum said since 2010, he had been looking for the Vangunu giant rat, but unable to spot any evidence of the giant rat in repeated trips to the Solomons.
When I first met with the people from Vangunu Island in the Solomons, they told me about a rat native to the island that they called Vika, which lived in the trees, Lavery recalled.
After confirming the new species through DNA testing, Lavery said that There are only eight known species of native rat from the Solomon Islands, and looking at the features on its skull, I could rule out a bunch of species right away,
The presence of the unique features in Vangunu giant rat helps it to survive in the island's habitat. Due to the long tail, he climbs the tree very easily. Lavery thinks that they represent "adoption for life in trees". Since the giant rats are coconut and Canarium lovers so they have particularly sharp and long incisors for their food.
Around 90 percent of the Soloman Islands' trees have been cut down by loggers and there is a chance that the new rodent species will be declared critically endangered. As per the Lavery, it is the lone example of the giant rat was found in one of the few parts of the islands that hadn't been logged yet.
Its really urgent for us to be able to document this rat and find additional support for the Zaira Conservation Area, on Vangunu, where the rat lives, Lavery concluded.
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New Delhi:
Two people were killed in a knife attack at Frances southern port city Marseilles Saint-Charles station on Sunday. The security forces patrolling at the station premised have gunned down the attacker.
Regional police officer chief Olivier de Mazieres told the media, The attack occurred around 1:45 pm (France local time).
He added that two victims were stabbed to death.
A source close to the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity that the knifeman is believed to have shouted Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) before stabbing the commuters.
#Marseille : apres lattaque perpetree a proximite de la gare Saint Charles, je me rends immediatement sur les lieux. Gerard Collomb (@gerardcollomb) October 1, 2017
French police cordoned off the area and an operation was launched to nab any other suspects. The police have warned people to avoid Marseille's main train station amid reports of a knife attack.
A local official told the media that the attacker was shot dead by the soldiers, while people in the city were asked to avoid Saint-Charles station by the police.
The killing at the southern port city of the country came while France is on high alert towards terrorist attacks.
Gare #Marseille saint Charles evacuee, hommes en armes (assault), excitation... Bel accueil au retour a Massilia ! #sncf #attentat pic.twitter.com/bvLmVTtfWg Gratz Methylene (@gratzmethylene) October 1, 2017
The knife attack is being investigated by France's anti-terror prosecutor.
France is been regular targeted by radical terrorists which began with January 2015 when jihadi gunmen killed 12 employees of satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.
Also read: ISIS claims responsibility for brutal Russia knife attack that injured 7 people
The France government since then has launched Operation Sentinelle, deploying 7,000 troops across the country to guard attack-prone zones including transport hubs, religious buildings and tourist spots.
The attacks since 2015 have left 239 people dead, according to an AFP count before Sunday's incident.
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Islamabad:
Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has slapped Rs 100-million defamation notice on Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif for calling him the "darling of the United States".
Asif, while speaking at the Asia Society forum in New York on Tuesday, acknowledged that Saeed, the Haqqanis and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are "liabilities" for the country but it does not have the required "assets" to get rid of them.
The minister had also said that the US, which was putting pressure on Pakistan to tackle terrorist groups operating from its soil, once used to treat them as "darlings" just 20 to 30 years back.
Saeed's counsel A K Dogar sent the notice to the foreign minister on behalf of his client who heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a front for the LeT militant group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack.
"Saeed is respected as a deeply religious and devout Muslim. Saeed has never been near the White House, not to speak of wined and dined," Dogar said in the notice.
"It is shocking to know that the foreign minister of my country is accusing Hafiz Mohammad Saeed of taking wine. This is abusive language and can never be used for my client.
Also Read | US' former darlings' Hafiz Saeed, Haqqanis, LeT dined and wined in the White House, says Pakistan
"He is a patriotic Islam-loving Muslim following the dictates of the Prophet. This is a defamatory statement punishable under Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to five years imprisonment and with a fine," he said.
The counsel termed it as an absolute lie and falsehood that Saeed is one of those persons who had been the "darlings of Americans" and had been dining and wining in the White House.
Whoever by words either spoken or intended to be read makes any imputation concerning any person so as to harm his reputation is said to defame that person, he said.
"The imputation of wining is a false statement which has injured the reputation of my client and lowered him in the estimation of others. This is slander and actionable libel. I am constrained to issue this 14 days notice of the intention of my client to bring an action against you.
"My client intends to file a suit for damages to the tune of Rs 100 million for injuring his reputation not only in Pakistan but all over the world," Dogar said.
"Apart from civil remedy, my client has a right to file a criminal complaint against you under Section 500 of the PPC. It goes without saying that you will be responsible for the entire cost of litigation," the counsel added.
US President Donald Trump had last month criticised Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying it receives billions in US aid but continues to harbour militants.
Saeed and his four aides were placed under house arrest in Lahore on January 30 under the anti-terrorism act.
The JuD has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in June 2014.
Saeed carries a USD 10 million American bounty on his head for his role in terror activities.
For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his country was not involved in the Kurdish referendum. Apart from denying Turkish claims of covert involvement in the issue, he reiterated his "sympathy" for the Kurdish people.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel's intelligence agency played a role in the September 25 referendum, citing as proof the waving of Israeli flags during celebrations for the overwhelming "yes" victory."
This shows one thing, that this administration (in northern Iraq) has a history with Mossad, they are hand-in- hand together," Erdogan said in a televised speech.
Speaking at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu noted Turkey's support for the Islamist Hamas movement which rules Gaza, before denying Erdogan's charge.
"I can understand why those who support Hamas want to see the Mossad wherever things don't work out for them," Netanyahu said in remarks relayed by his office.
"But Israel had no part in the Kurdish referendum, aside from the deep, natural and years-long sympathy of the Jewish people to the Kurdish people and its aspirations," he said.
Israel has been the only country to openly support Kurdish independence, with Netanyahu backing "the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state of its own."
Netanyahu did not specify how and where such a state should come into being. Turkey fiercely opposed the referendum and has threatened sanctions against the region, reflecting its worries about its own sizeable Kurdish minority.
With PTI inputs
For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif is all set to return as chief of country's ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on October 3.
The PML-N has convened a meeting of its general council on October 2 and 3 to initiate the process of Sharifs re-election as party chief.
Pakistans Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan who is also the central information secretary of PML-N said on Friday that separate meetings of partys CWC and general council have been summoned to decide central leadership.
Zawaz Sharif had been disqualified from holding public office by the apex court of Pakistan after conviction in Panama Papers case.
Also Read | Know how it is possible for Nawaz Sharif to become PML-N chief again
After Sharif was named in the Panama Papers investigation, a unanimous verdict by the Supreme Court of Pakistan has dethroned him from the post of Prime Minister.
The 67-year-old leader was also rendered ineligible to act as the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party under the landmark verdict.
Earlier last month, Pakistans PML-N party-led government had passed a key clause in the Elections Reforms Bill in the Senate, paving the way for Nawaz Sharif to become the chief of the ruling party again.
For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Those devotees who wish to show their love and affection towards Lord Vishnu, keep this fast.
By Lipi Upadhyay: Dedicated to Lord Padmanabha, Papankusha Ekadashi falls on the 11th day of shukla paksha, during the lunar ashwani month, according to the Hindu lunar calender.
Significance:
This day is dedicated to Lord Padmanabha, who is known to be the manifestation of Lord Vishnu.
Picture courtesy: Facebook/Shree Ramanujkot Balaji Latur
Also Read: Durga Puja 2017: Here's why Bengali women play with sindoor on Vijaya Dashami
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Devotees who observe fast on this day are believed to be blessed with health, wealth and all their worldly desires are fulfilled.
The fasting ritual of Papankusha Ekadashi starts from the Dashami itself and a single simple meal is consumed before sunset.
Picture courtesy: Facebook/BSD-Bodyservicingday Picture courtesy: Facebook/BSD-Bodyservicingday
Also Read: Here's why Navratri's sattvik food is actually good for your health
Those who keep the fast, have to break it the next day, only after the sunrise. One cannot eat grains or cereals during Ekadashi fast.
One who observes fast on Papankusha Ekadashi is said to get desired wishes and all his sins and mistakes are destroyed. He/she is said to attain salvation.
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With higher costs weighing on the conveyor-belt sushi restaurant industry, Akindo Sushiro and Genki Sushi aim through their merger to leverage greater scale to negotiate better prices for quality fish.
The two companies on Friday announced a capital partnership toward integrating their businesses. Rice wholesaler Shinmei, the parent of Genki Sushi, will lead the process by obtaining 32.72% of Sushiro's parent Sushiro Global Holdings from British investment fund Permira for 37.9 billion yen ($336 million).
Widening the lead
Akindo Sushiro is the market leader in Japan, and Genki Sushi the fifth-place player. With combined sales of some 180 billion yen, the pair would control around 30% of the market, taking a significant lead over No. 2 Kura Corp.'s 113.6 billion yen and No. 3 Hamazushi's 109 billion yen.
"Increased procurement volume boosts our negotiating power, so this will help counter rising costs," Sushiro Global President Koichi Mizutome told a news conference in Tokyo. Stable procurement is of great importance to the business.
To cut operating costs, the conveyor sushi industry has automated many tasks like making sushi, taking orders and delivering to the table. As a result, ingredient costs are equivalent to 40-50% of menu item prices, around 10 to 20 percentage points higher than at other casual restaurants. Ingredient costs have that much more impact over profit.
Prices of imported salmon and trout have climbed around 20% in two years on the back of rising fish demand in emerging economies. Yet price hikes are not an easy option because lower prices are what draw many customers and make conveyor sushi a rare growing segment within the food service sector.
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taiwannews.com.tw - Nov 09
For centuries, holy men, pilgrims and nobles journeyed the sacred paths that crossed Japan in search of knowledge and enlightenment. At the end of a long day tramping the mountain paths, they invariably sought out an "otera," or temple, to rest their weary bodies.
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For the U.S. Air Force, the case of alleged sexual harassment and assault by a senior officer was exactly the type of misconduct Pentagon leaders had promised Congress and the public they would no longer tolerate.
The victim at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Alabama reported in September 2015 that her married boss, a colonel, had repeatedly said he wanted to have sex with her, tracked her movements and sent her recordings of him masturbating in the shower, documents show. She said that she told him to back off but that he would not stop: Twice, she alleges, he trapped her in the office, grabbed her arms and forcibly tried to kiss her.
Air Force investigators quickly confirmed much of her account, aided by hundreds of messages that the officer had texted the woman and by his admission that he had sent the masturbation recordings, the documents show.
In their report, the investigators compiled extensive evidence that the colonel, Ronald Jobo, had committed abusive sexual contact against the woman, a civilian in her 30s. Under military law, the charge would have automatically resulted in a court-martial, a proceeding open to the public. The crime carried a sentence of up to seven years in prison and a requirement to register as a sex offender.
The decision on what to do next rested with a three-star general 600 miles away at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. In the military-justice system, commanders - not uniformed prosecutors - have the power to dictate how and whether criminal cases should be pursued.
In March 2016, Lt. Gen. John Thompson, the senior officer in Jobo's chain of command, decided against charging Jobo with abusive sexual contact, or any crime at all. Instead, Thompson imposed what the military calls nonjudicial punishment, or discipline for minor offenses.
Jobo was forced to retire and demoted one rank, to lieutenant colonel. Because the military keeps most disciplinary actions secret, the case was hidden from public view.
There would be no trial, no publicity and no public record - the same for thousands of other sexual assault investigations each year in the armed forces.
An examination of the Jobo investigation, based in part on an internal 400-page law enforcement case file obtained by The Washington Post, casts doubt on the military's promises to crack down on sexual misconduct and hold commanders accountable for how they administer justice.
"This kind of case cries out to be court-martialed," said retired Col. Don Christensen, a former chief prosecutor for the Air Force who is now president of Protect Our Defenders. The group advocates for sexual assault victims in the armed forces and has lobbied for uniformed prosecutors, instead of commanders, to oversee cases. "It just cries out for someone to be held accountable in a public forum."
Jobo retired from the Air Force last year. He declined requests for an interview. In a statement to The Post, he said he served honorably in the Air Force for more than 25 years but "showed extremely poor judgment by allowing a close work relationship to escalate into an unprofessional personal one."
"I was misguided and deeply regret the hurt and embarrassment I caused my wife, daughter, extended family, colleagues and friends," he added.
In an interview with The Post, the woman said she felt betrayed by the general's decision. "Disappointment is probably an understatement. I felt strongly that Colonel Jobo should be held accountable," she said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect her privacy. (The Post's policy is not to identify victims of sexual assault or abuse.)
The Pentagon has sought to raise the profile of its campaign against sexual assault and harassment in the ranks since 2013, when a string of scandals raised fundamental questions about whether the military's justice system was too antiquated to cope with the problem. In testimony before Congress, the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff acknowledged that they had neglected the issue for years.
Since then, the armed forces have promised to address the problem and have devoted new resources to training and law enforcement. Last year, the number of reported sexual assaults - defined as acts ranging from wrongful sexual contact to rape - reached 6,172, a new high.
The Pentagon has called the increase a sign of progress, saying that more victims are coming forward because they are confident that offenders will be held accountable. Still, only about 1 in 3 victims last year reported being assaulted, according to military estimates.
More than 90 percent of reported incidents, however, are investigated and adjudicated behind closed doors, Pentagon statistics show. Last year, only 389 sexual assault cases proceeded to trial and produced public records of what happened.
Ordinarily, details of the case involving the colonel from Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base would have remained secret, too. The Air Force rejected Freedom of Information Act requests from The Post for records associated with Jobo's investigation and punishment, citing his privacy rights.
The documents obtained by The Post from other sources show how the victim futilely pleaded with Thompson, the general in charge of deciding the case, to approve criminal charges instead of meting out what she feared would be "a slap on the wrist."
"Sir, very respectfully, this is offensive to me," she wrote in a memo in February 2016, when she learned Thompson was unlikely to order a court-martial. "I have been afraid that I would not be believed. I was afraid that I would get blamed for what happened. I am afraid that this whole thing would just get swept under the rug because of his rank."
Thompson, who was given a new leadership post in May with the Air Force Space Command, declined requests from The Post for an interview. In a statement, he said military law and Air Force policy restricted him from commenting on the reasoning behind his decisions.
"In this case, as in all cases, a thorough investigation was conducted and commanders throughout the chain of command reviewed all of the evidence at multiple stages," Thompson said. He said he had based his decisions "on the totality of the circumstances and the maintenance of good order and discipline in the Service."
- - -
Located in Alabama's capital, Montgomery, Gunter Annex is several miles across town from the main base. The annex houses the Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate, which is responsible for managing many of the Air Force's computer systems worldwide.
About 1,500 civilians and uniformed personnel work for the directorate. Roughly 80 percent are men.
Military records indicate that the former civilian chief of the unit - Jobo's boss - had previously been rebuked for an overly lenient approach to sexual misconduct allegations.
The Air Force inspector general criticized the chief, Robert Carl Shofner, for his actions in 2015, when he pushed to promote an Air Force supervisor who had a record of sexual harassment and played down another subordinate's affair with a junior employee.
According to the inspector general's report, obtained by The Post under FOIA, Shofner was "overly friendly" with his two offending subordinates. By failing to take appropriate action, the inspector general found, he contributed to a culture at Gunter that "condoned sexual harassment."
"Mr. Shofner gave the impression that leadership turned a blind eye to sexual harassment and thus allowed an environment where sexual harassment festers," the report concluded.
The Air Force said in a statement that it suspended Shofner without pay for 14 days as a result of the inspector general's findings. He was transferred from Gunter last year to a new job at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
In an email to The Post, Shofner said he disagreed "with any conclusion someone would make that I failed any integrity tests in showing favoritism or in providing a healthy working environment."
"There were many complex issues in work over the course of my tenure and I responded firmly and appropriately as expected and required," he said.
The inspector general's report shows Shofner had been warned explicitly that his handling of the sexual harassment case could backfire. In July 2015, a senior official at Gunter told Shofner in a memo that he was sending the wrong message to the workforce and failing to create "a deterrent to future indiscretions."
The warning proved prescient. A few weeks later, Shofner was confronted by another sexual misconduct case - this time involving Jobo, his second-in-command.
Jobo was a systems engineer who had graduated from the Air Force Academy and served in the war in Afghanistan. As the senior uniformed officer at Gunter, he wielded unquestioned authority over the directorate.
Married with a daughter, Jobo, then 47, worked closely with a female subordinate: a civilian executive who specialized in logistics and was about a decade younger. They both told investigators that their relationship was professional at first and gradually became more friendly.
She told The Post that she saw him as a mentor but that in the summer of 2015, he started to become flirtatious, making her uncomfortable. He texted and emailed her at all hours and remarked that they were "in a relationship." She said she reminded him more than once that he was her boss and that she had a boyfriend.
Others at Gunter said it was not hard to sense what was on the colonel's mind.
One Air Force officer later told law enforcement agents from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations that Jobo hovered over the woman and touched her on the arm during staff meetings, according to the agents' case file. The officer, whose name was redacted from the file, said that just watching the interaction made her "neck hairs stand up" and that she warned the woman afterward to be "very cautious."
"I told her that he looked at her like he wanted her sexually and that he was in her space and that the touch was weird," the officer wrote in a statement. "She said, 'He touched me?' She was oblivious. I told her that she needed to become situationally aware because [it was] just a strange vibe."
- - -
In August 2015, Jobo's behavior suddenly turned more explicit. While the woman was on a business trip to Washington, he left a phone-sex recording on her voice mail, according to investigators' records in the case file.
For six minutes, he shared his sexual fantasies and recorded himself masturbating; he also sent her a photo of himself in the shower while holding a toothbrush next to his genitals, the case file shows.
The woman told The Post that she was shocked and scared by the recordings but ignored them, hoping the colonel would stop. "I handled it as best I could without prompting or allowing any further thoughts on his part," she said.
But when she returned to Montgomery from Washington, the harassment intensified.
On Aug. 28, her first day back in the office at Gunter, she received a text from Jobo at 8:58 a.m. saying that he wanted to push her against the wall and kiss her, according to the case file.
He texted her nine more times that day, capped with a message at 9:46 p.m.: "If I really had balls I would have kissed you today but I figured I'd see if I could ignore you first."
Over the next two weeks, at all hours, Jobo sent hundreds more phone texts and instant messages, alternating between work-related notes and outbursts of vulgarity, records show.
He repeatedly called the woman a "hopa" - hot piece of ass - and asked her out on dates, saying he was "a dude you've never experienced before." He also pushed her to attend a conference with him, on the condition that they stay together at a hotel "away from everybody else."
On Sept. 5, a Saturday, Jobo texted her a shirtless photo of himself in front of a river. "My body is here going through the motions," he wrote. "My mind is somewhere else with someone else."
In separate interviews with The Post and Air Force investigators, the woman said she didn't reply to many of the texts. Other times, she said, she flatly told Jobo to cut it out and warned him that people in the office were beginning to gossip about the attention he paid her.
On the morning of Sept. 8, after the Labor Day weekend, the woman met with Jobo in his office to discuss hiring plans for the directorate. As she stood up to leave, "he pulled me into a forceful two arm hug," she told investigators, and ran his hands up and down her back and tried to kiss her.
She said she pushed him away, blurted out an expletive and fled. "I was confused, scared and embarrassed," she told investigators in a statement.
Later that morning, she reached out to an Air Force tech sergeant who worked in Jobo's office, asking whether they could discuss something confidential. She met him in a parking lot, showed him some of Jobo's texts on her phone and asked what she should do.
In a statement to investigators, the tech sergeant, whose name was redacted from the report, said he told the woman that their boss' behavior was "wildly inappropriate." He asked if she felt she was in danger and whether she intended to report the physical contact and harassment.
Worried about the consequences for her career, the woman said she was reluctant to file a complaint. "She was apprehensive and started to cry, thinking about having to move," the tech sergeant said, adding that she knew "how things were, in her opinion, 'swept under the rug' in our organization during previous circumstances with other individuals."
Before they left the parking lot, the tech sergeant advised her to tell Jobo in writing that he had to stop harassing her - not only to put him on notice but also "to ensure there was a record of her asking him to cease his actions."
Later that afternoon, after receiving another flurry of messages from Jobo, the woman texted him back and told him to cut it out.
"I've worked too hard to throw away my reputation for perceptions," she wrote. "It's stressing me out like crazy."
Jobo appeared to back down. He replied that he would "quit cold turkey," adding: "I'll cut it out."
Later that night, at 8:29, he apologized, sort of.
"So I am not sure why you are all in a panic today," he texted, "besides me being a jerk and trying to kiss you . . . for which I'm sorry."
- - -
The texts, however, kept coming. The woman told investigators that she ignored most of them but that the colonel was hard to deter.
Jobo monitored her whereabouts by checking when she was signed onto her desktop computer and if her car was in its reserved parking space, the tech sergeant told investigators. Once, as she was leaving for the day, Jobo "shot out the door" to intercept her but was blocked by the tech sergeant, on the pretext that the colonel was late for a meeting, according to the tech sergeant's account.
By Sept. 10, the woman had hit her limit. She told her boss to buzz off. Again.
"I need all this to stop," she texted. "I want to be able to come in to work and do my job without drama. My trust and foundation have been shaken. With this type of work environment, it makes my job 10 times harder than it already is."
Jobo replied that he loved her and respected her enough to stop. But then he notified her that they needed to review the directorate's hiring plans again. He scheduled a one-on-one meeting in his office for 1 p.m. the next day.
The woman said she was afraid to attend but did not want to jeopardize her job by refusing. She confided again in the tech sergeant, who promised to station himself at a desk outside Jobo's office for the duration of the meeting. If the colonel tried any funny business, he told her to yell or text him immediately and he would barge in.
On Sept. 11, a Friday, the woman arrived at Jobo's office a little after 1 p.m. For about 30 minutes, the meeting proceeded uneventfully. In her statement to investigators, the woman said she tried to wrap things up, but Jobo replied that he had something else to discuss: that he loved her and didn't want to do his job without her by his side.
She told investigators that she tried to avoid eye contact, which only made the colonel angry. He slammed his fists on the table and ordered her to look at him. Then he rambled on about not wanting to lose her, that he couldn't stop thinking about her and that it was affecting his ability to work.
"At this point," the woman recalled in her statement, "I snapped and raised my voice and said, 'Sir, you are a f---ing colonel. Why don't you act like one?' "
Outside, the tech sergeant sensed trouble and texted the woman asking whether she needed help. She told investigators that she was too preoccupied to answer. She tried to end the meeting and walk out but said that Jobo put his foot against the door, trapping her inside.
She said he grabbed her arm forcefully and exclaimed, "Tell me you will answer my texts this weekend! Tell me you will talk to me! Tell me!"
The woman said that she tried once more to leave but that he told her he wouldn't let go of her arm until she agreed to respond to his texts. Instead, crying, she swore at him again.
When he raised his other arm, she said she noticed that his foot was no longer blocking the door.
She grabbed the door handle, yanked it and ran out the building.
- - -
At Gunter, word spread quickly that something had happened.
Several colleagues sought the woman out to see if she was OK. Shofner, the head of the directorate, noticed that her body language was awry and asked whether there was anything he could do. She was visibly upset but evasive. She told The Post that she didn't know whom to trust or what to say.
That afternoon, Jobo resumed texting. In a series of messages, he told her that he had overreacted, that he didn't want to lose her, according to the law enforcement case file. He called himself "an idiot" and apologized. "I definitely don't deserve you," he wrote at 8:16 p.m.
Before dawn the next morning, he picked up his phone again.
"Besides trying to hug you and kiss you on Tues I'm racking my brain as to what else I did that broke your trust in me?" he texted. "I'm over my anger. I still don't know why you're really mad at ME other than trying to kiss you."
That afternoon, the woman confided in the tech sergeant once more. She texted him a photo of her left forearm, which had a bruise from where Jobo had grabbed her, according to the law enforcement case file.
That was enough for the tech sergeant. He told her that if she didn't report the assault, he would. He said he'd give her a day to decide.
She agreed and called Shofner on his cellphone the next morning to ask for an urgent appointment. He was in church for Sunday services but agreed to meet at 1 p.m. in his office, where she told him what the colonel had done, according to the case file.
He advised her to make a formal report, which she did a few hours later. He declined to comment further about how the case was handled.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) receives several hundred sexual assault reports a year. In many cases, the evidence is thin or contradictory. Alcohol often plays a role, fogging memories. Cases can boil down to the word of the accuser vs. that of the accused.
In this case, there was plenty of evidence. OSI agents interviewed the woman at length and photographed the bruise on her arm. She showed them the texts Jobo had sent her, which they later corroborated by seizing and examining the colonel's phones.
Two days after receiving the complaint, the agents interviewed Jobo. According to the agents' notes, Jobo confirmed many of the woman's allegations. He admitted sending her numerous texts, including a message in which he said, "I want you, I want to make love to you."
Further, he admitted to sending the masturbation recordings and shower photo, although he said they were meant as a joke and "not with sexual implications in mind," according to the case file.
He sent the X-rated material, he explained, only because the woman had once sent him a photo of herself in a swimsuit. She confirmed to investigators that she sent the photo but said he pressured her to do so.
The day after his interview, Jobo gave the agents a five-page statement that cast things in a different light. He said she was the one who pursued a relationship with him. He added that she had texted him in July that "she would date me" but that he didn't take it seriously.
"I figured she was just being honest and expressing her thoughts but we both knew the realities," he wrote. "We avoided each other at work and it seemed to turn into who can ignore who the most."
In their report, the OSI agents cast doubt on Jobo's assertion that the woman had wanted to date him, saying there was no evidence of it in the hundreds of text messages they examined. The woman also told the agents that she had made clear to Jobo that she already had a boyfriend but that the colonel pursued her anyway.
In his email to The Post, Jobo said he "cooperated fully and truthfully with a lengthy and exhaustive inquiry, took responsibility for this unprofessional relationship but emphatically refuted other allegations and I maintain this position."
He did not specify which allegations he was contesting.
- - -
On the same day that the woman filed her complaint, Gunter officials flashed an urgent notice up the chain of command.
The alert landed on the desk of Lt. Gen. John Thompson, the head of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. As the senior officer in Jobo's chain of command, Thompson had the final say on how the case would be handled and what, if anything, would happen to Jobo.
U.S. military commanders have wielded near-total authority to impose discipline or criminal charges since the Revolutionary War, but their role has come under sharp criticism in recent years.
Most commanders have little, if any, legal training. Congress has debated whether some of their powers should be ceded to military prosecutors, especially in sexual assault cases.
The Pentagon has vigorously resisted, arguing that commanders need to retain their authority to maintain order and discipline in their units and that they receive plenty of advice from military lawyers.
Lawmakers have started to pay close attention to how commanders deal with sexual assault and harassment. In 2013, members of the Senate raised an outcry after learning of two separate cases in which Air Force lieutenant generals had granted clemency to convicted sex offenders. Both generals retired under pressure.
Under military law, there are few hard-and-fast rules that dictate which cases should go to trial. Commanders can impose discipline for serious offenses - or order courts-martial for trivial ones. In March, for example, an enlisted member of the Air Force from New Jersey was convicted at court-martial for being six minutes late to a meeting with his commander.
Thompson personally assured the woman at Gunter that he would take her case seriously. "He told me he was going to treat me like his daughter," she told The Post.
The OSI agents completed their investigation and submitted their report to Thompson on Feb. 3, 2016. The report cited evidence that Jobo had committed abusive sexual contact when he grabbed the woman by the arm and tried to kiss her because he was trying to gratify his sexual desires.
Under a recent change in military law passed by Congress, if Thompson had approved the charge of abusive sexual contact, the case almost certainly would have resulted in a court-martial. Any other outcome would have required review from the highest levels of the Air Force.
A few days after the OSI report was submitted, however, the woman heard rumors that Thompson was considering a more lenient approach. She sent the general an email and memo on Feb. 15 pleading with him to have Jobo court-martialed.
"He sexually harassed me and he tried to sexually assault me. It is as simple as that," she wrote. "I fear that if this is reduced to a simple assault charge that it will lead others not to step forward because the Air Force will not protect them if they are in a similar situation."
Thompson emailed back the next day. "I understand your position," he told her, adding that he had not yet made a decision.
A few weeks later, on March 24, 2016, Thompson made up his mind. There would be no criminal charges.
Instead, he ordered that Jobo be disciplined for attempted abusive sexual contact, assault consummated by a battery and conduct unbecoming an officer. None of those offenses required a court-martial.
Meanwhile, the woman took another job with the Air Force in a different state. She told The Post that she had wanted to stay in Alabama but decided to leave because she didn't feel safe working near Jobo and because the Air Force would not transfer him to another base.
Air Force officials said that Jobo was subsequently forced to retire and that a review board determined that he should be demoted to lieutenant colonel.
Jobo, now 49, retired effective October 2016. He will receive a military pension for the rest of his life.
It is now worth about $72,000 a year, or $10,000 less than if he had not been demoted, according to an Air Force spokeswoman and pension records.
By PTI: Srinagar, Oct 1 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir police has arrested two notorious drug peddlers in separate incidents in Kashmir and seized over 100 kg of contraband from their possession.
In the first incident, Mohammad Yousuf Dar alias Yousuf Joker was arrested from his house in south Kashmir?s Anantnag district and 105 kg of fukki, a narcotic substance, and cannabis were allegedly seized from his possession, a police spokesman said here.
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In another incident, drug peddler Farooq Ahmad Dar was arrested from Handwara area of north Kashmir?s Kupwara district.
Poice seized one kg of charas, which was to be sold to youths in the district, from his possession, the spokesman claimed.
Dar is said to be one of the main suppliers of drugs especially in Rajwar and Handwara areas of the region, he said.
Complaints have been registered and investigations are on in both the cases, he added. PTI SSB DPB RT
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Ikea, the Swedish furniture store, is famous for its wordless assembly instruction booklets. But in case you have trouble figuring out the pictures - or simply lack the patience for hex wrenches - the company said Thursday that it's buying TaskRabbit, the gig-economy startup that lets you contract out those types of tasks to other people.
The two companies did not disclose the size of the purchase. But in a release, Ikea said that the deal will allow it to connect customers directly to the freelancers on TaskRabbit's digital platform, many of whom already do packing and moving, furniture assembly or cleaning.
ORANGE Nina and Anthony Bonacci have been happily married for 70 years and their recipe for success seems simple.
You have to talk out everything, said Anthony Bonacci, 94.
Nina Gallo Bonacci said, You have to want it to work out and we did want it.
The couple have had disagreements of course, but, Anthony Bonacci says, We end up agreeing after a while. You compromise.
The couple met when Nina Bonacci, now 88, was 13-years-old and Anthony was 19, when his family rented an apartment in a house in Bridgeport owned by her family.
They went out on one date before Anthony was sent overseas to serve in World War II, and exchanged letters while he was in the U.S. Army.
I loved his personality. He had the same personality as his mother jolly. She always laughed, Nina Bonacci said.
She added: Of course, he was handsome.
Anthony Bonacci said that aside from being beautiful, his future wife was, A pleasant girl, and a good girl. She was quiet.
While Nina Bonacci waited for Anthony in Bridgeport while attending high school, he fought in the Battle of Bulge and earned a Purple Heart for his service after being hit by shrapnel.
They resumed dating when he returned after about two years overseas and were married Sept. 20, 1947, when she was 18. He is a retired tool and die maker.
The couple raised their four children in Fairfield and moved to Orange about 30 years ago as empty nesters. They now have 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Nina Bonacci said they had great times on family vacations with the kids, including driving to California back in the days before children watched movies in the car on long trips. Nina Bonacci said she had them write something each day about what they saw.
They are the parents of Anna Maria Craun of Pennsylvania, a registered nurse; Judy Drenzek of Orange, principal of Edith E. Mackrille Elementary School in West Haven; Anthony Bonacci of Newtown, a construction executive, and Nina Walsh of Roxbury, an acupuncturist. They attended Fairfield schools.
I tell them, I know youve accomplished a lot, but Im most proud that youre decent people, Nina Bonacci said. I tried to instill good character in them.
FAIRFIELD Count Fairfield among those courting online retail giant Amazon.
Amazon is looking for a home for its $5 billion North American headquarters for the Seattle-based business, and there is an Oct. 19 deadline for submitting proposals.
Community and Economic Development Director Mark Barnhart said the town is supporting the states efforts to bring Amazon to Connecticut, providing help to both Stamfords and Bridgeport/New Havens efforts.
To that end, Barnhart said, the town has provided information the Fairfield Metro Center site as a
candidate site, which is shovel-ready and approved for roughly 1 million square feet of office development with on-site access to rail, which are among the criteria laid out by Amazon.
The Metro Center property on lower Black Rock Turnpike would not be a primary site for Amazon, Barnhart said, but rather a supporting site for the Bridgeport/New Haven application. There are a number of other sites in the region that can accommodate the desired square footage.
Should any community in Connecticut, or Fairfield County, land Amazon, Barnhart said, the entire region would benefit.
We have indicated to both the state and surrounding cities that we will do whatever we can to support their efforts, Barnhart said.
He said given that Amazon is seeking to locate to a metropolitan area of 1 million in population, and wants to develop up to 8 million square feet and employ 50,000 people, anything less than a regional approach is foolhardy.
The state Department of Community and Economic Development will choose which application to submit to Amazon.
The Fairfield Metro Center, first proposed in the 1990s, originally called for office space, along with some retail and a Hilton Hotel. But after going through years of permitting, the real estate market collapsed, and the only thing that has opened at the 35-acre site is the train station.
Plans to swap an apartment building for a commercial building met with opposition from the town, but since then, a transit-oriented overlay zoning district was approved for the Commerce Drive area. A mixed-use building, with commercial and residential units, is now open at the corner of Commerce Drive and Black Rock Turnpike. A pedestrian walkway from the apartment building to the train station is planned.
Connecticut still plans to bid to host Amazons planned second headquarters, although state officials said they recognize the stiff competition from cities around the country.
In a speech Tuesday in Stamford, state Economic Development Commissioner Catherine Smith confirmed the state would submit an application by the Oct. 19 deadline. She said Connecticut is on Amazons radar, with the e-commerce giant operating a distribution center in Windsor and planning to open another one in North Haven.
We have gotten to know some of their real estate people pretty well, Smith said in the speech at the Crowne Plaza hotel. Weve had many conversations with them, as recently as two days ago, about this bid. We feel like we understand what theyre looking for.
Key details such as the number of proposed sites and the extent of subsidies Connecticut would offer in its proposal have not been finalized. The state has received 17 site proposals, Smith said in an interview after the speech.
The short list will be the ones we think have the greatest opportunity and meet the criteria, Smith said. And then well try to evaluate among those how many we think are appropriate to submit.
A number of municipal officials in Fairfield County have said this month they think their communities could host Amazons second hub. The Seattle-based company is looking for a site that could house as many 50,000 people.
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim said in a joint statement with Fairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau, We believe that the city of Bridgeport and Fairfield County have the attributes and meet the criteria that Amazon is looking for.
We look at Stamford and the lower Fairfield County region as well-positioned and as a desirable location for the second Amazon headquarters, said Thomas Madden, Stamfords director of economic development. Were currently working with our regional partners and (the state) on this. We hope to put forward a bold proposal.
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton released a video touting his citys attributes.
Despite public officials enthusiasm, Connecticut could not easily amass the office space needed to equal Amazons Seattle headquarters, which encompasses more than 8 million square feet of space across 33 buildings.
With a 31 percent office vacancy rate, Stamford could offer about 5 million square feet of available space, according to Newmark Knight Franks most recent report. Danburys Matrix Corporate Center, one of the largest office complexes in Fairfield County, is mostly vacant at 1.3 million square feet. The former General Electric headquarters in Fairfield, sold to Sacred Heart University, holds about 550,000 square feet.
While I know it is a long shot, because the competition here is pretty steep its pretty much every city in the whole United States its been a very good experience for us to work as a state to see how we can find the right opportunities for Amazon to join our state, Smith said.
greilly@ctpost.com; @GreillyPost
NEW HAVEN Continuum of Care, a local organization serving more than 2,000 adult clients with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, receives most of its funding from block grants and private donations, according to Continuum CEO and President Patti Walker, .
Without a state budget in place, however, there are not many block grants to be had.
We need these funds to continue to be strong and viable as an organization, and in order to make sure we can continue to expand our services as well, Walker said.
So on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 5:30 p.m. at Anthonys Ocean View on Lighthouse Road, Continuum is acting as host to Matt Savage, a 25-year-old prodigious musical savant with autism, for a fundraising gala.
Were so excited to have him. Hes world-renowned , said Deborah Cox, Continuums vice president for fund development. He was inspired to teach himself music and he went on to play around the world.
Savage, a jazz musician, bandleader and composer, has recorded 12 albums and has toured with jazz legends Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis and Clark Terry, as well as rock and pop musicians such as Chaka Khan, Neil Young and Stephen Stills.
Its really exciting. Its just an honor to be a part of this event for a great cause, Savage said.
He said he cannot recall a time when he did not want to work professionally as a jazz musician, because hes been doing it since he was about 9 years old.
Music makes me emote differently; it gives me more of a subtle understanding about emotions, but also makes me more optimistic, he said. Its given me something to work for.
Walker said many individuals on the autism spectrum, including Savage, are born with sensory issues, so Savage overcoming something that initially disturbed him can serve as an example for all other adults with intellectual disabilities.
We have so many clients that have challenges, but they also have talents and aspirations, she said.
Savage said his adjunct position at Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts has given him an opportunity firsthand to witness students learning and growing in their confidence and proficiency with music, considering he does not remember much about his own growth at a young age.
I taught at this school for kids with autism in New York City while doing grad school there, he said. It was all kids with special needs or on the autism spectrum, and Ive seen music has been a part of these kids lives to help them speak more and help them to adapt.
In the 35 years since Walker joined Continuum, she has seen service intensity grow, as addiction have become more prevalent.
The illnesses and comorbidity of the issues we serve are so much more complex, she said. The service intensity has heightened, so our need to service them has changed. Peoples attitudes toward mental illness, because of that intensity, have led people to become more educated about it and understand it better.
Walker said Continuum offers 42 residential programs, most of them in New Haven, for individuals with mental illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities, addiction and substance abuse issues and veterans dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She said Continuum is looking to expand its crisis program coverage, for individuals having short-term crises.
For anyone who has a mental illness or disability, they have periods of time in their life where their recovery is a stumbling block, she said. Rather than end up in a hospital or emergency room, which is very costly and not nearly as effective in terms of treatment, we put them in a community-based treatment program.
Tickets for the Continuum event are $1,000 for a table of 10 and $125 for individual tickets and can be reserved at continuumct.org/events or by calling 203-562-2264. Guests of honor will be Mayor Toni Harp and Continuum board member William Sledge and his wife Betsy.
brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
President Ram Nath Kovind who celebrates his 71st birthday today also inaugurated Shirdi Airport in Maharashtra.
By India Today Web Desk: President Ram Nath Kovind who turned 71-years-old today inaugurated Shirdi Airport in Ahmednagar and the inaugural Alliance Air commercial flight to Mumbai.
The inauguration of the airport, developed by Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC), also marks the start of the year-long centenary celebrations of Shri Saibaba Samadhi for which over 11 million pilgrims are expected from around the world.
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The small town in western Maharashtra is a world-famous pilgrim spot for the 'samadhi' temple of a 20th century saint, known as Saibaba, who is revered by all communities.
Permitted initially for daytime operations by the DGCA, the new airport will slash the travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi, around 240 km apart, from six hours to barely 45 minutes.
Present at the inauguration were Maharashtra Governor CV Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, MADC Vice-Chairman and MD Suresh Kakani, other top central and state officials.
PM GREETS PRESIDENT ON BIRTHDAY
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today greeted President Ram Nath Kovind on his 71st birthday and hailed his concern for the poor and marginalised.
"Birthday wishes to Rashtrapati ji. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life devoted to the service of our nation.
"Since his tenure began, Rashtrapati ji has endeared himself to the people of India through his simple and compassionate nature.
"I have always found Rashtrapati ji to be sensitive towards the aspirations of 125 crore Indians, especially the poor and marginalised," the Prime Minister said in a statement.
President Kovind was born on October 1, 1945, in Paraukh village in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur Dehat district.
With inputs from IANS
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Environmental groups say Connecticuts landmark climate change programs greenhouse gas reduction initiatives and the Green Bank are being sacrificed to close the state budget deficit.
While the federal government chooses to ignore the real impacts of climate change, its up to the states to pick up the slack, said Louis Burch, program director for the Citizens Campaign for the Environment.
These debilitating cuts will set Connecticut back even further on fighting climate change, Burch said.
Burch was joined this week by representatives of 10 other environmental groups in denouncing tens of millions of dollars in proposed cuts to green energy programs in dueling budgets from the General Assemblys Democratic and Republican caucuses.
The Republican plan passed by the House and Senate with the help of eight Democrats drew the most criticism, because it contains the largest cutbacks. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy vetoed the GOP budget this week, sending lawmakers back to square one.
Burch said as legislators search for a budget compromise, the temptation will grow to cut green programs intended to lessen the impact of climate change.
This is a non-partisan message we are trying to put out that there are folks on both sides that supported these cuts, Burch said.
More Information Targeted The GOP budget plan vetoed by the governor this week would slash $26 million over two years from the state's Green Bank and remove $20 million over two years from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative signed with nine other states. See More Collapse
Chris Phelps, state director for Environment Connecticut, said the proposed green cuts would cost jobs and harm the environment.
If insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results, then raiding ratepayer clean energy funds that strengthen Connecticuts economy and cut pollution is budgetary insanity, Phelps said.
Deep reductions
The GOP budget plan would slash $26 million over two years from the states Green Bank, which represents half of its direct funding, and remove $20 million over two years from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative signed with nine other states.
The Green Bank loans money to homeowners and businesses for alternative energy conversion projects, such as solar arrays and other clean energy options. The Green Bank is credited with creating more than 12,000 direct and over 30,000 indirect jobs, many of which are highly skilled, technical jobs.
The RGGI is the first market-based program in the U.S in which energy producers bid against each other for the right to emit carbon. The proceeds from those auctions, along with state funds, are used to help pay for renewable energy projects that reduce carbon emissions.
The General Assemblys majority Democrats with Malloys support proposed cutting $31.6 million over two years from the states Clean Energy Fund. That decrease was somewhat offset by increasing a surcharge on electric bills to bring in $21.6 million over two years.
The Clean Energy Fund is used to help homeowners improve energy efficiency and lower monthly utility bills.
Chris Collibee, a spokesman for Malloy, said the governor faced many difficult decisions.
In order to present, and ultimately arrive at a balanced budget, many difficult decisions are going to have to be made when it comes to both expenditures and revenue, Collibee said. However, (Malloy) will not lose sight of his core values, including protecting our environment.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said the Republican cuts to the Green Bank would damage the states growing green industry.
Now is not the time to cut investments in a growing industry, Duff said. The Green Bank has created thousands of jobs in Connecticut, including right here in Norwalk.
State Sen. Scott Frantz, R-Greenwich and one of a handful of GOP members who helped write the Republican budget, said cutting green funding came down to a choice between fully funding the climate change programs or diverting money to social services that help disabled residents and those in serious need.
We can come back to this, Frantz said, referring to green funding. And some Democrats felt the same way too.
Energy and jobs
David Sutherland, director of government relations for The Nature Conservancys Connecticut chapter, said the Green Bank must be protected.
Connecticuts Green Bank is a rarity these days, a highly successful, financially innovative program that was established with broad bi-partisan support, that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves residents and businesses money on their energy bills, Sutherland said.
Claire Coleman, a climate and energy attorney with the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, said raiding the Green Bank and the RGGI is the wrong approach.
Slashing the Green Bank and raiding funds from the RGGI would harm both Connecticuts economy and health for years to come, Coleman said. These programs not only save Connecticut families money, they also save lives and cut health care costs by reducing unhealthy pollution.
John Harrity, president of the Connecticut State Council of Machinists and member of the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs, said thousands of jobs depend on the states green energy programs
This diversion will do little to address the states overall deficit, but will have a profound impact on programs that help cut energy costs while reducing fossil fuel use, Harrity said.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has planned to visit Amethi between October 4 and 6. But, the local administration has asked him to defer the visit to his Lok Sabha constituency.
By Supriya Bhardwaj: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will be in his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi from October 4 to October 6.
This is the first visit to Amethi by Rahul Gandhi since February 19 when he addressed an election rally in his constituency. He had held public meeting at Jagdishpur more than seven months ago.
His much awaited visit in his constituency has already been caught in a controversy. The local administration, citing security deployment due to Dussehra celebrations and Muharram, has not given a formal green signal to Rahul Gandhi's visit. The administration has asked the 47-year-old Amethi MP to reconsider his visit plan.
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The letter written by local administration says that cops are deployed to maintain law and order owing to Dussehra celebrations and Muharram. On the other hand, the Congress is crying conspiracy behind the local administration's letter to the party vice-president.
Congress spokesperson from UP, Akhilesh Pratap Singh told India Today, "BJP is scared of Rahul Gandhi. BJP government in UP doesn't want Rahul Gandhi to visit his constituency before Amit Shah's tour."
"Dussehra and Muharram ends today. He is visiting on October 4. So, the reason given by Administration in the letter is just to ensure that his visit doesn't take place before Amit Shah's tour," Singh added.
BJP president Amit Shah, along with other senior BJP leaders and central ministers, is schedule to visit Amethi on October 10. The announcement about BJP Rajya Sabha MP's visit to Amethi came after Rahul Gandhi toured extensively for three days in Gujarat.
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it remains steadfast to the cause of a united Nigeria and affirmed its commitment to ...
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it remains steadfast to the cause of a united Nigeria and affirmed its commitment to restructuring the country.In its independence message to Nigerians signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the its current efforts is geared towards addressing the various agitations and some of the underlying concerns that have emerged.The party asked Nigerians to use independence to reflect on the many challenges that the country has faced over the years and use it those to strengthen our resolve to build a strong, virile and united country; even as we celebrate our many triumphs over the years.The statement reads: The All Progressives Congress (APC) felicitates with Nigerians on the joyous occasion of the countrys 57th independence anniversary. Indeed, Nigerias journey since independence in 1960 has been eventful in many respects. The fact that we have come this far as one united country gives us a reason to celebrate.However, we urge citizens to use this occasion to reflect on the many challenges that we have faced over the years and use those to strengthen our resolve to build a strong, virile and united country; even as we celebrate our many triumphs over the years.Certainly, one of the great achievements of our country was the historic Presidential election of 2015. With that election, we were able to prove to the rest of the world that our democracy has come of age. That election also provided opportunity for Nigerians to press the reset buttons in the governance of our country.While there is still so much work to be done to achieve the Nigeria of our dreams; the All Progressives Congress (APC), is delighted with the enormous strides that have been made in the last two years under President Muhammadu Buhari to bring our nation back to the path of rectitude and sanity away from the wanton profligacy and impunity of recent years.The Party is confident that with the support of all Nigerians, we can reach our economic development goals sooner than sceptics believe is possible. With diversification of the Nigerian economy by the current administration, with special focus on agriculture, the creative industry, solid minerals and other viable sectors, the hidden potential of the nation will come to full bloom sooner rather than later.The ongoing implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) must be supported by all as a basis for realizing social inclusion objectives, such as employment generation and eradication of poverty and inequality. Such safety net initiatives as the Home Grown School Feeding Programme, conditional cash transfer scheme and N-Power will guarantee that the poor and vulnerable directly benefit from economic development.Happily, the economy has started responding to these policy initiatives of the government as evidenced in the improvement and stability of the naira exchange rate; increase in the countrys foreign reserves and the recent announcement by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that the country has officially come out of recession.In relation to recent ethnic-based agitations, we reiterate our belief that it is in our collective interest to support and remain steadfast to the cause of a united Nigeria as our strength remains in our diversity. We reaffirm our partys commitment to restructuring and we believe that our ongoing efforts in that direction will address some of the underlying concerns that have emerged.As we celebrate our 57th independence anniversary, we must sustain the hope that brighter days are ahead of us. Let us join in the effort to build a more vibrant nation that every Nigerian will be proud of. The future holds great dividends.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that the country will surmount all its challenges and emerge stronger.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that the country will surmount all its challenges and emerge stronger.
Jonathan gave the assurance in his message to mark Nigerias 57th independence anniversary .
In a statement signed by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan called for oneness and accommodation.
He said, As a nation we are moving on. On October 1, 2010, we celebrated our golden jubilee as an independent nation.
Again, in January 2014, we celebrated our centenary. And, today, October 1, 2017, we are celebrating our 57th independence anniversary.
It may seem as though we are passing through insurmountable challenges, but I am very intimately aware of the can-do Nigerian spirit which will help us surmount our present challenges.
Let me also seize this opportunity to call for togetherness, oneness and accommodation for all. We must accept the fact that none of us is as great as all of us
Nigerias Independence from Britain on October 1st, 1960 is a significant day in the history of the country. Nigeria is home nation to ...
Nigerias Independence from Britain on October 1st, 1960 is a significant day in the history of the country. Nigeria is home nation to different tribes, culture, languages, ethnic groups and religion
Nigerias Independence from Britain on October 1st, 1960 is a significant day in the history of the country. Nigeria is home nation to different tribes, culture, languages, ethnic groups and religion making it a great nation with diverse strength. Popularly called the Giant of Africa, it is also, the Heart of African Music. Nigeria is blessed with great musical talents who have taken Nigerian music across the borders of the country. These music arts have also sung about continuous unity, strength and greatness of the country.
Which Way Nigeria Sunny Okosun
This is a love song about Nigeria our Fatherland. Sunny Okosun in this song calls for the way out of corruption, inefficiency confronting the nation deeply showing concern and calling for a way to save the country.
One Love- Onyeka Onwenu
Onyeka Onwenu is a music legend who is passionate about the unity of Nigeria. She has to her record many Nigerian themed songs including One Love Keep Us Together, Peace Song, Unity Song, among others. These songs emphasize the theme of love and unity in a world of struggle and dreams of staying alive.
The Way Forward Sunny Ade
In 1993, King Sunny Ade brought together many Nigerian artistes to sing The Way Forward (Part 1 and 2). The track was sung in Yoruba, English, Igbo, Hausa, Pidgin English, among others. The song was sung after the annulment of the June 12 elections but re-composed in 2003 as a reminder of what the country passed through as the aftermath of the annulment. The song calls for unity from all tribes, calling collaborative effort of every Nigerian to make the nation great.
Nigeria My Beloved Country Funmi Adams
This song by Funmi Adams was a household anthem in the 80s. Adams who appeared to have disappeared from Nigerian music scene was popular in the 80s and 90s. Her songs were aimed at teaching culture in young children. Another of her songs about Nigeria is All we need is love,
Nigeria Go Survive Veno
This song expresses hope in the survival of Nigeria. Rendered in Pidgin English, the song boasts about the rich agriculture and oil in the country. It emphasizes the rich natural resources in the country including Cocoa, Timber, Rubber, Cotton, among others
Lets Live Together- Kush
Kush, a Gospel and R&B music group released Lets Live Together. The song which was a household anthem in the early 2000s song, is a heartfelt appeal to Nigerians to live together in peace and unity and a reminder that there is strength in our diversity.
Motherland Sound Sultan
Sound Sultan popularly called Naija Ninja in 2006 dropped this song, appealing to Nigerians in diaspora not to forget their Motherland. Singing in Yoruba language, Sound Sultan in the song says one may travel far and wide, there is no place like home.
Green Land Ty Bello
TY Bello in 2008 released her debut studio album Greenland. The song with the theme of love, family and nation expresses optimism in the future of Nigeria. It inspires Nigerians to liberate themselves from a place of despair to a place of hope.
Great Nation -Timi Dakolo
This soulful song by Timi Dakolo was released in November 2012 has since remained a household anthem. The song express confidence in the greatness of this nation and how we can defend the greatness through peace, unity and Justice.
Song of Unity Nigeria Leaders
Song of unity was sung by past and current Nigerian leaders. It was led by the vice-president Yemi Osinbajo, past Heads of State Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ernest Shonekan and former Vice-Presidents Ebitu Ukiwe, Alex Ekwueme, and Oladipo Diya.
Although many people who are not pleased about Nigerian leaders will disagree with the inclusion of this song on the list of great songs about Nigeria. But seeing Nigerian past and present leader team up to sing about our country expressing hope in God as the ultimate help of the country is worth recognising.
Culled from ChannelsTV
Nigerian politician, Orji Uzor Kalu in a recent interview with Punch Newspaper revealed why the Federal Government outlawed the activiti...
Nigerian politician, Orji Uzor Kalu in a recent interview withrevealed why the Federal Government outlawed the activities of the Independent People of Biafra because its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, ignored the elders adviceThe Igbo should strive towards producing a president in the Federal Republic of Nigeria instead of agitating for the sovereign state of Biafra. I was the governor (of Abia State) for eight years and the issue of Biafra came up then. It even became a serious issue at a time that I decided to lead (Ralph) Uwazurike to see (former) President (Olusegun) Obasanjo but the former president refused to receive him. I was then surprised that the same Obasanjo was advising President Muhammadu Buhari to dialogue with (Nnamdi) Kanu. That sounds very funny to my ears and I dont believe that such statement could come from the respected elder statesman who once told me at the Villa that he will never engage in a dialogue with somebody who wanted Nigeria to break up. There are so many federal roads in the eastern part of the country that are in serious dilapidated conditions but President Buhari has been fixing some of them now. If the immediate past government led by my brother and friend, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, had paid a little attention to the terrible infrastructure decay in the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones, there wont be any form of agitation in the first instance. Some of these people involved in the Biafran agitation are doing so out of frustration. Climate change had really dealt with most communities in the South-East leading to flooding and massive erosion. So, the Igbo should produce a leader that will fix the economic and infrastructural challenges affecting not only the Igbo but the entire Nigeria.Biafra as a concept can never die but I want a situation whereby it will exist in the minds of everybody as an ideological issue and not as a geographical expression. The real Biafra should be a concept for development, and economic growth through planting of more agricultural trees for commercial purposes. The concept of Biafra should be on how to achieve an empowerment strategy for our people. We need a Biafran agitation that will strengthen our industrial base and bring prosperity to Nigerians. It is difficult to talk about Biafra as a republic when the Igbo are living and have investments everywhere in Nigeria. If you go to Birnin Kebbi now, the Igbo are in the majority there after the aborigines; the same is the situation in Ogbomoso, Osogbo, Kafanchan and other major towns across Nigeria. So why are we agitating for a republic? God decided to create us as Nigerians so that we can derive strength from our diversity. The young men who are championing the Biafran republic have never heard the sound of a gun before.I spoke with Nnamdi Kanu in the prison and gave him quality advice. I counselled him to embrace peace and agree with whatever terms that will set him free. I also warned him against allowing his boys to be displaying Biafra flags, coat of arms, organising parades, establishing secret security service, and mounting a guard of honour. I told him that by doing all these, his group had subdued the sovereignty of Nigeria and are therefore looking for trouble. No government on earth including the United States will allow any group to be championing the cause of dividing their country. I believe most sincerely that with the situation on ground today, majority of the Igbo do not agree on the issue of Biafra as a separate country. I have heard some elite, including professors who are saying that they want Biafra but they should know that there is no way such agitation can be achieved under the law. There is no section of the Nigerian constitution where you have restructuring. There is no section that spells out the process for dividing the country. All those things are alien to the constitution. If willingly, we want to talk about constitutional amendment, then people can bring up various issues. Today, the creation of Biafra Republic is not feasible. The (Indigenous People of Biafra) boys have the right to express themselves but they do not have any right to engage in destruction of property, raping women or setting up a Biafran intelligence service. No country will allow that to happen. I am an Igbo man before being a Nigerian and I have no regrets being an Igbo man. I have lived outside Igbo land so I understand Nigeria. I sincerely want to say and maintain what I have said earlier that Biafra as a country is not an issue now. The issue is for the Nigerian government to give us justice and fairness. When some Igbo people cry of marginalisation, I tell them that if they go to other parts of the country, the people there are also crying because the story is the same. There is a wall between the rich and the poor. We dont have any war of dialect or language. The rich people should start having a human face so that we can move the nation forward.I will not tell you a lie. Nnamdi Kanu did not agree with me at all on my views about his activities. I did most of the talking throughout the two hours and ten minutes that I stayed with him. I told him many stories about life especially some of the stories that the Ikemba Nnewi (Odimegwu Ojukwu) told me when he was alive and also explained lot of things to him based on my experience in life but didnt agree with me. I had to cut short my journey when I heard what was happening between his boys and the military. I returned to the country on September 14 and came straight to Abia State on the 15th to make sure that we talked to the IPOB boys so that they would stop what they were doing and allow peace to reign.Nobody can say that the Army has no power to do training. Such argument is out of order. The army has the power to do training in any part of the country.You said that majority of the Igbo do not agree with the agitation for Biafra as being championed by IPOB. Do you think that your position is justified based on the alleged foreign support that the group is receiving?There is no foreign government that is supporting IPOB. I have consulted all the intelligence agencies in Germany, France, US, UK, China and I have discovered that there is no foreign government that is supporting Biafra. If foreign governments are supporting them, you would have seen the change in their approach and strategies. They are just using that as propaganda to deceive people. It is a lie.There was apprehension and tension in the South-East following the military show of might in Abia State, and you offered to talk to the federal authorities to see ways of bringing about normalcy, how far have you gone in this regard?Based on our timely intervention, the federal authorities have replaced the soldiers with the police on roads. The military are back to their barracks. Some of these things about tension are mere propaganda. Immediately I returned from the United States, I embarked on consultations. From September 15 to today, I have consulted fully with all institutions of the Federal Government involved and they all responded to my enquiries. I have since discovered that people are blackmailing the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the propaganda cannot stand. We are a nation and we must continue to live in harmony and do things the proper way. All these things are annoying.But proponents of a Biafran nation have argued that the sovereignty of an Igbo country will bring rapid development to the people better than what they are getting under the Nigerian government.No, no, no, nobody is talking about that. We are not talking about having a nation as the Igbo people any longer. We are talking about one nation that is one Nigeria. I know that after the war and in the process of punishing those who took active part in it, a lot of injustices have been perpetrated but we have also had opportunities as southerners to correct some of these things when our people were in power at the federal level but they failed to do anything. For example, since 1999 that Nigeria returned to democracy, there is no northern leader that has really ruled this country up to one term. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo did two terms totalling eight years, while Goodluck Jonathan did six years. One would have expected these two leaders to turn the South-East to paradise if truly the problem is between the North and the South. Roads like the Enugu-Umuahia-Okigwe-Aba-Port Harcourt expressway, Enugu-Awka-Onitsha Expressway, Owerri to Port Harcourt, Aba, Ikot Ekpene-Calabar, Imo-Mbadon-Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia-Arochukwu-Cross River and the Okigwe-Nnewi highways. These are the roads that people are complaining about. At the moment, you can see construction work going on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, while work is also ongoing on the Awka-Onitsha Expressway. There is also work going on now on the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road. These are being done by the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Buhari. He once challenged me when I complained about the poor state of our roads. He said, But we once had the secretary to the government of the federation, the minister of finance, minister of aviation, deputy senate president, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and many others in powerful positions but that they did nothing about the roads. Now the minister of works has given marching orders to the contractors handling the road projects to start the jobs. If our sons and daughters who had held influential positions in the recent past had improved on the development of our area, we would not be where we are today. Sometimes, our people are fed with wrong information. We also have governors in the South-East, who didnt really perform. If Jonathan had done these Roads, nobody would be talking about marginalisation today. If Jonathan had done the East-West road, nobody would be complaining. The problem of Nigeria is that most people who found themselves in the position of leadership were not prepared for it. You must be able to manage yourself before you manage others.Kanu was not taken away by the military. Kanu went to Malaysia from where he travelled to the United Kingdom. Nnamdi Kanu is in London right now as we speak. He was not arrested by anybody. He left the country on his own. One of his relations has spoken to me and explained everything because I wanted to see him and talk to him wherever he was and see how I could meet some Federal Government officials on his issue. I also wanted to see ways of talking to the President about him, and find common ground but his family told me that he has left the country, unless they are lying to me. I believe, whether he had left the country or not, he is not with the military because I asked the Commander of the 14 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. A.K Ibrahim, who is a very fine and good soldier, well educated and dedicated, and he told me that they dont know his whereabouts and I am sure, the Department of State Services have the same information. I also visited the commissioner of police and he said he didnt know his whereabouts and that they are also looking for him.I dont know. I visited them in December last year and I was not impressed with the discussion I had with the father and the mother because I expected them to have acted better. Since then, I have not visited them. I feel that they have not impressed me because they ignored my advice to them to talk to their son on the need to stay at home and avoid public outings. I said his people can continue to carry their flags around but that they should not disturb anybody again. They have a right to express themselves but that such rights should be within the limits of our constitution. They have the right to carry Biafran flags but they should do so within the limits of the constitution. Once your activities are within the limits of the law, you are in order. You cannot carry Biafra flags and be stopping vehicles and smashing their windscreens. You cannot carry Biafra (flags) and be raping young girls, you also cannot carry Biafra (flags) and be assembling young men every day. These are people who have no job and after doing that, they will go and engage in kidnapping or they will go and do armed robbery while some will go and do other things to make money. Hunger is a very terrible thing. The traders in the market have warned them to stop the nonsense they are doing. Why should you be extorting money from people in the name of Biafra agitation? They are extorting money from people in the market against their will. If the federal and state governments continue to watch and allow all these things to continue, there will be chaos in the state. If Kanu had not proved stubborn but listened to advice and kept to the rules of the court, we wont be where we are now.Which fundamental human rights? When a court of law had given an order? It was not Justice Nyako speaking, it was the law of Nigeria speaking. If Kanu was dissatisfied with that ruling, the day he came out, he should have approached the appellate court where five justices would decide on his case. He is destroying business in Igbo land. The GDP of this area is going down every day. The people who used to come to Aba to buy shoes, dresses and all kinds of products and materials are no longer coming. There is no government that will leave a section of his country to be mismanaged this way.I really dont understand why someone should sew uniforms for a group of boys under his control and start to make statements which he is not expected to say claiming that he disagrees with the law of the land. Disobedience to the law of the land itself can make you to be tagged as a terrorist because we have a law, the constitution. I am an Igbo man to the heart, I dont care what anybody says, I dont pretend and I have never asked any president to give me a job. Since I left office as governor, two presidents have approached me and offered to give me federal appointments but I rejected their offers. I even told one of them that I have a (court) case with you (your government) and he said, Oh yes, I know about the case. It is political because I have read every file about the case. The former president is the late Umaru YarAdua, may his soul rest in peace. I dont want to go into further details because the case is still in court.Who tagged IPOB members as terrorists? Was it Buhari who tagged them as terrorists? The answer is no! Was it Buhari who proscribed them? The answer is no! It is only the people who live within the same enclave and area with them that said no, we will no longer collectively tolerate this (activities of IPOB members). The president has not said anything on this issue. The people are fond of attributing everything to Buhari. The governors went to Enugu for a meeting where the group was proscribed. In the first place, some of the governors mismanaged this issue. Go and ask Nwazurike, he is still alive; when he was doing this (Biafran agitation), there was a way we treated him. We gave him guidelines and warned him not do certain things. We told him (as governors then) that his group had the right to carry the (Biafran) flag but anytime they wanted to carry it, I usually invoked the law of the land and made it binding on them because that was the right thing expected of me as governor. You cannot be going to the market women to carry their foods and be eating. You cannot go to a woman selling akara with the little money on her, and carry her akara and eat. The boys would sometimes see a woman selling food by the roadside and decide to eat all her food without paying her. When I was governor, whenever such incident was brought to my attention, I usually applied the law instantly. The law is very clear. People should stop the sentiment, this is about saving this nation, it is about saving our people, it is about bringing back economic prosperity to the South-East.President Buhari has to come up fully with strong pronouncements on how the herdsmen should manage their cattle. He has scored high points in Boko Haram insurgency, and IPOB crisis. He should also address the herdsmen issue because these are some of the things that are causing dissatisfaction in the land. As the president, he should come out and put up a strategy on how the herdsmen could be put under checkWe have a sitting president in the All Progressives Congress and if he is not running again in 2019, the North should complete their eight-year tenure but I would advise President Buhari to run because he is entitled to a second term under the constitution.Are you his doctor? The man is very healthy. I told you then that he will come back healthier, you can see him now. He is back and healthy. People should stop spreading rumours about the presidents health. It is only at his will that he can decide not to run. If I was in Buharis position, I would contest again for a second term because other presidents before him did so as a right. There is nothing wrong with the man.Yes. The Igbo will produce the president in 2023. If Buhari is not running in 2019, another Hausa man should be allowed to complete his second term. When YarAdua died, Jonathan came but if he had listened to the peoples advice, this situation will not be there because if I were Jonathan, I would have ruled for six years and allowed other people to run.Other tribes have produced a president, so it is the turn of the Igbo too. Obasanjo was elected president in 1999 despite the fact that the Yoruba did not vote for him. He lost in his ward; I was there on the Election Day. So, any Igbo man that is widely accepted can be president of Nigeria. How did Obasanjo and Buhari become president? Are they better than any Igbo man? The answer is no! The issue is that if they know how they made Obasanjo, YarAdua, Jonathan and Buhari president, they should also make an Igbo man president so that there can be complete unity and we would forget about the civil war because not making an Igbo president will still remind our people that the marginalisation which started after the civil war has not ended.There will be massive development in every part of Nigeria not only in Igbo land. The economy will change. The development will be channelled towards the entire country and we will appeal to the Igbo to make personal contributions to the development of their areas too. Make an Igbo man president today, I can assure you that the agitation will go down but first of all, let the Federal Government immediately implement the recommendations contained in the 2014 confab report. If the decisions are implemented and the Igbo have one more state like other regions, even before they produce the president, we will be moving. I call on the federal government to be magnanimous enough to present the 2014 confab report to the National Assembly for immediate implementation.What the el-Rufai committee is doing is very good by trying to get the views of Nigerians but they should also carry along the 2014 confab report. That constitutional conference was chaired by the retired Hon. Justice Kutigi, a very reputable jurist, so they should consider the recommendations in the report.No, I never said so. I quoted what somebody said when I delivered a lecture in one of the universities. I actually quoted an authority who was a special adviser to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu when he was governor. The special adviser, in a memo he sent to Tinubu said if Igbo should withdraw their investment from the state, the IGR will drop by the figure you quoted. There is no way I can say that the Igbo will withdraw their investment from Lagos. Every component of this country is very important. It is painful when I hear some people saying that they are more important than others. It is also painful to me when I hear people saying that the Hausa have nothing to contribute to the nations economy. It is not true. Agriculture is the most important thing that can serve as alternative to the revenue we are getting from oil. Before the oil discovery, the regions were making use of proceeds from the sale of agricultural trees which they produced to finance the Federal Government. So every tribe should see other people as important contributors to the economy too. Some people think that they are superior to others but it is not true. We should love ourselves as a nation without any impediments, respect each others religion and everyone should strive to say the truth. Let me tell you that international agencies operating within and outside the country were very happy with the emergence of President Buhari because they knew that the economy of Nigeria would have collapsed if he had not intervened. Look at the people we trusted with power in the past, they opened the Central Bank and looted all the money there. I keep telling the people that I will always stand on the side of truth even at the risk of my life because I am not afraid of death.In good conscience, if you are a governor collecting N1bn as security vote, without paying salary, you are a criminal. If you are a governor and you collect security vote before you pay salary, then you are not doing what is expected of you. They should pay the workers first and take the security vote later. As governor, my last security vote was N200m; it was ranging between N120m and N150m before then. So governors should make payments of salaries a priority.
The Ijaw National Leader and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, in a recent interview explains his concept of restructuring and what the...
Those saying they dont know what restructuring is all about are mischievous. Before they went to London in 1953, the North wanted confederation in their 8 point agenda, the Western Nigeria wanted a federal system of government; Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe wanted a unitary form of government. They harmonised these in England and agreed on having a federal system of government. Thats restructuring and that system went on from 1953 till our independence, when the three regions had a constitution of their own, apart from the federal constitution. They had representatives in London, called Agent-General; I think Omololu was the one for the West, somebody was the one for the East and Abdul-Malik was the one for the North.I remember that in 1963, when the Mid-West region was created, I moved from the West to the Mid-West. These were all restructuring. Then in 1963, we changed our constitution again to a Republican Constitution. It was also a restructuring. Anytime we want to change something awkward in our constitutions; that is restructuring. Same way during the military, there was restructuring; at the Constituent Assembly. The last one was headed by Justice Karibi-Whyte, with Justice Mamman Nasir as the deputy. That was restructuring.What we are saying is that in 2005, there was restructuring; Obasanjo convened the Political Reforms Conference, even though it was thrown out, but it was meant for restructuring. In 2014, 492 of us met; different types of people, including the physically challenged, to the topmost persons in Nigeria. We met for four months and we came out with a recommendation, the government should look at them. As far as Im concerned, what we are asking is that the present constitution is lopsided, its not a federal constitution, we are saying lets go back to 1963.There are a lot of items recommended in the 2014 recommendation; let the office of the Attorney General be separate from that of the Minister of Justice; lets have a situation where the federal government will devolve more powers to the states. Lets see that the fiscal position of the country is restructured; the states and the council areas should have 58 percent while the federal government takes 42 percent. Lets have state police, a situation where you call the governor the Chief Security Officer and he has no power over the police is not good enough. This is what we mean by restructuring. We are not asking for the country to be broken up; we are not asking for secession, we are not asking for people to give quit notice to anybody. This is the position.Call them for discussion, they should be educated. For instance, those talking about Biafra are talking rubbish. Nigeria fought a war from 1967 to 1970, at the end of which Gowon declared no victor, no vanquished, for anybody now to say he wants to lead another war because he wants to break away, question is why. The Igbo have been part of this countrys progress and you see their people on the television every day, foremost politicians who have contributed a lot during the first and second republics, it was only during the military that they suffered and if they are now suffering in Buharis time because they didnt support him during the election and are now being marginalised, they should wait, their time will come, they dont have to go for the extreme; this country belongs to all of us.In essence, Im saying that being marginalised by Buharis government is not enough reason to ask for the breaking up of this country, their time will come. Im thinking that it will be Igbo peoples time in the 2020s, they will produce the president. They should be thinking of dialogue, they should be thinking of education. I am happy that today, the northerners have also joined in the clamour for restructuring. Theyve set up the Tambuwal Committee, the governor of Sokoto State, including a number of governors and eminent traditional rulers. Theyve said they will visit all the documents about restructuring and Ive advised that they should visit the 2014 National Conference, as His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, and many other people had suggested. They should not be viewed from a partisan point of view; it should not be seen as either an APC or PDP agenda, no. The APC had restructuring as part of its manifesto.Once there is restructuring, all that have made the country not to develop will be treated and the country will be developed. Every state will have its own resources. I think they should go by that. Its been recommended that 5 percent of the national revenue should be devoted to developing the solid mineral resources and agriculture, so that everybody will go back and not be dependent on oil. Oil will fade out tomorrow. There was no oil in 1956, did Nigeria not exist? The regions were dependent on what was produced in their area. Even when the Mid-West was created in 1963, we survived.What we are asking for is true federalism, meaning there should be fiscal federalism; the states should be allowed to retain part of what they have in their own region. We also recommend that the state should be paying tax to the federal government, even if its the federal government that is collecting the revenues, certain amount should go to the states and certain amount should be retained by the federal government for other states.Like what was done in the past, 50 percent of what you produce in your area should go to the state, 30 percent to the federal government and the remaining 20 percent should be shared amongst the regions; at that rate, every state can develop at its own pace. Every Nigerian should be equal, and then the federal character can work. But a situation where theres one lopsided constitution, a situation where Kano has 44 council areas and Lagos, which has the largest population, has just 20 is irregular. Why should Bayelsa have only 8 council areas, when it is oil producing? Why should oil be costlier in Bayelsa than in Sokoto because of the Equalization Fund? Why are the host communities not receiving equity shares from the oil production activities in their area?Those of us from the South-South believe that a restructured Nigeria should provide for fiscal federalism, a situation where the area bearing the brunt of environmental degradationOur ecosystem is destroyed; we no longer have fish, we no longer have water to drink. Nigerians should understand that if this country is restructured, certain amount of money will go to these people for them to develop their area. The situation where we have to come to Abuja to beg for money is unreasonable. The problems of pipelines vandalism, of oil theft will stop because the people will have a say in whatever is produced in their area, theyll have a sense of belonging.
MAY'S LANDING -- Two cousins were sentenced Friday to prison on conspiracy charges in the 2014 shooting death of a Vineland man, authorities said.
Hykeem Martin (submitted photo)
Dominique Washington, 27 and Hykeem Martin, 25, of Buena Vista Township, were convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder in the killing of Vincent Williams, though a jury acquitted them of a more serious murder charge.
In a statement by Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner, Martin was identified as the "prime suspect" in the shooting. He was sentenced to 15 years, while Washington was sentenced to 17.
On July 3, 2014, troopers form Buena Vista Station responded to a report of a man laying in the roadway with gunshot wounds. Williams was pronounced dead at the scene.
Martin was arrested Jan. 30, 2015 at his home in Newtonville, and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and murder. Washington was extradited from Pennsylvania in September 2016 after being charged.
Both men must serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before they would be considered for parole, the statement said.
Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
MEDFORD -- The pilot of the helicopter that crashed, killing him and country music star Troy Gentry, hovered for 10 minutes while he reviewed his options and waited for first responders to get on scene before he attempted an emergency landing, according to 911 calls.
Gentry, one half of the country duo Montgomery Gentry, died after the helicopter crashed on Sept. 8. He was scheduled to perform at the airport and resort later that evening.
The helicopter's pilot, James Evan Robinson, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene. He had taken Gentry up in the helicopter for a "spur of the moment" ride, officials said.
A preliminary National Safety investigation into the incident determined that the helicopter crashed after experiencing a mechanical failure.
Employees at the Flying W Airport and Resort placed three calls to 911 that afternoon. In the first, the airport's manager tells the the dispatcher that she plans to close the airport so the pilot can land on the runway, but wants to wait for the fire department before giving the pilot the OK to do so.
The manager calls back a second time, inquiring about the fire department's response time.
"I have a helicopter hovering. He's going to make an emergency landing," she told the dispatcher. "I just want a fire truck here before I let him land."
In a third call, a man from the airport says it's been 10 minutes since the first call was placed, and that no one had arrived at the scene yet.
"I have a helicopter emergency. The fire department has been notified already," he said. "I'm curious about when they're getting here."
"We just dispatched them," a man answered. "You guys didn't give us an ETA of when the chopper was coming in. They're volunteers, so... but we did dispatch them."
Medford Fire Chief Thomas Thorn said there was a delayed response that day after Lumberton firefighters were first dispatched.
"This is unusal," he said, explaining that calls from the airport, which sits between Lumberton and Medford, prompt responses from both departments. Because Lumberton's fire department is comprised of volunteers, they generally take longer to arrive, while Medford has full-time staff that can respond immediately during the day.
Once Medford's firefighters received the call, they left the station within two minutes, Thorn said.
Still, he said, it's unlikely first responders could have assisted much at this type of scene, where impact, rather than fire and smoke, fatally injured Gentry and Robinson.
He also said this is his first time in 30 years with the department that he can remember being called to the scene before a plane or helicopter crashes, as the department usually responds to the scene after a craft is down.
"We were kind of blown away," Thorn said.
While there's little to nothing firefighters could have done to keep the situation from turning fatal, it's also unclear what the pilot could have done differently.
"It's like most of these aviation accidents," said Ladd Sanger, a Dallas-based aviation lawyer with Slack & Davis and licensed helicopter pilot who has experience with the type of helicopter Robinson flew that day. "There are a series of things that contribute to the outcome. [The throttle issue] set the sequence of events in motion. That's definitely not on the pilot."
With only a preliminary crash report, there's no concrete explanation of what caused the fatal crash, and Sanger said it's unclear whether the risky, emergency autorotation landing method was performed poorly, or if there was an additional tranmission failure that made the crash landing inevitable.
While several options were discussed once Robinson realized there was a problem with the helicopter, he chose to kill the power and perform an autorotation, rather than a run-on landing.
"While we train for them, [power-off autorotations] are a high-stress event," he said. "You have very little margin for error, and everything happens quickly."
What strikes Sanger about the report, he said, is the fact that the helicopter attempted to land on the runway, but ended up in a field area nearby. If an autorotation was properly initiated over the runway, it's unlikely the helicopter would have crashed that far away, he said.
As for hovering and waiting for the fire department to arrive, Sanger said he can see both pros and cons in making that decision. While firefighters can sometimes save lives at crashes with a quick response, continued hovering can further damage the engine, depending on what type of mechanical issue has occurred.
"If it was a transmission issue, the longer that you let that run, the worst things are going to be," he said. "But it's unclear without knowing what the underlying mechanical issue is. It's easy to sit here after the fact and second-guess anybody."
Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amahoover. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Rahul Gandhi could become the Congress president soon after Diwali, confidante Sachin Pilot said in an interview, adding that the time has come for the party vice-president to take over from his mother, Sonia.
By India Today Web Desk: Rahul Gandhi could take over as the president of the Indian National Congress soon after Diwali this year, party MP Sachin Pilot said today in an interview with news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).
Pilot told PTI that "there is a general sentiment" in the Congress that Rahul Gandhi should take charge and lead from the front, and "take over as the party president". Pilot's comments were in line with recent reports of Gandhi taking over sometime in October.
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"Organisational elections of the Congress are underway and the new president could take over shortly after Diwali. It is something that has been in the pipeline for a long time," Pilot, considered to be close to Rahul Gandhi, told PTI.
Pilot went on to say that the Congress believed Rahul becoming president "should happen in due course and the time has come for it to happen".
Rahul is currently the vice-president of the Congress party, and his elevation as president, replacing mother Sonia, has been long speculated.
During his recent tour to the United States, Rahul had said that he was willing to take over as Congress president while noting that it is decision the Grand Old Party has to make.
Interestingly, during the same US tour, Rahul, who comes from a family of prime ministers, had also spoken about the prevalence of dynasties in Indian politics.
Sachin Pilot, a Congress Member of Parliament from Rajasthan, touched upon the issue in his interview with PTI. Pilot said, "Belonging to a family that has been in politics should not be treated as a disqualification."
A leader's performance ultimately decides his/her worth, Pilot, the son of late Union minister and Congress heavyweight Rajesh Pilot, said. "If you perform and win the hearts of people through work, delivery and performance, then it will decide. The mere last name will only take you so far."
Pitlot also brushed aside criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party that the Congress was promoting dynasties. "The BJP should introspect. Many of their leaders are also from political families," Pilot said.
GENERATIONAL CHANGE IN CONGRESS
In the PTI interview, Pitlot was asked if the time had come for a generational change in the Congress and for the old to make way for the young. The Rajasthan Congress chief answered, "It is not a question of making way; it is a question of working together."
The cut-off date system did not work in politics, Pilot added, in a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah's reported strategy of 'retiring' leaders over the age of 75.
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"The BJP's margdarshak mandal has become the biggest travesty of time. We don't humiliate elders like (they do) in the BJP. I believe we should have a good mix between the old and the new while one must keep changing," Pilot said.
The Congress should go for a "balanced approach" between the young and the old, Pilot told PTI, claiming that the party maintained this as part of its history and tradition.
PRIYANKA, SONIA
Pilot was also asked whether Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul's sister, should join politics. The Rajasthan Congress leader replied saying that that is "her personal decision".
And, what about Sonia Gandhi, who has been the Congress president for nearly two decades? Pilot did not speak about that in his PTI interview.
However, a recent Mail Today report on Rahul's elevation as president had said that Sonia would not "interfere" in the decision-making of the new chief and would ensure that her son has "full authority".
Sonia would, however, continue as the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, a role that would entrust her with the responsibility of keeping Opposition parties and Congress allies together, the report had said.
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CAMDEN -- A Millville veteran angry over his treatment by government officials threatened to kill a congressman, his staff, and any police officers who would try to arrest him, federal officials said.
Joseph Brodie, 38, was arrested Sept. 20 after he brandished an assault rifle at New Jersey State Police troopers who were at his trailer to check his well-being, according to the complaint against him.
A friend of Brodie's who cooperated with police said Brodie had been texting strange things for several days, including that he was planning a "blood bath" at the congressman's office and was going to "take out" any police who came to his home, according to the complaint filed in federal court by FBI Special Agent Joseph P. Furey.
The friend, identified only as cooperating witness, told police Brodie had post traumatic stress disorder and was angry because he felt he was mistreated by the Department of Veteran Affairs and a congressman.
The complaint does not identify the congressman, but a spokesperson for the office of Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist., told the Courier-Post it was his office that was targeted.
Brodie faces one federal charge of threatening to assault a U.S. official, plus state weapons charges, according to a release from the New Jersey division of the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Troopers seized three rifles, two handguns and three high-capacity magazines from Brodie's trailer, Furey noted.
Brodie's threats to LoBiondo's office occurred on Sept. 15 and 19, Furey said. The first was an email sent to two of LoBiondo's staff members that said he wanted LoBiondo to know "veterans are being abused" and mentioned his staff, family and friends, which Furey believes was meant as a threat.
On Sept. 19, Brodie told the chief of staff that his home address and social media accounts and those of his family members were easily available online, and ended the call with, "You're a dead man," Furey said in the complaint.
He then sent emails to LoBiondo's staff, Furey said, telling them that the Google Earth app was showing him the terrain around the congressman's office including "parking lots, wooded areas, etc., (like the kind a highly trained combat infantryman would use)..."
The troopers who responded to Brodie's trailer on Sept. 20 did not appear to be aware of those threats, however, and were responding instead to a request by the cooperating witness to check on Brodie. She believed he may have been suicidal, Furey said.
When troopers arrived, Brodie came out of his trailer with a Russian assault rifle and yelled things like "I don't want to shoot you!" authorities said.
Ignoring orders to drop the gun, Brodie attempted to shoot himself several times, though the gun didn't fire, Furey said in the complaint. He eventually put the gun down and was arrested.
The cooperating witness told police after the arrest that Brodie had told her via text message that he threatened the chief of staff's life and would likely be investigated for it, but he wasn't going down without a fight, Furey said.
Brodie's text messages said he was prepared to "die for my American principles" and would build a bunker at his home to take on any police officers that came for him.
"I wanna die in a gunfight. I won't surrender... it's not in me. I'll give them a chance to leave, if not...it'll be First Blood part II type sh-- (in case you never saw that Rambo movie.)" he texted, according to the complaint.
Furey said Brodie admitted to making all the threats when he was interviewed by federal investigators at the Cumberland County Jail Sept. 26.
The release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said Brodie will appear in federal court in Camden to answer the charge at a later date. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK - A 43-year-old city man was fatally struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run early Sunday, officials said.
Garcia de Souza was crossing McCarter Highway just before 1 a.m. when he was hit by a vehicle, which didn't stop, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, Katherine Carter, said in an email.
De Souza was at a concert held at the Newark Waterfront Center on McCarter Highway to see a Brazilian musician before the fatal crash, Carter said.
He was taken to University Hospital in Newark where he was pronounced dead at 1:48 a.m., Carter said. A description of the vehicle was not provided.
The crash remains under investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office's Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department.
Authorities asked anyone with information to call the prosecutor's office's tip line at 1-877-TIPS -4EC.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
On a sign outside the Interfaith Hospitality Network building in Somerville is this Bible passage:
"Put your gifts at the service of one another." Peter 4:10
Inside, Isaileen, 8, was doing just that, sharing the gift of her smile and laughter as she played with 5-month-old Iyannah as the baby giggled in delight on her mother's lap.
The girls aren't sisters, but they are sheltered and fed and travel together each day from the network's Somerset County headquarters to area churches.
Not only do they travel, but so do their beds, their toys and their clothes.
The girls are part of the two families currently in Somerset County's Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN), a national organization that works on the simple concept of the Bible quote above.
The network generally operates like this: Through various social services outlets, homeless families are matched to the IHN. In most places, the IHN has a home office with rooms, including a kitchen, for the families to stay during the day.
But before dinner, the families are transported to a nearby house of worship, which is their home for the week. Volunteers serve them dinner and keep them company for the evening. The families then retire to rooms filled with their own beds and belongings, which are moved each week by volunteers from church to church -- or synagogue, mosque or temple, as the case may be.
MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns
For Jayleen, 26, the mother of Isaileen and Jayshon, 4, the room set-ups from congregation to congregation make each place feel like home.
"Everything is always back where I want it," she said.
Jayleen said she became homeless because of "hard times."
She was working in a hair salon and doing as many "under the table jobs, as I could get," she said. But, she admits, she spent what she made and struggled to pay rent.
"If I could do it over again, I would have saved my money," she said.
Part of the IHN program is to give families financial counseling, but, of course, it is difficult in much of New Jersey to find affordable housing for working, low-income people.
"In Somerset County, affordable housing is almost nonexistent," said Alyssa Martini, executive director of the county IHN. "Many of our clients are going couch to couch before they get here."
That was case for Jayleen, who was staying with a friend until the friend asked her to move out.
"It was hard, because there are three of us," she said, describing what amounted to a nightly campout in the living room.
Devona, 25, the mother of Iyannah, was also going place to place, eventually staying with her father's ex-girlfriend.
Her father lives in a four-bedroom house in North Carolina. "I asked if I could go down there," she recalled. "He said no."
At the ex-girlfriend's house, Devona and Iyannah shared a room with another person. With other friends, they stayed in the living room. The constant moving made it impossible for her to acquire a crib, a stroller, a baby swing or a changing table.
Now she has all those things, and they follow her from congregation to congregation.
The network is national, with more than 200 host or support congregations in nearly all 50 states. In all, 180,000 volunteers "put their gifts at the service" of 67,000 families a year.
It began with a simple act of kindness: a sandwich handed by a New Jersey executive named Karen Olson to a homeless woman in Grand Central Station in 1982.
With her two sons, she began bringing food to the homeless in New York, but her new focus on the problem opened her eyes to homelessness right in her own affluent Union County suburb of Summit. In 1986, she enlisted volunteers and marshaled the resources of a local YMCA and surrounding churches to give families a place to stay in the day and a place to sleep at night.
The idea was so simple and rewarding, it spread quickly to other towns and counties, and by 1988, the Interfaith Hospitality Network outgrew its New Jersey's borders.
The organization was renamed Family Promise in 1993, though some county-level groups retain the Interfaith name.
The Somerset group celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Somerville, where Jayleen, Devona and their children spent last week, was one of the original congregations in the network and Bill Jonat was one of the first volunteers.
Host congregations like Good Shepherd have room for sleeping quarters and kitchens to prepare meals. Support congregations send volunteers.
"We help each other when the need arises," Jonat said. "We've all slept in other churches and cooked in other churches.
"It gives us a chance to reach out and serve people in need and get to know people in our communities better," he said. "Our volunteers are very dedicated."
Part of that dedication includes spending nights in the church with the families. It also means waking them up early and helping them out by 6 a.m.
"We had high school volunteers, so we had to make sure we got the families out in time for them to get to school," Martini said.
For the families, the network gives them a secure space.
"Other shelters are like dormitories," Jayleen said. "It didn't feel as safe."
For the parents, it gives them a chance at self-improvement and to amass money for a permanent home. Financial and psychological counseling are available.
Jayleen said she has learned "to be more of an adult."
"I see myself becoming smarter about money and more independent," she said. "I think when we're ready, we'll find a place and be OK."
Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.
Republican Leonard Lance is leading the opposition to an aspect of the Trump tax-reform plan that would greatly affect homeowners in his Congressional district, which includes some of the most affluent suburbs on the planet.
That's the proposal to end the practice of permitting homeowners to deduct local property taxes and state income taxes from their federal tax bills.
"I have people in my district who pay as much as $40,000 a year in property taxes," Lance told me last week. "The average property-tax bill in New Jersey is $8,000 to $9,000."
That's a lot of money. And up until now, the taxman only got one shot at it.
But if the Trump plan goes through, Americans will for the first time be paying taxes on the money they spent to pay their taxes.
That's called "double taxation," and Lance is against it.
"The deduction of state and local taxes is as old as the federal income tax itself," he said.
It is indeed, and Lance trying to find enough of his fellow Republicans to save those deductions in any tax-reform bill that eventually passes the House.
That would require him to convince 23 fellow Republicans to break with the administration on this part of the bill. And that's a problem. Some of the states most affected by this, such as Connecticut and Massachusetts, have no Republicans at all in their Congressional delegations.
New Jersey has a mere five GOP House members, so it won't be easy to find the votes to keep a tax deduction that primarily affects people who live in the blue states.
Lance's district includes a lot of homeowners in counties like Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset who pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation.
"In our district, 54 percent of our taxpayers itemize their deductions," he said. "I think we're No. 2 in the country in that category."
Losing those deductions would mean big increases in their federal tax bills - and big decreases in the values of their homes.
"If this deduction were to be eliminated, it would mean real estate values in New Jersey would decrease significantly overnight," he said. "Property taxes would in effect increase."
So that's the downside of the provision. To get the upside, I called Chris Edwards of the free-market Cato Institute in Washington.
It's true that great numbers of Americans would stop itemizing their taxes after the deductions disappeared, he said. But there's a reason for that, Edwards said. The package doubles the standard deduction for a married couple from $12,000 to $24,000.
That means a lot of middle-class homeowners in the less-expensive parts of a state like New Jersey would actually see their taxes cut, he said.
"For the middle class, it's case-by-case," he said. "It's really the higher-income folks who would get hit."
Many Republicans from the low-tax red states see this as a means of exerting pressure on the blue states to keep taxes down, he said.
"Looking at the long run, one reason Republicans want to do this is that it will induce state and local politicians to keep property taxes down," Edwards said. "Over time, if they eliminate the deduction, there would be more incentive for them to lower property taxes."
That may be true in the long run. But Rep. Tom MacArthur is more concerned with the short run. The Republican from Toms River agreed with Edwards that the package as a whole is an improvement on the current tax code.
"The good news is everyone's taxes will go down," MacArthur said. "The rest of the country will go down but New Jersey's will go down but not as much."
MacArthur said it is projected that because of the doubling of the standard deduction, about 95 percent of Americans will find their taxes are lower if they simply take that deduction rather than itemizing.
Of course, the other 5 percent tend to be concentrated in states like New Jersey. And a lot of those high-income homeowners tend to vote Democratic.
It will be tough for the Jersey Republicans to argue that affluent homeowners in high-tax states should be spared a tax hike.
"I expect there to be some kind of a compromise," MacArthur said.
He said he will propose a "home ownership deduction" that would include both mortgage interest and property tax for those who choose to itemize.
But even if that were to be included in the final package, state income taxes would no longer be deductible.
That's "double taxation."
But if the red states don't mind, there's not much the blue states can do about it.
ADD - A 'TAX THE RICH' PLAN IN DISGUISE: WHY THE REAL ESTATE LOBBY WILL KILL THIS BILL: Although this is billed as a conservative tax plan, the proposed end to the deductions for state and local taxes makes it into one of the biggest transfers of wealth from richer to poorer ever seen.
Under the current system, people at both ends of the income scale get full deductibility for state and local taxes. If you live in a working-class neighborhood you might pay $6,000 in property tax and $4,000 in state income tax.
You'd lose that $10,000 deduction but gain a $24,000 deduction because the plan doubles the standard deduction for couples.
Now imagine you're wealthy and have a summer home at the Shore, not uncommon in New Jersey. You might have a $30,000 tax bill on your main home and a $25,000 tax bill on your summer home. You might also pay $20,000 a year in state income tax.
That means you lose $75,000 in deductions but gain back the same $24,000 as the low-income homeowner. That's a net loss of $51,000 in taxable income to the federal government, which redistributes it to those making less money.
That's progressive redistributionism, not conservative tax-cutting.
And it gets worse.
I suspect this effort to kill the property-tax and income-tax deductions will fall of its own weight once people around the country realize that in effect the plan would also end the mortgage interest deduction.
Imagine 95 percent of taxpayers take the standard deduction as predicted once the deductions for state and local income taxes are eliminated.
Since they're not itemizing, they can't take the mortgage-interest deduction either. Unless your annual mortgage interest exceeds $24,000, there would be no incentive to itemize.
The good part of the plan is that once it is in place all taxpayers, rich and poor, will be on the hook for any future increases in local and/or state taxes. They therefore are more likely to demand efficient government.
But at the same time, a person who decides to stop renting and buy a new home will suddenly realize that he gets no added tax deduction for the mortgage interest because he can't itemize.
That means everybody, not just rich people.
Even for the rich, the mortgage-interest deduction tops out as $1 million a year for a couple, or about $40,000 a year in interest at current rates.
In other words, the only people taking that deduction will be that tiny minority of homeowners with annual interest payments below $40,000 but above $24,000.
Once the real-estate industry figures that out, this provision is doomed.
This is the problem with rejiggering the income tax. The real problem with the income tax is that it penalizes people for working. That makes it the worst possible tax, as Ron Paul notes below.
TRENTON -- She's linked to the most unpopular governor in New Jersey history. Her opponent has a sizable fundraising advantage. And even the most optimistic poll so far has her trailing by 13 percentage points.
Republican nominee Kim Guadagno has quite a bit to overcome in the six weeks before the Nov. 7 election to succeed Chris Christie as New Jersey's governor.
But Guadagno, Christie's lieutenant governor for the last eight years, is banking that residents' hunger for a drop in property taxes -- and her plan to help them -- can carry her to an upset of Democrat Phil Murphy.
The question is: Will that be enough?
"Historically, races tighten up," said Carl Golden, the former press director for former Republican Govs. Tom Kean and Christie Whitman. "I think she'll have the opportunity to make it closer."
"But," Golden cautioned, "Chris Christie isn't going anywhere. That's the biggest problem she faces."
In her first ads, Guadagno touts her "circuit-breaker" plan to cut taxes for middle-class families, while she slams Murphy's proposal for a $1.3 billion tax hike. Murphy says his plan would raise taxes on wealthy residents, close corporate loopholes, and tax legalized marijuana but spare the middle class.
Guadagno told NJ Advance Media there's "enough time" to make up ground in the race, stressing that "people are going to vote their pocketbook."
"The number one concern of the people of New Jersey is property taxes, and if you want to be the governor of this state you should speak to the number one concern of the people of this state," she said after a recent event in Princeton. "Phil Murphy is not."
Christie defended Guadagno at a news conference Friday, arguing that polls have "been wrong so often" -- an echo of the 2016 presidential race -- and that there's a lot of time left.
"I don't think anybody should write anybody's obit or anybody's salutation before election night," Christie said. "You're going to wind up having to eat it, potentially, and that's not good. It won't taste good, right?"
Democrats also say they're not taking the race for granted.
"We're certainly feeling confident but not overconfident -- particularly after the Trump upset over Hillary," said state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, who lost to Murphy in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. "I would be surprised if the election was won by double digits."
"I will also be surprised if it's closer than six points," Lesniak added.
Polls show at least a quarter of voters remain undecided in a race where many voters still don't know much about either candidate, leaving room for the needle to move.
Guadagno's property tax proposal would limit the amount homeowners pay on the school portion of their property-tax bill to 5 percent of their household income. Homeowners would receive a credit of up to $3,000 for any amount above that 5 percent threshold.
But critics have called it unfeasible because it would cost $1.5 billion. Guadagno argues she will partially pay for that by auditing the state government and eliminating waste.
Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University, said part of the reason Guadagno's plan might not be catching fire is because it's "pretty complicated."
And Ben Dworkin, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, said that while polls show New Jersey voters are worried about property taxes, Guadagno is floundering because of something else: how deeply unpopular both Christie and Republican President Donald Trump are in the state.
"People don't vote in a vacuum," Dworkin said. "People cast a ballot based on the overall mood and feeling of how things are going."
Guadagno says property taxes will trump Christie in the voters' minds.
"I'm running on my principles of addressing the number one issue of the people of the state of New Jersey," she said. "So I don't think -- well in fact, I know, Chris Christie won't be on the ballot."
Guadagno's focus on tax cuts mirrors a sucessful campaign tactic used by another underdog Republican candidate -- Christie Whitman -- in 1993. Whitman promised to cut income taxes by a third and won a close battle over Democratic Gov. Jim Florio, whose tax increases were widely derided.
But Golden, who helped run Whitman's campaign, said Guadagno does not have the advantages Whitman did when running as an outsider against an extremely unpopular incumbent.
"You had a couple of things going on in 1993 that are not going on here," he said. "We all knew that race was going to tighten up."
Dworkin said it "makes a huge difference" that while Florio was the incumbent then, Guadagno is the incumbent now, hurt by Christie.
"People knew Jim Florio," he said "Typically, undecideds will break for the challenger. The reason is: They know the incumbent. If they are uneasy about the incumbent, they're not going to go with them. They're looking for an excuse if they're undecided."
Privately, some Guadagno supporters have expressed frustration at how she's handled her campaign.
Initially, they praised how Guadagno tapped former Christie campaign manager Bill Stepien -- whom Christie cut ties with in the wake of the George Washington Bridge scandal -- to run a think tank to help jumpstart her campaign.
Stepien selected Guadagno's campaign manager, Dave Huguenel, a former political operative from Louisiana with little gubernatorial experience. But Stepian cut all ties with the campaign after he was picked as the White House political director for Trump.
One Republican Party insider who requested anonymity said at this point Guadagno should have found a more experienced campaign manager, and that she is now under more pressure to handle the nuts and bolts of the campaign.
Another person familiar with the situation admitted that Stepien leaving had a "significant impact on the campaign" but stressed Guadagno has a good team in place and questioned "how much effort" those who are criticizing Guadagno are "putting in" to help her get elected.
Other people close to the campaign note the Republican Governors Association has started ads to help Guadagno and that Murphy's first TV spot was an attack ad, which they say shows he may be worried about the polls tightening.
Chris LaCivita, a Guadagno campaign consultant, brushed aside criticism of the campaign.
"Six weeks in politics is an eternity, and after wasting $20 million in the primary, Phil Murphy is clearly nervous about being on the wrong side of the issues." LaCivita said.
Daniel Bryan, a spokesman for Murphy's campaign, argued that Guadagno is struggling is because "she has no credibility on affordability" after being Christie's second-in-command.
"Phil's commitment to fully funding public education to take the burden off property taxpayers, restoring relief for seniors and working families, and an aggressive push for shared services will do more to help property taxpayers than a gimmick that Kim Guadagno can't even pay for," Bryan added.
Reed Galen, a Republican operative who was deputy campaign manager for U.S. Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential bid, said the odds aren't looking good for Guadagno, who might need an "external event" for something to change this late in the race.
"She's just got to dig deep and hope for a miracle, to be honest about it," Galen said.
NJ Advance Media staff writer Claude Brodesser-Akner contributed to this report.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.
Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
SEA GIRT -- As 500 New Jersey National Guard members prepare to leave for Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday performed the annual National Guard military review.
Christie greeted members of the National Guard deploying to Puerto Rico prior to the review ceremony, which was held at the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt.
The ceremony, a military tradition dating back to the Revolutionary War, gives the governor, as commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard, the opportunity to review the capabilities of the various units.
Christie, in an act of symbolism, stands in the back of a Humvee as it passes the various National Guard troops throughout the state.
The governor announced Friday New Jersey is sending 1,100 emergency workers to Puerto Rico to help after Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. territory of 3.4 million people.
The deployment includes state and local police, New Jersey's National Guard and other officials to help with the recovery. New Jersey emergency response personnel will spend at least six weeks in Puerto Rico and could stay longer if more help is needed.
"It's the largest (response) that we've done since Katrina and I think it's appropriate," Christie said, referring to the hurricane that devastated New Orleans and the region in 2005.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Police reached the location, and bodies of Manjeet and his wife were taken to mortuary.
By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: A policeman today shot himself dead after killing his wife in Rajasthan's Udaipur district.
Manjeet Kumar, a constable in Udaipur police, shot his wife first and thereafter committed suicide with his service weapon.
Manjeet was on-duty at the time of the incident. He was posted with 12 RAC Batallion.
Police reached the location, and bodies of Manjeet and his wife were taken to mortuary.
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Hanumant Singh Rajpurohit, SHO, Pratap Nagar Police Station, told India Today, "Manjeet arrived on September 17, from Delhi. The deceased couple are survived by two children, a daugher (3) and a son (5)."
Manjeet hailed from Jhajjar district of Haryana.
As per sources, marital discord between the two was the reason behind the extreme step.
--- ENDS ---
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A mom recounts her experience with her sons death by suicide: It is truly a scary journey especially when you know what can happen at any time.
Mindy Eggert found out when her son, Cameron, tried to take his own life at age 19. Afterwards, during his week-long hospital stay, he said, Mom, I just thought depression was something you had to get over.
He thought he should be able to figure it out, Eggert said.
Cameron got better for a while, but continued to have good days and bad days, she said. One day, her husband called and told her their son was gone.
I remember nothing but pain, Eggert said. I cried all the time when I was alone in the shower, in the car. ... Part of me was missing, and I wanted it back. I wanted my baby back.
Despite being a bright young man, Cameron didnt feel like he had a purpose, she said.
Eggert, now a parent advocate, spoke at a suicide prevention event Tuesday at Thomas Jefferson High School. The program and meal were sponsored by Boys Town, Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region, Promise Partners, Human Services Advisory Council and Council Bluffs Community School District.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds and the first leading cause of death for 10- to 14-year-olds, said Sonya Fittje, supervisor of the Hope 4 Iowa crisis line operated by Boys Town.
There are usually warning signs before a suicide, and bringing up the topic decreases a persons risk of dying from suicide, she said during a presentation at the event.
Three common reasons Fittje cited for suicidal feelings are:
Desiring to end emotional pain or turmoil.
Trying to manipulate some outcome.
Needing help, but not knowing how to ask for it.
It doesnt matter if its manipulation, she said. You still need to take that threat seriously.
A suicide attempt doesnt necessarily mean a person will always be considering another attempt, but it is the leading indicator that they are at risk, Fittje said.
Other risk factors include mental health issues, substance abuse, family instability or conflict, history of suicide by a family member or friend, loss through a death or breakup, difficulties in school or work, exposure to violence or abuse and authority problems, she said.
Someone who ends their own life is often desperate to stop the pain they are feeling, Fittje said.
Suicide is a permanent solution to what theyre feeling, which is a temporary problem, when the problem is so bad it doesnt feel temporary, she said.
Warning signs that someone is considering suicide include the following:
Threatening to hurt or kill oneself.
Looking for ways to kill oneself or seeking access to means.
Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide.
Anxiety, hopelessness or apathy.
Uncontrolled anger or being easily agitated.
Feeling trapped.
Withdrawing from friends, family or society.
Changes in sleeping or eating habits.
In addition, a significant loss, significant changes or environmental and social issues can trigger an attempt, Fittje said.
Teens most at risk are:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.
Isolated or alienated.
Perfectionists.
Impulsive or aggressive.
Additionally, those most at risk may:
Experience exaggerated feelings of humiliation, or have a fear of humiliation.
Have lagging or poor social skills.
When conversing with a person who is at risk, acknowledge their feelings and dont minimize them, Fittje said. Empathize with them, praise them and remain non-judgmental. Talk about resources and supports, which can range from family, friends and activities to school personnel, community agencies, counselors, hotlines and the hospital emergency room.
Things that help reduce a young persons risk of suicide include:
Family stability.
Problem-solving skills.
A sense of self-worth.
Connection to school, groups and activities.
Seeking help from adults.
Relationships with peers.
Academic success.
Cultural and spiritual beliefs.
Restricted access to lethal means (such as weapons or drugs).
Tuesdays event also included a discussion and question-and-answer session with panelists Deb Schwiesow, school psychologist at Green Hills Area Education Agency and instructor at Creighton University, and Ciara Warden, owner of Clear Mind Therapy and teacher at University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Community resources to help with suicidal feelings include:
Hope 4 Iowa crisis line, 84-HOPE-4-IOWA (844-673-4469).
Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region, swiamhds.com.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-8255 or suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
You Matter (for youth), youmatter.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
DES MOINES In less than a decade, Iowa Democrats have withered, from in-charge to almost irrelevant.
After sending progressive Tom Harkin to the Senate for 30 years and twice delivering the state for Barack Obama, Democrats are powerless in the House, Senate and statehouse, and they remain stunned by President Donald Trumps solid Iowa victory last year.
While its a familiar scenario across the upper Midwest, the pressure on Iowa Democrats to recoup the working-class voters who marched with Trump is more intense: Theyre charged with setting the tone in a little more than two years for the partys presidential nomination.
Theres a prescription for getting them back, former Iowa Democratic Party executive director Norm Sterzenbach said of rural and working-class white voters. We just need someone who can talk to them.
Three rising House Democrats Illinois Cheri Bustos, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Ohios Tim Ryan traveled to Des Moines on Saturday for a Democratic fundraiser, capping a summer of early activity in the presidential proving ground by more than 10 would-be White House prospects.
But a return to the strength Democrats had a decade ago will take soul-searching, including conceding theyve fallen short in planning for the future, Harkin said.
We havent done a good enough job of recruiting and running Democrats for county offices, Harkin said in an interview with The Associated Press. Its not irreversible. But weve got to get back to these local races. Thats where the farm team is built up.
Just as Iowa Democrats are starting from scratch, the little-known Democrats surveying Iowa are a sign the national party too is starting at square one in its search for its next standard-bearer after consecutive, star-studded presidential campaigns.
It wasnt long ago Iowa Democrats were sitting at a 40-year high.
On the eve of the 2010 midterm elections, Democrats controlled both state legislative chambers and had occupied the governors office for 12 years. The party held three of five House seats, while Harkin was Obamas right hand in the push for the health care law.
But economic blowback from a national financial collapse, a poorly handled state budget crisis and the widespread revolt by grassroots conservatives against the Affordable Care Act created an angry backlash in 2010 against Democrats, especially in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.
Former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad was swept back into office, as evangelical conservatives mounted a successful drive to oust state supreme court justices who voted to allow same-sex marriage.
Four years later, Harkin retired and voters handed his seat to little-known, rural Republican state Sen. Joni Ernst of Red Oak, snubbing four-term Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in one of the years biggest upsets.
Iowa was also undergoing a rapid, politically consequential demographic shift.
Iowa ranks in the top 10 of states with the highest population of whites and in the top 15 of those 65 years and older. According to U.S. Census data, both groups two pillars of Trumps win statewide and nationally increased simultaneously after 2010 and became a bigger percentage of Iowas electorate.
Over the same period, Republicans added roughly 37,000 registered voters, a 9 percent increase, and now represent 33 percent of Iowas roughly 3 million voters. Registered Democrats are at a 10-year low as their numbers fell by more than 55,000, or 6 percent, and represent barely 30 percent of Iowa voters.
Weve lost touch with certain voters, Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price said. We talk about issues, but not the values behind the issues. We havent done the best job communicating with the people we fight so hard for. Its why we are where we are.
Especially stark has been the decline of rural Democrats. Last month, small-town state Rep. Todd Pritchard, an Iraq War veteran and former county prosecutor, left the crowded Democratic field for governor, dominated by Des Moines Democrats. The last rural Democrat to hold statewide office was Gov. Tom Vilsack, elected in 1998.
Thats been kind of a sea change, said Doug Gross, a moderate Des Moines Republican and former nominee for governor. Its difficult to go into the rural areas of Iowa and find anyone who will admit to being a Democrat.
Animosity also lingers between some Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders backers, after their clash during the 2016 presidential caucus. It reflects unhealed wounds from 2008, when Obama upset Clinton in Iowa en route to the nomination.
But time in the wilderness is soothing those wounds and sparking activity among people who have previously shunned politics, said state Rep. Kirsten Running Marquardt.
The GOP-controlled legislature pushed through a long list of legislation this year, notably the dismantling of much of the states 40-year-old public employee union protections, similar to laws enacted in Wisconsin in 2011.
That stirs the Democratic base, along with the rightward lurch in the statehouse and dissatisfaction with Trump.
The Democratic primary for governor has attracted eight candidates from across the partys political spectrum. Seven candidates are seeking the party nomination to challenge Republican Rep. David Young, a second-term congressman from a competitive Des Moines-area seat, who voted for the House bill to dismantle Obamas Affordable Care Act.
Crowded primaries could energize Democrats while glimmers of hope have emerged at the local level.
Democratic school board candidates, with labor backing, won elections across the state two weeks ago.
Those are the things motivating people now that have never been active before, Marquardt said. Thats sort of the bright spot.
Today marks the beginning of National Newspaper Week a week set aside every year to remind all of us of the importance of a community newspaper.
The most important aspect of any newspaper is its readers. I speak for the entire staff at The Daily Nonpareil when I tell you we are extremely grateful to you and all of our readers. You are the reason we do what we do.
Newspapers provide a lot of services to the community they cover. One of those services is the willingness to publish opinions from a wide variety of folks on a wide variety of topics via the Letters to the Editor column.
This past week, I received one of the most delightful letters ever mailed to me. It was from a younger member of our community, and it suggested a unique idea for a Nonpareil editorial.
Ill share more about that letter in a bit but, before I do, let me update you on how newspapers are doing today.
For a number of years, many were under the false impression that newspapers were dying. In part, that was because the naysayers believed community news would no longer matter in todays digitally driven world where the printed word and local news would be left to die in the dust.
But the naysayers were wrong!
It turns out newspapers arent dying at all. In fact, many are thriving when it comes to readership numbers, including The Daily Nonpareil.
In the 17 years Ive been privileged to be the publisher of The Nonpareil our readership has never been larger or more diversified.
While the circulation for the printed version of our newspaper has declined, our online version of The Nonpareil enjoys the highest readership numbers it has ever generated. On an average, The Nonpareil has more than 50,000 unique visitors to its website every week; and our website gets nearly one million page views every single month. One million!
In addition to all the news stories and photos published in our print edition, our website features a large photo gallery of additional local pictures that cant be published in the print product because of space limitations. And, there are links to hundreds of state, national and international news reports that provide readers with an endless array of news stories about whats happening around the world.
If youre a print subscriber you automatically qualify for unlimited access to our website. All you have to do is register; and if you need help registering, all you need to do is call our circulation department. Someone will walk you through the process. Its simple, easy and free.
Of course, newspapers didnt transform themselves overnight.
It took a number of years of trial and error for newspapers to properly develop todays online offerings; and it remains an ongoing transformation.
The Nonpareils website looks nothing like it did when I came here or, for that matter, what it looked like just a couple of years ago; and as we move forward, new ideas will bring even more diversity and strength to newspaper websites, making them more interesting and informative than ever.
Our online advertising options also continue to grow in marketing power. Exposure to larger audiences and the use of new creative products is allowing The Nonpareil to help area businesses promote their goods and services in ways never even imagined just a couple of years ago. As with the news content, marketing options will only continue to expand in number and effectiveness.
No, newspapers arent dying, theyre evolving; and theyre going to be around for a long time to come.
To celebrate National Newspaper Week, The Nonpareil is doing a number of things.
First, so that those who are not subscribers can get to know us better, weve taken down the reading restrictions on our website for this week. We invite everyone to go to nonpareilonline.com, to read as much as they want, whenever they want, from wherever they may be on their phone, tablet or computer. There are no limitations this week!
Second, to highlight what people miss if they dont read The Nonpareil, weve pulled together a small, fun contest asking people to answer 12 simple questions about recent news in the community. To make it easy to play weve provided multiple choice answers to each question.
The questions are simple but if folks havent read The Nonpareil they may not know the correct answers. Play the contest and youll have a chance to win either tickets to Valas Pumpkin Patch or a $20 Visa gift card. A copy of the contest is in todays Nonpareil and on our website.
Also on our website this week, we will be featuring a short video each day from someone in the community sharing why he or she reads The Nonpareil and why its an important part of our community. There will also be three short videos on the history of The Nonpareil. I invite you to view them all.
Now, about that unique letter to the editor I received.
The letter was from a young man named Jackson.
Jackson had an idea that he thought would improve our community if only The Nonpareil would write an editorial supporting the idea.
Heres the opening line of Jacksons letter: Could you write an article about why we should have monthly school?
In his letter, Jackson shared why he thinks having to go to traditional classes every other month would be more valuable than the current nine-month school year with only three months of summer vacation.
His thought is that during the months kids didnt have to attend traditional classes, they could obtain knowledge about life. In the other months, kids could learn via the traditional curriculum. Jackson believes such a plan would result in kids getting a more well-rounded education; not to mention a lot more days off from school.
I dont know how old Jackson is, but I found his creativity commendable and his willingness to defend his creativity admirable.
On Friday afternoon, I wrote Jackson a note telling him that The Nonpareil would have to give his idea considerable thought before we could write an editorial in support of his thinking. However, I encouraged him to continue to think outside the box and I told him I would welcome any letter to the editor he wanted to submit.
After all, its just one of the things that make community newspapers so important!
Tom Schmitt is the publisher of The Daily Nonpareil. He can be reached at 712-325-5660 or by email at tschmitt@nonpareilonline.com.
Money magazine ranked Council Bluffs among the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America, another sign that Council Bluffs has a lot going for it as a community a lot more than many places someone might call home.
Council Bluffs finished 64th overall, just edging out the metro-area Nebraska cities of Papillion (65th) and La Vista (69th). Papillion has been a feature on Moneys list for several years, and its well-regarded in the metro area as a desirable place to live. Its nice to see Council Bluffs (and La Vista) join that club, as well as the recognition that the metropolitan area has a lot to offer its residents as a whole.
Vickie Murillo, the superintendent of the Council Bluffs schools, and Mayor Matt Walsh both point out that the community also recently was recognized as an All-America City, another designation that shows Council Bluffs is going above and beyond other cities and towns across the country.
I think Council Bluffs is finally getting due recognition on great things that are happening in the community, Walsh said. I think it speaks volumes of the great things happening in Council Bluffs.
We agree with Walsh, as do the other two challengers competing to lead Council Bluffs forward as mayor.
We have some things coming along in the right direction, said Scott Belt, a candidate and Pottawattamie County supervisor. Any time you get that kind of exposure, it brings some additional visibility to you.
Shawn Burgstrom, the other candidate for mayor, observed why Money selected the Bluffs.
The comparatively low cost of living in the Midwest and the low unemployment rate are probably two main factors for Council Bluffs, and other nearby cities, making the list, Burgstrom said.
The magazine also looked at population, median household income and weather including the 216 clear days per year enjoyed by area residents.
A lot is going right for Council Bluffs, and much of the rest of the area. We ought to pause a moment and celebrate that, while also remaining committed to continuing to build a brighter future for ourselves.
Its a positive sign to see enough competition for the upcoming municipal elections to force primary contests for both the mayors office and City Council seats. Voting is one way residents can keep up the pressure for improvement, along with volunteering and other forms of giving back.
Together, we can work to ensure Council Bluffs remains a great place to live.
By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Ranthambore National Park, famous for its tiger sightings, was opened for the tourists today, after three long months.
The park is divided into 10 different zones. While the five zones with relatively fewer tiger sightings, are open all year round, the other five zones, (one to five) are closed in the months of July, August and September, every year.
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"The last year went fine, children were given chocolates and the business was good. The same is expected this year also, as it has rained less, we are expecting more sightings.", Kailash Chand Verma, District Collector, Sawai Madhopur, told India Today.
Also Read: Stop everything and head to Delhi Jazz International Festival at Nehru Park
Ranthambore Forest Reserve is well known for its Bengal tigers, that can be spotted in the forest reserves in their natural splendour.
"Every year, lakhs of foreign and domestic tourists reach Ranthambore, and are really elated while watching different kinds of species, especially the tigers roaming freely around the park area.", Dhirendra Godha, a tourist said.
If one is visiting the Ranthambore National Park, one can also visit the Ranthambore Fort, which was built in the 10th century.
Also Read: Love is the best healer; this animal shelter is its biggest proof
Yogesh Kumar Sahu, forest conservator of the Ranthambore Tiger Project, told India Today, "The park area has been divided into ten zones. As per department officers, in zones one to 10, eight tourists' vehicles are given entry in the first turn.
With the beginning of tourist season in the Ranthambore National park, jubilation on the faces of people working in the tourism sector is hard to miss. Vehicle owners who take people on park visits, the ones in hotel business and the tourist guides are also elated."
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RCOM announced that merger of its mobile businesses with Aircel has been called off with mutual consent.
By Indo-Asian News Service: Reliance Communication (RCOM) on Sunday said it will evaluate an "alternate plan for its mobile business" and announeced that the merger of its mobile businesses with Aircel has been called off.
According to the company, its board of directors at a meeting held here on Sunday reviewed the ongoing strategic transformation programme and considered alternate plans for debt reduction.
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"The board decided that RCOM will evaluate an alternate plan for its mobile business, through optimisation of its spectrum portfolio and adoption of a 4G-focused mobile strategy," the company said in a BSE filing.
"RCOM already has the unique advantage of capital light access to India's most extensive world class nationwide 4G mobile network through spectrum sharing and ICR agreements with Reliance Jio."
The company said that combination of the mobile business of Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd (SSTL) into RCOM is also expected to be completed this month.
"The addition of SSTL's valuable spectrum holdings in the 800-850 MHz band will strengthen RCOM's spectrum portfolio by 30 Mhz, and extend the company's spectrum validity period in eight important circles in the country till the year 2033," the filing said.
The company has valuable spectrum across 800, 900, 1800, 2100 Mhz spectrum bands aggregating 200 Mhz, valued at over Rs 19,000 crore for the balance of validity period, based on last auction pricing.
"The company will evaluate opportunities for monetisation of the same through trading and sharing arrangements," the filing revealed.
Further, RCOM announced that merger of its mobile businesses with Aircel has been called off with mutual consent.
The two companies had signed a binding agreements in September 2016 for the merger of RCOM's mobile businesses with Aircel.
"Legal and regulatory uncertainties, and various interventions by vested interests, have caused inordinate delays in receipt of relevant approvals for the proposed transaction," the BSE filing said.
"Unprecedented competitive intensity in the Indian telecom sector, together with fresh policy directives adversely impacting bank financing for this sector, have also seriously affected industry dynamics. As a result of the various factors aforesaid, the merger agreement has lapsed. The board approved the same."
The company elaborated that it will focus on domestic and overseas B2B (business to business) segment.
"These B2B businesses generate equal revenues from domestic and overseas operations," the filing said.
"As part of the ongoing transformation and in order to enhance value for all stakeholders, the RCOM board reaffirmed the focus on these stable, capital light B2B businesses which have sustained and predictable revenues and profits, with immense growth potential."
Besides its focus on B2B segment, RCOM will also go ahead with real estate monetisation.
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"The company has made good progress in its monetisation plans for prime real estate assets, including at Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City, Navi Mumbai, admeasuring nearly 125 acres, with development rights of potentially over 17 million sq.ft. and prime property near Connaught Place, New Delhi, admeasuring nearly four acres," the BSE filing disclosed.
"Indications of interest from leading developers, and independent third-party valuations, have established significantly higher present value monetisation potential of Rs 10,000 crore for the DAKC Complex alone. The company is engaged with leading global and domestic players, and expects to finalise developments agreements through an open and transparent process over the next few months."
In addition to real estate monetisation, it will also monetise its tower and fiber assets.
"The company will continue to implement its plans for monetisation of its tower and fiber assets, as already announced," the filing added.
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NP Genealogical Society to meet on Wednesday
The North Platte Genealogical Society will be meeting for a study group at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the North Platte Public library meeting room. The program is The Value of Tax Records.
The Genealogical Societys regular meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 18, also in the library meeting room. The program will be Birth Certificates and Substitutes."
Slight change to Festival of Trees
The ninth annual Festival of Trees is looking for groups and individuals interested in decorating trees or wreaths for this years festival, which has some changes this year.
The festival will be Nov. 18-19 at the Prairie Arts Center. This is a week earlier than usual, so those who purchase the trees or wreaths will be able to decorate their homes for the holidays earlier if theyd like.
Trees and wreaths will be provided, and the decorators will provide the decorations for them. There will be limit of 15 trees and 5-7 wreaths. On Nov. 19, all items will be auctioned off.
The festival will benefit the Prairie Arts Center and the Miss Nebraska Scholarship Pageant/Childrens Miracle Network Hospitals.
For more information, please contact Darrell Drullinger at 308-530-5503 or Alan Perlinger at 308-252-2595.
NP Tree Board hosting emerald ash borer class
As part of the regularly scheduled meeting, the North Platte Tree Board is hosting a emerald ash borer awareness and ash tree identification workshop at noon on Thursday at Another Round located, 1008 W. 18th St. The workshop will be taught by Lyle Minshull. Items covered include biology of the emerald ash borer, awareness update, ash tree identification, replacement/treatment options and Lincoln County plan.
The public is invited to bring questions and/or samples of trees in question or photos to identify.
To attend the noon meeting, please email lhughes@eakes.com or call Lena at 308-520-6182.
Also on Thursday, there will be a hands-on ash tree identification session from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Cody Park, 1601 N. Jeffers St. Meet at concessions stand.
For more information, call Julie Jacobson at 308-530-3230.
Vendors sought for craft fair planned for November
Vendors are needed for the Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Lutheran Woman Mission League annual craft fair on Nov. 4.
For those interested in a booth, call Linda Floro at 308-530-2270.
Smiths office announces mobile hours for October
WASHINGTON Constituents of Third District Congressman Adrian Smith, R-Neb., are invited to meet with a representative of his office at mobile offices during the month of October.
At mobile offices, Third District residents can meet directly with one of Smiths staff members about federal issues and take advantage of the services available through his office.
Smith, who has offices in Grand Island and Scottsbluff, will provide his mobile office and a staff member at the following times and locations:
9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. MDT on Monday at Sidney Public Library, 1112 12th Ave
11 a.m. to noon CDT on Tuesday at the Thedford Life Center, 507 Walnut St.
For additional information, please contact Congressman Smiths Grand Island office at 308-384-3900 or his Scottsbluff office at 308-633-6333.
MOPS to meet this Friday for info session
Mothers of Preschoolers will meet from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday at Bethel Church, 2700 W. Philip Ave. Childcare drop off begins at 8:45 a.m. There is a $6 meeting charge. This meeting will be an information session with guest speakers from local clubs.
MOPS is a ministry led by moms for moms with children from pregnancy through kindergarten. Come learn and share a meal and fellowship together. In the MOPS Kids program, children participate in fun, educational activities.
For more information, contact MOPS at bethelmops@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page @northplattemops.
By PTI: (Eds: Adding quotes of Assam DGP)
Guwahati, Oct 1 (PTI) An Assam-based retired defence personnel has claimed that a foreigners tribunal has sent him a notice asking him to prove that he was not an illegal Bangladeshi migrant but an Indian citizen.
Mohd Azmal Hoque, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) who retired from service on September 30, 2016, told reporters yesterday that he had received the notice placing him in the doubtful-voter category.
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It also charged him with having entered India in 1971 without proper documents, he said.
Assam Director General of Police Mukesh Sahay told PTI that it was "a matter of procedure" and that the foreigners tribunal did not take into account whether a person was an Army personnel or not while serving notice.
These tribunals were set up in Assam to determine the status of citizens whose Indian nationality was found to be doubtful.
"I have served the Indian Army for 30 years," Hoque said, adding that he had received the notice asking him to appear before a local tribunal on October 13 with relevant documents to prove his Indian citizenship.
The retired JCO said that he had missed the first date of appearing before the tribunal on September 11 as he received the notice on a later date.
He said he would appear before the tribunal on October 13.
"In 2012 also, I had received a notice saying I was a doubtful voter but I submitted all documents in the tribunal court and it had declared me as an Indian citizen," he said.
"Why do I have to be humiliated so many times? I request the prime minister, the president and the home minister to end this harassment of a proper citizen," Hoque said.
He said that he was not the first member of his family to have been served with such a notice. In 2012, his wife Mamtaj Begum was also summoned by the tribunal to prove her citizenship.
The issue was brought to the attention of the Army yesterday through a Twitter post by lawyer Aman Wadud where he said, "Mohd. Azmal Haque,served in Indian Army for 30yrs, Retd as Junior Com Officer,now accused of being illegal immigrant by AssamPolice."
Replying to Waduds tweet, Major D P Singh notified the Eastern Command, which said "necessary assistance will be provided to the veteran".
Sahay said, "When a court or foreigners tribunal issues notice to a person, it does not do so as to whether that person is an Army personnel or not. The onus to prove that one is an Indian citizen is on the person served with notice. Its a 2008 case and on Tuesday (October 3) when the court reopens, we will send for the documents."
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"The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated in Assam and it is a matter of procedure to asks for documents to prove ones citizenship," he added. PTI ESB MM SMN
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More than 12 percent of Lake County residents commute to work in Illinois, mostly to Chicago, where higher wages and better opportunities await in the forest of glistening skyscrapers by the lake.
Recently released data from Stats Indiana, based on Indiana IT-40 returns for tax year 2015, found 35,752 Lake County residents go to neighboring Illinois for work. Better pay is a major draw: the average wage in the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metropolitan Division was $26.12 per hour last year, as compared to $20.54 in the Gary Metropolitan Division, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Highland resident Kimberly Kosmas has been commuting into Chicago for work since she started her career in 1983, taking the South Shore Line to her job as a project manager for a utility company.
"It was terribly difficult, but I learned to leave at 5:45 a.m. to make a train that would always run late," she said of riding the commuter train in the 1980s. "Back in those days, they were just retiring the old cars for the Japanese ones. They seemed to struggle then."
In 1997, she found a job in Hammond that was much closer but only paid a fraction of what she earned in the city.
"The commute was far less, but still didn't offset my loss of income," she said. "I took the opportunity to earn my bachelor's degree and left the company to earn $10K more in Chicago. I noticed the train was much better, including their on-time record."
Best of both worlds
Ashley Velchek, a business development associate for a nonprofit youth service agency, and her boyfriend, a building maintenance coordinator for a dental instrument manufacturing company, just bought a house in Dyer after living in Chicago for years.
"Generally speaking, splitting our time between Chicago and NWI is like having the best of both worlds," she said.
"Despite a much longer commute to the city, we chose to live in NWI for the affordability of a single-family home and lifestyle. I, personally, do not want to give up the city life completely, including friends, restaurants and culture."
They like their jobs, presume salaries are higher in the city and believe there are a larger array of job prospects there, Velchek said.
"I believe that my opinion may change once we start a family, and would prefer to be at home more rather than deal with the long commute," she said. "Also, once we have children, schools are ranked higher in NWI than in Chicago. I would recommend it for those who are ready to settle down a bit and for the 'better bang for your buck' argument."
Stats Indiana found most of Lake County's 293,762 workers either stay in Lake County or commute across the state line to Illinois. About 6,550 Lake County residents work in neighboring Porter County, while 946 schlep to LaPorte County and 360 endure a more-than-two-hour-each-way drive down to Indianapolis.
Lake County, the second most populous county in the state after Marion County, also remains by far the biggest employment hub in Northwest Indiana, according to Stats Indiana. It attracts 18,981 workers from Porter County, 15,358 from Illinois, 2,388 from Jasper County and 1,762 from LaPorte County. LaPorte County, in turn, sends 3,768 workers west to Porter County, 2,195 workers east to St. Joseph County and about 749 workers north to Michigan.
South Shore stations a selling point
Though Lake County remains the Region's employment center, it's also increasingly becoming a bedroom community, as young Chicagoans decamp to the suburbs and south suburban residents cross the state line, looking for somewhere that's still a reasonable commute into Chicago.
Flossmoor native Noah Amstadter, an editor at a book publisher, said when he took a job in Chicago in 2010, living in Illinois was not a consideration for him and his wife Jen, a Hobart native.
"The housing costs, limited square footage and parking costs associated with living in the city did not interest us," he said.
"And living in the suburbs on the Illinois side was not attractive, either if you drive around Schererville you see a community that's growing, that new businesses are investing in. On the other side of the border where I grew up in Flossmoor, we saw a community fighting to survive, with foreclosures and taxes going up and businesses closing down."
While he liked the idea of walking to the Metra, he said it wasn't worth the risk of taking on a mortgage in an at-risk community.
"We focused our home search on west Lake County, specifically homes no more than a 20-minute drive from a South Shore station," he said. "Ultimately, we purchased a home in Schererville's Plum Creek subdivision."
He leaves the house at 7:15 a.m. every morning and typically walks into his office in Chicago's River North neighborhood at about 8:45 a.m.
"The train schedule is reliable. Other than extreme weather, the South Shore has proven reliable over the past six-plus years," Amstadter said. "I can get work done, listen to a podcast, read, or even sleep on the train. None of the stress of driving, on my car or on me. Since the South Shore added WiFi, it's been even better."
He appreciates not having to pay for parking at the train station, like Metra requires its riders to do. But he said he's been slowed down by freight trains and major construction projects, such as the replacement of the Nine Span Bridge on Indianapolis Boulevard. It's also currently not convenient for him to walk or bike to a South Shore Line station.
"Unlike suburban communities serviced by Metra, relatively few South Shore commuters walk to the station," he said. "I miss that option."
Porter County commutes, too
A fourth of Porter County's 113,348 workers leave the county for work, mainly to Lake County and Illinois. Nearly 5,000 Porter County residents commute to Illinois for work, while only about 1,000 Illinois residents work in Porter County. Some 3,768 LaPorte County residents work in Porter County, according to Stats Indiana.
Chesterton resident Lauren Rossi works downtown, just across the river from the Tribune Tower on Michigan Avenue.
"I work in radio, so the job market is extremely limited for me in Northwest Indiana," she said. "I am the sole provider for my family as my husband is a stay-at-home dad, so I need to work where I can make enough for us."
She bought a house close to a South Shore Line station so she could easily get into the city. Their family decided to move from California back to the Region after they had their daughter, so they would be close to the grandparents.
"When we were looking for a home to purchase, the three biggest factors were safety of the neighborhood, quality of schools and proximity to the South Shore Line. We decided on Chesterton because it fit all of those factors, and we were able to get a home for a very reasonable price with low property taxes," Rossi said.
"We stayed with his parents in Munster during our home search, and I took the South Shore out of East Chicago daily. Even with moving more than 20 miles further east, my total commute only changed by about 10 minutes."
Rossi said she enjoys taking the South Shore Line into the city, even if there are delays or breakdowns.
"My employer completely understands the hassles of the train and has no problem if I am late due to the train," she said. "I just need to make up my hours sometime during the week. In the evening, I get into a book or catch up on my television shows or movies on Netflix. It has become my time to decompress."
Commute is reasonable
Chad True and his wife, who moved from the northern suburbs to Chesterton in 2014, drive into the city together on the Indiana Toll Road, and he takes the train home because of their schedules. He works in insurance in the Loop and his wife works at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park.
"We could have located anywhere on Interstate 294 and it would be an hour," he said. "We visit Michigan a lot, so we checked Chesterton out. The day care was affordable, and the commute isn't unreasonable."
True said he enjoys the affordability, low taxes, small-town feel and proximity to the Indiana Dunes State Park, so much that he's actively proselytizing for Northwest Indiana.
"One of the new executives at work came up from Atlanta, and I've interested him in looking at Chesterton and Valparaiso," he said. "We're recruiting."
Northwest Indiana leaders have been working to position the Region as more of a suburb of Chicago, given that wages are significantly higher there and that NWI's core base of manufacturing jobs has been eroding for decades. The South Shore Line double-track and expansion projects specifically are intended to attract more young families who would work in the Loop and live in Northwest Indiana.
Reduced travel time
Ned Jovanovich, who moved to Munster from Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood three years ago, said he believes there are too many empty seats on the train and ridership is declining too much for the expansion to work without exorbitant government subsidies. Jovanovich, who works in sales and marketing, takes the train into work three days a week, and said it's antiquated and could be faster.
He and his wife moved to Munster to start a family, and he was eager to escape Chicago's high taxes and housing costs.
"We pay 60 percent less in property taxes," he said. "We picked Munster because of the schools. It's comparable to Hinsdale, Lake Forest, any of the other Chicago suburbs."
Other riders were more excited by the train line's expansion southward and the double-tracking projects, which is expected to speed up service east of Gary because trains won't have to stop to let each other pass.
Amstadter said it would be convenient to have new stations in Munster and Dyer, which would be a 10-minute bike ride or five-minute drive from his house. Rossi said double-tracking should cut down on the travel time back home to Chesterton.
"With a 2-year-old at home, I treasure every moment I get with her," Rossi said, "so a reduction in travel time is something I truly look forward to."
Reminger Co. LPA of Crown Point has announced that attorney Trevor Wells has joined its Northwest Indiana office. Wells focuses on tort liability and complex commercial disputes in addition to appellate advocacy. Wells also represents clients out of Reminger's office in Lexington, Kentucky, where he was born and raised.
Diamond Residential Mortgage has moved from Merrillville to Schererville. The company purchased its new office at 326 E. U.S. 30 in August. The Schererville branch has five loan officers, two loan processors and one processor assistant.
Tumblebear Connection in Dyer has announced the promotion of Bernadette Lopez Sasak to vicepresident. Lopez Sasak has been with the company 13 years and is also the social media manager administrative assistant to owner Patti Komara. Lopez Sasak also assists the marketing and customer service teams at Pattis All-American in Dyer. Tumblebear Connection trains gymnastics school owners and instructors and has produced more than 150 instructional videos, books, and instant downloads.
HAMMOND Famous Chicago artist Winifred Godfrey will showcase her "Mayan Procession" at Purdue University Northwest.
The procession is a 14-piece collection of life-sized paintings depicting figures representative of indigenous Guatemalan groups in the attire unique to their village.
This exhibit coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15Oct. 15. A reception featuring Godfrey will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday in Alumni Hall in the Student Union and Library building.
Associate Professor of History Kenneth Kincaid will deliver brief opening remarks at 5 p.m., followed by a group walk and talk with question-and-answer session through the exhibition by Godfrey.
Godfrey, reached by telephone at her home, said she wanted to do a series of painting to re-create the impressions she had when visiting Guatemala.
"Part of my family is from Mexico and I've lived and traveled there," Godfrey said. "The textiles that the people wear are so distinctive. Each of the villages has a different textile and I wanted to do a series of paintings to depict that. Seeing the indigenous people' intense participation in their religious rituals left a very strong impression on me of the mystery and strength of Mayan culture.
"As an artist, I wanted to do a series of paintings to re-create the impression I'd had. I did these paintings in 1992 and 1993. The first time I exhibited them was in late 1993," she said.
Judith Jacobi, PNW's assistant vice chancellor University Art Collections and Special Programs, said the "Mayan Procession" paintings have been exhibited in a variety of places across the country, including Washington, D.C., and Harvard University.
"The Mayan Procession is a monumental example of one artist's devotion to sharing her knowledge and experience with the Guatemalan people, and they are among the people who express their religion and culture through the clothes they wear," Jacobi said.
Jacobi said Godfrey is also a celebrated artist of flowers who has produced enormous canvases, showing her interest in nature.
The Thursday event is free. Meso-American inspired hors d'oeuvres will be served.
This celebration is a collaborative effort by the PNW Odyssey program, the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, Building Community Through the Arts, and the PNW Multicultural Campus Council. This display supports the universitys values of demonstrating inclusion for all and creating a welcoming, collegial environment that celebrates diversity.
FAIR OAKS Two centuries of printing history can be found deep into the cornfields of Northwest Indiana.
A Stanhope iron hand press, the timpen and frisket of George Clymer's Columbian press and acorn-framed presses are stacked, in no particular order, on the floor of Ed Regan Printing Machinery Movers 24,000-square-foot warehouse, a few miles northeast of popular tourist attraction, Fair Oaks Farm.
Regan has gathered about 300 letter presses dating from the early 1800s to hardware marking a transition, by the 1970s and 1980s, into the computerized offset presses and digital hardware now used by modern printers and publications, like The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Regan said he has the largest collection of newspaper letterpresses in the country, 13 of them at present. Some, weighing as much as 10,000 pounds, served small country papers.
Regan isn't running a museum, though. He is still buying and selling vintage printing equipment for profit and the pleasure of conserving these grungy artifacts of a bygone print culture, once vital to informing an industrializing America of the 1800s and 1900s and now cast aside in favor of electronic and online media.
"I find these very fascinating," Regan said.
Sparking a passion
Regan's interest was awakened as a 16-year-old high school student in south suburban Chicago by a tip about a job that would making him a little money after school.
"A friend said there was a small job printer in South Holland and if I showed up there at 3 p.m. he knew the boss would hire me." He said he wrapped letterhead stationery and envelopes for customer pick up while his friend ran a Heidelberg letterpress that printed them.
"I just kind of hung around him and watched what he was doing. He showed me stuff I picked up in a matter of weeks, just before he quit and I was at the perfect place to run the press myself. I moved right in and took the job over like a duck to water.
He said he was so confident in his new skills his boss was shocked to find him lounging with his feet up on the press during a print run.
"The boss wanted to know what I was doing. I had that press running and I told him I had type set and stacks of paper on the floor for the next job. He shook his head at me and walked away, puffing a cigar and went back into the office."
Regan said his boss soon purchased a second press.
"He said if I had so much time to rest my foot on the press and loiter than I could run two presses."
He paid careful attention to the riggers who delivered and assembled the newest press.
Regan said he quit high school his junior year and worked multiple jobs as a printer until the mid-1970s when he found he could make more money to travel the country to assemble, disassemble and move presses.
"I was self-taught. He said he eventually got a call from Heidelberg Printing machines AG of Germany to become their exclusive rigger for Illinois and Northwest Indiana.
As he delivered newer printing equipment in the mid-1980s, he started feeling nostalgic for the presses being replaced, including one sitting in the corner of a Gary shop and took it with him.
"I started cherry picking old presses that would otherwise been thrown in the garbage. I would take it away and they didn't have to deal with it. I started collecting more and more until it took over all my spare time.
He said his collection became so large he moved out of Dolton, where he had lived for much of his life to Jasper County, where he found a former silo factory that has become his warehouse and printer repository.
"Most people of my generation weren't concerned with the history or preserving it. I was considered a freak for wanting to keep this for historical reasons," he said.
Collecting history
Paul Aken, of the Platen Press Museum in Zion, Illinois, which has a collection of 600 letterpresses, said he is acquainted with Regan as a competitor. "Regan and I have been involved in eBay bidding wars for vintage printers."
He said he and Regan are also fellow admirers of this machinery.
"The beauty and the workmanship just isn't available anymore because offset came in and did it faster and cheaper, but maybe not as good as letterpress, which made a type impression deep into the paper. You cannot get that off your computer printer," Aken said.
"I just had an open house yesterday for the Caxton Club (of bibliophiles) in Chicago and I had four machines running for them."
Regan said one of his prized possessions is a Stanhope press, invented in England by Charles Mahon, 3rd Earl Stanhope, a British statesman, scientist and inventor of the first iron printing press, around 1800.
Elizabeth Harris, a former Smithsonian Institute curator and author of "The Printing Presses in the Graphic Arts Collection," writes the Stanhope was a screw press with a stout iron frame, very heavy and very powerful and welcomed as a more efficient successor to the old wooden presses that could print more pages faster.
Regan also owns a Colombian press invented in 1813 by George Clymer, a Philadelphia mechanic. Harris writes it was quite original, not only for its extravagant design but for its levers and counterweights.
Regan's copy was manufactured in Britain, where Clymer moved, when he had trouble selling his invention in American. Regan said it is crested with an American bald eagle, as a symbol of Clymer's national loyalty, but this press is also decorated by sea serpent-looking dolphins instead of the American rattle snake Clymer originally incorporated into its design.
Regan also has a Washington press and an Albion press, the workhorses of printers in America and Britain, respectively, in the later half of the 1800s.
Regan also holds a Chandler and Price Platen Press. Harris wrote, "In 1886, William T. Price, a mechanic, and Harrison T. handler, an investor, formed a company in Cleveland for the production of presses based on Gordons old-style Franklin Jobber. C&P presses, as they are known, were strong, reliable machines, and became the standard for the industry."
Steve Saxe, author of American Iron Hand Presses, said those in Regan's collection reflect a time in the early 1800s when small town newspapers could still meet the information needs of Americans. He said they began to be replaced in the mid-1880s by steam-driven presses and later electric presses that could print impressions more quickly for a larger population of newspaper readers.
Saving a piece of Region history
Another memento of Regan's collection is a small scale model of the Headliner Press manufactured by Goss International of Chicago used by NWI's The Times from the around the World War II era to 1989.
Regan said it is a memento of a Sunday morning in the late-1970s when he was hired to help make an emergency repair of broken gears on the Hammond Times press.
He said he forgot about that job until a decade later when he spotted a classified advertisement by a man who had been the head pressman for The Times who was selling the model.
"They had a retirement party for the pressman and instead of giving him a gold watch, they gave him the model," Regan said. Regan said he tucked it away in his warehouse and lost sight of it for about 30 years until he relocated and unveiled it to Times reporters last month.
Most of the presses stand idle in his warehouse, but Regan occasionally refurbishes and sells a letterpress to a newspaper as a historical showpiece or the graphic artists wanting a new impression.
"There are some crafts people attracted to hand crank proof presses for wedding invitations and posters. They find the old-fashion way to be very attractive. And they aren't running print shops. They are called print studios and they have oak floor and immaculate white painted walls.
Regan said when he gets too old to move presses he may return to being a printer again.
When most people hear 4-H they think of agriculture.
But 4-H offers programs that are so versatile, one is even sponsored by Google.
I love 4-H because it's so much more than smelly animals and agriculture, said Valparaiso resident Daniela Mancusi-Shreve, who notes she is not anti-farm. There really is something to enrich everyone.
Some newer programs offered by 4-H are a bicycle club, which began in September, and knitting, which was offered last spring.
Mancusi-Shreves daughter, Jackie, is in her seventh year of Lake County 4-H.
Jackie likes 4-H because she can learn new things about interests she already has. She is excited about the upcoming computer science workshop but has participated in sewing, electric, fine arts, ceramics and other enjoyable projects through the years, Mancusi-Shreve said.
Right now 4-H has two STEM projects in the works.
About a dozen of Lake County teens will be trained in computer science and coding in West Lafayette and then come back and teach these skills to a group of younger students in local computer clubs, said Julie Jones, extension educator for 4-H Youth Development.
According to a news release, this is the first time Google has partnered with 4-H to develop such a program. The collaboration is funded by a $1.5 million grant from Google.org to establish a computer science program that is projected to empower more than 100,000 young people across 22 states in its first year.
It is incredibly exciting to combine the power of 4-H with the impact of Googles philanthropy, products and people, said Jennifer Sirangelo, president and CEO of National 4 H Council.
Working together, our two organizations will make a tremendous difference in the lives of young people by making computer science education accessible and engaging. No matter where kids live or what they aspire to be, these are skills that will help them succeed.
For the second STEM project, Jones said 4-H received a grant from Arcelor Mittal to provide kits for 4-H science clubs, including 3-D printers.
We will start the program with a BoilerMAKER Blast event where kids both 4-H members and nonmembers will be able to come and explore hands-on science activities like Ozobots, Kiva Planks, Makey Makey and more, Jones said.
4-H is kicking off the 2017-18 enrollment season with a 5K Run/Walk at the Lake County Fairgrounds on Oct. 14. Its open to the public with prizes for both runners and walkers, and information about 4-H clubs and activities.
Register at runsignup.com/Race/IN/CrownPoint/Lakecounty4H5K.
For more information, visit www.extension.purdue.edu/lake/.
PORTAGE The city Police Department has been put on notice of a pending lawsuit stemming from the fatal shooting of a man during a traffic stop earlier this year.
Portage police Officer Grant Crizer used excessive force during the April 22 shooting of William Spates, which resulted in the wrongful death of the 39-year-old, according to the tort claim notice filed on behalf of Spates' son, Stefan Spates, by Portage attorney John Vouga.
"Officer Crizer's unjustifiable attack against Mr. Spates included the use of a Taser and numerous gunshots to both Mr. Spates' head and torso," according to the claim.
The claim goes on to accuse Portage Police Chief Troy Williams of slandering the deceased and his family by issuing a news release following the shooting that was "negligent, reckless, malicious and deliberately indifferent to the rights of Mr. Spates and his family members."
The statements were published and widely viewed on a social media page maintained by the Police Department, according to the claim. Spates and his family suffered "reputational harm, emotional pain and suffering."
When asked for a response to the tort claim, Williams said Crizer was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel following an investigation by the Porter County Sheriff's Department and Indiana State Police.
"That review concluded that our officer acted appropriately and in self-defense," Williams said.
The tort claim threatens a civil lawsuit, which applies different standards than a criminal case.
Williams said while law enforcement and government agencies often are criticized for not being transparent enough, at least nine news releases were issued in this case by various agencies.
"As I stated before, Mr. Spates' own actions led to his death," Williams said.
Crizer shot Spates when he attempted to run over the officer during a traffic stop in the driveway of a home on Royal Avenue, according to police.
Witnesses initially reported hearing the officer yelling commands to the driver, and an engine revving, followed by six to seven shots, according police.
Spates had been released from jail on bond just hours before the shooting. He had been arrested April 19 and accused of battering his wife and two children.
Williams said he is not surprised by the threat of the lawsuit.
"No one wants the suspect to be accountable for their own actions," he said.
Williams defended the preparedness of his department.
"Our officers receive countless hours of training and continuing education," he said. "I fully support them and their ability to perform their duties."
SCHERERVILLE As walkers made their way through the Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve's winding trails on Saturday, careful not to disturb the plants and habitat, Mark Jansen spotted something off in the distance.
Boom, there it is, the Lowell man said, pointing up ahead.
He could see the unmistakable Enbridge Pipeline logo in bold, red letters through the thicket of the trees.
The Griffith pipeline terminal lies just south of the preserves, but its massive web of underground pipelines carry tar sands oil through the preserve and much of Northwest Indiana.
Jansen was among the 70 or so people who took part in the Walk The Line event on Saturday, a 6.2-mile walk following the path of Enbridge's Line 6 from the preserve near the terminal to Hammond's Hessville neighborhood.
Environmental activists said the fundraising walkathon event was designed to raise awareness about the potential threat of an oil spill in dangerously close proximity to schools, homes and waterways.
John Halstead, co-founder of 350 Indiana-Calumet, said he believes the majority of people who live, work and play in this industry-heavy area want to see the Region make a just transition to a renewable energy income.
Because we have been the center of the petroleum energy for so long, it makes sense that we would be the first to transition to green energy, Halstead said. Everybody knows that fossil fuels are going to run out, even if you dont believe in climate change. We know everybodys moving in this direction.
Wearing an event T-shirt that read, Love water, not oil. No Pipelines. No fracking. No tar sands, Halstead called attention to the countless high pressure pipeline markers visible from the roadways, signifying the maze of oil pipelines underground.
Years ago, he said he suddenly realized the pipelines run directly beneath his sons school and his neighbors backyards.
"Literally running under my child's playground," he said.
One of the events featured speakers included Chris Wahmhoff, of Kalamazoo, Michigan. In 2013, Wahmhoff skateboarded into an Enbridge pipeline as a way to protest a 2010 rupture of a pipeline that spilled nearly 1 million gallons of tar sands crude oil into the Kalamazoo River.
Communities with industry for neighbors pay the greatest price and risk to public, he said.
Go to East Chicago. Come to Kalamazoo. Go to Flint. Detroit. There are names upon names of places. Look at the health effects. Remember that this is our plight. Remember that this is our fight, Wahmhoff told the crowd. Politicians can do some things but they cannot win this fight for you.
Organizers of the walk included 350 Indiana-Calumet, Purdue University Northwest Environmental Club, Community Strategy Group of East Chicago, NWI Resistance, First Unitarian Church of Hobart Faith in Action Committee and Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
The Enbridge pipeline transports heavy crude oil from Canada's Athabasca tar sands to a number of refineries in the U.S.
Invited to speak Saturday, Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson criticized President Donald Trumps failure to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement, but added local leaders must do more to promote green jobs and reduce emissions.
There are those who create this dichotomy that if you are for climate change, you are against development and growth. I am here to tell you there are countries and communities that are in fact growing, developing and doing it in a cleaner way," she said.
ST. JOHN Seniority is no longer the principal factor in determining which teachers will be laid off when the need arises, and punctuality and attendance are no longer included in calculating students grades in the Lake Central Schools.
Board President Janice Malchow suggested a review of all school district policies shortly after becoming president in January. Several months later, the board still is conducting its review, but some of the changes are being instituted.
The issue of seniority when dealing with layoffs is one instance of the schools changing the policy to reflect current state law.
Seniority used to be the first thing considered prior to staff layoffs, but now it is the last. It only comes into play when the district has teachers of equal qualification based on the other criteria.
The other criteria include the scope of the persons license, the academic needs of the district, the results of ongoing and past evaluations, the assignment of instructional leadership roles and the attainment of either additional content area degrees or credit hours beyond the requirements for employment.
Also, to the factors that could determine when layoffs could occur, the board added fiscal reasons to the list.
We needed to update our policy in order to align with Indiana code, Superintendent Larry Veracco said. The last time we experienced a reduction in teachers was in response to the levels of funding we were receiving from the state. Our new policy uses the scope of a persons license as the first factor to consider since a license with several areas of expertise gives us greater flexibility in meeting the needs of our students."
He added the district does not expect to reduce staff at any time in the near future, but it now has the policy in place should something unforeseen occur with funding or student enrollment.
Lake Central Teachers Association President Nicholas Meyer said the union is awaiting the outcome of a court case dealing with the seniority issue, but he said of the change, Our board changed a policy in response to a law change in order to stay compliant within the Indiana code. My opinion is that the state should not be tying the hands of local schools by passing laws that are not in the best interest of students, schools and teachers.
On the change to eliminate the policy of using attendance and punctuality as factors in determining a students grade, Veracco said, As a school district, we felt it was important to make sure that, to the best of our ability, grades reflect how well students have mastered the content of each course. We have previously increased the percentage of a students grade attributable to in-class work and assessments and minimized the percentage attributed to homework."
By Piya Hingorani: In the wake of the tragic stampede on the foot overbridge of Mumbai's Elphinstone station on Friday morning, which claimed 23 lives and left over 32 injured, Bollywood celebrities condemned the incident and condoled those who had lost their lives.
From Amitabh Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra to Anupam Kher and Anil Kapoor, stars expressed their shock and sadness on social media, and even questioned the state of the infrastructure which led to the tragedy.
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Echoing similar sentiments in an exclusive chat with India Today Television, actor Saif Ali Khan said, "It's a terrible, terrible thing. Our thoughts and concerns to the people who are hurt, but you know the kind of population we have and the kind of infrastructure we have, burdens any society."
In a hope to avoid a man-made tragedy like this, Saif added, "It's a great thing we are aware of it, we are discussing it now. The fact that it doesn't happen more often is a blessing to me because it's threatening to happen all the time. So it should be addressed and hopefully before terrible things happen."
ALSO WATCH: India is not a secular country, says Saif Ali Khan
--- ENDS ---
For the 25th year, Elvis is coming to Portage at least in spirit.
The 25th annual Elvis FANtasy Fest will return Oct. 6 through Oct. 8 to Woodland Park, 2100 Willowcreek Road. The event benefits Porter County Special Olympics.
The welcome party kicks off the event Friday, hosted by local Elvis tribute artist Quentin Flagg, according to a news release from Kay Lipps, Elvis FANtasy Fest organizer.
New this year is a youth talent show that will run from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by a rock review, "Raised on Rock," featuring tribute headliners.
Saturday kicks off with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. followed by Round 1 of the Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. EFF partners with Elvis Presley Enterprises to hold one of the preliminary contests for the 2018 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest to take place in Memphis as part of Elvis Week 2018.
This year, EFF welcomes over 20 Elvis tribute artists coming from as far away as California and Texas who will compete at the two-day contest to win a spot in Memphis. Special guest Charlie Smith will be one of the judges and will also share stories about her time on several movies with Elvis.
The main headliner show, "Thats the Way it Was," welcomes back last years champion Matt King, along with Flagg, and Cote Deonath, Di Light and Ted Torres.
The contest and shows are backed by Chicagos Change of Habit Tribute Band.
Doors open at 10 a.m. Sunday for brunch and a Southern Gospel Music Hour followed by the finals of the tribute contest. A special finale celebrating the Special Olympic athletes will take place, followed by the announcement of contest winners.
Food is provided throughout the weekend by the Porter County Special Olympics. Fans can visit dealers of Elvis memorabilia. Part of the fundraising activities include a basket raffle along with an Elvis auction.
Doors open at 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online at elvisfantasyfest.com or at the door.
Vice President Mike Pence journeyed back home to Indiana in September to make his pitch for President Donald Trumps emerging tax reform plan.
The good news is the Senates close to moving forward with legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare as we speak, Pence told a crowd in Anderson, in his old congressional district. President Trump and I firmly believe that the Graham-Cassidy bill is the right bill at the right time to repeal and replace Obamacare.
But there was a problem. Simultaneously U.S. Sen. John McCain announced he couldnt support the plan, saying, "I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal. I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats ..."
It was the death knell.
If theres a deja vu feel to this, you only have to go back to July, when Pence spent hours just off the Senate floor twisting McCains arm to support another Senate Obamacare repeal/replace plan. McCain did the same thing, citing no hearings, no amendments and tens of millions losing coverage. Zap!
The vice president ardently believes most Americans hate Obamacare and many do but a CBS Poll on Graham/Cassidy showed 20 percent support, with only 18 percent of independents and just 46 percent of Republicans. Most Americans realized that Graham/Cassidy, much like the House bill that passed last spring, was simply a just do something bill aimed at pleasing restless campaign donors.
Three days after Pence appeared in Anderson, the only Senate hearing on Graham/Cassidy took place and the optics were severe: Capitol Hill police arresting and dragging away protesters in wheelchairs.
Pences background is illustrative of his emerging dilemma. As a congressman for a dozen years, he never forged a significant piece of legislation with a Democrat co-sponsor. In fact, he never passed one of his bills into law. He used his House seat to quickly climb into Republican conference leadership where he became a rhetorical warrior.
As governor, Pence had two towering Republican super majorities in the General Assembly. He would meet with Democrats, but he didnt really need their votes.
So 2017 finds Pence scraping up with the reality of actually getting things done. As his hero, President Ronald Reagan, realized, you have to reach out to Democrats on the major stuff. Pence frequently joined the Senate Republican Tuesday luncheon, but he didnt have enough mojo to pull in the entire caucus.
Democratic Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts quoted Trump after a meeting last week: You get a better deal if its bipartisan.
Ya think? It took him nine months to realize that. Preparing to depart to Indianapolis Wednesday to push his tax reforms, Trump told reporters, I will negotiate with Democrats to see if I can get a deal.
Trump is clearly headed in that direction. He is openly feuding with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan, both Pence allies, and former aide Steve Bannon has declared a revolution against the GOP establishment of which Pence is a most conspicuous member.
Is this a lesson Pence is preparing to learn? It better be. While Pence has proved to be an ultra-loyal Trumper, spraying his boss in glowing accolades even in the most embarrassing moments, Trump has repeatedly proven that loyalty is a one-way street. Just ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Or jet-setting HHS Secretary Tom Price, who got a well see vote of confidence from Trump just before he departed for Indianapolis.
Trump is entering an era when moderation and Democratic alliances will be crucial.
If Trump truly moves to the moderate center, seeking support from Democrats, can Pence change his stripes?
Two thoughts emerge: Hed better, and I have my doubts.
All of this fuels a working hypothesis here and in other quarters that Trump is not a conservative or even a Republican.
Hes the first independent president, achieving a hostile takeover of the GOP. He accomplished something Strom Thurmond, George Wallace, John Anderson and Ross Perot could only dream about. Dont be surprised if he runs for re-election as an independent.
If Pence somehow ends up under the Greyhound Firestones, we could be witnessing the type of cleaving that found Teddy Roosevelt clashing with his former veep William Howard Taft in the 1912 election.
Our college-age population consists mostly of 18-to30-year-olds, and likewise our armed forces. I wonder whether they shared common responses to the 2016 presidential election.
Many college administrators provided students with therapy dogs, play dough, coloring books, bubbles, videos of frolicking kittens and puppies and soft music. They even canceled classes and postponed exams so their 18-to-30-year-old snowflakes could better cope with the election results.
There are numerous Internet photos and videos of these youngsters screaming and in outright grief and panic. Here's my question: Were our military leaders as accommodating as college administrators? Did commanding officers of our aircraft carriers provide their young people with therapy dogs, play dough, crayons and coloring books and soft music? Were sea training exercises canceled?
I'm guessing our military leaders, unlike many college administrators, have not lost their minds. That brings me to the title of a new book, "Not a Day Care." It was written by Everett Piper, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Piper reminds us that today's law students are tomorrow's lawyers and judges.
Based on what they are taught, there's no mystery why lawyers and judges seek to legislate from the bench. Students who want to rid college curricula of dead old white men such as Plato, Aristotle, Voltaire and Kant will be on tomorrow's school boards or be professors. This doesn't bode well for our nation's future.
Many colleges have become hotbeds of what might be labeled as enlightened racism. Students at the University of California, Berkeley created "safe spaces" for people of color. Resident advisers at Scripps College posted two signs to educate students about "emotional labor," one aimed at white students and one for "people of color and marginalized backgrounds."
University of Michigan students demanded a "designated space on central campus for black students and students of color to organize and do social justice work."
In Chapter 6, Piper discusses an attack by a Muslim Somali student at Ohio State University. Fortunately, he was shot dead by police officers before he could add to his toll of 11 injured students. The Islamic State group praised him and called him one of its soldiers. The administration responded to the incident by inviting Nathan Lean, author of "The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims," to lecture about Islamophobia. A few days after the attack, protesters gathered on campus to read the names of people of color killed by police in the previous two months. The Muslim Somali student made the list, going from a terrorist to a victim virtually overnight.
Among the many other ugly things going on at our universities is the withering attack on free speech. Diversity is the highest goal of students and professors who openly detest those with whom they disagree. The content of a man's character is no longer as important as the color of his skin, sex or political loyalties. This intolerance has won such respectability that even politicians have little shame expressing it.
In 2014, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo basically told people who disagreed with him to leave the state. He said people who defend traditional marriage, are pro-life and are anti-gun control "have no place in the state of New York." That's progressive ideological fascism that ought to be put down by freedom-loving Americans.
Piper's "Not a Day Care" is a short but powerful book by a university president who is not afraid to maintain civility and common sense, traits all-too rare among today's university administrators.
Close your eyes for a minute. Its OK. Ill help you along.
Now, envision an Alabama Republican named Roy Moore running for the U.S. Senate brandishing a gun from the stage at a campaign rally.
And now envision him a few years back being removed as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing a judicial order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the states Judicial Building.
A few years later, after again being elected Alabama chief justice, watch him being suspended for refusing to acknowledge the legality of gay marriage.
Now envision him being asked by a reporter for his views on DACA and whether he supports DREAMers, And envision him asking the reporter to explain DACA and DREAMers to him.
Envision him saying that homosexuality should be against military policy.
And yes, this comes from a West Point graduate.
Are your eyes still closed? Good. This isnt for the faint of heart.
Now envision this fellow as recently as 2016 saying he doesnt believe President Barack Obama was born in the United States. And, furthermore, he said he believes Obama is a Muslim.
Speaking of Muslims, envision this guy saying U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat, should not have been seated in Congress because hes a Muslim.
Envision him going a step further than President Donald Trump by saying we ought to also build a wall along our northern border.
Envision part of his brain trust being Sarah Palin as she backs him up on stage at one of his rallies.
Envision him telling the crowd that there shouldnt be any federal money for Planned Parenthood.
Given all that baggage, envision him easily defeating Trump candidate Luther Strange.
Now, envision a Strange backer having this to say the day after Moore won:
Congratulations, Roy Moore. We are thrilled you ran on the MAGA (Make America Great Again) agenda, and we are for you.
Now, open your eyes.
Yes, the guy heaping all that praise on Moore is Vice President Mike Pence, the former Indiana governor.
Kind of makes me ashamed to be a Hoosier.
A Marine's remains were laid to rest Saturday in Brooklyn, 74 years after he died during a World War II battle.
A funeral was held for Private Joseph Carbone at a church in Bensonhurst.
He was identified after his niece read news reports in 2015 about human remains unearthed on the same beach where Carbone last fought. She contacted the Marine Corps and was asked to provide a sample of her DNA.
Once the match was made, Carbone's remains were brought back home.
Some Brooklyn residents said they came to the funeral to pay their respects.
"I felt that it was my duty to come here today to represent Brooklyn and all the people who have had relatives who fought in World War II like Joseph Carbone," one woman said.
Carbone was buried with full military honors at Calvary Cemetery alongside his parents.
In 1943, Carbone was among 18,000 U.S. Marines that fought in the bloody Battle of Tarawa in World War II.
1,200 of them did not survive the fierce fighting against the Japanese.
His family, who lived on Gold St. near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, got a telegram saying the 18-year-old was missing in action.
For weeks, months, and then years, his parents and siblings hoped for a miracle that never came.
"Every Marine that came down that block, we ran to, hoping it was him," said Nancy Lewis, Carbone's niece. Her mother and Carbone were siblings.
Lewis, who is now in her 70s, said she had always wondered what happened to him.
She saved the message on her answering machine once the Marine Corps responded to her DNA sample: "His remains have been identified along with hundreds of other Marines that were killed in WWII in Tarawa in November 1943."
"I was like, 'Oh my, God. They found him. What a relief,'" Lewis said.
Lewis still has a letter her grandmother wrote to Carbone after he was deployed.
"Grandma always talked about him, always. Our whole life was Uncle Joey with Grandma," Lewis said. "I felt a sense of relief knowing that she went to her grave thinking he was coming home."
A former congressman who spent time in jail is making a bid for a comeback; Michael Grimm held a rally on his home turf Sunday, with hopes that his loyal supporters will send him back to Congress. NY1 Staten Island Reporter Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.
With the strains of country music as his anthem, former congressman Michael Grimm re-launched his political career before more than 200 supporters in New Dorp, attempting a comeback 17 months after completing a federal prison term for tax fraud.
"I ask you once again to give me your confidence, to give me your support as I announce my candidacy to be your representative for the New York 11th congressional district!" Grimm told supporters.
In a 25-minute speech, Grimm positioned himself as part of the angry-at-Washington populist wing of the Republican Party that propelled Donald Trump to the White House. He said that he has President Trump's back, and that the man he wants to replace fellow Republican Dan Donovan does not.
"As far as I'm concerned, he's just been a little too busy siding with the Democrats against our president and an agenda that finally puts you and America first," Grimm said.
Grimm resigned his seat in 2015 and spent seven months in a federal lockup after pleading guilty to tax fraud.
The rally, complete with chants of "USA" and an appearance by an Albanian cheerleading squad, gave him a chance to speak directly to voters about his past.
"Sincerely, I'm truly sorry if I let any of you down," Grimm said. "I wish I could take it all back."
Grimm is being advised by a pugnacious former Trump Advisor, Michael Caputo. And again and again in his kick off speech, he attempted to draw contrasts with Donovan.
"My opponent's a nice guy, right? A bit of a sweetheart. But let me tell you something: He's never going to get anything done, not ever," Grimm said. "And in Washington, nice guys finish last."
Many of those gathered Sunday admitted they voted for Donovan the last time around, but they said with Grimm back in the race, supporting him will be a no-brainer.
"Danny Donovan is a great person, I don't dislike Dan, he's a nice guy," one Grimm supporter said. "But we need a powerhouse, and Mike was always the powerhouse."
Grimm declined to take questions from the press after his speech, choosing instead to spend time with those who showed up to support him.
All of the borough's Republican elected officials have already signed a pledge to support Donovan.
A spokeswoman for Donovan reacted to Grimm's run in a statement, saying, "It's hard to tell what's worse: the fact that Michael Grimm lied to his constituents, then quit and left them in the lurch with no representation under President Obama, or that he had one of the most liberal voting records of all Congressional Republicans. Either way, voters can't trust Michael Grimm and we're trying to drain the swamp, not make it murkier. Dan is focused on doing the people's business and helping the President enact an agenda that will lead to an American renaissance."
By PTI: parents
New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today announced a reward of Rs one lakh for helping Geeta, the deaf and mute Indian girl who returned home in 2015 after being stranded in Pakistan for over a decade, in uniting with her parents.
In a video appeal, Swaraj said there cannot be a better deed than helping a girl find her parents and urged those people, who know about any family which had a mute and deaf girl who went missing around 12 years back, to come forward.
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"We will give Rs one lakh to anyone who helps Geeta find her parents," Swaraj said in her appeal.
Geeta, who had returned to India in October 2015, has been staying at an institution for hearing and speech impaired people run by an NGO in Indore.
"At times she becomes very emotional and starts crying. My appeal to her parents -- please come forward and take your daughter. I am assuring that we will not let her become a burden on you," Swaraj said with Geeta by her side.
"We will take care of her including her marriage and studies. Your daughter is desperate to meet you," she said.
Swaraj said Geeta could be from Bihar or Jharkhand and requested chief ministers of both the states to ensure that her appeal is shown by all cable TV networks for the next seven days so that people come forward to help her.
The External Affairs Minister, who had played a key role in ensuring the girls return from Pakistan, said she had indicated that her real name is Guddi and that the name Geeta was given to her by the Edhi foundation in Pakistan which had taken care of her.
After her return from Pakistan, a family from Bihar had come forward claiming that Geeta was their daughter after she felt that they were her parents. However, DNA tests conducted on her proved otherwise.
She had failed to recognise the Mahato family after arriving in India though, after seeing their photographs in Pakistan, she had indicated that they could be her family.
Geeta was reportedly just 7 or 8 years old when she was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers at the Lahore railway station.
Her story came to light after the release of Salman Khan- starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan in which the hero unites a mute Pakistani girl with her mother in the neighbouring country. PTI MPB ASK ASK
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A simple phrase or comment about something on social media or a chat with a friend can be a turning point. This is something Joan Mugenzi can prove.
In 2014, Mugenzi read someones post on Facebook, and this became her turning point because it helped her focus on what she really was destined to do motivational training.
The post read: I want someone to hold my hand and teach me how to make money the way my mamma taught me how to peel matooke. Im tired of motivational speakers and motivational books that excite you and leave you there.
Joan Mugenzi
She replied the stranger by noting how the problem wasnt with the motivational speakers and the books, but the person they were intended to help. However, after reflecting on the post, Mugenzi realised that the key problem people face is lack of follow-up mechanisms to ensure application of knowledge happens.
STARTING OUT
Our education system is reactive and not problem-solving, you find people working on deadlines because they have been taught to do things [at the] last minute, Mugenzi said, during our meeting on Monday afternoon.
Its against this background that the former World Vision International employee decided to develop programs, which included assessment, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and building an accountability mechanism. Her skills in programmatic communications have greatly helped her in shaping the programmes.
Mugenzis passion for motivating others didnt start in 2014. She tried doing it way back in 2010 by holding trainings in institutions like Kyambogo University and Makerere University Business School. Reading Jack Canfields The Success Principles also greatly inspired her into undertaking motivational training classes by the author.
Mugenzi reminisces that when she started working for World Vision, she met many people who were running powerful programmes but the same couldnt be said of their lives as she engaged some of them in private conversations.
She says the workplace tools and strategies used for programme goals could easily be applied to personal lives. Unlike 100-year organisations that have five-year strategies, most individuals lack an accountability mechanism and dont even have daily, weekly, or monthly self-reflections.
Issues like these is what Mugenzi integrated in her programme. The motivational trainer explains that she ventured into the trade after discovering and understanding herself as an encourager.
I love seeing people improve their lives. It just comes naturally and I always feel someone shouldnt become stagnant, whether it is career or any other personal development aspect; whatever line someone decides to undertake, they should succeed, Mugenzi says.
As a budding motivational trainer, Mugenzi wasnt without challenges. The employee who was helping her out ran away with her laptop. Since students couldnt pay for the services, and she was running all activities out of her pocket, she decided to halt the process.
Although she wasnt very active, Mugenzi started on polishing her skills and read more motivational content but of all, Canfields book really influenced her decision. The book focused on where someone is and where s/he wants to be.
TRAINING
Around 2014, she got in touch with the Institute for National Transformation programme. However, this didnt rhyme with her needs since her passion did not fit in any of the seven spheres of influence the institute focused on. Instead, she decided to join the much-suited Jack Canfield to train as a certified trainer for success principles.
Mugenzi describes the training conference in Arizona, USA, as her real turning point because it made her believe more in her personal development goals. While there, she met international multi-millionaires who had different aspirations and goals.
ESTABLISHING SELF
In 2014 during the training, Mugenzi sat with a business development consultant who asked her when she was leaving her job at World Vision. She argued that since she had a running contract (two-year basis) which would end in 2015, she could sign one more contract and exit in 2017.
He told me to work every day like I was out there. My work doubled and I learnt how to use my free time focusing on my exit, recalls Mugenzi, who worked with the international NGO for 11 years.
Although she had initially planned to retire in 2019 and concentrate on training, that didnt happen. She eventually changed her retirement time to 2017, although she subsequently quit in 2016.
Its not easy to leave an enviable cheque and venture into the unknown, but that was no challenge for Mugenzi. She was psychologically prepared for that and her mind was not on the money but the potential her new venture had.
I had a purpose that I had to pursue my passion. I realized theres not enough money, and my decision would not be driven by money because I would lose it, Mugenzi says.
She adds that before anyone leaves their job for the unknown, they should hold onto their jobs as their ventures progress.
Because she didnt give up her job, her company, Imagine Me Africa, was able to survive and sometimes depended on the pay cheque from her formal job.
Mugenzi further advises one to broaden her network because it is through such branches that one reaches places they never expected. She met her business accountability partner through Facebook.
Its a good idea to start planning early, especially if you are going to cross into another environment, she says.
Hannah Namuyomba is one of the beneficiaries of Mugenzis trainings since 2014.
We had personal development sessions where we were paired with an accountability partner who would help us focus on our goals, she says. It is through here that I met a female colleague who helped me secure my land title after ten years.
Namuyomba adds that she has also learnt to appreciate and respect respective professionals.
Imagine Me Africa holds various training programs like Dine and Dream, which runs at the beginning of each year and bi-monthly Power Breakfast where people with different aspirations are hosted and motivated by Mugenzi.
She has also authored a book titled Corporates at a Crossroads: Knowing that Your Job Isnt Eternal and Acting on That Knowledge where she discusses issues to do with transitioning from one field to another and personal financial stewardship, among others.
ASPIRATIONS
The former New Vision journalist hopes to write more motivational books to inspire more Africans. Despite being in its tender stages, Imagine Me Africa has so far trained close to 1,000 people.
Mugenzi has worked or hosted byreputable brands like Belgium Development Agency, Institute of Certified Pubic Accountants of Uganda, Infectious Diseases Institute, Norwegian embassy, Uganda Law Society and World Vision, among others.
Her Power Breakfast meetings have been attended by close to 300 corporate executives and other leaders. She holds a masters degree in Public Health, and prides herself in focusing on the health of the mind.
abumay1988@gmail.com
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Today, I learned the Nigerian Pledge in French special thanks to my French teacher
What Nigeria do I see?
Being a Nigerian and living in Nigeria is not the best thing to happen to anyone, on average that is. We rank pretty low on every good metric -- from average income to life expectancy. But for me, I have made the conscious effort of making my Nigerian nationality and residency the best advantage I have. I have deliberately made it the best thing to happen to me.
I try to water the grass in my corner of the earth. I even go about with my own sunshine as sometimes it's like the government is bent on spreading dark clouds everywhere. I am already seeing encouraging success. Gradually, my grass is getting greener. Not as green as maybe many people outside Nigeria have theirs but I am happy. Seeing progress gives me hope that my tomorrow is going to be better than today, and that is a great reason to be grateful to God for everything -- including making me a Nigerian.
The Nigeria I see is one of opportunity, adventures, testimonies, many joys, victories and progress. For me. And for everyone who keeps himself from the bad blood some people are trying to spread around.
Nigeria is not perfect. Not even close. There are many things wrong that have very easy fix. There are too many things to complain about. There are many sources of excuse to not achieve one's potentials. There are too many reasons to want to leave. But my message today is one of inner strength.
I now attend Covenant Christian Centre. Pastor Poju told us during his sermon today that strife is a corrosive agent. It destroys what already exists and sucks the energy for great exploits. That we should always keep away from strife and never let anyone recruit us into theirs. That Abraham understood it and was well willing to come low to his nephew, Lot, telling him to pick the land he wants and he will content himself with one far from his so that their employees/servants will no longer fight over resources (strife).
Today, as a repentant benchwarmer, I repreach that message to you. Let go of all strife, especially with our fellow Nigerians. It will destroy what we have and drain us of energy to create the future Nigeria our children deserve.
Let us make the positive change that is within our power to make. Water your own corner. Use your votes judiciously when the time comes. But don't wish your non-politician brother any harm. If you wish the political one harm, I understand and will even help pray to God to forgive you for your good sin. Okay, seriously, don't wish anybody harm. Engage in no strife. Free your mind and energy for positive exploits.
God bless non-politician Nigerians! God bless Nigeria! And God reserve some blessings for the politician Nigerians. Happy Independence!
Speaking to Mail Today, an official requesting anonymity said, "More than 15,000 inmates are lodged in Tihar jail. Out of them, 80 per cent are undertrials. Around 25 per cent of undertrials are repeat offenders and they enjoy their life in jail."
By Chayyanika Nigam: Almost 25 per cent of undertrials lodged in Tihar jail are repeat offenders, who often check in the jail premises only because they cannot make ends meet outside.
Almost all of them are above 35 years of age and belong to low income groups. For them, spending their lives in jail is more comfortable, sources claimed, while quoting the confessions of undertrials.
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Meet Rehman (name changed), who entered the world of crime at the age of 21. He killed a man in Seelampur after a heated argument. He then landed in Tihar jail, where he spent five years. He later came out on bail, got married, and had a daughter.
"After spending 18 months outside Tihar, he started missing his life in jail. To return behind the bars, he indulged in petty crimes such as snatching and theft, but was unable to get himself caught by police. He then started stalking a Delhi University girl who filed a case against him that landed him in Tihar jail," said a source in the jail quoting Rehman's tainted past.
While his name was registered in the repeat offenders list, he narrated the reason for committing a crime again. He remained behind bars for 18 months, and his release was later secured by his wife. This time, when he returned, he had gained weight and started acting like the 'dada' of the area as he had been to Tihar twice.
Rehman's daughter had grown up. He did not want to work and he had no money left to survive. He asked his wife to go back to her paternal home, claiming that he couldn't take care of them. However, she denied, despite several assaults by him.
Last year, Rehman killed a man in a theft attempt in Northeast Delhi. Two months after the crime, he was nabbed by police and sent back to Tihar jail. This time, authorities asked him the reason for his repeat offences.
He then said he didn't have money to survive, and that the facilities that he got inside the jail - from food to medical care - were much better than what he got in the world outside. "It's better to stay inside than to struggle outside for livelihood," he reportedly told authorities.
'I GET A ROOF, PROPER FOOD AND WATER'
Meanwhile, another repeat offender who returned to jail on purpose confessed to authorities that "In Tihar jail, I get a roof to spend the night (under), proper food and water, my health is well taken care of, and my life is disciplined now. I have learned carpentry and spend my day making furniture, which gets sold in Tihar haat."
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Speaking to Mail Today, an official requesting anonymity said, "More than 15,000 inmates are lodged in Tihar jail. Out of them, 80 per cent are undertrials. Around 25 per cent of undertrials are repeat offenders and they enjoy their life in jail."
ALSO WATCH | SO SORRY | Sasi ki Kala: Chinamma's gala time in Bengaluru jail
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As he sought votes during last years Iowa caucuses, candidate Donald Trump courted farmers with praise for ethanol and promises that he would boost the home-grown fuel.
Now those farmers and other biofuel supporters say the people President Trump has put in charge of the issue are instead boosting their fossil-fuel rivals.
This seems like a bait-and-switch, Iowas senior Republican senator, Chuck Grassley, said on the Senate floor last week. Big Oil and oil refineries are prevailing, despite assurances to the contrary.
The issue is politically precarious for Trump, as it pits the oil industry against Midwest voters who helped elect him. Trump repeatedly vowed to protect ethanol. But he loaded his Cabinet with allies of the oil industry, which views the Renewable Fuel Standard that mandates biofuel use as costly and burdensome.
Ethanol producers are most vexed by Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. His agency has pursued a series of changes that would help the oil industry at the expense of farmers.
The White House needs to rein in the EPA before the agency tramples the presidents rural base and his promises to voters, said Brooke Coleman, executive director of the Advanced Biofuels Business Council. I would be surprised if those in the White House realize the depth of his attacks on the Renewable Fuel Standard.
While serving as Oklahomas attorney general, Pruitt dubbed the quotas unworkable and a flawed program.
Now at the EPA, Pruitt has gone rogue, said Michael McAdams, president of the Advanced Biofuels Association.
EPA is currently seeking input from all stakeholders involved. Nothing has been finalized at this time, the agency said in a statement.
Despite the presidents high-profile pledges of support, the intricate details of biofuel policy are being decided by administration officials with no allegiance to the sector, said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.
For instance, Trumps Energy Secretary is Rick Perry, who as Texas governor asked the EPA to waive half of the conventional renewable fuel quota in 2008. And Trumps Agriculture Department is led by Sonny Perdue, who previously was governor of Georgia, the nations top poultry producer. Livestock producers have linked arms with the oil industry to fight the biofuel mandate, arguing it drives up feed costs.
In the latest policy move, the EPA last week issued a notice opening the door to potential reductions in annual quotas for biodiesel and ethanol. The action followed heavy lobbying by oil industry leaders seeking lower biofuel targets.
The EPA had already proposed lowering the amount of advanced biofuel that would be required next year. EPA officials initially wanted to require 384 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol to be used next year up 19 percent from this years 311 million gallon quota according to documents released by the Office of Management and Budget.
But after lobbyists for refiners raised concerns about relying on imported biofuel to meet the targets, Pruitt directed EPA staff to recalculate the figures. The resulting proposal aims to lower the cellulosic ethanol requirement for the first time to 238 million gallons next year.
Oil industry leaders say Pruitt is making good on his pledge to get the RFS back on track, by establishing biofuel quotas ahead of legal deadlines.
The EPA is advancing Congresss stated purpose of bolstering Americas energy independence, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers said in an emailed statement. American drivers shouldnt have to shoulder more costs to help foreign biofuel producers.
Biofuel boosters are reminding Trump of his promises now.
It is my hope that your EPA has not forgotten about the pledges that were made to my constituents and to farmers across the country, Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, told the president in a letter last week.
Critics of Equifax may be hoping that Richard Smith, who stepped down Tuesday amid a massive data breach, wont see any more of the money hes been granted as CEO of the credit reporting agency. As U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said in a statement, theres no easy out for the working families that Equifax exposed to cyber criminals, so there shouldnt be a big payday for the companys CEO.
But Smith will still receive a pension worth millions. According to the companys most recent proxy statement, that benefit was valued at $18.4 million, though it could be reduced somewhat because Smith, who is 57, is stepping down before age 60.
Still, anything near that high will be eye-popping to many Americans and could infuriate those who question why the chief executive of a company that faces multiple federal investigations over its handling of a hack that affected as many as 143 million people could walk away with a cushy retirement.
The company said Tuesday that Smith would not receive his 2017 bonus, and a spokeswoman said he would not receive a severance payment.
And on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company was considering clawing back some executive compensation, according to an unnamed source the newspaper talked to. It said Equifaxs board hadnt decided on the details, such as the amount of pay that would be clawed back, or the periods for which a clawback would apply.
But executive compensation experts said it would be very unusual for a CEO to lose out on the pension hes earned, even if bonuses or stock grants are canceled or were to end up being clawed back, or recouped after being disbursed.
I cant think of a case where it has been taken away, said John Roe, head of ISS Analytics, part of the influential proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services. You cant say never, but I would say its very uncommon to see a situation where a pension was clawed back. It would have to be an extremely unusual situation.
Roe said thats because CEO pensions, like retirement accounts for rank-and-file employees, are thought of as a benefit to reward years of service rather than individual performance, as bonuses and stock grants are often designed.
But the similarities end there: Many CEOs receive special supplemental executive retirement plans that offer benefits well in excess of what the average employee receives. The company typically either makes a contribution to the plan thats invested or provides a defined benefit thats set up as an annuity or a lump-sum payment.
Such supplemental plans have drawn controversy, with investors asking why executives need to see retirement payments worth a million dollars or more each year when theyre already bringing home millions each year in their regular compensation.
The irony is that the people who probably have the most secure retirement are the people who need it least, said Rosanna Landis Weaver, an executive compensation expert for the nonprofit As You Sow.
After reports surfaced in 2013 about McKesson CEO John Hammergrens record-setting $159 million pension, the CEO agreed to have it cut by $45 million following a campaign by activist investors.
When John Stumpf, the former CEO of Wells Fargo, surrendered $69 million in the aftermath of the banks fraudulent accounts scandal, it came from the forfeiture of $41 million in unvested equity awards and the clawback of $28 million in proceeds from a 2013 equity grant.
Stumpfs pension, valued at $19.9 million, was not canceled or clawed back, though retirement plan payouts may have been used to recoup the value of the grant.
In Smiths case, he had worked at Equifax for 12 years and had participated in both the companys regular pension plan and the SERP for executives, both of which are now closed to new participants, according to the proxy.
Nearly all of the $18.4 million value comes from the supplemental plan, which has a more generous formula and is not subject to the same limits. He also started out ahead: According to the proxy, Equifax credited him five years of service when he joined the company in 2005, to compensate him for retirement benefits given up when he left General Electric.
Compensation consultant Brian Foley said that Equifaxs supplemental plan does not have what he calls a bad boy clause that would prompt forfeiture or modification in the case of bad behavior, though he said he has seen it before.
Indeed, an Equifax spokeswoman said in an email that under the terms of the companys plan, Smith is entitled to that pension under any circumstance, and company filings show that even if Smith were to be fired for cause, he would still receive the pension and supplemental retirement plan.
(Equifax said Tuesday that Smith was retiring, but that all decisions relating to the characterization of Mr. Smiths departure would come after the review into the hack is completed.)
Company documents do say that Equifax can claw back excess incentive compensation (including bonuses, annual incentive awards and performance-based equity awards predicated on achievement of financial results) if there is a material restatement of financial results. But the provision does not mention the retirement plan.
Its possible that Smith could end up with even more. If the characterization of his departure does not change from retirement, Smith would continue vesting in certain outstanding stock awards, which were worth $20.8 million as of Tuesdays closing stock price, according to an estimate from Equilar, the executive pay and governance research firm. If he ultimately is fired for cause, those would be forfeited.
A company spokeswoman said the disposition of certain long-term equity awards was dependent on the outcome of an independent review about the breach.
Still, some compensation consultants said its at least possible the public outcry could get so loud that the board might feel pressured to reconsider or negotiate with Smith. On top of the pension, Foley calculates that Smith has realized more than $95 million in salary, bonus and equity compensation over the past three years.
Once the review is over and the board decides how it will characterize Smiths departure, if it turns out to be for cause, it may create practical pressure to revisit the pension, Foley said.
Theyve already said weve got poured concrete all the way around this pension, but this has the potential to get so ugly they may have to un-pour the concrete.
All visits to the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln were canceled Sunday because of a surge in illegal drug use, a spokeswoman for the State Corrections Department said.
The penitentiary was placed on modified operations after at least 15 inmates were suspected of using K2, a synthetic drug, Dawn-Renee Smith said in a statement.
Investigators will be brought in to determine sources and other relevant information, Smith wrote. Due to the active investigation, this is all the information available.
Modified operations means that prison officials will more closely control the movement of inmates within the facility because of safety and security needs, Smith said. Actions may include confining some inmates to their cells, canceling program or work activities, and directly escorting certain inmates as necessary.
Your school tax bill will look very different this year.
It probably will look bigger, and it might give you a sense of deja vu.
For the first time, the controversial common property tax levy is gone this year axed by lawmakers.
Metro Omaha districts in the learning cooperative no longer share property taxes and state aid.
Districts return to the funding system used by the rest of the states districts.
That means keeping all their local property tax revenue and, if they qualify, backfilling with state equalization aid to cover their calculated needs according to the state aid formula.
The 95-cent common levy, which had been set annually by the Learning Community Council since 2009, disappears from tax bills. But you wont see a 95-cent drop in your levy.
In fact, it may appear that your local district dramatically increased its levy. Its actually an accounting change. Lawmakers just shifted authority for that levy from the Learning Community to the districts, so district levies will look bigger than last year. The total levies are what matter for your tax bill.
Some districts, able to keep all their property taxes, see a dramatic drop in state aid this year, yet their bottom lines improve.
Others, the Omaha Public Schools included, get a large boost in aid because they can no longer tap revenue from the common levy.
Also this year, a new source of state aid kicks in. Its called community achievement plan aid: extra aid for districts that educate students who live in poverty and are English-language learners.
That aid was part of the deal lawmakers struck to end the common levy.
All Learning Community districts get some, but the lions share $5.7 million goes to OPS, reflecting its high percentage of poor and immigrant students.
Here's how districts are adjusting to the end of the common property tax levy.
Bellevue
This year, residents will see a bond levy from the Bellevue Public Schools on their tax bills for the first time in decades.
After last years passage of a $76 million bond issue, the first in 42 years, Bellevues tax levy is now $1.14 per $100 of valuation. It makes for a school tax bill of $1,710 for a home assessed at $150,000. Thats a $75 increase over last year.
The districts valuations have risen 6 percent since 2016.
The districts total budget increased by less than 2 percent.
The district, with enrollment of 10,100, did not see a big change in funding when the common levy ended.
Bennington
Benningtons tax levy will remain roughly the same as last year, even as the districts budget increases to accommodate more students.
The budget increased 15 percent this year, to $27.25 million. The total levy is $1.43 per $100 of valuation remaining flat which translates to a tax bill of $2,145 for a home assessed at $150,000.
K-12 enrollment continues to swell, coming in at 2,601 this year, an 11.5 percent increase. Bennington opened a new middle school this year, construction that was funded by a $38.5 million bond measure approved in 2015. The district also has built a new warehouse and auxiliary gym. The budget includes dollars to phase out in two years the extra state aid $1.4 million the district gets for opening a new school.
Bennington also has been rolling out a technology initiative, giving Chromebooks to students in grades 6-12.
So far, the district is benefiting from elimination of the common levy by keeping more property tax revenue, Superintendent Terry Haack said. Before, the district had lost between $100,000 and $300,000 a year due to the shared tax system, he said.
Douglas County West
The district encompassing Valley and Waterloo will have more control of its destiny with the common levy gone.
Planning for growth will be easier, Superintendent Melissa Poloncic said.
With the end of the common levy, the district loses about $3 million in state aid. But the district, with its large land area and enrollment of 867 K-12 students, now keeps every dollar from property taxes.
The budget is $14.24 million, up 7.3 percent.
The levy stays at $1.08 per $100 of property valuation. Eighty-nine cents will support the general fund, 5 cents will go in the Quality Capital Purpose Undertaking Fund for remediation of environmental and accessibility issues, and 14 cents will go in the building fund. School taxes on a $150,000 house will be $1,620.
Under the common levy, the district couldnt set much money aside for building projects, Poloncic said. Voters rejected bond issues in 2014 and 2015.
Officials hope they can now take care of building needs without a bond issue. Topping the list are renovating high school science rooms and dealing with an aging elementary bursting at the seams.
Elkhorn
Elkhorns $87.29 million budget includes anticipated costs to cover the opening of Blue Sage Elementary next year.
The total budget represents a spending increase of about 7.5 percent. The districts total levy is $1.36 per $100 valuation, for a school tax bill of $2,040 for a home assessed at $150,000. Thats a $15 increase over last year.
Elkhorn has about 9,000 students this year, up 7.6 percent from last year. Its tax base grew 8 percent.
Elkhorn lost 12.4 percent in state aid this year, due to the elimination of the common levy and other changes. The 1-cent increase in the levy, cuts in some areas and the districts growing tax base will help offset the aid decrease.
Nearly 70 percent of the districts revenue is now derived from property taxes, compared with 45 percent last year.
Gretna
Gretnas budget, now at $51 million, saw a big increase this year nearly 15 percent, including some grants thanks to costs associated with opening two new schools.
The district grew from six to eight schools and added 60 employees this year, including 41 new teachers. The district, which enrolls 4,877, has added about 400 students each of the past two years.
This year, the districts valuation went up about 10.5 percent, and state aid went up about 10 percent, both of which help the district grapple with the rapid growth. The new schools Aspen Creek Elementary School and Aspen Creek Middle School were built using funds from a $57.4 million bond issue approved by voters in 2015.
The total levy went up three-tenths of a cent, but remains at $1.39 per $100 valuation. Thats a school tax bill of $2,085 for a $150,000 house.
Millard
The campaign for a property tax-levy override is in full swing in Millard. The outcome of that Nov. 14 vote, however, has no effect on the 2017-18 budget in Nebraskas third-largest district.
The board approved a $227.9 million budget, up 1.13 percent over last year.
It drops the levy to about $1.22 per $100 of valuation, nearly a half-cent reduction. The school tax bill will be $1,830 on a $150,000 house, about a $7 decrease if the homeowner escaped a valuation increase. The districts property valuation rose 2.67 percent.
To make ends meet, the board used $2.5 million from cash reserves and also cut personnel through attrition.
Those cuts included six elementary reading and math interventionists, half a middle school position, three high school teachers, a district interventionist, a social worker, an early childhood position, eight custodians, a school resource officer and a warehouse manager. The school board also cut utilities and technology budgets.
Superintendent Jim Sutfin says more cuts will be necessary if the revenue picture doesnt change.
If voters approve the extra 9 cents of property tax levy authority next month, the school board can use some or all of it to increase revenue for the 2018-19 budget.
Enrollment is 23,267.
Omaha
The Omaha Public Schools lost a chunk of their property tax revenue with the elimination of the common levy, but got a state aid boost this year to offset the loss and account for students who are living in poverty or learning English.
The districts budget increased 4.6 percent this year to $608.8 million. State aid was up 27 percent by roughly $62 million though property tax revenue fell 17.6 percent. Board members have concerns about the long-term stability of state aid versus revenue brought in by property taxes, especially as the district faces future costs, including pension payments and additional operational costs if new schools are built via another bond program.
The valuation of the property tax base grew 4 percent this year, higher than initially anticipated.
The total levy for the 2017-18 school year is roughly $1.26 per $100 valuation, an increase of about 1.5 cents over last year. The total school tax bill for a home valued at $150,000 would be about $1,890, a $30 increase.
OPS enrolls about 50,130 K-12 students.
Papillion La Vista
Aided by growth in property values and the end of the common levy, the Papillion La Vista Community Schools grow their budget this year with a slight levy increase.
An additional levy hike could be on the horizon, however. The school board is eyeing a bond-issue election next year. The preliminary project list contains $115 million in classroom additions, renovations, technology and security upgrades. The final projects and tax impact have yet to be set.
The board adopted a $134.6 million budget for 2017-18, up 3.68 percent from last year.
State aid decreased but was more than offset by an increase in property tax revenue, partly due to the common levys demise. The overall revenue increase was $2.6 million, or 2.1 percent, officials said. The board used $2.2 million from cash reserves to make ends meet.
Property valuations in the district rose 7.14 percent.
The total property tax levy, including bond funds, is just over $1.30 per $100 of valuation. That yields a tax bill of about $1,950 on a $150,000 house.
The district enrolls 11,617.
Ralston
The Ralston district is dipping into cash reserves to compensate for less property tax revenue and a reduction in state aid as a result of the loss of the common levy.
The district will take $521,000 from its reserves to make ends meet in 2017-18. The financial hit comes as the budget grows to $33.8 million, up 4.2 percent from last year. The increase stems mostly from enrollment growth the district is up to 3,365 students, a 60-student increase from last year.
But Ralstons state aid decreased about $2.9 million to $10.7 million this year.
The district is slightly lowering its total levy for the second straight year. In 2017-18, the school levy will be $1.26 per $100 valuation. Thats $1,890 for a $150,000 house.
Valuation for the district increased by 2.46 percent, which is rare for the landlocked and mostly built-out district. But the increase is still the lowest of the 11 Learning Community districts.
Springfield Platteview
In the wake of the end of the common levy, the Springfield Platteview school district increased its budget to $15.8 million, a 3 percent bump from last year, and resurrected some programs.
The district brought back the middle school computer science program, added three teachers, and is offering more dual enrollment and online classes to high schoolers. The district also put the maximum amount in its building fund for facility projects that couldnt be completed with the common levy.
District enrollment is 1,107.
The tax levy was lowered slightly to $1.05 per $100 of valuation. Last year it was $1.07. That means a school tax bill of $1,575 for a $150,000 house.
Westside
Westside was forced to enact more cuts this year to arrive at its $69.5 million budget.
The district has trimmed staff positions, programs and other expenses over recent years to balance its budget, including about $2.3 million worth of cuts this year. Officials have complained of flat or modest growth in the districts tax base and lobbied for more state aid.
The total valuation for the landlocked district was up by about 3.3 percent this year.
Last month, voters approved a 15-cent levy override that will go into effect during the 2018-19 school year.
The total tax levy is about $1.34 per $100 valuation, for a school tax bill of $2,010, an increase of $30.
Westside enrolls about 5,955 students.
World-Herald staff writers Erin Duffy, Emily Nitcher and Hailey Konnath contributed to this report.
WHITECLAY, Neb. Jubilation, anger, hope and harsh disagreement.
You could find it all in and around this notorious border town Saturday, a day after the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that beer sales could not resume here.
This has been a long time coming. For years we wondered who cares about Indians, said Seymour Young Dog, a retired engineer who lives on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation just across the state line in South Dakota.
For decades the officially dry reservation had provided a stream of customers to the four beer-only liquor stores in Whiteclay, which sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of alcohol annually.
But on Friday, the State Supreme Court tossed out an appeal by the Whiteclay stores, letting stand an April order from the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission that closed the stores.
At a Saturday summit organized to brainstorm ideas for the non-alcohol future of Whiteclay, speakers over and over said the closing wont solve the multiple alcohol-related woes on the Pine Ridge Reservation, including estimates that one in four children is born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
But Fridays court ruling is a start that gives hope and opportunity, they said.
Ive lost cousins and other relatives on the streets of Whiteclay, Young Dog said. Weve got to make this a better place.
Jubilation wasnt universally shared in this corner of northwest Nebraska, where communities like Rushville, Gordon and Chadron as well as Whiteclay depend on the trade and traffic from the 28,700 people who live on the reservation, one of the most impoverished in the country.
One merchant, who didnt want to be named for fear of losing customers, angrily complained that the livelihoods of four local families, the owners of the beer stores, had been taken away without good reason. If there is a lack of law enforcement the reason the liquor commission cited in not renewing the beer store licenses it wasnt their fault, he and others said. How can they shutter the stores like that, they asked.
Abe Abold, who runs a clothing and ranch store in Whiteclay, said he didnt want to comment about the court ruling, though he questioned whether the closings would reduce beer sales and alcoholism in the overall area.
If you fix it at one spot, it goes to another spot, Abold said.
But State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who co-hosted the summit with Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks, said that at least now Nebraska is not sending a pipeline of alcohol onto the liquor-ravaged reservation.
Weve got challenges. Its going to require a commitment from the Oglala people, Brewer said. But were not contributing to the problem now, so I cant help but think that will make things better.
Statistics and reports from merchants indicate that beer sales have risen in towns near Whiteclay, and there have been three fatalities from alcohol-related vehicle crashes since the stores closed in late April. Bootleggers on the reservation are thriving now, some say.
But officials in other Nebraska border towns say they havent seen a big uptick in street vagrants or panhandlers in the nearby towns.
A traveling doctor who works at the Pine Ridge clinic, Dr. Drew Walker, said the number of patients seeking help has calmed down since the closings. But, Walker said, he still sees the tragic repercussions of alcohol abuse: neglected kids and listless children impacted by fetal alcohol syndrome.
There have been improvements in Whiteclay since the beer stores closed, but at the summit, some questioned whether changes would bring a new wave of people to exploit the tribe.
Judi gaiashkibos, executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, said there were too few Native Americans and too many Christian groups at Saturdays summit. Decisions about Whiteclays future should be decided by tribal members, she said.
I have a real discomfort about that. Something tells me to be cautious, gaiashkibos said.
One representative of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council arrived for the end of Saturdays summit, which drew 50 people. The council president, Scott Weston, emailed his regrets midway through the event. Brewer said he was disappointed that the tribes passion is not greater.
There were skeptics at the summit who questioned whether economic progress and funds for it could come to such a remote village. Only nine people live in the town, which lacks a local government or police force.
But a new Family Dollar store is nearing completion, and two buildings in town have seen recent face-lifts of their storefronts. The University of Nebraska Medical Center is offering psychiatric counseling via a video hookup at the villages new tribal-owned nursing home and is working with Chadron State College to train and locate more alcohol counselors in the region.
There was talk Saturday of a possible memorial in Whiteclay in honor of those who died in the village from alcoholism or violence, and improvement and expansion of efforts to diagnose and treat children suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome. A local nonprofit group, Whiteclay Redevelopment, announced a $120,000 fundraising drive to establish a maker space for artists and crafters in Whiteclay.
Were not here to say what cant be done, but what can be, Pansing Brooks said. This is about making this area better, stronger, healthier and more economically diverse.
By PTI: Kochi, Oct 1 (PTI) Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was freed after being kept in captivity suspectedly by Islamic militants for 18 months in Yemen, today said he would go to the strife- torn country again for service, if God wishes him to do so.
"Certainly I will go there if God wishes me to do so. I am sure He (Jesus) would clear the way for me to do so", the priest told reporters here in response to a question. Uzhunnalil said he still had no idea about the militant outfit which abducted him from the charity home run by the Missionaries of Charity in Yemen in 2016.
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"I dont know whether they belong to ISIS or any other group. They did not harm me in captivity or pointed guns at me. They gave me food. They gave me medicines when I fell sick," he said.
Earlier, Uzhunnalil arrived here from Bengaluru and met Church leaders, priests and his relatives.
In the evening, he met priests and church goers at the Bishops house at Pala in Kottayam district before proceeding to Ramapuram to meet his neighbours and brothers.
The 59-year-old Catholic priest had returned to Delhi on September 28 after rest and recuperation in Vatican City.
Upon his arrival in the national capital, Uzhunnalil had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and thanked them for their support.
Uzhunnalil belongs to the Congregation of Salesians of Don Bosco and was abducted reportedly during a terrorist attack in Aden and taken to an undisclosed place.
On his arrival at the airport here, he was welcomed by Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala and several priests, besides Christian leaders.
Uzhunnalil reached Yemen in 2010 and was serving the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity of St. Mother Teresa and the Catholic population there. PTI TGBAPR SMJ
--- ENDS ---
Independent Bob Krists entry into the gubernatorial race has forced Nebraska Democrats to do some soul-searching.
The question: In a time when Democrats are working to rebuild their party, should the party recruit a strong candidate to run in a three-person gubernatorial race? Or should the state party implicitly or even explicitly support Krist, who has sided with legislative Democrats more than Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts?
These discussions are in their early stages. Though Ricketts has announced he plans to seek re-election, candidates cant file to officially be on the ballot until December. And Krist still needs to gather 5,000 signatures before he can appear on the November 2018 ballot with a third-party affiliation.
Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb said there will be a Democrat on the ballot. But she left the door open for reconsideration, saying that person could drop out if Krist chooses a Democrat as a running mate.
To land a strong bipartisan ticket that mirrored our Legislature, I think that would be very good for Nebraska, Kleeb said.
Joan Blauwkamp, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, said that in situations like this it is pragmatic for smaller party factions to pool their support.
Democrats might do better to marshal their support behind an independent when there is already one in the race (assuming they find that person and their policies tolerable), rather than making it easier for the Republican candidate to emerge as the plurality winner by splitting the opposition votes, she said.
Ricketts campaign manager, Jessica Flanagain, said the governor will be campaigning hard regardless of his opponent or opponents.
The governor doesnt take anything for granted, she said. He worked hard to earn the votes of Nebraskans the first time around. Hes worked hard to deliver on the issues that matter most to Nebraskans.
Ricketts has the advantages of more registered Republican voters as well as incumbency.
But Krists campaign consultant, Dan Parsons, contends that theres an opening to beat Ricketts, and Krist is the best shot.
The campaign commissioned a poll in July that gives Parsons confidence that theres an opening for a candidate to overtake Ricketts. And, Parsons said, an independent will be more successful than a Democrat.
So he wants to see the Democrats bow out, though he said Krist isnt ready to make any deals about lieutenant governor.
If theres a strong Democrat candidate for governor, thats not going to be helpful to us, Parsons said.
As Kleeb is quick to say, the Nebraska Democratic Party is in a tough position: Republicans hold every statewide and congressional office. We have a long way to go to rebuild the party, Kleeb said.
But as they work on that rebuilding, party leaders need to decide how to spend party resources and attention in 2018. There are six statewide offices up for re-election and the three congressional seats. That means there are a lot of open offices for Nebraskas most qualified Democrats to consider.
Lincoln City Councilwoman Jane Raybould has announced a run against U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer. U.S. Rep Don Bacon has two opponents vying to be his eventual challenger Brad Ashford and Kara Eastman. And two others Dennis Crawford and Jessica McClure are competing to run against Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.
Kleeb said shes working on recruiting for other offices.
On a daily basis Im talking to (potential) candidates, not just for governor, she said.
Party leaders dont control whether someone can run for office, so even if the party doesnt back a candidate, there could be a name on the ballot under the Democratic banner.
But some Democrats dont want to see a serious contender from their side in the governors race, saying that would give Krist a better chance of beating Ricketts. One is Ian Russell, a Democratic political consultant whose clients include former Congressman Brad Ashford, one of Bacons challengers.
Democrats, independents and anybody else whos not happy with the status quo in state government right now have an opportunity for change if its Sen. Krist versus Gov. Ricketts, Russell said. You can force together a coalition of independents, Republicans dissatisfied with the status quo and Democrats. But two candidates cant exist in that space.
Parsons agreed thats the group of people the independent campaign is trying to target.
Obviously we have to put a coalition of voters together who appreciate an independent-minded, strong leader for governor, he said.
Parsons also worked on the campaign of Jim Jenkins, a rancher who garnered less than 3 percent of the vote after an independent bid for U.S. Senate.
Parsons said Jenkins had more roadblocks to success than Krist does. Still, that race showed the difficulty in races with non-Republican candidates in a state where Republicans heavily outnumber Democrats.
(Democrat) Dave Domina was a strong candidate, and that certainly hurt Jims chances, Parsons said. That certainly hurt our fundraising it hurt a lot of things.
Other Democrats, including former Democratic Party chairman Vince Powers, see the three-person race as an opening for a Democratic victory.
This is their best chance in the 21st century, Powers said. They only have to get to 40 percent of the vote rather than 50 percent in a head-to-head battle.
Anyone can file for office, and Powers said it likely wont be a question of whether there will be a Democratic candidate for governor, but whether that person will be a strong candidate.
Powers also noted that until recently Krist was a registered Republican.
He called those who think the Democrats should stay out of the race surrender Democrats who are saying Gosh, lets surrender to whether we have a very conservative Republican as governor or a conservative.
Bud Pettigrew, the Cherry County Democratic Party chairman, said he doesnt think Democrats would support Krist. And he believes a Democrat will be the next governor.
I dont care about Krist, he said. I just think our guy can beat Ricketts either head to head or in a three-way.
State Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha, who must leave the Legislature after next year because of term limits, said he likes Krist but he hopes a Democrat will enter the race, too.
In a contested election, we can get sharper and we can really define where we are and what we want to be, Harr said.
The personal misery, loss of life and community harm stemming from the opioid (prescription painkiller) crisis continue to mount. Although the Midlands commendably have taken important proactive steps, our area has not been spared from harm.
The need is great, here and nationally, to tackle this troubling public health challenge.
Pain relief is a legitimate health need, of course, but the increased use of painkillers over the past two decades has produced major problems with addiction.
More than 95 million Americans used prescription painkillers in the past year. For too many, the unfortunate result is addiction. To feed that desire if prescription drugs are unavailable, many turn to heroin or dangerous synthetic opioids such as fentanyl or an even more powerful creation, carfentanil.
The result in much of the country has been alarming:
Opioid overdoses in 2015 took the lives of more than 33,000 Americans, including at least 54 in Nebraska and 43 in Iowa, according to the two states public health authorities. Numbers for 2016 are still being compiled, but preliminary indicators are that the national trend line will continue upward.
The federal Centers for Disease Control says that on average, 91 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.
The leading cause of death for Americans under age 50 is drug overdoses.
At least six states have declared public health emergencies to address the problem. Among them is Ohio. Montgomery County, Ohio, whose population of 530,000 is about 20,000 less than that of Douglas County, Nebraska, reported that 99 residents there died from opioid overdoses in just the first two months of this year, exceeding the total for Nebraska and Iowa for all of 2015.
Nebraska and Iowa have benefited from physicians here generally prescribing painkillers at considerably lower rates than nationally. Iowa commendably adopted administrative rules to guide physicians on this issue more than a decade ago.
Nebraska established prescription monitoring in 2011 under legislation from then-State Sen. Gwen Howard, whose daughter Carrie had died from an opioid overdose. The Legislature since then has strengthened the law in various ways.
Nebraska organizations are pursuing collaborative efforts to draw greater public attention to the issue, with State Attorney General Doug Peterson spearheading the effort.
Peterson has joined with 40 other state attorneys general to seek documents and information from manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids as part of a multistate investigation. The attorneys general will evaluate whether any manufacturers and distributors engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing, sale and distribution of opioids.
Two Midlanders will serve on a newly created national task force to make recommendations to address the opioid epidemics impact on the justice system: Nebraska State Court Administrator Corey Steel and Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady.
Public health experts emphasize the importance of treatment in meeting the opioid problem, and its encouraging that the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has received a $2 million federal grant to boost such efforts here.
In Iowa, the state Board of Medicine requires a wide range of physicians to complete training on chronic pain management. The board updates opioid-related resources for Iowa medical professionals.
Nebraska and Iowa both use prescription monitoring procedures and programs for safe disposal of unused prescription medicines.
Physicians have begun giving patients non-opioid medications before surgery in many cases, reducing subsequent reliance on opioids. Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center in Omaha, for example, is pioneering such use for head and neck surgery.
A growing number of law enforcement and school personnel in the two states have access to naloxone, an anti-overdose medication that also protects law enforcement personnel in contact with deadly synthetic opioids.
These precautionary actions have served the Midlands well. Our area will also be well served if leaders and organizations here continue to stay on top of the issue.
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By PTI: Jammu, Oct 1 (PTI) Work on the Rs 4,640.88-crore Kiru hydroelectric project on the Chenab river, which flows into Pakistan, would start within two months, a senior government official said.
District Development Commissioner (Kishtwar) Angrez Singh Rana and General Manager of Kiru project, Varinder Salman, visited the 624-megawatt Kiru and 540-MW Kwar hydroelectric project sites yesterday.
"Various bottlenecks causing hindrances in the execution of the projects were discussed at length and immediate directions were issued for its resolution at the earliest," Rana told PTI.
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He said the major work of the "run-of-the-river" Kiru project, near Patharnakki village in Kishtwar district, will start within a period of two months.
A run-of-the-river project is a type of hydroelectric plant, where a rivers water is not held back in a reservoir, but flows back into the river after generating electricity.
The project proposed on the Chenab river, a tributary of the Indus, envisages construction of a 123-metre high dam with an underground powerhouse consisting four units of 156-MW each.
Rana said the affected families said they had not received compensation for their land, structures and fruit trees which were acquired for the projects.
Salman said non-payment of compensation was one of the reasons behind the delay in the execution of infrastructure work.
He directed revenue officials to identify a chunk of state land for the rehabilitation of affected families, who were assured by him of timely compensation.
Rana said the families would get proper training,so that they get jobs when the work on the project starts.
The Union environment ministry had given its nod to the Kiru and Kwar hydroelectric projects in July last year and April this year respectively. Both the projects are expected to be completed in 54 months each.
The projects would be developed by the Chenab Valley Power Projects (CVPP)--a joint venture among National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), state power body JKSPDC and Power Trading Corporation (India). PTI TAS HMB AAR
--- ENDS ---
The outside consultants hired by the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners to review the Sheriff's Office have proposed a comprehensive review of the agency's internal affairs, supervision of staff and risk-management practices.
The scope of work outlined by the California-based OIR Group is far more comprehensive than what Sheriff Craig Roberts initially proposed when he sought a narrow assessment of how his agency handles child welfare reports -- documents a former disgraced detective mishandled.
The consultants' proposal, obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive, was sent late last week to the Board of Commissioners. Jim Bernard, chairman of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, and Roberts did not immediately respond to emails from The Oregonian/OregonLive seeking comment Sunday.
The Board of Commissioners sought an outside review after Sgt. Matt Swanson accused Sheriff's Office command staff of brushing off his complaints about the shoddy performance of now-retired Detective Jeff Green. Green pleaded guilty over the summer to two misdemeanors for failing to investigate reports of child abuse. He retired in 2015.
Swanson, who supervised Green in Wilsonville, first raised alarms about the detective in 2015, but commanders didn't order an internal affairs investigation.
Swanson said he was harassed, mocked and discouraged from pursuing the complaint. He then accused agency commanders of deceiving the public about how they handled the matter -- an extraordinary charge that the police union demanded be independently investigated.
But it doesn't appear the Green matter will be the focus of the consultants' work. Michael Gennaco and Robert Miller propose an examination of how to "detect, remediate, and address any similar employee conduct through policy, procedures and quality control."
They hope the review will produce recommendations to "strengthen internal investigations and provide guidance" on how the agency should respond to future misconduct allegations involving Sheriff's Office staff.
Gennaco and Miller propose a deep dive into how the agency handles complaints, how investigations are assigned, staffing of the professional standards unit, when the district attorney's office is notified of in-house investigations, supervision of staff, risk management, as well as the agency's transparency and public information policies and procedures.
The consultants, both former prosecutors, have already interviewed people inside and outside of the Sheriff's Office regarding these issues, including Swanson. They asked for access to additional Sheriff's Office staff during their review and said they would need access to the Green documents, as well as a "random sample" of other internal investigations "to gain a broader insight" into the agency's "investigative fact gathering and accountability system."
Gennaco is based in Playa Del Rey, California, and Miller lives in Mosier. Their firm, which focuses on police oversight, has a long history of reviewing Portland Police Bureau policies and practices and in 2016 analyzed officer-involved shootings and deaths of people in police custody.
The county has set aside $40,000 for the review, which commissioners hope will be completed in October.
-- Noelle Crombie
503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
EUGENE -- Oregon and Washington State's matchup Saturday in Autzen Stadium will kick off at 5 p.m. on a FOX broadcast, the schools announced late Saturday.
The Ducks (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) will enter the matchup at less than full strength after numerous injuries in their 42-24 win against Cal on Saturday.
The 16th-ranked Cougars (5-0, 2-0) are red-hot, having knocked off No. 5 USC on Friday at home.
-- Andrew Greif
After a summer of planetary upheaval, nobody can say the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology is ignoring the messages sent out by the quivering natural world.
After all, the committee scheduled a hearing on what we could learn from the solar eclipse.
It seems a fitting agenda for a committee that often seems to be operating in the dark.
"When we came back to the Capitol after (Hurricanes) Harvey and Irma," explains Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., who's spent years on the committee, "I suggested to the chairman that we should be having a conversation about climate change, and he said, they're not caused by climate change."
To go with the special glasses used to watch the eclipse, the committee leaders may be using special glasses to watch the climate.
The science committee chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, warns against "so-called self-professed climate scientists," and argues, "the benefits of a changing climate are often ignored and under-researched." Plants respond well to warmer weather and more carbon in the atmosphere, he declares, and melting Arctic ice will open up more shipping lanes. Smith has used the committee to attack and subpoena climate scientists - and darned if there aren't a lot of them - who warn of the dangers of rising global temperatures and sea levels.
And a summer that saw his state's largest city - along with Puerto Rico and much of Florida - virtually drowned, as Houston was hit by its third 500-year storm in three years, hasn't changed his mind.
A long way from the Gulf of Mexico, Bonamici also had reason to wonder about the summer's atmospherics. "While they've had floods and hurricanes in the Southeast," she notes, "the Northwest was burning up," with massive forest fires in southern and central Oregon and the Columbia Gorge.
It's not that climate change causes hurricanes or forest fires, but it does seem to fuel them. Warmer weather and warmer ocean water strengthens hurricanes, creating the 40 and 50 inches of rain that Harvey brought Houston and the unprecedented one-two punch of Iris and Maria in the Caribbean. And while no climate condition can affect teenagers' drive to be stupid, Bonamici notes, "We had a very hot, very dry July and August, so when the 15-year-old threw the firecracker, it was a tinderbox."
The science committee works along with an administration that's not very interested in the summer's developments, either. The president, who's said that climate change is a Chinese-driven hoax, sniffed after the hurricanes, "We've had bigger storms than this." Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency head who seems to be working to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency, piously declared about any connections to climate change, "To use time and effort to address it at this point is very, very insensitive to the people in Florida."
This sounds like the kind of insight the science committee might want to ask him about, except that Pruitt has never appeared before the committee - despite suggestions from Bonamici, ranking minority member on the subcommittee on the environment, that it might be a good idea to call him in. This might be part of why Donald Beyer, a Democratic member of the committee from Virginia, thinks it's time to return science to the science committee.
But actually, the committee's influence - if not its interests - seems to be expanding. One member, Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma, has been named by the president to be head of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency. (The job typically goes to a scientist, but apparently being a member of the House science committee is just as good.) Besides space travel and watching out for asteroids, NASA has been a major force in climate studies; James Hansen, former head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has been warning and testifying about climate change since the 1980s.
As a freshman congressman, Bridenstine demanded on the House floor that President Obama apologize for spending money researching climate change. He has declared, wrongly, that temperatures stopped rising a decade ago, and warned against "climate change alarmists." Earlier this year, Bridenstine suggested that earth sciences studies might be happier in some other agency outside NASA.
With the smoke still rising from Northwest forest fires, Bonamici seeks to be optimistic.
"Recently," she said hopefully, "Mr. Bridenstine has told me that he thinks that humans are contributing to carbon dioxide, and it's affecting climate change."
So possibly prospects for actually addressing the new weather aren't totally eclipsed.
And, Bonamici suggests, there are other avenues. There is now a 58-member House Climate Solutions Caucus, with equal numbers from both parties.
"It took a while for me to join," she recalls.
"I had to find a Republican."
David Sarasohn's column appears on the first and third Sundays of the month. He blogs at davidsarasohn.com.
BY JOHN TAPOGNA
The U.S. Census Bureau recently released estimates of household income for 2016, and the news was unambiguously good for Oregon. Economist Josh Lehner declared the data "among the best readings in Oregon's modern history." Our median household incomes returned to a statistical tie with U.S. levels -- Oregon at $57,532 versus a U.S. median of $57,617. The Oregonian/OregonLive's Elliot Njus reported it was the first time since the late 1970s that Oregon has pulled even with the nation on the measure.
Business leaders routinely advance income parity with the U.S. as a top economic goal and for good reason. It's an indicator of household well-being and -- in an income tax state -- it also tracks our ability to fund schools, healthcare, parks and more.
So, Oregon's median household income is back to the U.S. level. Mission accomplished, right?
Not yet. There's more to be done.
It's also important to track the mean, or average, household income. And, Oregon's mean household income of $77,460 is only 95 percent of the U.S. mean, which stands at $81,346.
Why the difference?
Line up Oregon's 1.6 million households, from poorest to richest: The one in the middle is median. Pile up all the income reported by all of the households, divide it by the number of households, and you get the mean.
Both measures are important.
The median better conveys the experience of the typical household. If median incomes are flat while the mean grows, that's a sign of unshared prosperity. Stagnating U.S. median household incomes during 1999-2014 played a role in the political unrest that characterized last year's Presidential election. And that's in part why Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz has advanced median household income as a preferred measure of overall economic well-being.
But, that doesn't imply we can dismiss the mean. High-income households, which drive up the mean, pay a disproportionate share of total state and local taxes. If Oregon household income had equaled the U.S. mean in 2016, total income would have been $6.1 billion higher. That would have translated into $215 million annually for K-12 education -- enough to fund nine additional school days or more than 2,000 new teachers. And, it would have boosted budgets for a host of other critical public services too.
So why does Oregon fare OK on median but lag on the mean?
First, the finance and banking sectors are small here and, in other parts of the country, they pay big salaries and bonuses. Second, Oregon is home to relatively few major corporate headquarters. The impacts spread beyond the loss of the C-suite salaries. All professional service providers -- lawyers, accountants, management consultants -- earn less here than their peers in places with bigger corporate presences. The non-profit sector sees smaller donations too.
Oregon's scarcity of high earners is driven by geography and public policy. Geographically, Portland and other Oregon cities are harder to reach than larger, established transportation hubs like Seattle, Denver, and Minneapolis. Business travel usually requires a connection, and time is money. Portland will eventually grow into better connectivity, but that'll take time.
So, how do we extend our recent good fortune and drive continued income gains at all levels -- low, middle and high?
It starts with a collective agreement that we want to grow. We would embrace talent and drop the visit-but-don't-stay mentality. We would accelerate the development of housing to keep mortgages and rents affordable. We would modernize our roads, and the way we pay for them, to get traffic moving again. We would design economically integrated communities that foster opportunity. And, we would invest our growing tax revenues in proven pre-kindergarten through college programming to train the next generation and keep the virtuous cycle in motion.
Economically, Oregon's on a great run. One of the best in modern history. If global and national winds stay at our back and we commit to smart public policies, the news will keep getting better.
John Tapogna is President of ECONorthwest, the Pacific Northwest's largest economic consulting firm. The views expressed here are his own.
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BY MICHAEL Z. CAHANA
It is hard to believe how far we haven't come in 50 years. In the summer of 1967, coming out of the racial strife of the Civil Rights Era and in the midst of endless war in Vietnam, there was an explosion of color, life, music and joy that introduced the world to the Hippie Movement. College campuses emptied and perhaps 100,000 descended on the rundown Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. There they proclaimed an ideal to push back against the violent, discriminatory reality of America in that age. The Beatles wrote the anthem for the movement: "All You Need is Love."
It was the Summer of Love.
Fifty years later, we have lived through one of the most difficult summers I can recall. A coalition of far right or alt right groups have shown up on college campuses and in public parks. Portland has seen its share. The worst was the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va., where Nazi slogans of "Blood and Soil" were chanted alongside the white supremacists rallying cry of "Jews Will Not Replace Us." Heather Heyer, who was peacefully demonstrating against them, lost her life. And the President of the United States refused to quickly and clearly condemn those promoting these terrible and discredited ideologies.
It was the Summer of Hate.
Demonstrations have continued here in Portland. And there is outrage. And violence. But outrage keeps us in a place of hate. I experienced that outrage very recently, right here in downtown Portland. I marched with a group of interfaith clergy at the head of a rally in response to the "Patriot Prayer" gathering scheduled in Waterfront Park. This group draws both white nationalists and supremacists to their side, as well as antifacist counter-protesters violently opposed to their hate-filled ideology. We knew it could be tense, so we clergy of many faiths wanted to stand for peace and love, marching at the front of a rally with a banner reading "Portland stands united against hate." Even in our peaceful rally some of the chants were of hate. I couldn't join in. I wanted to match the hate of the white supremacists with the love of our diversity.
Although our march was peaceful, others were not. Outrage led to acts of violence, and in Vancouver a patriot sympathizer came close to running down protesters with his truck, in an eerie echo of the Charlottesville attack.
Protesters waiving Trump signs and American flags tried to confront our group. The police kept them back. Young people clad all in black with their faces covered weaved in an out of our march. It is one of the few marches I have participated in where I did not feel safe. But we can't pull back from naming the evil and claiming the good.
We have to move beyond outrage. What we need is love, not anger, to confront hate. Love of each other is stronger than the hate which wants to tear us apart. Interfaith members of Portland clergy have come together in rallies and sermons to proclaim a unity that those who hate cannot abide.
Love the stranger, the immigrant, the refugee and welcome them into our midst. Love the other who is different and let them know they are loved. Let those who are the objects of hate feel the love. Let those who hate know that they cannot diminish the love. All you need is love.
It can be the Summer of Love again.
Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana is the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in NW Portland. This piece is a shortened version of his Rosh Hashanah Sermon.
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The Portland School Board is finally making progress on a much-needed plan to address the glaring inequities at schools in North and Northeast Portland. This month, the board is expected to move forward with plans for two new middle schools, which will offer the full range of educational programs and electives that some lower income schools have gone without for years.
The massive undertaking will affect at least 5,000 Portland students from 17 schools and programs, as The Oregonian/OregonLive's Bethany Barnes has reported. Without a doubt, the complicated process will be painful for the families and school communities involved.
So it surely didn't help when Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler came forward to champion one of the 17 potentially affected programs, KairosPDX, a charter school that serves 120 predominantly black students. Kotek and Wheeler questioned the board's commitment to equity, asserting that they were prioritizing privileged white students over lower-income students.
How? By proposing to evict the charter school to make room for a district program for talented and gifted students.
"I agree that gifted students should have access to programs and facilities that meet their unique needs," Wheeler wrote earlier this month. "But it should not be at the expense of proven programs and facilities that already serve students with unique needs of their own."
It makes you wonder where these leaders have been in recent years as thousands of students in Portland's poorest neighborhoods have had to settle for fewer class offerings and elective options. Why haven't they been pushing past school boards to address the inequity of providing kids in better-off areas with dozens of elective options, including jazz band, Arabic, ceramics, shop, drama or guitar?
Instead, they delivered messages that could end up pitting one school against another.
The district's plan calls for opening two middle schools and changing several K-8s back to elementary schools that will feed them. In the resulting domino effect, district staff propose relocating Access Academy, an alternative program for high-achieving students. Today, Access Academy is situated at Rose City Park. But the district plans to convert it back to an elementary school.
Editorial Agenda 2017
Boost student success
Get Oregon's financial house in order
Help our homeless
Honor our diverse values
Make Portland a city that works
Expand access to public records
________________________
District staff suggest that Access Academy, a school of more than 320 mostly white students, move to Humboldt Elementary School, which Kairos has called home for the past year. The alternative program was created as part of a settlement after the Oregon Department of Education sued the district for failing to meet the needs of high-achieving students. Access academy officials and parents say they don't want to move to Humboldt.
But we're at this juncture because the district signed a one-year lease with Kairos in 2016. Even then, school district officials called Humboldt a "temporary home" for Kairos. They warned future boundary changes could occur.
It's understandable why district leaders strayed from their practice - and policy - by leasing the school to Kairos. The charter aims to do what the district has mostly failed to do: improve educational outcomes for students of color. And the community welcomed the program to the historically black neighborhood, which had mourned the closure of Humboldt Elementary a few years before.
But the decision was a fateful one. It set up the district for potential lawsuits from other charter programs that have been consistently denied access to district buildings. And, with growing enrollment and few extra buildings, it set the scene for this battle to play out.
School board members Rita Moore and Scott Bailey were frustrated by Kotek and Wheeler's messages. They would have rather had a chance to discuss the issues first. Both board members worry about the process being delayed yet again - with another class of middle-schoolers written off.
"I am willing to accept Ted Wheeler when he says, 'Homelessness is complicated,' and I'm not vilifying him in the daily paper because he hasn't solved it yet," Moore said. "People need to allow us to start unraveling this mess made by decades' worth of lousy decisions that weren't in the best interest of students."
That must be the priority here. And the work to strengthen Portland's eastside middle schools is only the beginning. Hopefully, school board members will pressure district officials to find a solution that will keep both the Access program and Kairos operating successfully to enrich students who the district has otherwise struggled to help.
The Portland School Board needs support from Kotek and Wheeler and other leaders to turn this crisis around. But they don't need those leaders dropping in and drawing a line in the sand.
Unless, of course, they have an extra building on hand.
-- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
Oregonian editorials
Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher.
To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor.
If you have questions about the opinion section, email Laura Gunderson, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.
A man from California, whose family says he had mental health issues, shot and killed a cook Saturday morning at a well-known Ashland lodge, an apparent random attack that ended with the gunman firing shots at Interstate 5 traffic before a pickup hit and killed him.
The gunman, Neal Brian Norman, 50, of Pacific Grove, California, did not know his victim, Ryan Paul Bagley, 40, of Ashland, said Jackson County sheriff's officials and Donna Bergquist, co-owner of Callahan's Lodge, where the killing took place.
Bergquist said another lodge employee entered the kitchen Saturday morning and found Bagley on the floor in a pool of blood.
Norman left the lodge parking lot in Bagley's maroon 1993 Subaru Legacy wagon after taking the cook's car keys, said Bergquist. Norman may have seen Bagley enter the lodge for his morning shift, between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m., she said.
Norman drove the Subaru to a nearby freeway on-ramp then parked it in the middle of I-5 south, near milepost 1, just north of the Oregon-California border, officials said. He turned the car to face oncoming traffic then got out of the car armed with a rifle and began firing at cars in the southbound lane.
Norman was killed minutes later when he was run over by a pickup, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
He was killed by the first vehicle that came his way, a gray 2015 Ram Crew Cab pickup driven by Thomas Bradley Moxon, 49, of Eagle Point shortly before 7 a.m.
Moxon first stopped when he saw the Subaru. Norman then appeared and shot at least three bullets into Moxon's truck before Moxon drove forward, struck and killed Norman. A juvenile was also in the pickup.
Moxon drove a short distance to a safe location, called 9-1-1 and reported he had hit a man who was firing at his truck, officials said. Other motorists also reported the incident.
Deputies and Oregon State Police officers found Norman dead with the rifle on the ground nearby, officials said.
Southbound I-5 was closed at milepost 6 for hours Saturday as police investigated.
Detectives spoke with Norman's family members who were surprised but said he had mental health issues. Detectives would like anyone who may have had contact with Norman in the hours leading up to the shooting to call them at 541- 774-6800.
According to Bergquist, the incident unfolded like this:
Her husband, Ron Bergquist, left the couple's living quarters within the lodge at around 5:30 a.m. Saturday to pick up a newspaper at the front desk.
There, he encountered a stranger "who was using the phone at our front desk who said he was needing gas," Donna Bergquist said in a phone interview Saturday. "Ron didn't think a lot of it. In fact, he thought he might be one of our guests."
"He picked up his paper and went back to his quarters," she said.
Police believe Norman, who had no prior contacts with law enforcement in Jackson County, was driving his white 1999 Honda Accord with California license plates to Oregon to visit a relative, but he ran out of gas near Callahan's Lodge.
Investigators learned that Norman went into the lobby to use the phone, and then returned to his vehicle to get a rifle. He returned to the lodge, went into the kitchen, and shot and killed the cook.
By the time another Callahan's employee found Bagley bleeding on the kitchen floor and called 9-1-1, deputies and Oregon State Police troopers were already responding to an incident on I-5.
Bagley, the father of three children, had been working at the lodge since June. "A great employee, great employee. He did a beautiful job," said Bergquist, adding that Bagley's parents, who live in a northern California community about 40 miles south of Ashland, visited the lodge Saturday after being notified of the killing.
The Bergquists have owned the lodge, located east of Mount Ashland and just 400 feet off the Pacific Crest Trail, for 22 years.
--Janet Eastman updating Allan Brettman's reporting
503-294-5900
@allanbrettman
Despite growth rate coming down to the lowest in three years for June-September quarter, India continues to be among the fastest growing big economies in the world. Further, Labour Bureau's records show that wages growth rate has seen an increase, particularly in rural areas, after demonetisation.
By Prabhash K Dutta: There is a joke going on social media that as the Opposition is extremely weak and lacks credible voice, the BJP has put its own men - Subramanian Swamy, Shatrughan Sinha and Yashwant Sinha - to criticise government's economic policies.
Many people ignored the comments of Subramanian Swamy made in mid-September when he said that the country's economy was heading towards depression. Questions, however, were being asked by experts regarding sliding GDP growth rate figures.
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But, it took a former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha to have a raging debate over the health of Indian economy. Yashwant Sinha's remark "the economy is on a downward spiral, is poised for a hard landing" has energised the Opposition camp. Sinha's criticism seemed more credible than those done by the Opposition leaders.
However, debate that ensued after Yashwant Sinha's criticism has denounced almost everything about Indian economy. This is despite the fact that even at 5.7 per cent GDP growth rate for June-September quarter, India is among the fastest growing big economies of the world.
The global agencies are still optimistic and rate India's growth potential as high. Some agencies even acknowledge reform measures taken by the present Narendra Modi government including demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout giving a push to digitisation and formalisation of businesses in India as much needed course correction.
MORGAN STANLEY REPORT
The Morgan Stanley, a leading global financial services firm, has lauded the measures taken by the Narendra Modi government to give a digital push to economy.
Praising the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile) initiative and GST, a Morgan Stanley Research has said that in 10 years, India will be the world's third-largest economy with a gross domestic product of USD 6 trillion.
Patting the back of the government for bringing economic reforms, the Morgan Stanley report said that a rapid rise in consumer credit and credit to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises will be witnessed in India.
It further said that the economic growth will be accompanied with strong household consumption and a declining share of food in the consumption basket. It predicted a USD 200 billion e-commerce market, making about 12 per cent of India's retail sector by 2027.
WHAT OTHER AGENCIES SAY?
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), too, has predictsed that India's economic growth rate will pick up faster. It said that the cash shortages in cash depended sectors of economy will gradually end and give a more vigorous push to economy.
According to the IMF, the GDP growth rate of India is likely to be 7.2 per cent for 2017-18. This estimate has been made by the IMF despite the last quarter growth was pegged at 5.7 per cent.
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Some other agencies, though, lowered the growth forecasts for India but still said that it would grow at faster pace. The Asian Development Bank (ADB), lowering the 2017 growth forecast, said that India would grow at 7 per cent.
The ADB had predicted a growth rate of 7.4 per cent for India in July. But, after the GDP figures of June-September quarter came out, it revised its forecast. The ADB attributed lowering of growth forecast to "short-term disruptions" including demonetisation and GST. But, it stated the temporary effects of demonetisation and indirect tax reform would "dissipate" soon.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) had on 20 September predicted that Indian economy would grow at 6.7 per cent this year. Its earlier growth projection for India was 7.3 per cent. The OECD also attributed the lower growth forecast to "transitory effects" of demonetisation and GST rollout.
All agencies, however, agree that the reforms have given a digital push to Indian economy leading to greater formalisation of businesses in the country.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER POSITIVE SIGNS?
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The GDP growth figures are not yet final. There are reports that suggest that some adjustments (which happen every year) may actually push the growth figures even for June-September quarter this year.
According to the new GDP figures, the estimates of industrial production put out by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs were markedly different from the figures of Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The corporate affairs department's data projects industrial production growth rate at 1.6 per cent while the IIP shows a growth rate of 1.9 per cent.
On the other hand, NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar recently emphasised that the economic downturn of India had bottomed out and would improve in the next two quarters. He too expected the temporary "problems" were caused by demonetisation and GST rollout but asserted that people had adopted the new regime effectively.
Another interesting data may actually work in favour of the Narendra Modi government. Contrary to dominant perception that rural labour wages have declined since demonetisation last year, the labour bureau data shows an upward swing.
According the data available with the Labour Bureau of India, the real wages were rising (as calculated by noted economist Surjit Bhalla, published in a leading newspaper) at 2 per cent when demonetisation was announced.
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Nine months after demonetisation, the wages grew at five per cent (in July) - more than double the rate at note ban stage. This increase may actually explain why the BJP has won almost all assembly elections after demonetisation. Rural India - the source of majority of labour workforce - still constitutes nearly 55 per cent of total vote bank.
--- ENDS ---
Paducah, KY (42003)
Today
Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 38F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..
Tonight
Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 38F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
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For congressional Republicans, a late winter and early spring of small hiccups turned into a summer of bigger roadblocks. Now, just days into fall, spectacular failure looms.
At the center of all this stumbling is the impossible-to-undo Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Senate and House Republicans have tried mightily to deliver on their ACA repeal and replace promise only to fall short every time.
After their most recent effort, the Senates Graham-Cassidy plan, began to unravel, veteran Utah Republican Orrin Hatch pinned the blame on his colleagues across the aisle. Not one Democrat will vote for it, he said.
Hatch was right. Not one Democrat would vote for it, because every Democrat can count: A nationwide poll, released Sept. 22, showed only 24 percent of all Americans old and young, rural and urban, Republicans and Democrats alike supported Graham-Cassidy.
Given those grave numbers, would you have voted for it? Not likely.
Hatch was wrong on one key point, though. Graham-Cassidy, like earlier repeal-and-replace efforts, didnt fail because of bad politics. Graham-Cassidy failed because it was a bad plan; its numbers just didnt add up. And the 76 percent of all voters who did the addition knew it.
Those rotten numbers are why its Senate sponsors hoped to vote on it before it was scored, or evaluated, by the Congressional Budget Office. It was a big stinker and its sponsors wanted to move it down the road before voters got a whiff of how badly they were to be skunked.
The failure might have been avoided if congressional Republicans and the White House really wanted to save Obamacare. How?
Sen. John McCain, the terminally ill Arizona Republican, offered the age-old Capitol Hill recipe on how to pass controversial legislation: Regular order, said the war hero, when asked why he would not vote for Graham-Cassidy. Regular order! he repeated for emphasis.
Regular order with its lengthy public hearings, expert witnesses, direct questions, hard facts, and committee-crafted legislation is how Congress finds the sweet spot where policy and politics balance. The search isnt always pretty but, usually, it is practical.
Regular order is, in fact, how the House and Senate ag committees are writing the 2018 Farm Bill.
Its also just another name for how you buy seed corn, choose a herd bull, plan for your childrens college education or decide on a fair price for that low-hours combine you really need. You ask questions, gather facts, make a plan, then act.
But like health care, regular order is not being employed in the much-talked about tax reform effort Republicans say they will now focus on in the final 40 days of the 2017 legislative session. Tax reform will be an even heftier lift than Obamacare repeal-and-replace because it first requires a deal on the federal budget before any tax reform bill can be considered.
That tricky two-step will be even harder for House Republicans if their 40-or-so-member Freedom Caucus views any proposed federal spending plan as too generous, or any proposed tax plan as too stingy. If these GOP conservatives find fault with either side of any deal, both could fail, adding to the awful year Congress is already having.
Farmers and ranchers, like most Americans, want tax reform. Many, however, are just as anxious to see Congress pass a comprehensive infrastructure plan and immigration reform, two critical ag issues left untouched by the GOP focus on Obamacare. Both will now be pushed into 2018, an election year that likely will deliver more legislative inaction.
And then its back to the 2018 Farm Bill, plodding along nicely under regular order; committee and subcommittee hearings held, witnesses called, questions asked, facts offered, plans suggested, policy shaped. Its a facts-first, politics-second recipe for success.
NORMAL Many Central Illinois families unplugged the TV and logged off Twitter on Saturday to spend the day playing in uptown Normal.
The Childrens Discovery Museum partnered with PNC Bank to host the Worldwide Day of Play with activities, music and crafts along East Beaufort Street.
Peter Allen, 7, teetered on a balance beam and bounced on a trampoline before checking out the rest of the festivities with his brother Theo, 4, and dad, Paul Allen of Normal.
They love to come to uptown and explore, said Allen. We let them play on electronic devices sometimes, but you have to have a good balance in their life. Getting them outside and active is important, too.
The purpose of the Worldwide Day of Play is to encourage families to turn off the TV and social media and get outside and play. It aligns with the mission of the Childrens Discovery Museum: to inspire the love of learning through the power of play, said Amy Pitzer, volunteer and events coordinator for the museum.
About 3,000 people were expected to attend the event where 50 community partners lined the street to educate and entertain kids. Visitors could get an up-close view of fire trucks and garbage trucks parked in a nearby lot. Children sold their handmade wares in an entrepreneurial area.
Gavin Fish, 8, and Fiona Fish, 5, sold colorful hair clips, bookmarks, greeting cards, magnets, pins and pencil toppers with help from their mom, Erin Fish, of Normal.
The young merchants donated 50 percent of their profits to Puerto Rico hurricane relief.
Were donating money because a big flood happened, said Gavin. I hope this makes them happy.
Fish said her children are home schooled and the entrepreneurial market was a good chance to learn about economics.
They learn how to price things and the effort that goes into creating and selling products, she said. We tend to shy away from screen time. We want to dedicate more time for our kids to brainstorm and be imaginative. Thats why we love this event.
Kate and Ian Deardorff of Bloomington brought their 2-year-old son Ezra to the party for some play time.
Social interaction is important, said Kate Deardorff. We want to make sure hes interacting with other kids while we get the chance to interact with other parents. Its easy to forget to do that.
Brian Ray, regional president for Central Illinois PNC Bank, said the company has invested $350,000 in the Childrens Discovery Museum with the goal of increasing early childhood education.
Worldwide Day of Play is the perfect chance for kids to get away from electronics and gadgets and learn experimentally, said Ray. Kids learn best from what they can control, which is play.
In May 1917, the first American military nurses arrived in Europe to tend to the wounded and console the dying. In fact, nurses beat American troops to the front lines of the First World War by several months.
Historian Marian Moser Jones has noted how pioneering World War I nurses, who often worked in dire conditions under enemy fire, played a large though often underappreciated role in the Allied victory.
By the end of the war, more than 10,000 American nurses had served overseas, with 23 receiving the Distinguished Service Medal. Some 200 died in service, most during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.
Several nurses from the Twin Cities had stellar service records during the war to end all wars. Zella Maude Judy, for instance, was with one of the first medical units to reach Europe. During the voyage across the Atlantic, ordnance shrapnel from a discharged deck gun accidentally killed two nurses who were standing beside her. In France, Zella witnessed untold horrors, and survived both a gas attack and influenza.
At least 11 Illinois State Normal University students served as Army nurses during the war. One of the more notable was Alice Orme Smith. In the summer of 1918, while assigned to a mobile hospital unit, she participated in the Second Battle of the Marne.
An intense bombardment the night of July 14-15 signaled the beginning of the last German offensive on the Western Front. Some of the first shells hit the hospital and the patients in their beds, she said. We went to the operating room at 2 oclock and worked with tin hats (military helmets) on our heads and gas masks within reach. In two hours the range of the guns came back and part of the operating rooms was blown off. Then the order came to retreat. At nine oclock in the morning the patients were evacuated and after all were sent out, the staff packed equipment and escaped.
U.S. Army and Navy nurses served without rank or commission, which made their demanding jobs that much more difficult. They faced unwelcome advances from officers and doctors, for instance, and defiance from Army medics. And indicative of the deteriorating racial climate in the U.S., as well as the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, African-American nurses were rejected for overseas service, as were those who were foreign-born.
Another local nurse who did her part and then some for the war effort was Carolyn Schertz. In the spring of 1917, she was the head surgical nurse at Brokaw Hospital. That March, as war with Germany became increasingly likely, the Red Cross sent her to Chicago for training in the preparation of surgical dressings. She then returned to Bloomington (the U.S. declared war on Germany on April 6) to instruct others.
In an era before antibiotics, repeated dressing changes and the use of antiseptic proved invaluable for combating hospital infections, saving thousands of lives and greatly reducing the number of amputations.
In the summer of 1917, Schertz agreed to serve in a U.S. Army medical unit. She was assigned to St. Johns Hospital (Springfield) Unit W, consisting of around 12 doctors, 25 nurses and 50 enlisted men.
For Schertz, the Atlantic crossing by convoy, from Nova Scotia to Liverpool, was a harrowing one. There were 12 ships in all and an escort, she recalled. We never knew where we were headed. We got into submarine trouble two days before we landed. She then boarded a train to London, which was caught in an aerial bombardment. The train had to stop during the air raid, and she recalled how passengers got shattered glass in their hair.
After a period of additional training, she was put in charge of surgery at Knotty Pine on the west coast of England. The hospital unit worked out of tents for six months. It was the rainy season and you had to have an umbrella at all times, she recalled.
During the influenza pandemic that followed the war, Schertz contracted the dreaded Spanish flu, which turned to pneumonia. Relieved from active duty, a weakened Schertz (who now had a heart condition) returned stateside to convalesce, first in New York City and then Chicago, at what would become Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital.
After regaining her strength, Schertz came back to Bloomington. On Sept. 19, 1919, she and several other nurses were among the first to join the newly organized local American Legion post. By 1920, there were 700 some members of the Louis E. Davis Post #56, including every nurse from McLean County who had served in the war.
In the spring of 1921, Schertz married William B. Geneva in what The Pantagraph referred to as the culmination of a war romance. They took their vows at the American Legion quarters, then located on North Main Street in downtown Bloomington. Rev. W.B. Hindman, post chaplain, presided over the ceremony.
William, a graduate of the Illinois Wesleyan University law school (back when IWU had one), received an officers commission late in the war, and had spent one year overseas. At the time of the marriage, he was principal of McLean Community High School. Six years later, in the spring of 1927, William was the high school principal in Stockton, Ill., when he drowned in a boating accident trying to save a student at the senior picnic. Carolyn was then seven months pregnant with their second daughter.
Carolyn moved back to Normal and busied herself with raising her two daughters. It was another world war that brought her back to the nursing profession. I didnt work until after World War II started, she said. Nurses organizations called everyone to come back to service. After returning to Brokaw, she served as a house supervisor until retiring in the late 1960s.
Making her home at 1005 S. Fell St., she traveled each year to see her daughter Betty (or Bette Lou) in California, and every two years to Europe to visit her daughter Helen. In the summer of 1964, she was the overwhelming choice among her coworkers to receive Brokaw Hospitals employee of the year award.
Carolyn Schertz Geneva passed away on Jan. 19, 1992, at the age of 99.
She is one of eight featured characters in this years Evergreen Cemetery Walk, which commemorates the centennial of the U.S. entry into World War I. Also featured is Roland Read, whose poor eyesight kept him out of the U.S. Army but not out of harms way, as he volunteered to fight for the French. His Allied war record included time in Greece serving as a first lieutenant in the Serbian Army.
Presented by the McLean County Museum of History, in partnership with Illinois Voices Theatre Echoes and Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, the Evergreen Cemetery Walk offers two performances next Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 7-8. For tickets, call the museum at 309-827-0428.
Clare Waight Keller had very large shoes to fill today for her first show as creative director of Givenchy. During his tenure, Riccardo Tisci transformed the historic brand into the dream standard for streetwear, incorporating daring and original motifs hound dogs, star collars, Bambi, neo-gothicism without ever losing the posh brand's great tailoring and materials. Given that Keller previously served as creative director of Chloe, known for their flirty French cool girl attire, things were bound to change once again at the House Givenchy with her arrival.
If Keller was nervous about her debut collection, there seemed to be no signs of it. Her decision to hold it at the Palace of Justice in Paris gives off a strong whiff of self-assuredness. And strong-armed with an impressive front row including Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Fergie, and the sisters HAIM, all previewing looks from the collection, Givenchy had immense support as it turned a new leaf. Keller's vision of Givenchy is much more streamlined, ridden of Tisci's fantastical elements and taking a more sleek and shiny approach. The looser fits and oversized structures that often marked Tisci's pieces were (mostly) long gone, with cinched waists and properly tailored fits taking over from the first look.
Each piece in the Spring collection had some sort of rock-n-roll touch, whether it be in the form of sleeveless suits, color-blocked leather, or Michael-inspired tight military trenches. Mesh was done in an elegant manner, sleeves were shed completely at times, and the Western trend made a subtle appearance via cowboy boots that were just subtle enough to be unnoticeable to country naysayers.
Not all relics of the past were washed away completely: Keller kept today's logo-mania, partially spawned by Tisci, in mind by implementing them subtly on tees and sweatshirts, while the flirty flair that she implemented at Chloe is present in the form of metallic lip prints, especially on men's pieces (how rock-n-roll). But overall, Keller stuck true to her vision, bringing a Givenchy that is much more rooted in old-school glam and conventionally edgy pieces. Fellow fanatics of Tisci's Givenchy revolution may need to readjust, but Keller's exciting potential makes her one to watch even further.
See every look from Keller's debut Givenchy show below.
Images via Getty
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The Muddled Trump's Travel Ban
10/01/17
By Paul Pillar (source: LobeLog)
Protest against Trump's travel ban at JFK Airport, January 2017
(source: Wikimedia Commons)
The Trump administration's travel ban is in its third version, and it still does not respond convincingly to the ostensible need it was supposed to address. The supposed purpose itself is unclear. The latest version introduces additional confusion about the purported objective, even without getting into the real motivations behind it.
Most administration statements on the subject, including the more formal ones as well as less scripted defenses of the ban, center on the idea of keeping bad guys out of the United States by restricting travel from countries in which such guys are presumed to live. The disconnect between justification and reality that has existed ever since version 1.0 is that there is little or no correspondence between the countries listed in the ban and where terrorists gunning for the U.S. homeland have come from. Over the past four decades, no Americans have been killed in the United States by foreign terrorists who came from any of the countries in either the original version of the ban or the latest version.
Moreover, the whole idea of a ban on entry to the United States overlooks how much terrorism within the United States, even when it has involved foreign-born individuals, has not involved crossing borders to commit the act. According to a study by the New America Foundation, all the perpetrators of post-9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States were U.S. citizens or legal residents and would not have been stopped by the travel ban. The evident ethnic targeting of the ban is likely only to increase the resentment, suspicion, and alienation-and thus the propensity to resort to extremist violence-of members of the communities who feel kinship with those targeted.
Other rationales that administration officials have offered for the ban have mentioned cooperation or lack of cooperation on counterterrorism from governments of the countries involved, especially in sharing information about possible terrorists. Although this rationale is still about terrorism, it is quite different from the question of where bad guys are most likely to come from. Countries with cooperative regimes are not necessarily the same as countries with nonviolent, peace-loving citizens. The result is new confusion about exactly how the measure is supposed to make Americans safer.
The latest version ban goes clearly beyond terrorism-related considerations of any kind. This is true of the addition of Venezuela, evidently put on the list as just one more way to express disapproval of the Maduro regime, with Venezuela having replaced Iraq in the old axis of evil.
This is also true of North Korea, where any legitimate policy motivations have to do with weapons proliferation, not terrorism, and with the search for new ways to punish or condemn Pyongyang. Given that there are almost no North Koreans other than diplomats (who are not affected by the ban) traveling this way, the listing of North Korea has no practical effect.
The true principal motivation for this measure is the one that has been all too obvious all along: it is a Muslim ban, just as Donald Trump had been calling for. This observation doesn't need to be confirmed in a court of law. With the replacement of an earlier temporary ban, which had been the focus of a lawsuit, by a newer permanent one, the courts might not weigh in on this anyway. The observation follows from the words of Trump himself, such as his request to Rudy Giuliani for advice on how to erect a Muslim ban "legally."
The selection of which Muslim states to target has had much less to do with terrorism than with other reasons Trump has had to pick on some states but not others. The most glaring omissions in a measure supposedly designed to keep would-be terrorists out of the United States are the countries from which the 9/11 hijackers came: Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and especially Saudi Arabia. All are ruled by regimes whose side Trump has taken in regional rivalries. The deletion of Iraq from the most current version of the ban also is hardly consistent with the idea of listing the countries where anti-U.S. terrorists are most likely to be found. Iraq is one of the two countries where the so-called Islamic State has been ensconced for the past three years, and where many former members of the group no doubt still dwell. The contrived addition of Venezuela and North Korea hardly removes all the other evidence of the primary and original intent.
The Muslim travel ban is another instance of Trump playing to his base and acting out the rhetoric of a demagogic campaign, with all the prejudices that entails. The shuffling and revising after the original proposal constitute an effort to ward off inevitable and well-founded objections to an ill-motivated measure.
About the author:
Paul R. Pillar is Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Studies of Georgetown University and an Associate Fellow of the Geneva Center for Security Policy. He retired in 2005 from a 28-year career in the U.S. intelligence community. His senior positions included National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia, Deputy Chief of the DCI Counterterrorist Center, and Executive Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence. He is a Vietnam War veteran and a retired officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. Dr. Pillar's degrees are from Dartmouth College, Oxford University, and Princeton University. His books include Negotiating Peace (1983), Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy (2001), Intelligence and U.S. Foreign Policy (2011), and Why America Misunderstands the World (2016).
Europeans Intensify Lobbying to Preserve Iran Nuclear Deal
10/01/17 By Jamie Dettmer
Iranian diplomats say they expect President Donald Trump to abandon the international deal restricting Tehran's nuclear activities. They are intensifying their lobbying of European governments, especially the signatories to the agreement, France, Britain and Germany, hoping they can dissuade the U.S. administration from repudiating the agreement. And in the event the U.S. repudiates the deal, then Tehran is urging Europeans not to join Washington in re-imposing sanctions.
Iran's foreign minister urges Europe to defy US if Trump sinks nuclear deal https://t.co/KEp8yrKIM2 The Guardian (@guardian) September 30, 2017
The Iranians say if Europe and the other signatories, Russia and China, stick with the deal and don't join a renewed sanctions regime, then Tehran will continue to adhere to the agreement.
Iran's foreign secretary, Mohammad Javad Zarif, highlighted that appeal in an interview with British newspapers published Saturday, warning that if Europe followed Washington's lead if the Trump administration abandons the deal, Iran would resume uranium enrichment and other aspects of its nuclear program at a more advanced level than before the deal was struck.
Trump on deal
The U.S. State Department is due to certify to Congress in two weeks time whether Iran has been complying with the terms of the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. Trump has said he has made up his mind already, but hasn't told European leaders his decision, including Britain's Theresa May, who asked him reportedly at a bilateral meeting at the UN last month.
Trump has been a stern critic of what his predecessor, Barack Obama, saw as a signature foreign policy achievement.
Dubbing it a "bad deal," Trump pledged during his campaign for the White House last year to rip up the agreement. And in New York in a speech last month at the UN, he described the deal as an "embarrassment," saying it was "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."
cartoon by Jalal Pirmarzabad, Iranain daily Shargh
Although the Trump administration has not offered any examples of JCPOA non-compliance by Iran, the belligerency of the President's comments has heightened impressions that he's laying the groundwork for the State Department to withhold certification on October 15. The administration is required to report to Congress every 90 days on the deal.
Iran's intense lobbying effort has two main purposes, say analysts: to get the Europeans to press Washington not to walk away, and in the event President Trump does, to try to ensure the Europeans don't follow suit - a move that could increase strains between Trump's Washington and European leaders to a possible breaking point.
Putting myself back in the shoes of those who may have to vote. Here's how we got to the nuclear deal that works. https://t.co/yzSiA9OMjw John Kerry (@JohnKerry) September 30, 2017
European impact
The Europeans would be placed in a lose-lose position, if the U.S. abandons the nuclear deal. Under the agreement's provisions, any signatory can require the UN Security Council to vote on a resolution to continue the deal's sanctions relief - a U.S. veto would result in the sanctions on Iran snapping back into place automatically.
That in turn would present the Europeans with the uncomfortable choice of either complying with a UN resolution or re-imposing sanctions against their own policy views. Either way, it would likely compound increasingly tense transatlantic relations.
European signatories to the deal have all publicly defended the nuclear agreement, which placed limits on Iran's nuclear program designed to prevent Tehran from developing weapons in return for a lifting of international sanctions.
European ambassadors to the U.S. have been highly visible and vocal in Washington in recent days defending the agreement and insisting Iran has remained in compliance. That conclusion was supported last week by U.S. Marine Gen. James Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who in written testimony to a Senate committee said: "The briefings I have received indicate that Iran is adhering to its JCPOA obligations."
Interviewed by National Public Radio, German envoy Peter Wittig, said Friday: "We believe it would be a mistake to walk away from the deal while Iran is complying."
European envoys mounted a full-court defense of the nuclear deal last week at a think tank event, arguing Iran is complying with the deal that was struck in July 2015 and implemented since January 2016.
European diplomats spoke out against Trump's opposition to the Iran deal at this week's #ACIran event: https://t.co/a5yJploNKE Atlantic Council (@AtlanticCouncil) September 27, 2017
German Chancellor Angela Merkel talked midweek on the phone about Iran with President Trump, expressing her support for the deal. Although, according to German officials, she offered a sympathetic ear to the U.S. leader's complaints about human rights abuses by Iran and destabilizing activities in the Middle East, including missile development, Tehran's support for Houthi rebels in Yemen and for groups like Lebanon's radical Shi'ite movement Hezbollah.
Part of the European lobbying effort on Trump's Washington - from leaders and envoys - has been to argue that the nuclear deal shouldn't be sacrificed because of those other areas of concern.
And there has been a quid pro quo hint from the Europeans that they will be more forward-leaning and cooperative with U.S. efforts to contain Iran on other fronts. "European foreign ministers tell me that they would join us in confronting other Iranian misdeeds," if the Trump administration doesn't abandon the deal, John Kerry, the former U.S. Secretary of State wrote in an opinion article for the Washington Post published Friday.
"Nothing in the agreement is preventing us from facing the challenges raised by Iran on other issues," according to French Ambassador Gerard Araud.
Spike in Labor Protests in Iran is Changing the Political Milieu
10/01/17
Source: Radio Zamaneh
In the past weeks labor protests and strikes have increased across Iran with workers speaking out against layoffs and nonpayment of wages. Iran's ailing economy has not recovered from the nuclear sanctions and even after the signing of the 2015 nuclear deal, workers' living conditions have not improved.
As the labor movement in Iran is building up wider networks and demanding rights, the Iranian state is squashing protests, arresting workers and slapping them with long term prison sentences.
The sharp increase in the number of labor protests in the past few months suggests that in the near future, the Iranian labor movement is going to transform the political equation in Iran and more workers are going to be voices of dissent.
The main problem Iranian workers face: nonpayment of wages and mass layoffs. Employers - many of whom are government entities or private manufacturers closely affiliated with the state, are holding back paychecks and/or laying off employees without relief packages. With no feasible social security plan the workers go on strike or come to the streets to protest.
In response, the state is suppressing a nationwide labor movement in the making.
In the most recent crackdown on 19 September, antiriot police attacked workers of Heavy Equipment Production Company (HEPCO) and the Azarab Industries in Arak, Iran. The workers were protesting between four to six months of unpaid wages.
The images and clips distributed by workers on social media horrified Iranian viewers. Workers were attacked and dozens of them were arrested. Many of those arrested were wounded and bleeding as they were being taken away.
"I do not have bread to eat. I cannot afford to pay for my wife and children!" HEPCO worker said in the street protest adding: "How many miles do I have to walk in protest?"
The strikes and protests are not limited to industrial sector (which has suffered the most from the sanction era) but also civil servants, government workers, retired government workers, teachers, nurses, mine workers, and public transport employees like the bus drivers of city of Tehran who have all protested in the past six months.
The government, represented by the president Hassan Rouhani, is in charge of the budget and marinating of the economic prosperity. The state, represented by the Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is not helping the government out.
Oil prices have fallen from $120 to $40 a barrel, Donald Trump's treats to 'rip up' Iran nuclear deal has further made the Iranian market unstable and undesirable for foreign investors and Iranian Rial dropped against major foreign currencies as of September 8th.
The state is supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and huge financial costs of the Islamic Republic of Iran's interventions in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. Powerful institutions such as the IRGC are shaping Iran's economy and instead of investing in the infrastructure, manufacturing sector and jobs, money is being spent on war and warfare - an area that IRI thinks is of utmost importance for its survival in the region.
As such even the oil and gas workers that once lived relatively prosperous lives in Iran are not secure anymore. On 22 September, Haffari Shomal, an oil rig company laid off more than 70 of its workers. The same company laid off more than 150 workers last year (excluding the 70 recent firings).
The widespread corruption at all governmental levels and especially at the level of oil and gas and manufacturing sectors is not helping the Iranian economy or the Iranian worker.
The blows of the nuclear sanctions era have not ended despite the agreement that was reached between Iran and the world powers. Sanctions on the banking system and various economic sectors, have kept the economy paralyzed. United States banks do not engage in transactions with Iranian banks and non-U.S. banks will not risk their financial institutions' status in the United States by doing business with Iran.
Insecurities are not only about jobs, with no meaningful social security programs, the Iranian workers are insecure about their very livelihood.
The manufacturing sector - which has become somewhat privatized with the help of the rentier state in the past 30 years is now shutting down. Those that are not closing shop are firing permanent workers in hope of finding cheaper labor and temporary workers.
Workers who are amongst the ethnic minority groups are hit harder by the state crackdown. On 24 September, Mozafar Salehania, a member of the board of the Free Trade Union of Iranian Workers, was arrested at his workplace in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj. Three days before him, Mokhtar Asadi, of the teacher's union in city of Sanandaj was arrested.
The disciplining of Kurdish workers has been high on the agenda of state for the past couple of years. In December of 2015 Kurdish miners of Agh Dareh gold mines staged a number of protests which earned many miners imprisonment, flogging and hefty fines.
The problem is not only with the private sector in the Kurdish region. Even civil servants are living life with delayed wages. In Marivan, city workers have not received their paychecks for the past three months, that is July to September.
Amongst all this however, a strong labor movement is shaping. The visible rise in the number of labor strikes, rallies, protests and sit-ins in the month of September 2017 are all marked by the workers demanding the release of their trade union activists or leaders. Among them Reza Shahbi of the Trade Union of the Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company.
Reza Shahabi, was arrested in 2010 and sentenced to six years in prison. He went on medical furlough after four years but was taken back to prison despite his medical condition which requires regular treatment. As of August 8th Shahabi went on hunger strike in Rejai Shahr prison in Karaj protesting his lack of access to adequate medical care.
Shahbi's photo has been spotted in many of the worker protests in the months of September in Iran. His fellow bus drivers have been protesting his arrest and imprisonment by driving during daylight with their headlights on.
Most recently on September 25, Tehran bus drivers gathered in front of the Ministry of Labor demanding Shahabi's release. A couple of days before this protest they staged a sit-in, in front of Iranian parliament.
Similarly leaders and activists of the teacher's movement in Iran, Esmail Abdi and Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi, who are also imprisoned, are becoming usual names and faces of protests across country.
Leadership of the workers movements are gaining more recognition, both in labor protests but also among general public and in social media. And this is fostering more solidarity among labor activists across nation, which could ultimately lead to more power and politicization of workers movement in Iran.
Former Sunni MP: Rouhani Government Failing to Uphold Minority Rights Despite Supreme Leader's Call
10/01/17
Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran
The situation of Iran's Sunni Muslims has not improved since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei pointed out in a sermon that minorities are constitutionally protected from discrimination, a former Sunni member of Parliament told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). "The supreme leader's response gave Mr. [Hassan] Rouhani a very good opportunity to take steps towards eliminating discrimination against Sunnis," said Jalal Jalalizadeh, a former MP from the city of Sanandaj in Kurdistan Province, on September 25, 2017.
Jalal Jalalizadeh
Khamenei said officials have a "duty" to respect minority rights during a sermon on August 22, 2017. The rare outreach was seen as a response to a letter he received on August 2 from a top-ranking Iranian Sunni cleric, Molavi Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi, calling for an end to "38 years of inequality" for minorities since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
"In accordance with religious teachings and the Constitution, all the institutions of the Islamic Republic have a duty to refrain from any discrimination or inequality towards Iranians from any ethnicity, race or faith," said Khamenei.
Jalalizadeh, who was a prominent member of the Sunni block in Iran's parliament from 2000-04, continued: "The supreme leader's response pointed to certain discriminatory and unjust practices that must be addressed. If officials were followers of the supreme leader, they would have taken some steps in this direction."
"For instance, the judiciary could have hired five Sunni judges," he added. "Or the government could have appointed a few Sunnis to head provincial departments in Sunni-majority regions. Or a few Sunnis could have joined the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council or the Expediency Council. Or the judiciary and the president could have announced that all departments have a duty to hire Sunnis."
"We hear all these officials pledging to obey the leader, but not one of them has done anything since he called for an end to discrimination," said Jalalizadeh.
In his letter to Khamenei on August 2, 2017, Molavi Abdolhamid called for an end to "38 years of inequality" for minorities since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Iranian security forces have detained more than a hundred Sunnis since June 7, 2017, accusing them of being linked to the men who carried out two deadly terrorist attacks in Tehran that day. The attacks, which killed 18 people and injured 50, were carried out by supporters of the group that calls itself the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, IS and ISIL.
Despite accounting for an estimated 10 percent of Iran's population, no Iranian Sunni has ever been appointed to a ministerial position in government since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.
According to Article 12 of the Constitution, officially recognized Sunni branches of Islam, "including the Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali, and Zaydi are to be accorded full respect, and their followers are free to act in accordance with their own jurisprudence in performing their religious rites. These schools enjoy official status in matters pertaining to religious education, affairs of personal status (marriage, divorce, inheritance, and wills) and related litigation in courts of law."
Jalalizadeh, a central committee member of the reformist Islamic Solidarity Party of Iran, criticized moderate politicians for abandoning minorities after being elected with the support of the Sunni community.
"The Sunnis have taken part in these elections without any expectations, but it is unfortunate that reformists forget them after winning," he said.
"A quarter of the people who voted for Mr. Rouhani were Sunnis, but no one appreciated the significance," added Jalalizadeh. "He could have at least appointed a Sunni to head one of the ministries. Or named a few Sunni ambassadors or deputy ministers."
The Sunni politician warned that if the status quo persists, Iranian Sunnis could begin to support conservatives.
Jalalizadeh was echoing comments by Molavi Abdolhamid in an interview with Shahrvand newspaper on September 13, 2017, in which the cleric said could decide to back conservatives if reformists fail to deliver on their promises to Iran's Sunnis.
Re-elected on May 19, 2017, Rouhani introduced his ministerial nominees to parliament for approval on August 8. He did not include any Sunnis or women, despite calls from clerics, activists and scholars for him to form a more inclusive cabinet.
More than six million Sunnis supported Rouhani's re-election in May, according to Molavi Abdolhamid.
Iran bans oil products shipment to Iraqi Kurdistan, will hold joint military drills with Iraq
10/01/17
Source: Press TV
Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development has warned companies against shipment of oil products to and from the Iraqi Kurdistan "until further notice," Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday. The decision is in line with Tehran's series of measures in response to a referendum held in the semi-autonomous region on possible secession from Iraq which has drawn international criticism.
"Given the recent developments in the region, it is suitable that international transportation companies and drivers active in this field avoid loading and carrying oil products to and from the Iraqi Kurdistan Region until further notice," a directive by the ministry's Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization said.
"It should be noted that the consequences of any action in this regard would befall the relevant company," it added.
The transportation is mostly carried out by tanker trucks which take crude oil from the Iraqi Kurdistan to Iran and carry back refined products to the region.
The Iraqi Kurdistan is one of Iran's major trade partners, with annual transactions running to $4 billion a year.
Iran's first concrete reaction to the plebiscite came on Sunday when the country halted flights to northern Iraq and closed its airspace to flights originating in the Kurdish region.
The Islamic Republic has rejected the referendum and asserted its support for Iraq's sovereignty over the entire country, including territories run by the regional Kurdish government.
On Friday, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said it was taking over the control of its borders in the northern Kurdistan region in coordination with Iran and Turkey.
A ban on international flights into and out of the Iraqi Kurdish region took effect on Friday but the Iraqi central government says local Kurdish authorities should also give back the control of airports and border crossings.
Iran to hold joint military drills with Iraq along Kurdistan region border: Commander
A senior Iranian military commander says Iran and Iraq will hold joint military exercises along their border with the Kurdistan region in the coming days in line with Tehran's policy to support Baghdad's central government, after the recent independence referendum in the semi-autonomous region.
"The joint maneuver, [dubbed] Eqtedar (Strength), will be held by Iran's Armed Forces and units of the Iraqi army along the two countries' joint borders," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Saturday.
In defiance of Iraq's stiff opposition, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on September 25 on secession from the central government in Baghdad.
Official results showed 92.73 percent of voters backed the secession. Turnout was put at 72.61 percent.
Major regional and international parties have voiced serious concern over the secessionist move, saying it would compound the problems of the country, which is already busy with counterterrorism operations against Daesh.
Jazayeri further said high-ranking commanders of Iran's Armed Forces held a meeting, chaired by Chairman of the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri, earlier in the day to discuss the Iraqi government's official requests from Tehran in the wake of the referendum.
He added that the meeting was "in line with the declared policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help safeguard Iraq's solidarity and territorial integrity and following a request by the central Iraqi government for cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the establishment of the central government's authority on the two countries' border terminals."
Jazayeri emphasized that participants at the meeting once again stressed the importance of safeguarding Iraq's territorial integrity and voiced their opposition to the "illegal" referendum held in the northern Kurdistan region.
They also adopted the "necessary decisions to establish security along borders and receive forces of the Iraqi central government for deployment at border posts," he added.
The Saturday meeting was held three days after the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and his Iraqi counterpart Major General Othman al-Ghanmi held talks in Tehran.
The issue of terrorism, the Kurdish independence vote and matters of mutual interest were among the major topics discussed in the Wednesday meeting between the military brass of Iran and Iraq.
Iran and Turkey have opposed the Kurdish referendum in Iraq, warning that the controversial vote could lead to further instability in the entire Middle East, a region already ravaged with numerous conflicts and terror threats.
Madam Sun Baohong, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo- Addo, had maintained a friendly policy towards China, since assuming office.
She said President Akufo-Addo, was committed to building even stronger relations between Ghana and China.
The Chinese Ambassador said this at a reception, held in Accra to mark the 68th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
She said Ghana was the second country in Sub-Sahran Africa, to establish diplomatic relations with China, adding that China-Ghana friendship had a long history.
Madam Sun said the first half of this year saw bilateral trade volume between Ghana and China hitting 3.32 billion dollars, ranking sixth among African countries, and registering a 17.5 percent increase.
She said Ghana's exports to China, also reached 990 million dollars, with a 91.3 percent increase.
The Chinese Ambassador said newly signed engineering contracts amounted to 1,371 billion dollars, and ranked sixth in Africa.
She said the two countries' high level of cooperation in the area of hydro electric power generation, construction, aviation, automobile manufacturing and several other areas, demonstrated the mutually beneficial relations that existed between them.
Madam Sun said it was crucial that China and Ghana, took advantage of the fast developing momentum of China-Africa cooperation.
She said the two countries should explore new areas and modes of cooperation focusing on cooperation on production capacity, equipment manufacturing and infrastructure, and accelerate the connectivity of our development strategies with the aim of complimenting each other's advantages.
"Let us work together, to usher China-Ghana relations into the new era of win-win cooperation, and mutual development," said Ambassador Sun.
Mr Alan Kyeremanteng, Minister for Trade and Industry, said economic corporation between the two countries has grown over the years and yielded significant mutual gains.
He said President Akuffo-Addo's commitment towards the country's economic transformation has received great support from China.
The Minister said China had been supportive in several areas of Ghana's development, adding that in the area of human resource development for example, over 4,000 Ghanaian students had advanced their education through Chinese assistance.
He commended the Chinese government for facilitating a visit of Vice President Mahmoud Bawumia to China in June, which held great potential for the growth of both countries.
The Minister said the two countries should continue to strive and sustain the good relations they had established.
The Vice President, Mahmoud Bawumia, graced the occasion as the guest of honor.
Source: GNA
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Featured Video
The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has released a list of 57 achievements made since it resumed office in 2015.
Bashir Ahmad, the Personal Assistant to President Buhari on New Media, in a Facebook post, released the list of 57.
The list, categorized into security & related matters, economy, anti-graft war, and others, included the release of 106 Chibok girls from the captivity of Islamic Sect Boko Haram, the recovery of stolen funds, the eradication of polio in the country, and the take off of the 2nd Niger Bridge.
See the full list below:
NIGERIA AT 57 57 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE BUHARI-LED ADMINISTRATION.
SECURITY & RELATED MATTERS
1. Release of 106 Chibok girls, as well as over 16,000 persons in Boko Haram captivity.
2. Tackling insurgency, decimation of Boko Haram in the North East.
3. Recovering 14 local governments and territories previously under Boko Haram control in the North East, rebuilding lives of citizens there; about one million displaced persons in the NE have returned to their communities in two years of this administration.
4. Curbing the incidence of kidnap across the country. (Arrest of kidnap kingpins and dismantling of kidnap cells across the country)
5. Restoring morale of the Nigerian military; re-organizing and better equipping the Nigerian Armed Forces.
6. Purchase of 12 Super-Tucano aircrafts worth $600 million to aid the Nigerian militarys current operations in the North East.
7. Ensuring continued peace in the Niger Delta through consistent funding of the FG amnesty programme for ex-militants.
8. Introduction of an improved mechanism for distribution of aid to IDPs in the North East through the establishment of the Special Intervention Programme of the Federal Government. (Door-to-door strategy)
ECONOMY
9. Implementing the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) to aid economic recovery, taking the country out of her worst recession in 29 years, despite fall in oil prices.
10. N1.2 trillion expended on capital/infrastructure projects nationwide, a milestone in the nations history.
11. Effective implementation of the Treasury Single Account, and increasing government revenue by over N3 trillion as well as entrenching transparency and accountability.
12. Implementation of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), thus tackling corruption by plugging loopholes for siphoning of public fund and tracking of illicit funds through multiple accounts
13. Ease of doing business: the Federal Government signed into law two bills from the National Assembly (Acts are the Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act, 2017 (otherwise known as Collateral Registry Act) and the Credit Reporting Act, 2017) which has facilitated access to more affordable credit for Nigerians, fast tracked budget submissions and promotes Made-in-Nigeria products.
14. Establishment of the Presidential Quarterly Business Forum to enhance interaction and private sector participation in the development of the economy.
15. Institutionalizing E-governance setting the foundation for the creation of a truly digital economy.
16. Creation of opportunities for youths to leverage innovation in technology through the introduction of the Aso Villa Demo Day (AVDD) through which over N700 million has been disbursed to young entrepreneurs.
17. The revitalization of the Made-in-Nigeria campaign. (Emphasis on consumption of local products gain grounds)
18. Implementing reforms in the civil service which has led to the elimination of over 30,000 ghost workers, thereby saving the country billions of naira monthly.
19. Massive investments in agriculture, e.g, Anchors Borrowers Programme to improve local produce, improving fertiliser distribution and access across states through the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative.
20. Reduction in rice imports as a result of governments policies that has encouraged massive rice production across Nigeria.
21. Improving transport infrastructure (rail and road); construction work ongoing on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, renovation of Abuja International Airport runway, completion of Abuja Kaduna Railway among others.
22. Social Investment Programmes (SIP): N-Power Volunteer Scheme creating jobs for over 200,000 (and still counting) unemployed graduates in all the 36 states and the FCT.
23. SIP: Ongoing Government Enterprise and Empowerment (GEEP) Scheme; commenced in November 2016 in collaboration with the Bank of Industry, where soft loans ranging from N10, 000 to N100, 000 have been given to over 189,000 market women and traders across different states.
24. SIP: Home Grown School Feeding Programme, where almost three million schoolchildren have been fed, while tens of thousands of cooks have been engaged in their respective states.
25. SIP: Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme, under which about 25,000 less privileged Nigerians so far are now being funded with the monthly N5,000 stipend in 9 pilot States (Bauchi, Borno, Cross Rivers, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Oyo). More beneficiaries are expected to be added in more states.
26. The establishment of MSMEs Clinics, a small Business support programme to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in different states.
27. Establishment of One-Stop-Shops to support policies on Ease of Doing Business.
28. The take-off of the 2nd Niger Bridge.
29. Phasing out subsidy for petroleum products, elimination of fuel scarcity and queues in petrol stations.
30. Implementation of the FG Niger Delta new vision, a comprehensive road map to improve livelihood and social infrastructure.
31. Improved power generation nationwide adding $500million to Nigerias sovereign wealth fund and about $87million to its excess crude account.
32. The creation of the N30billion Solid Minerals Development Fund.
33. Encouraging the patronage of local contents and increasing export in agriculture.
34. Signing of Executive Order 001 which is the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment to ensure that public servants offer prompt service in a predictable and transparent manner, and sanction undue delays.
35. Signing of Executive Order 002 which is on prompt submission of annual budgetary estimates by all statutory and non-statutory agencies of the Federal Government including incorporated companies wholly owned by FG.
36. Bailout of cash crunch states; about N689 billion to 27 states of the federation to pay salaries in 2015.
37. Complete refund of Paris loan deductions to states (unprecedented).
38. Implementing the 2011 UNEP report for the ongoing Ogoni clean-up process after decades of oil spills and pollution.
39. Modification of the tax system so that it is more efficient.
40. Reforms in the airports (reconstruction of the Abuja airport runway and ongoing work at the Lagos airport).
41. Reforms at the nations seaports (Issues with cargo clearance at the ports addressed)
42. Improved duration (under 48 hours) for visa approval especially for investors.
43. Resuscitation of the nations refineries which are now working at 50 percent capacity for the first time in over a decade.
44. Eleven of the dead 33 fertilizer plants have been resuscitated while four others are to be revived shortly and this has profound impact on the ongoing revolution in the agricultural sector.
45. For the first time in more than 45 years, the Mambila Power Plant is set to take off with the allocation of $5.6billion for its realization and an expected 3,050 MW output upon completion.
46. Increasing external reserves to a 13 month high of $33 billion from $29.13 billion which has surpassed the ERGPs target of $30.56 billion despite global low oil prices and production challenges.
47. Cancellation of the Joint Venture cash calls with oil multinational companies operating in Nigeria (For the first time in the history of the industry) which has led to savings of billions of dollars lost to fictitious contract payments.
48. Release of N2 billion take off grant for the Maritime University as part of measures to address agitations in the Niger Delta region.
49. The new development bank of Nigeria (DBN) is finally taking off with initial funding of $1.3billion (provided by the World Bank, German Development Bank, African Development Bank, Agence Francaise De Development) to provide medium and long term loans to MSMEs.
ANTI GRAFT WAR.
50. Improving Nigerias international image and regional cooperation with neighbouring countries in fighting insurgency.
51. Anti-corruption war: Prosecuting alleged corrupt public officers and recovering billions of naira of stolen public funds; the successful establishment of the whistle-blower policy.
52. Signing of Executive Order 004 Voluntary Income Asset Declaration Scheme (VAIDS). This aims to increase tax awareness and compliance, and reduce incidence of tax evasion.
53. Signing of agreements with a number of nations to provide Automatic Exchange of Information.
54. Signing of the Extradition Treaty between Nigeria and United Arab Emirates (UAE) toward strengthening Nigerias anti-corruption campaign.
55. Establishment of PACAC a think-tank that has provided leadership, direction and also built capacity of personnel in the fight against corruption.
OTHERS
56. Eradication of polio disease in the country.
57. The introduction of the One Primary Health Centre per ward programme of the Federal Government.
Happy Independence Day Nigeria
Source: Bellanaija
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.
Featured Video
Authorities at the Kumasi Airport have vehemently debunked rumours being churned out that they offered a heros welcome to Frank Kwaku Appiah popularly called Appiah Stadium, to Kumasi on Wednesday.
The manager of Kumasi Airport, Kwadwo Abrefa Sarkodie, described the news as a hoax, claiming that Appiah Stadium had not done anything to deserve a heros welcome.
He entreated the public to disregard the speculations, insisting that his outfit is made up of professionals who are rendering quality services to mother Ghana, devoid of any political bias.
Appiah Stadium danced to Kete tunes at the Kumasi Airport minutes after an airline he traveled on from Accra had touched down Wednesday evening.
The brief perfomance by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) serial caller was captured on video and it has since gone viral on social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
In the video, Appiah Stadium, who was wearing all white attire, perhaps, to portray that he had emerged victorious after being released from police custody, was seen displaying his dancing skills, amid smiles.
The video has been captioned to portray that Appiah Stadium, who was arrested on Tuesday for insulting President Akufo-Addo, was given a heros welcome at the Kumasi Airport.
Mr Abrefa Sarkodie explained that the Ghana Airport Company is celebrating its ten years anniversary, and that the Kete was part of the celebrations.
He said as part of the celebrations, the management of the airport last week marked Safety and Environment Week with some programmes.
Mr Abrefa Sarkodie claimed that this week is Customer Service Week and as part of the celebrations management decided to play music to entertain customers and since Kumasi is a traditional city, we engaged the Kete drummers.
He said Appiah Stadium, who had returned from Accra, decided to dance to the Kete tunes with intent to record his performance and circulate it on social media to deceive the public that he was accorded a heros welcome.
Video-
Source: Daily Guide
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Mrs Patricia Appiagyei, Deputy Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has proposed the use of bamboos to restore Ghanas degraded lands.
Mrs Appiagyei made the call in her address at the SNV Netherlands Development Organisations Voice for Change (V4C) Partnership Programme Learning Event in Accra.
Bamboo can offer us some revenues, it is an alternate livelihood that those who engaged in the current galamsey can pursue; because what I am talking about, is the fact that the maturity of bamboo is just about six months and after cutting it actually grows back to life, she said.
It is something that can be used for clean air. It will also reduce desertification. And apart from reducing desertification, it can also be used to restore degraded lands, she added.
She explained that bamboo planting would help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to the barest minimum, thereby helping to address global warming.
The V4C Partnership Programme is an evidence based advocacy programme implemented by SNV Netherlands Development Organization in partnership with the International Food and Policy Research Institute with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The programme focuses on generating evidence and building the capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the following thematic areas such as Renewable Energy, Food and Nutrition Security and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Ms Appiagyei said the robust energy sector reform programme commenced by the government sought to hone an efficient and sustainable energy sector for accelerated growth.
She said the fact that the government has given an indication of its willingness to sign thermal plants onto the Ghanaian energy establishes a new paradigm for increase investment in renewable energies.
On the use of traditional and open fire cooking systems, Mrs Appiagyei said: Charcoal and firewood, also known as solid fuels, serve a large proportion of Ghanas energy needs for cooking and heating; stating that Indeed, about 74 per cent of Ghanas energy needs are met by these kinds of fuel.
She said: The inefficient use of these fuels through the adoption of traditional stoves is said to account for the loss of about 13,700 lives annually with women and children constituting the largest number.
This is a worrying trajectory and requires the strong commitment of all for redress, she added.
She said while government would continue to increase investments in the promotion of clean cooking systems like Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG); improved cookstoves in the nature of charcoal and firewood stoves, would equally receive the attention of government for the benefit of the lower income class.
These interventions beyond saving lives will also well afford us the opportunity to save the forest from further depletion, she said.
It would also reduce the burden of smoke related diseases on household and save time that is spent by women and children in the collection of firewood.
On sanitation, Mrs Appiagyei said the creation of the new Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources gives indication of the governments commitment to push forward the sanitation agenda.
Concerning nutrition, she said the novel Planting for Food and Jobs programme commenced by this government clearly aims at making this country food secure, improve nutritional status and reducing post-harvest loses.
Adding that this was intended to avoid the devastating consequences of malnutrition across the country.
Mr Ron Strikker, the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, said influencing governments and the private sector could be best be done with proves and facts that something works or it doesnt work; adding that this puts a heavy responsibility on civil societies to do their work well.
He urged CSOs to put their arch together, work together, join forces and coordinate their activities to make the maximum impact.
Dr Andre de Jager, the Country Director, SNV Ghana, said the V4C Learning Even was a kind of stock taking with their partners on the role of advocacy in the areas of agriculture, sanitation and water, nutrition and energy.
He said evidence available shows that the momentum was building in Ghana on the role of CSOs in advocacy.
Mr Eric Z. Banye, SNV Country Programme Coordinator in Ghana, said the V4C was built on partnership and SNV and the partner CSOs could not do it alone; stating that we wish to call on all interested partners to support and work towards a collaborative effort.
Source: GNA
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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Two people were injured in a rollover crash in Upper Allen Township.
Police said that at approximately 8:35 p.m. Friday, officers were dispatched to the intersection of West Lisburn Road and Cope Drive for a reported crash.
Officers determined that Tiffany Trinks, 21, of Glen Rock, had pulled out Cope Drive and in front of Lisa Mack, 53, of Ocean City, New Jersey, resulting in the crash, according to police.
Mack and her passenger were taken to the West Shore Hospital with minor injuries. The police report did not indicate if Trinks suffered any injuries. Both vehicles involved had to be towed from the scene.
By Susan Stamper Brown
From the Soviet Union to Cuba, Venezuela, wherever socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish, devastation and failure.
Susan Stamper Brown (Cagle Syndicate photo)
Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems..." aEU' President Donald Trump, Sept. 19.
A big takeaway from my prior years in ministry is that things aren't always as they seem. Sometimes people hide dark secrets behind nice smiles and happy faces.
Here in the U.S., gobs of sorely misinformed people fantasize about the pie-in-the-sky idea of socialism, having no idea all it does is make everyone except those in charge poor and miserable.
Even so, socialism barkers put on happy faces and try to sell socialism like snake oil salesmen.
And then there is President Donald Trump, who told it like it is during his U.N. General Assembly speech, which will likely go down in history as one for the ages.
Trump said, "The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented."
You could almost hear all the air being sucked out of the room by horrorstruck socialist world leaders forced to face the truth head-on: Everywhere socialism is implemented it eventually fails.
Venezuela, the weight loss capital of the world, is falling apart.
Socialist policies picked this oil rich country bone-dry.
Former president Hugo Chavez justified stealing businesses from private citizens in the name of spreading the wealth around. He nationalized just about every industry to supposedly level the playing field and create financial equality.
Then he went spend-happy.
For a short while, Venezuelans enjoyed freebies like the single payer healthcare system that congressional Democrats here in the U.S. want so bad they would probably be willing to sell everything you own to get it, if that's what it would take.
The government became Venezuelans' sole provider. Along with free healthcare, they also received subsidies for energy and food.
Then the healthcare system collapsed and the economy went kaput.
Devoid of basic necessities like food, medications, or even toilet paper, Venezuelans now forage through trash like wild animals and even eat dogs and cats to survive.
All that, while current president Nicolas Madura and Chavez family members live in the lap of luxury.
Yes, folks, socialism works.
It works for leaders who steal it from the folks at the top, bottom and middle.
They'll tell you every time they are doing it to share the wealth. Chavez talked the socialism talk while he was lining his pockets. When he died, he left his daughter Maria Gabriela Chavez around $4 billion, Miami-based newspaper Diario Las Americas reports.
Americans should be very leery of Democrat Party politicians whose eyes light up like blow torches at the mention of the childishly romantic idea of socialism. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is a multi-millionaire who lives in a $2 million mansion.Bernie Sanders has three homes, including a $600,000 lake house.
Former President Barack Obama is worth tens of millions and rakes in $400,000 per speech from the Wall Street folks he once rail against.
Like Chavez, Democrats tend to blame much of the inequities in the world on capitalism.
Greedy capitalists didn't rape Venezuela, greedy socialists did.
The Economist reports Chavez "expropriated and redistributed wealth to weaken enemies and woo allies" and "undercut the oil wealth that funded Venezuelan socialism." Then, the inevitable happened, Venezuela ran "out of other people's money," just like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said.
Apparently, her wisdom is far too yesteryear for current Prime Minister Theresa May, who issued President Trump a stiff-lipped smackdown for "pursuing protectionism" during her UN speech. May said protectionism might "undermine support for the forces of liberalism and free trade that have done so much to propel global growth."
Meanwhile, malnourished Venezuelans are fleeing in droves to escape the death throes of a socialist nightmare.
Susan Stamper Brown is a regular contributor to Townhall and The Christian Post. Her work appears on Sundays on PennLive Opinion. Readers may email her at writestamper@gmail.com.
Guy Caron, from left to right, Charlie Angus, Jagmeet Singh and Niki Ashton, via satellite from Ottawa, participate in the final federal NDP leadership debate in Vancouver on September 10, 2017. The federal New Democratic Party's gruelling search for a new leader could finally come to an end Sunday as party faithful gather in Toronto to hear the long-awaited results of the initial round of voting. One of four candidates -- Ontario provincial politician Jagmeet Singh, northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus, Manitoba MP Niki Ashton or Quebec MP Guy Caron -- would have to claim more than 50 per cent of the vote for a first-ballot victory. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Hula is Life: The Legacy of Hawaii
By Michele Bigley
An accomplished dancer who has mastered many forms struggles to get in the groove of hula, the story telling moves from the distant Pacific islands.
Three thousand miles from Hawaii, in a chilly studio on the California coast, I swooped into my koholoa traditional hula side step. My hula teacher, or Kumu, stopped tapping her ipu gourd. We bend our knees to humble oneself. Youre not connecting, she whispered, dropping her head as though just the sight of us white women trying to express this dance shamed her.
I had been taking hula classes in northern California for months, and as a dancer, I expected that I could easily pick up the eight foundational steps of this ancient dance. Yet as I swayed side to side, my connection to these movements felt flimsy, as if I were a tourist in my own body, unable to fully inhabit what many of my teachers called the soul of the dance. This letting go of mental chatter to fully inhabit the body. The music guiding the steps; the body offering a primal reaction.
In studying most every style of diaspora dance, contemporary dance, and ballet for decades, the only one I have struggled to connect with was hula. Yet as I tried to embody the movements, swooping into my koholo, my Kumu stood, stepped into her office, and closed the door flanked with tapa cloth. Hula, it seemed, was as foreign as the culture that birthed it.
Was it possible for me, a woman with a deep connection to the islandsbut no Hawaiian blood or zip codeto connect to the movements on a deeper level? Might learning more about this ancient dance illuminate a physical understanding of these illusive movements? Or could hula only be its purest self in Hawaii?
Photo credit Lanikuhonua
Hula at its Source
Rain greeted me in Honolulu: a sweet tropical sprinkle associated with Hawaiis state rainbow emblem. Kumu Laakea Perry agreed to meet at Lanikuhonua, a former escape for Hawaiian royalty, and now home to his hula school. A mongoose sprinted around a koa tree, inviting a smile from Perrys lips. Big-chested, with a voice that seemed as if it could summon his ancestors, Perry brought hulas warrior spirit home to the boys on the west shore by offering free classes, reconstructing hulas roots through community building. He nodded toward the droplets and explained how water connected the islands, translating to the dance itself, bridging the space between the land and people through storytelling.
Perry added that nowhere else in Hawaii could better showcase the unwritten history of hula than Honolulus Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. The next day I trekked through the Honolulu traffic to visit the 125-year-old Hawaiian Hall. Regal cloaks made from tropical bird feathers, and artifacts from the Tahitians who settled on the islands between the 800s and 1200s (the first humans to embrace hula as a cultural glue) lined the walls.
While history says Hawaiian goddesses first introduced hula on the north shore of Kauai at Lohiaus Temple, scholar Dr. Adrienne Kaeppler, author of Haa and Hula, proved that Tahitians and Marquesas Islanders first brought ancestral dancing to the islands. Traditionally the male priests performed the sacred Haa, a ritual movement made up of simple footwork and hand gestures that illustrated the myths and histories of each family group. These stories were passed down from the kings and teachers.
Hula, on the other hand, is performed by men and women, and has continued to evolve since its arrival. Today kumu hula travel all the way to Japan and Europe to teach classes. Yet on display was a pahua large drum from the breadfruit tree only used for the hula kahiko, a chant-led dance typically performed for special events. This proved that some elements of this sacred dance were reserved for island practitioners. If an instrument considered the main artery of the dance, and one I had never laid eyes on in my classes back home, was any indication, there had to be other elements of hula that could only be experienced here on the islands.
Hula for the Masses
Later that afternoon, on the grounds of the Waikiki Aquarium, professional hula performer Taina Malu from Diamond Head Luau explained that when the missionaries arrived in 1820, they considered hula dirty (all those women without tops), and abolished the dance. With no written language, dancers memorized chants and dances, not just as legends, but to attribute each person to their genealogy. Ultimately dancers gathered in private to memorize chants and remember not only their stories and legends, but also their ancestors.
Taina pointed to the performers now setting up palm fronds for luau visitors to twist into leis and added that though King Kalakaua brought hula back in 1880, calling it the heartbeat of Hawaii, once Hollywood embraced hula in the 1950s, everything changed. Plus since pure Hawaiian lineage had been delineated through travel, colonialism and economic hardship, when families began moving throughout the islands (and beyond), hula opened to interpretation.
No longer was hula a collection of methodical stories passed down from generations. As I saw that night, the crowds cheered the bikini-topped dancers as they shook to rapid musical changes and upbeat choreography and yawned over the more traditional hula. What Malu had said about modern audiences expecting more of hula made sense. No longer were they interested in a slow story that unwinds its meaning. The luau-style hula represented a faster, more vigorous style of dance shared by Pacific Islanders and not the traditional gentle storytelling meant to be shared with love.
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The Kingpin of the Golden Triangle
Story and photos by James Michael Dorsey
Sometimes spirits must linger where their corporeal bodies spent their time on earth, unable to leave until coming to terms with past deeds.
In the steaming jungle mountains where Thailand, Burma, and Laos collide on a map, there is a complex of crumbling structures, overgrown with climbing vines and monitored by a praetorian guard of monkeys that loudly denounce visitors. It is not an ancient ruin like so many others in this land but a modern ruin in more ways than one. It is a monument to ruined lives and dreams. It is called Ban Hin Taek, Village of Broken Stone and many spirits dwell there.
It is the former operating base of Khun-Sa, a peasant and illiterate thug who rose to become one of the most powerful and wealthiest men of his time. Born to a Shan hill tribe mother and Chinese father in British Burma in 1937, he was the self-proclaimed King of the Golden Triangle. In his time, he had more power than Pablo Escobar, and more fame than El Chapo Guzman. Heroin was his trade.
The jungle grapevine announced that a giant outsider from the west has come. The locals are diminutive people, rising barely to my belt buckle and the women openly laugh at my size. They are the color of saddle leather with the gnarled hands of laborers. These are the people who for at least two centuries have supplied both criminals and hospitals with heroin. They encircle me as both a curiosity and a celebrity. I am a rare distraction from a harsh life.
After brief introductions I follow them into an adjoining room and there before me sits the man himself. Upon his death, a local artist was commissioned to create a full-sized statue of Khun-Sa. He is made from plaster but meticulously painted so that in low light he appears ready to rise from his chair. On a table before him there is an ashtray with a pack of his favorite cigarettes, one half smoked, and a fresh bottle of water. Behind him is a framed photo of him sitting jauntily on his favored horse, a pistol on his hip. He now sits forever like a Buddha on a throne, in the room where he once gave orders that ended lives.
Khun Sa began life as Chang Chi-Fu, a teenaged recruit with the Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang army not long after the Second World War. During the Chinese civil war the Kuomintang, under Generalissimo Chang Kai-Shek, were defeated by Maos Tse Tungs communists and retreated to the island of Taiwan. Splinter groups fled over the border into northern Thailand and Laos in the Shan state. It was in these mountains that Chang Chi-Fu assembled a rag-tag army of about 600 men. In return for arms and money from the Kuomintang, they began to fight a guerilla war against communists on both sides of the border.
Poppy Bud Army
Heroin poppies have driven the economy of these mountains since at least the early 19th century when the demand for morphine for wounded soldiers of the occupying British army was paramount. More than half of that production went into the illicit trade. Local hill tribesthe Akha, Hmong, Lahu and Yeogrew the plants and harvested them for the highest bidder, be that a drug lord or military officer.
The sheer quantity from the area was so vast and profits so immense as to spawn the name still in use today, The Golden Triangle. This illicit wealth did not trickle down. A handful of drug lords became rich while those at the bottom of the food chain remained trapped in lives of poverty and hard labor.
With no more wars to fight, the Kuomintang assimilated into local life, transitioning from soldiers into tax collectors levying a charge on local drug smugglers for crossing their lands. They survived on the dream that their new enterprise would one day fund an invasion force to re-take their ancestral homelands to the north. Chang Chi-Fu refused to pay this levy and began open hostilities against the Kuomintang. By 1963 he had expanded his personal army, changed his name to Khun-Sa (Prosperous Prince), and turned on the Burmese government also. He took control of vast mountain areas while expanding the growth, harvesting, and processing of heroin poppies. Other minor thugs joined Khun-Sa under the protection of his personal militia and by 1967 he was challenging the Kuomintang for outright control of the area.
Fall and Rise of the Kingpin
After a three-day battle, both Khun-Sa and the Kuomintang were both betrayed by a Laotian air force commander who carpet bombed the battle site and made off with most of the heroin, effectively ending Sas operation. In 1967 he was captured by the Burmese government and languished in prison until 1972 when he was released in a prisoner exchange. His henchmen had kidnapped government officials in order to secure his release. After that he dropped out of sight, covertly re-building his personal army and re-establishing his drug connections.
In 1976 he resumed full growing and smuggling operations. During this time he became the local equivalent of Robin Hood, understanding that the mountain people would protect him if he treated him well. Like those who followed in his footsteps such as El Chapo Guzman and Pablo Escobar, Khun-Sa insulated himself from the arm of the law by lavishing wealth beyond imagination on the local people. A pittance to him was a fortune to the peasants who worked in his poppy fields but it was enough to win their allegiance and love. In effect, it provided him with a separate army, who directed officials in the opposite direction, warned of raids, and gave him countless hiding places if necessary in local villages. The uneducated people of these mountains probably had no real concept of where their product goes or what it does, either then or now. It was and is simply a way to make a living by doing the bidding of their kindly master.
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Bullfighting Buddhists or Backwards Bumpkins in Peru
Story and photos by Kirsten Koza
In a land where the Catholic conquistadors conquered and subjugated the native Incas, a small band of Peruvian neo-Nazis have found a way to blame all their troubles on the Jews.
The weirdness started when I ordered the wrong soup in Nazca, Peru. It doesnt sound like a big deal, except that every two or three years I fly all the way from Toronto to Lima and then rent a 4x4 at the airport to drive to Nazca for a bowl of parihuela at La Encantada. I always tell people that Im going to Peru for other reasons, for example, this time, the reason was to mountain bike down a 19,872-foot ultra volcano with my friend Beth. But the fact is, I go for the seafood soup, a Peruvian bouillabaisse, loaded with lobsters, prawns, mussels, squid, clams and white fish, in a broth of wine, cilantro, South American peppers, spices and garlic. It is a renowned aphrodisiac. Thats what a local fireman, seated at the bar, told me the first time I orgasmed over a bowl a decade ago. The only thing I was horny for, was the soup.
But on this occasion, with my friend Beth, when the waiter delivered three bowls (Ill tell you about the third person in a second) of chupe de camarones, instead of parihuela, I almost died. It was entirely my fault. Parihuela wasnt on the new menu, you had to order it from the old menu, and Id neglected to ask for the old menu so I could point to it for clarity. I dont even like chupe de camarones because of things like evaporated milk bobbing with shrimp, cubes of bland cheese, bits of eggs, and theres no booze in the broth. Id travelled over 4,000 miles and had ordered the wrong soup. The excuse Ive concocted is, I was off my game due to the side effects from the altitude meds Id started taking in preparation for mountain biking Chachani, the ultra volcano.
The long list of side effects includes: dizziness, fatigue, light-headedness, headache and nausea, which are also the side effects of altitude sickness. In my case, the side effects were further exaggerated since the meds dont mix with pisco shots or any other alcohol. I was additionally discombobulated because a French junk dealer from our hotel had joined us for dinner. It wasnt just because the wealthy Frenchman, who was driving his Mercedes-Benz G-Class around the world, was devastatingly sexy in a Javier Bardem sort of way (incidentally, the side effects of altitude meds also cause tingling in the extremities) but also because Beth and I were still trying to determine if the junk he dealt was used furniture or heroin.
The soup oddities continued the next day but with a 70-year-old Peruvian guide this time. I told Leo about my soup disaster, and he said he knew where to get an even better bowl of this soup. I didnt believe it, but Leo was known as Leo de Nasca.
A Peruvian at the next courtyard table was hunched over his bowl of parihuela sucking seashells while his wife watched him. She was served nothing. My soup finally arrived. Oh, no! It was the wrong soup. It was chupe de camarones, again. This isnt the soup! I wailed. That man is eating the soup that I want.
While his wife gets nothing, Beth added.
That is a mans soup, Leo responded as he peeled shrimp from my rejected terrine of evaporated milk. There was something familiar about the mans soup line. The fireman might have mentioned that I was eating mans soup when he said it was an aphrodisiac. But Id never had problems ordering it on previous trips. The man beside me was eating like a swine at a trough. His wife, watching every bite, was the one who needed an aphrodisiac.
Andean Anti-Semetics?
Weirdness followed us south along the arid coast and then high into the Andes where it peaked in a bullfighting ring.
Nazis! I gasped. Instinctively I tucked my necklace inside my shirt. The pendant, the Hebrew symbol for life, suddenly felt like a neon sign flashing Jewish. With my other hand I pointed diagonally across the bullring to where a Nazi marching band was taking their seats. There was a swastika decorating the bass drum held by an indigenous Peruvian. Indigenous Peruvian Nazis? Beth and Leo followed my gaze. We were in the off-the-beaten-path Andean village of Huambo. We were high in the Colca Canyon, which is two-times deeper than the Grand Canyon, but we were still at an elevation of about 10,900 feet above sea level.
Perhaps theyre not Nazis, but its religious, like Buddhism? Beth countered.
No, not here! I snapped. I shouldnt have snapped. But I was feeing defensive.
I could still feel my grandfather Kozas silky hand take mine in my parents living room. Zaides skin was paper-thin and his hand shook with Parkinsons. Id just graduated from university when he first told me about his daring escape from religious persecution with his brother. Hed sobbed when he recounted his first memory of the Cossacks riding into the shtetl (the village) where his family lived, near the border of Belarus and the Ukraine. He was five. The Czar had given the Cossacks a Jew hunting licence, hed said, and it was no better with the Bolsheviks. His grandmother had hidden him in an outdoor potato cellar. He peeked through the wooden trap door. Right in front of him a Cossack on horseback decapitated the town watchmaker with a sword. On another hate-inspired raid his grandmothers were murdered, one of them with a hand grenade. The cycle continued for years. Then, when Hitler came to power, my Zaide said he and his brother became terrified that things were going to get worse for Jews. The boys fled and managed to gain passage on a ship to Canada, never to see their family again.
I zoomed in on the swastika with my 75-300 mm camera lens. Buddhists wouldnt be at a bullfight unless they were freeing the bulls, like the monks who freed lobsters on Prince Edward Island. But Beth had a point because the swastika was backwards, with left facing hooks like a Buddhist swastika instead of the right facing hooks of Nazi swastika. But that was preposterous. Buddhists at a bullfight? A bullfight was against their very precepts. And although this was a no bulls are killed bullfight, it wasnt without cruelty. Wed watched a local slice into the ear of a bull the previous day and drink the distressed animals blood.
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Phoenixville Hospital is one of five hospitals acquired Friday by Tower Health that is no longer in-network for consumers with Independence Blue Cross Health insurance. The others are Brandywine Hospital, Jennersville Hospital, Chestnut Hill Hospital, and Pottstown Memorial Medical Center. Read more
Brandywine Hospital, Chestnut Hill Hospital, Jennersville Regional Hospital, Phoenixville Hospital, and Pottstown Memorial Medical Center are now out-of-network for Independence Blue Cross after Reading Health System, the new owner of the facilities, rejected Independence's last offer of a deal before Reading completed its purchase Friday, Independence said Sunday.
The disruption for the 120,000 Independence members who use those hospitals is the most significant fallout yet from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's push into Southeastern Pennsylvania. UPMC has a joint venture with Reading Health to sell health insurance in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties.
That joint venture effectively put Reading, which has adopted the name Tower Health, into direct competition with Independence.
When negotiations between Independence and what is now Tower began two weeks ago, "they made it clear they intended to actively compete with us and other health plans," Anthony V. Coletta, president of facilitated health networks at Independence Blue Cross, said in an interview Sunday.
Coletta said Independence wanted a contract with Tower similar to new contracts it has with the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Jefferson Health, and Holy Redeemer Health System. Those contracts emphasize coordinated care and information sharing between the providers and the insurer in a bid to reduce costs and improve quality.
But in negotiating with Tower, Independence had the problem of "how to deal with the fact that you're not just a health system, you're also a health plan," Coletta said. That would put Independence in the position of effectively "funding a rival," he said. Its other new contracts are designed to function as "collaborative partnerships," Coletta said.
Coletta emphasized that Independence did not set the deadline of Friday for the sale of the former Community Health Systems Inc. facilities. Sunday was the effective date of the sale. The price has not been disclosed. When the sale closed, Independence's contracts with Community Health ended, and there was nothing to replace them, though Coletta said he remained hopeful that Independence will be able to work with Tower.
In the meantime, Independence is allowing a grace period of at least 30 days, during which it will provide coverage at the new Tower facilities and by the 290 physicians affiliated with them at in-network levels. Independence established a website to help customers find in-network options. Independence customers can also call 888-580-9500 for help, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tower Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Separately, UPMC announced Sunday that it will expand its Medicare Advantage business in Southeastern Pennsylvania from Philadelphia, where it started last year, to Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties next year.
When Children's Hospital of Philadelphia began laying the groundwork a few years back for a high-rise research campus on the Schuylkill waterfront, some wondered whether the plan might be too big and urban for the diminutive rowhouse neighborhoods clustered nearby. Now that the first of four planned towers has been completed the Roberts Center for Pediatric Research the problem turns out to be the opposite: The hospital's vision is far too suburban for its Center City location.
At 22 stories, the blue-glass building by Pelli Clarke Pelli certainly looks urban enough, especially viewed from a distance. Because the stout, cylindrical tower sits beside the South Street Bridge, the form suggests a medieval gatehouse, guarding the entrance to the city. Its curves are in all the right places, concave ones to greet the street, convex along the river.
It's only when you reach the drawbridge, so to speak, on South Street that it becomes clear height and density don't automatically translate into urbanity. Though the outdoor areas are all accessible to the public, and there are some truly enjoyable moments, you are always aware of being in a sterile, hypermanaged hospital complex. The castle motif isn't just a clever design idea; it's embedded in the DNA of the entire project.
You see it in the moatlike array of plazas, planters, and landscaped berms that buffer the building from the surrounding neighborhood, rather than connect it. You see it in the gargantuan maw of the garage that interrupts the flow of pedestrians, bikes, and cars on the South Street Bridge. The brick-colored panels on the tower's lower floors are meant to connect the glass facade to the redbrick neighborhood but end up pandering instead. Maybe the fullest expression of the office-park aesthetic is a street sign that reads, "Office Drive."
Hospitals have always been hardwired to control their environment, probably because they must be constantly on guard against unsanitary conditions. Unfortunately, their heightened vigilance often extends into the realm beyond the hospital walls. Rather than fight this tendency, Philadelphia agreed a decade ago to create a dedicated hospital district on the west side of the Schuylkill. Dominated by a street loop that links all the driveways, garages, and lobbies, it isn't a place you would ever want to spend your free time.
Even though Children's Hospital has a big footprint in the district, it decided it would be better able to compete for talent if it could have research offices in a real neighborhood, a place where going for a walk didn't mean hopscotching among driveways. It acquired a group of handsome industrial buildings on the Schuylkill's Center City side, leveled the structures, and hired the New York firm Cooper Robertson to produce a master plan for the 8.5-acre site.
To make the massive redevelopment palatable to the low-rise neighborhood, the plan deliberately included a substantial amount of open space. The hospital even donated a crucial riverfront parcel that was needed to extend the Schuylkill River Trail south to Christian Street. It also agreed to build a pedestrian bridge to the new trail section, which opens in December.
With all that, the plan was still met with enormous neighborhood resistance when it was presented in 2013. Residents argued correctly that the hospital buildings needed to come to the sidewalk, especially along Schuylkill Avenue, with ground-floor spaces that could accommodate retail and restaurants. They won a few concessions, but not enough.
Children's Hospital was stung by the criticism, and officials refused to speak to me for this column. They seem to believe that by building lavish outdoor spaces, they had done right by the neighborhood.
The hospital certainly spared no expense on the landscaped plazas, executed by Philadelphia's Ground Reconsidered. It's the sensibility that's off.
The worst offender is the entry plaza at the South Street Bridge. The wedge-shaped space leads to a promenade overlooking the Schuylkill, but its surface is overwhelmed by enormous planters that seem to exist purely to control your path to the tower's front door. The lobby has a pretty good lunch place, the Waterfront Gourmet, but strangely no outdoor tables on the promenade. With its white walls, generic seating, and harsh lighting, the cafe screams corporate cafeteria. Meanwhile, the garage, a temporary structure faced in plasticky brown stucco, resembles the back end of a Costco.
A similar blandness exists at Bainbridge Place, the plaza below the South Street Bridge on Schuylkill Avenue. Originally conceived as an enormous curving driveway, Bainbridge Place was reconfigured to do double duty as flexible open space. No curb separates the driveway and the central plaza, which is shaded by lacy honey locust trees. The corner of the garage facing the plaza was outfitted with retail space that can house a restaurant (and, presumably, include outdoor seating). The hospital has promised to hold health fairs and a farmers' market in the plaza.
Unfortunately, when nothing is going on, it's just a beautiful space to walk through. There aren't many places to sit. For that, you need to continue toward the staircase that Cooper Robertson dubbed the "Spanish Steps," after the popular hangout in Rome.
Once again, the design quality is unusually high. The staircase is embedded within an elaborate, interlocking geometric composition that includes a zigzagging ramp. Benches made from rot-resistant ipe wood are notched into the planters. The ramp would make a perfect racecourse for a 3-year-old, as well as a nice spot to take in views of the sun setting over Center City.
But as in the main plaza, your movement is determined by the enormous planters that dominate the space. You get the sense these walkways were established to give hospital employees something to do on their lunch break, like the circular walking tracks you see around some office parks.
The antiurban urbanism at Children's Hospital is something we're likely to see repeated as the east bank of the Schuylkill explodes with high-rise development. Carl Dranoff's new condo tower, One Riverside, at 25th and Locust, is a study in wasted waterfront property. The skinny tower is served by a massively overscale driveway, paved, of course, in expensive stone blocks.
And next week, the Civic Design board will consider PMC Property Group's twin towers, 60 N. 23rd St. Though the design by Gensler extends a street through the site to the river, it is essentially a long driveway that leads to an automobile turnaround and a garage entrance.
Of course, it is buffered by large planters.
No matter what she did, her feet felt like ice. Read more
In an awful way, it all made perfect sense, Gail T. Wells remembers thinking as neurologist Thy Nguyen matter-of-factly explained that she was ordering tests to check for an underlying cancer. Cancer would explain the worsening symptoms abdominal pain, incessant cough, weight loss and crushing fatigue that had plagued Wells.
"I felt like I was dying," said Wells, a nurse-practitioner, of her initial meeting in February 2016 with Nguyen, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Wells broke the news to her husband and their four grown children, reviewed her funeral arrangements, and tried to steel herself.
Four days later, the neurologist called with surprising news. "You could have told me I was pregnant, that's how astonished I was," recalled Wells, who was then 62.
In 2005, after years of working in hospitals, Wells founded a primary-care clinic in Houston to treat people who were uninsured or underinsured. In 2013, when her husband retired, Wells did, too. She sold her clinic, and the couple spent the next two years traveling to Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the Caribbean, trips that Wells found increasingly joyless and difficult. She noticed that normal activities, such as walking for exercise in her neighborhood, were becoming physically taxing.
Some days, she didn't have the energy to get out of her pajamas. Once or twice a month, she would awaken from a sound sleep with intense abdominal cramps. Wells had also lost about 10 pounds between 2013 and 2015, which she attributed to better eating habits and the elimination of the two glasses of red wine she habitually drank after work.
In August 2015, Wells' left leg and lower lip suddenly went numb, and her tongue began tingling. Wells saw a neurologist. A test showed decreased rates of nerve conduction in her left leg and both feet. Because no underlying cause could be found, Wells was diagnosed with idiopathic degenerative neuropathy nerve deterioration for no apparent reason and advised to stay physically active to preserve muscle function. But her feet felt constantly numb and cold. She wore wool socks around the clock and slept beneath an electric blanket and two comforters.
Her cough worsened, and Wells periodically felt short of breath, even though a chest CT scan and a TB test were normal. "I felt like I was aging super-fast," she said. "I thought, 'How do people manage in their 70s and 80s?' "
In February 2016, she consulted Nguyen for a second opinion.
Solution
"I remember she was tearful," Nguyen said. "She said, 'I've been looking forward to retiring, and now I can't do anything.' "
Her neurological exam, Nguyen added, was consistent with the weakness she described. Nguyen decided to repeat the nerve-conduction test, which showed a significant worsening.
"Things were going kind of fast, and that's very unusual," Nguyen said. "At that point, you have to start thinking out of the box." The neurologist ordered sophisticated blood tests, suspecting a paraneoplastic syndrome (whose symptoms are caused by substances circulating in the blood in response to a cancer), elevated levels of vitamin B6 or Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that attacks mucous membranes and joints.
Four days later, Nguyen received the results and was surprised to see that Wells was infected with hepatitis C, a potentially fatal disease that can cause liver cancer.
It's most common among Wells' generation: baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964. It is also an occupational hazard for health-care workers, the result of accidental needlesticks or other contact with a patient's infected blood. Before 2014, there were no oral medicines specifically approved to treat hepatitis C, which was discovered in 1989.
"I was gobsmacked" by Nguyen's news, Wells recalled. She knew, and had told all her doctors, that she had been exposed to another infection, hepatitis B, years earlier, most likely in 1983 while working in an emergency room on a drug dealer who was bleeding profusely after a machete attack. Days after that, she had tested positive for hepatitis B. Like 95 percent of adults, Wells cleared the virus from her system and then became immune to hepatitis B.
But most adults are unable to clear hepatitis C from their bodies and unknowingly go on to develop a serious, chronic infection that can fester for years, damaging their livers. Wells suspects that she was exposed to hepatitis C during the same episode because coinfections were common in those days. But her liver function tests had always been normal.
So what, exactly, was the cause of her symptoms? Wells turned out to have a rare disorder caused by hepatitis C known as Type 2 mixed cryoglobulinemia. It occurs when cryoglobulins abnormal proteins in the blood thicken and clump together, restricting blood flow to surrounding organs and causing damage to blood vessels. Cryoglobulins often develop in response to hepatitis C or an autoimmune disorder, and can prompt fatigue, abdominal pain, weakness, neuropathy, and Raynaud's disease, a reaction to cold temperatures or stress that can result in a narrowing of blood vessels.
"It's the most common manifestation of hep C outside the liver," Nguyen said. "In Europe, it's more commonly recognized." The disorder was overlooked, Nguyen speculated, because Wells' symptoms abdominal pain, numbness, fatigue are common to many other diseases. And before Nguyen, no doctor had ever thought to screen Wells for hepatitis C.
Wells consulted a liver specialist, and in the summer of 2016 began a 12-week course of treatment with Harvoni, a medicine that costs about $92,000 and is considered to effectively cure hepatitis C. The cryoglobulin count in her blood steadily decreased, and by April of this year it was undetectable.
Nearly all of her symptoms, except the leg numbness, disappeared. "I was just so relieved to have a cause," she said, "and so blown away that we actually had a cure."
Whether you're new to the criminal justice industry or are a seasoned professional, at Columbia Southern University, we offer degree programs in criminal justice for every level of expertise including associate, bachelor's or master's online degree programs.
Associate in Science in Criminal Justice
For those who are interested in corrections, court operations, law enforcement, probation and parole or related fields, an associate degree will help you gain industry insight before training begins.
Earning an A.S. is also a good option if you are still deciding whether you want to pursue a career in criminal justice. As you take classes and learn more about the field, you will gain a better understanding if the industry is right for you, as well as if you are suited for careers including:
Bailiff
Correctional Officer
Crime Scene Technician
Fire Inspector and Investigator
Fish and Game Warden
Paralegal
Police Dispatch
Police Officer
Private Investigator
Security Officer
The estimated time for completion of an associate degree in criminal justice is three years.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
A bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration prepares students for concentrated areas of study in the industry including the interrelationship among corrections, courts and law enforcement. Students will learn about criminal justice theories and practices in a diverse society and will be able to evaluate the impact of the U.S Constitution and Bill of Rights on federal, state and local laws.
Additionally, CSU offers a B.S. in criminal justice administration with a concentration in arson investigation that teaches students the technical and scientific skills needed to become highly qualified arson investigators with a focus on analysis, evidence collection, combustion, fire behavior and forensics.
The estimated time for completion of a B.S in criminal justice administration is five years, with or without the arson investigation concentration.
Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
The Master of Science degree in criminal justice administration provides post-baccalaureate education to criminal justice professionals from various backgrounds. This program focuses on students' abilities to analyze, comprehend and resolve complex problems confronting the criminal justice system in a diverse community today.
A master's degree in criminal justice opens up many career opportunities for criminal justice professionals including:
Correctional Officer Supervisor
Criminal Profiler
Criminologist
District Attorney or Attorney General Investigator
Emergency Management Director
Forensic Examiner
Forensic Psychologist
Police and Detective Supervisor
Security Manager
Supervisory Criminal Investigator
Interested in learning more about CSU's online criminal justice degree programs? Visit ColumbiaSouthern.edu/Criminal-Justice.The estimated time for completion of a master's in criminal justice administration is three years.
By Anthony Galante, faculty member, Criminal Justice at American Military University
A small group of officers from the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) stood together some stared intently down at a screen on a handheld control station while others looked curiously up at the sky. These officers were carefully guiding unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)commonly referred to as dronesaround the Daytona Beach area, conducting pre-storm drone flights. The drones, DJI Phantom and DJI Inspire, were equipped with high-definition cameras taking pictures and videos of the current conditions of the area.
Hurricane Irma was headed toward the coast of Florida, predicted to cause widespread and massive damage. Once Hurricane Irma made landfall, DBPD officers would then conduct post-storm UAS flights to measure the amount of damage.
Providing high-definition video and images from drones serves multiple purposes during a natural disaster. First and foremost, it helps a department know what areas were hit the worst and where first responders are most needed. Pictures and videos taken by the drones after the storm enable the department to quickly identify downed power lines and blocked roadways without putting any personnel in harms way. The DBPDs drones were also equipped with video equipment to live-stream video straight to the police department, providing officers with real-time information about the damage.
The second benefit for collecting information from drones is that it can help streamline FEMA funds and reimbursement. High-definition images and video provides essential evidence for FEMA, proving the extent of damage to different areas.
What it Takes to Put a UAS Program in Place
When Hurricane Irma hit, DBPDs UAS program was very new. We were still working on the basics of the program, but, fortunately, the department had recently secured a Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the FAA to operate unmanned aircraft within Class C airspace, which encompasses most of the Daytona Beach area. This certificate meant that even though the department didnt have all its UAS policies fully developed when Irma hit, it was able to conduct drone flights.
DBPD officers assess information collected from drones. (Photo courtesy of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.)
The initial development of the UAS program had started in June, when agency leadership approached me about helping them start an UAS program. When I first met with Chief of Police Craig Capri, I asked him why he wanted to add UAS operations to the agency. He stated the primary reasons were to conduct search and rescue missions and disaster management operations, which included storm damage assessments.
At the time, the department had just experienced a tragic situation where an elderly man left a nursing home and was missing for several weeks. Despite an exhaustive foot and air patrol search, the man was found dead, less than a mile away from the facility. This incident was the impetus that sparked Chief Capris desire to integrate drones. Had the department had access to drones, they could have conducted a more thorough, near-ground aerial surveillance effort around the neighborhood, searching for the missing man. In addition, hurricane season was just a few months away and Chief Capri wanted to have the capability to quickly and accurately assess damage within his jurisdiction.
There wasnt much time to get all the pieces in place before hurricane season, but, fortunately, I had started laying the groundwork for a UAS program back in 2012. At that time, budget constraints forced the project to be put on hold while the agency sought other means for financial support. Now, the agency had secured new funding from drug forfeiture funds and was ready to pick up where we left off.
Understanding the Complexity of a UAS Program
After listening to Chief Capris objectives for a UAS program, I explained the scope of the integration. It wasnt about buying a few drones and training select officers how to operate them. Starting a UAS program is a complex and multifaceted process that requires adding an aviation unit within the department. An aviation unit is a major commitment for a department, requiring proper funding, policy development, manpower, and ongoing training in order to support a professional and effective program.
Chief Capri understood the complexity of the process and the support required. I explained that the following were the basics needed to add a fully functional UAS aviation unit to the agency:
Confirm department UAS mission objectives
Educate and secure permission from Community citizens Mayor City/county commission City/county lawyers
Engage the community (often through social media and public meetings)
Develop Standard Operational Procedures (SOP)
Attain a Certificate of Authorization (COA) from the FAA
Develop a Safety Management System (SMS)
Develop an Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
Initiate a training program Conduct FAR 107 Training and Certification initially and every 24 months
A UAS program also requires extensive and ongoing training for officers. There are five types of training needed for a successful program:
Indoctrination and awareness training
Initial Qualification Training (IQT)
Safety training including:
Operational Qualification Training (OQT)
Safety officer training
Advanced safety training
Recurrent training
Refresher safety training
Maintenance program for the aircraft
Safety Stand Down/ Audit Program. A safety stand down stops operations to ensure all SOPs are current and up-to-date. Audits will periodically be conducted by a safety officer to ensure safety protocols are properly in place.
An agency also needs to select the most-qualified officers to train. Considerations should include officers who have:
Aviation background (highly preferred)
Technical confidence (strong competency in operating computers and other technical systems)
Safe attitudes
Physical ability (have high visual acuity)
The aforementioned listed items are the bare minimum needed to make a UAS aviation unit functional and it can take three-to-six months from the initial concept phase to implementation. It can take a considerable amount of time to make a program operational because of budget restrictions, personnel selection, jurisdiction issues, community acceptance, FAA cooperation, and challenges implementing a comprehensive training program.
Getting a UAS Program Off the Ground
When determining whether a department should create an aviation unit and operate drones, it must take into account several considerations.
Aircraft Selection
UAS come in many shapes and sizes. Small unmanned aircraft is defined by the FAA as aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, which includes everything onboard or attached to the aircraft such as camera systems.
Agencies must decide what type of aircraft to purchase. Many agencies make the mistake of first purchasing an aircraft and then trying to match the aircraft to the mission. Instead, they should identify all mission objectives for the UAS system and then find the specific aircraft that matches the needs.
Cost of the Program
Aircraft ranges in price from $500 to $40,000 per unit. The price depends on the sophistication of the drone and its ground station, as well as the attached sensors and equipment. For example, high-resolution cameras can take images that can be used to identify individuals by location, color of clothes, and some biological features (skin and hair color), according to the Justice Technology Information Center (JTIC). However, less-expensive, lower-resolution cameras cannot identify faces, license plates or other fine details. The cost of the equipment on a drone depends heavily on how an agency wants to use the system.
Earning Community Support
One of the major challenges facing any public service agency looking to integrate UAS in their operations is community concerns. In contemporary times, many communities do not have full faith in their local public agencies for numerous reasons. Drones in particular are the target of general fear and skepticism. One of the first steps that must be accomplished is to get community acceptance. To do this, you must include the community in all aspects of the decision-making process.
The agency must also commit to having complete transparency about its program. This was made abundantly clear when the Seattle Police Department did not include its community in the integration process and did not address any community concerns. As a result, Seattle continues to face opposition from members of the community regarding its drone program.
One recommendation is to create a website that houses all the information about the program. This provides the public, and the media, with quick and easy access. The website should include a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section to help answer common questions about the program. Each agency should conduct an annual review of the program and report on all activities involving unmanned aircraft systems. This should be included on the website to increase the transparency of the program. Daytona is currently updating its website with drone information.
Engaging the Media
Another recommendation is to use your local media in a positive manner to introduce your intentions to your local community. Prior to the DBPDs launch of the program, we contacted the media to address concerns from the public. The agency intends to keep the community involved throughout the operational phase of the program as well. (Watch a news segment about the DBPDs drone program.)
Damage in Daytona Beach caused by Hurricane Irma. (Photo courtesy of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.)
While DBPDs UAS program is still very new, it has already benefited the Daytona Beach area. Before and after Hurricane Irma hit, the department flew 13 flights over a three-day period. The information gathered was imperative to the agencys response to the storm and helped it focus its recovery efforts on the most heavily impacted areas. As the department hammers out best practices around this emerging technology, these efforts have been educational for officers and the public alike, demonstrating the benefits of UAS on the local level.
About the Author: Anthony Galante is a former SWAT officer and current law enforcement officer with more than 11 years of dedicated service. He is a commercial pilot with a remote pilot certificate and holds a Master of Aeronautical Science degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and is a graduate of American Military University (M.A. Homeland Security, M.A. Criminal Justice). Galante is currently an assistant professor with American Military University. To contact the author, send an email to [email protected].
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GOTHENBURG, Sweden (Reuters) Dozens of people were arrested on Saturday as neo-Nazis and anti-fascists clashed with police during a march by the extreme right-wing Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) in Gothenburg, Sweden on Saturday, police said.
The NMR gathered hundreds of people for the march. Membership in Nazi organizations is not illegal in Sweden and the NMR had a permit from the police to march.
Swedish police said on their website that at least 20 people had been apprehended, and that one police officer had been slightly injured. A police spokesman later told Swedish state television SVT that an additional 10 people had been arrested.
The police anticipated violence and had called in reinforcements from all police districts in Sweden and added 350 temporary jail beds in a police garage.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Johannes Hellstrom; Editing by Stephen Powell)
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A letter accompanying a subpoena of an associate of Mike Flynns Turkish client suggests that Russia probe Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), violations of which have a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
An associate of the man who hired Trumps former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn as a lobbyist was subpoenaed by team Muller, ProPublica reported Friday. The letter accompanying the subpoena indicates to legal expert Renato Mariotti that Mueller is investigating violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The special counsel wanted to question a Turkish businessman with interests in Turkey, Russia and the U.S. and ties to people with criminal records, Isaac Arnsdorf reported.
The special prosecutor investigating Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election has subpoenaed an associate of Gen. Michael Flynns Turkish lobbying client. The subpoena, a copy of which was obtained by ProPublica, ordered Sezgin Baran Korkmaz to testify before a grand jury in Washington on Sept. 22.
The grand jury is conducting an investigation of possible violations of federal criminal laws involving the Foreign Agents Registration Act, among other offenses, a letter accompanying the subpoena stated.
The letter is signed by Robert Mueller and Zainab Ahmad, a senior assistant special counsel who specializes in prosecuting terrorism. Korkmaz did not respond to requests for comment.
Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor, broke it down like this:
THREAD: Why did Mueller subpoena an associate of a Turkish client of Michael Flynn?
1/ Yesterday @ProPublica reported that Sezgin Korkmaz, an associate of Flynns Turkish client, was subpoenaed:
2/ The letter accompanying the subpoena indicates that Mueller is investigating violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
3/ That law requires individuals who work on behalf of a foreign government within the United States to
4/ If someone willfully violates FARA, lies in their disclosure, or makes an important omission in their disclosure, thats a crime.
5/ The maximum punishment is five years in prison. The full text of FARA is here: https://www.fara.gov/indx-act.html
6/ Mueller will focus on narrow charges like FARA. They are easier to prove than wide-ranging conspiracies.
7/ The fact that Mueller listed FARA specifically in the letter suggests that FARA issues would be the focus of Korkmazs testimony.
8/ It also is likely the focus of Muellers investigation against Flynn. That is consistent with Trump lawyer Ty Cobbs statement to an
9/ email prankster impersonating his colleague, in which he indicated that Flynn has his own liability distinct from the White House. /end
Willfully violating FARA is a crime with the maximum of five years in prison. This charge would be easier to prove than wide-ranging conspiracies. At least for Mike Flynn, whose problems stem not only from working for Trump, but also from the attention Trumps Russia scandal is bringing to his behavior separate from that specific issue.
The more Mueller puts the squeeze on Flynn, the worse things look for the big fish in the White House, if he in fact did collude with Russia against the United States of America in hopes of getting elected President.
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A little over eight months after the inauguration of Donald Trump, the fears of 66,000,000 people have been realized. The President of the United States is not befitting of his position, as he has been proven to be an instrument of historical incompetence and divisiveness. America has been thrust into civil unrest and political upheaval, that hasnt been witnessed in decades. The only saving grace for the future advancement of the worlds most celebrated democracy is usWe The People.
Our current administration has been the embodiment of malfeasance and corruption. The Republican Party represents a tired and outdated model of governing. The malicious disregard for the rule of law and offensive approach to critical social issues has left our country battered and bruised. It cannot be sensibly argued that we, in fact, have no leadership and our way of life, is a rudderless ship in the middle of the ocean taking on water. We The People have to power to plug the holes and lead America safely to shore.
We must focus our collective energy and resources to ensure that the Grand Old Party is a thing of the past, struck down by a blow of concentrated cohesiveness, swung by a coalition of common sense, compassion, and intelligence. Our citizens can no longer be hoodwinked by the pomp and circumstance of an empty-headed failed television star, thirsty for power for the sake of power itself.
Putting aside the recent controversy surrounding kneeling during the national anthem, it should be mentioned that sacrifices were made for the right to vote. The right to vote in this country cost countless lives, and somehow it has been overlooked on the spectrum of our most vital human rights.
African Americans were routinely beaten lynched and murdered for the mere intention of casting ballots. Homes were firebombed, property seized, and people of color lived in fear, simply for wanting to exercise the right to have a voice in our government. Women were also denied access to voting polls, while the fate of America was decided by bigoted, ignorant and misogynistic Caucasian men. Fast forward to today and witness the despicable attempt by Donald Trump and his administration to invoke new voter id and registration guidelines. These efforts today are no different than those of the Jim Crow era. Its a blatant attempt to seize absolute power and an affront to the tenets of a true democracy. There is no need to worry about losing a grip on power if you invalidate those who oppose it. Its is the oldest and dirtiest trick in politics.
We The People have the means to investigate, vet and choose proper representatives of our vision. The GOP doesnt resemble that vision. The Trump administration is an abject failure. The supporters of his dumbocracy are outnumbered, outsmarted and fools to the core. Many of Trumps political failures can be directly attributed to voice and will of We The People, who see through his lies and distortions, tune out his propaganda machine and see the picture for what it is. Try as he might, he has failed time and time again, not only in his misguided and racist political agenda but even more importantly, his quest for unquestioned loyalty.
The GOP has stood idly and in silence, throughout Donald Trumps rancid presidency, cowering in fear. He has reduced our country to a global punchline and brought us to the brink of nuclear catastrophe by way of sheer unadulterated stupidity. We The People must take the baton and pass it to a new generation of democratic visionaries who understand the importance of our place on the planet. But we cannot be fooled into thinking that our choices only matter on a national level. We must let our voices be heard, cast our votes and support an agenda of change at the most local levels. City Councilmen, police chiefs, mayors, judges, governors and every election in between, we must make a stand and be our own advocates.
There is no debating that any team is a reflection of its leader. With that in mind, look at the Trump administration. Its a clear representation of a chaotic and troubled mind. Terminations, resignations, corruption, callousness and an atrocious lack of moral fortitude. He and those like him must be shown the door. We have the power enact new effective and competent officials but only if we act in concert.
Our right to vote is the most precious and powerful tool we have as Americans. We have to honor history and sacrifice by engaging in our futures through the empowerment of those who share our perception of democracy. We must undertake the task of erasing the stain of the GOP, much in the same manner as they have tried to dismantle the legacy of Donald Trumps predecessor. We cannot leave it to our neighbors; we must take personal responsibility to go out, get involved and be heard at EVERY election. Together as an informed, uniformed and determined group, We The People can do what Donald Trump speaks of but has no true comprehension We The People can make America great again. #RESIST by voting the GOP out of power every opportunity we have.
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Trump is trying to distract the country from his failed disaster response in Puerto Rico by claiming that he has broken off negotiations with North Korea.
Trump tweeted:
I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
Trump learned a lesson from his threats against North Korea. The President thinks that he can divert the attention of the American people from his failures by threating a new war against North Korea.
Donald Trump doesnt care if his threats are empty or if he makes the crisis worse with North Korea. He is getting bad media coverage for his terrible response to the crisis in Puerto Rico, so Trump is trying to give a new shiny object to chase.
No one should take the bait. Part of Trumps manipulation of the media has been his ability to create distractions to hide what is going on. Trump is making things worse in Puerto Rico by attacking US citizens who are pleading for assistance.
Trumps threats against North Korea are empty, and the American people need to keep their eyes on the crisis in Puerto Rico.
Charleston, SC (29403)
Today
Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 53F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..
Tonight
Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 53F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Allo's massive digging operation has unearthed a series of public safety and business challenges in Lincoln as its crews hustle to provide high-speed internet citywide.
Predictably, contractors installing Allo's fiber-optic cable have been the main contributors to a surge in the number of ruptured underground gas lines in the city.
Black Hills Energy reported an 81 percent increase in gas line strikes in the first eight months of 2017 compared with the same period last year.
Those incidents keep Lincoln Fire and Rescue's hazardous materials crews running but city and utility officials say that's an inconvenient reality of unprecedented excavating, not a sign of rampant negligence.
"I think we are going through some growing pains because were seeing some rapid changes in our community, said City Attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick.
While that increase hasn't hit concerning levels, Black Hills officials say Allo's work has caused a different kind of financial strain on the utility, which should be accounted for the next time state regulators set rates for its natural gas customers in Lincoln.
Nebraska law requires gas providers to mark buried lines two days prior to excavation, free of charge, and Black Hills says Allo's work has contributed to a 123 percent year-over-year jump in those requests.
On Monday, Black Hills told the Nebraska Public Service Commission that the additional work required for Allo will cost the utility $1.6 million more than it projected last time its billing rates for gas service were approved by the commission, which regulates natural gas providers.
The utility asked Allo to help recoup this cost or to slow its pace, but the company refused, Black Hills vice president of Nebraska operations Jeff Sylvester said in testimony to the commission.
Allo began installing fiber-optic cable in the rights-of-way in mid-2016 as part of a $100 million project to provide every Lincoln home and business access to high-speed internet by 2020. The Nelnet-owned company's crews are currently working in north and east Lincoln.
It's one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country, and has been well-publicized, said Allo President Brad Moline.
"We realize this project has required resources and appreciate the support and expertise we have received from all of the utilities throughout the process," Moline said in an email.
The increase in ruptured lines has led to more disputes over who should cover the city's expenses for sending emergency crews, said Assistant City Attorney Liz Elliott.
"Its a lot more wrangling and coordinating with people than it used to be, because we just didnt have this many," she said.
City officials have billed Allo for about half of the instances where Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews responded to cut gas lines in the past year, with fees totaling more than $334,000.
More than $67,000 of those bills has been paid, according to the latest records. Much of the rest has been forwarded to subcontractors or is tied up in contested cases, in which subcontractors claim a line was marked improperly or not at all.
Moline said Allo is working with its contractors, the city and local utilities to ensure safety, and the company has stopped working with contractors who didn't meet Allo standards. He didn't specify which contractors.
"We are in the midst of the most disruptive phase of network construction with extensive boring taking place in many areas of Lincoln," Moline said. "So far, almost 9 million feet of fiber-optic cable have been installed in Lincoln. When incidents occur, we take them very seriously."
Lincoln Fire and Rescue's hazmat crews sometimes spend hours at the scene of a ruptured gas line before Black Hills workers are able to patch it up.
Black Hills often determines unsafe digging caused the break, said Brandy Johnson, a spokeswoman for the utility.
In other cases, mismarked or unmarked lines are to blame, said Lincoln Fire and Rescue Chief Micheal Despain said.
"When they mark it, it's not an exact science," he said.
During one recent call, investigators discovered digging crews had avoided a marked gas line when digging, only to hit another, unmarked line, the fire chief said.
No utility's buried lines have been spared in the high volume of digging, said David Young, who oversees fiber infrastructure and right-of-way for Lincoln Public Works. For example, Lincoln Electric System has experienced an unusually high number of cut cables.
And digging crews have encountered some undetectable utility lines that weren't on maps because they were installed in the early 1900s, Young said. Those lines lack technology designed to make them easier to locate from the surface.
The city, contractors and utility representatives routinely meet to discuss trends and safe practices.
After incidents, Nathan Stewart of Black Hills meets with contractors to learn from what happened. Those talks are always productive, he said.
When Allo's installation concludes, public works and utility officials may have a more detailed understanding of what's buried where across Lincoln, Kirkpatrick said.
"That map of whats underground in Lincoln is going to be so much more precise."
Im not closely following the vote for independence going on this weekend over in Catalonia, but the news caught my eye that Google has acceded to the ruling of a Spanish judge that it must shut down the mobile phone app that referendum supporters had ginned up. Maybe this is the proper course, though it should also raise questions about whether it is a case study in what happens when you dont have robust protections for free speech.
Beyond this instance, we know that Google, Apple, and other Silicon Valley tech giants are utterly supine in the face of demands for their cooperation with heavy government censorship especially in China. It is curious that Google and Apple, so confident in their pronouncements about How Things Should Be in America (example: Apple CEO Tim Cook saying he cant understand why there is any debate at all about DACAI guess the rule of law only counts when its being used to protect Apples intellectual property rights), are so timid when it comes to Chinese demands. Does China really want to eschew what Google has to offer? I can recall when American companies told South Africa that they would not cooperate with Apartheid laws there, and the South African government capitulated rather quickly.
A couple days ago the Financial Times ran a good feature on Silicon Valley Superstars Risk a Populist Backlash. Excerpts:
What is perhaps most fascinating about this is that Silicon Valley has largely escaped the populist anger that Wall Street or cheap Chinese labour has attracted. As University of Chicago professor Raghuram Rajan has pointed out, this may be because the job-disrupting effects of technology are harder to see than those of trade. Of the nearly 6m manufacturing jobs lost in the US between 1999 and 2011, only about 10 per cent can be directly traced to Chinese imports yet those losses are concentrated in just a few rust belt communities. The more subtle, dispersed nature of the changes driven by Silicon Valley makes it a less obvious target for voter rage. . . Tech giants should pay attention or they risk replacing China and Wall Street as the target of populist outrage.
The question is: will the populist backlash against Silicon Valley come from the Occupy Left, or the Bannon right? Maybe both?
The Associated Press is a loyal servant of the Democratic Party and its liberal components. If you doubt that assertion, consider todays AP article on the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court term by reporter Mark Sherman.
Like pretty much all AP reporters, Sherman is a liberal, as you can see from his Twitter feed. So how does a liberal reporter spin his coverage of the Supreme Court? Its easy: he just frames every legal issue with the liberal narrative, and turns exclusively to liberal sources for comments on the Courts controversial cases.
Sherman begins todays article with Justice Ginsburgs pronouncement that this years term will be momentous. He says that conservatives have high hopes due to the presence of Justice Gorsuch, an ally of the courts most conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Now on to the cases the Court has accepted for review:
The very first case of the term, set for arguments Monday, could affect tens of millions of workers who have signed clauses as part of their employment contracts that not only prevent them from taking employment disputes to federal court, but also require them to arbitrate complaints individually, rather than in groups.
Arbitration clauses are common in many types of employment contracts. In general, the law favors arbitration of disputes. But Sherman doesnt tell you that. Instead, he turns to a left-winger for comment:
Im very fearful, given the new Supreme Court, of what will happen, said Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
The other side is not represented.
Next, Sherman turns to the Janus case:
Just on Thursday, the justices added a case that has the potential to financially cripple Democratic-leaning labor unions that represent government workers. Taken together, the two cases have a real chance of being a one-two punch against workers rights, said Claire Prestel, a lawyer for the Service Employees International Union.
Janus is a workers rights case, all right. The issue is whether a public employee can be forced by law, against his or her will, to contribute money to a union that siphons off much or most of that contribution to support political candidates and causes of which the employee disapproves. But Sherman doesnt tell you that. Instead, he goes for comment to a representative of a union that has a major financial interest in the case.
Next up is redistricting. Democrats are challenging the current state assembly map in Wisconsin as excessively partisan. Where does Sherman turn for comment? To a Republican, perhaps? Just kidding. Sherman goes to former Obama administration official Donald Verrilli.
The Colorado wedding cake case comes next. The issue, as Sherman writes, is whether Phillips, who regards his custom-made cakes as works of art, can be compelled by the state to produce a message with which he disagrees. For the answer, Sherman turns towho else?another former Obama Justice Department official, who speaks for the anti-baker side of the case:
The Trump administration is supporting Phillips in this case. Former Justice Department official Martin Lederman said the administrations high court filing is the first in American history in favor of an exemption from civil rights laws.
Sherman didnt think it necessary to find anyone to speak on behalf of Phillips. Thats not the side he is on.
Next, a gratuitous swipe at the Trump administration:
The administration also has reversed course in two cases before the justices. In the arbitration case, the administration now is supporting employers over their workers. In the other, the administration backs Ohios efforts to purge its voter rolls, over the objections of civil rights groups.
Civil rights groups are advocating for the voting rights of dead people, apparently. To continue his attack the Trump administration, Sherman turns to a neutral observerthe ACLU.
David Cole, national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said plenty of other cases will test whether and to what extent the court will be playing an independent role in checking the Trump administrations positions with respect to basic rights protections.
The Associated Press plays this game every day, in pretty much all of its coverage. Frame issues the way the Democratic Party wants them framed, then turn to liberal experts for comment. Are reporters like Mark Sherman fooling anyone? No, which is why trust in the media is in the toilet. Yet the incessant repetition of left-wing talking points has an effect, like rain wearing down rock.
Having lived through the period of maximum American participation in the Vietnam War as an interested observer and antiwar protester, I have come to doubt much of what I believed to be true at the time. For example, I took at face value the pseudo scholarly 1967 account of The United States in Vietnam by George M. Kahin and John W. Lewis. Kahin and Lewis asserted that the conflict was a civil war among South Vietnamese factions.
I have since learned that this was too much even for David Halberstam. Unfortunately, I missed Halberstams review of the book upon publication. In its 2000 obituary of Kahin, the New York Times quoted Halberstams review. Halberstam praised the book, the Times noted, but was made uneasy by its blanket declaration that the second Indochina war is simply an indigenous rebellion against the repressions of Ngo Dinh Diem. By the time the North Vietnamese Army sent its tanks rolling toward Saigon in 1975, I had begun to get a clue.
Watching the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick documentary history of the war, I was disappointed to hear the conflict described as a civil war as late as episode 10, covering the wars denouement in 1975. Under the prestigious auspices of Burns and PBS, the documentary recirculates a goodly share of the tripe that I credulously consumed back in the day. Looking around online this morning, I find I wasnt the only one to notice.
The series concluded its original broadcast on Thursday evening. PBS has posted each of the 10 episodes as broadcast here and other versions here. The filmmakers dug up some remarkable footage. They conducted interesting interviews with Vietnamese participants. They have reopened discussion of history that continues to haunt.
Unsurprisingly, the series tilted to the left. The languid pace of the series narration by Peter Coyote was stupefying. Given the languid pace, I found various aspects of the documenatarys superficiality especially irritating. The documentarys superficiality facilitated the leftward tilt.
Historian Mark Moyar convened a panel of prominent historians to comment on the series on Friday afternoon at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The panel included three members of the documentarys historical advisory group. Representing a wide range of perspectives, the participants on the CSIS panel included Mark Moyar himself, of course, but also Thomas Vallely (Harvard University), Lewis Sorley (independent scholar), Marc Selverstone (University of Virginia), Gregory Daddis (Chapman University), Nu Anh Tran (University of Connecticut) and Jay Veith (independent scholar). Erik Villard (US Army Center of Military History) moderated the discussion.
CSIS has posted the video here. I have embedded it below. Please note that the discussion begins at 35:00 of the video.
Lewis Sorley is the Army veteran and author of A Better War. His prepared remarks begin at 48:00. If you want to cut to the chase, Sorley is the man to seek out. However, I found the entire discussion worthwhile. It persuaded me that I need to learn more about the war, as did the series itself.
I submitted a question to the panel via Twitter. I am grateful to Erik Villard for making sense of it as formulated in 140 characters and for improving on it. My remarks above provide the missing context I had in mind for the question.
On the second floor of their Egg Harbor Township home, Samantha and Tyler Huck, along with Kiki Terrels, sit at a desk checking their email and sorting through different swimsuit tops and bottoms.
To their right is a wall of cubicles, each holding about four baskets of printed bikinis, with a total of about 1,000 swimsuits housed inside the room.
The three are in the home office for Coveline, their newly formed swimsuit apparel company that intends to change the beach fashion industry while helping preserve marine and wildlife in the country.
Coveline started as an idea between Samantha Huck and Terrels in 2016. After Terrels graduated from the Art Institute of New York City with a degree in fashion design, Huck had told him he should start a swimwear line. Working in a swimwear store in Ocean City, Huck knew there was a market. She also knew the problems that come with finding the right bathing suit.
Cape May Zoo offering new animals, attractions for its fall season CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE Jennifer Baillie and her 5-year-old daughter decided they had the per
Ive watched people cry in dressing rooms. I know how hard it is, so I wanted to see people like myself go on the beach and vacation with confidence with their bathing suit, said Samantha Huck, 27.
So one night, Terrels texted Huck asking whether they should go into the swimwear business.
That was the night Coveline was born. But it would face obstacles before its launch.
First, the company had to rebrand from its first name after Huck and Terrels learned that other companies with similar names could sue them.
They landed on Coveline, after the coves in Longport and Ocean City where the Hucks and Terrels would venture while in high school in Ocean City.
Next came actually making the swimsuit.
We thought we could hand-make (the swimsuits) and start by selling one suit at a time, and the process was just far more elaborate than we had anticipated, said Terrels, 27.
Northfield native, 'Veep' set decorator wins Emmy Kimberly Wannops job has taken her many places: a village in Qatar, a CBS morning show, a G
So the team contracted with a manufacturer in Florida. Then Tyler Huck, Samanthas husband, who runs marketing and relations, had an idea for the companys brand.
I became aware through social media of the issues of pollution in the ocean with overfishing and other big issues, so I suggested that the company donate 10 percent of net profit to marine conservation and organizations to help out, said Tyler Huck, 27.
Proceeds from each purchase are donated directly to the Oceanic Preservation Society in California. The company helps preserve marine and coral life through film, photography and collaboration.
Growing up spending afternoons on the bays and beaches of South Jersey influenced the entrepreneurs to help donate.
Growing up here made us notice the oceanic problems more than if we grew up elsewhere, Tyler Huck said.
Samantha Huck added that living by the ocean influences their swimsuit line.
We have prints of whales in our bathroom, and one day Kiki drew them as a swimsuit print. A lot of all of that came from growing up here, she said.
The three are all roommates in one house and work separate day jobs, but being able to spitball ideas off each other whenever needed has helped with the creative process.
It can be 9 p.m. and were all watching a movie, or were having dinner, and well stop to think of an idea, Samantha Huck said.
The company officially launched in August. Despite a late launch due to issues with their manufacturer, the company has had good reviews and responses from online customers. Coveline is now advertising over Instagram accounts and other social media platforms. In the four weeks since the launch, Coveline has sold about 100 swimsuits.
By August 2018, the company hopes to be in stores around the area and in other coastal states. The three also want to continue donating and create swimsuits with animal prints with proceeds that go to specific causes for said animals.
Marvel establishes its Legacy in this week's comics Renumbered comics. Caveman Avengers. A new creative team for Captain America. The continued
They know they have a lot of work to do with advertising and continuing to grow their brand, but Samantha Huck had a pleasant experience when she and Tyler were vacationing on the coast of France. Ironically, it was on a topless beach when a woman walked up to her to ask about her bathing suit, which she, Tyler and Kiki had created.
Huck hopes to continue to catch more peoples eyes.
I want women to say that weve changed their bathing suit life, she said.
For more information, visit covelineswim.com.
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CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE A Lower Township man was sentenced to 38 years in prison Thursday in the 2015 attempted murder of a woman on a boat, according to the Cape May County Prosecutors Office.
Ernest P. Davis was convicted in June of attempted murder and aggravated assault of 39-year-old Dorris Howell, of Middle Townships Whitesboro section. Davis also was convicted of possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and hindering his own prosecution, according to the Prosecutors Office.
Davis shot Howell with a shotgun on the fishing vessel Storm on Oct. 3, 2015. The boat was docked at Lunds Fisheries in Lower Township. Howells left foot and part of her calf were amputated as a result of the shooting.
Judge John Porto sentenced Davis to 38 years in state prison as well as nine years for unlawful possession of a weapon and four years for hindering his prosecution. The latter sentences will run concurrent to the attempted-murder sentence.
Davis must serve 85 percent of the 38-year sentence before he is eligible for parole, according to the release.
For most public employees, New Jerseys State Health Benefits Plan is some of the best health coverage in the country. But for those looking to commit insurance fraud in the program, which costs taxpayers more than $2.5 billion annually, it is something else.
Its an easy target.
It smells of cheese for rats, Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director of the Bloustein Local Government Research Center at Rutgers University, said of the plan.
The plan with more than 835,000 former and current public employees and their families enrolled, infamously branded by Gov. Chris Christie as the Cadillac of health care options is an easy target for fraud.
One reason is its size.
Take, for example, an ongoing federal investigation in prescription benefits fraud centered in South Jersey. Nine people, including an Atlantic City firefighter, a Margate doctor and two Mainland pharmaceutical reps, have pleaded guilty in the past month to charges of defrauding the plan of more than $25 million.
The scheme could actually be twice the size of those spelled out in the guilty pleas. According to the court documents, the unspecified Pharmacy Benefits Administrator paid the unnamed Compounding Pharmacy more than $50 million for compounded medications mailed to people in New Jersey.
Federal court documents detail a massive prescription-fraud scheme from January 2015 to April 2016 that involved recruiting public employees teachers, firefighters, municipal police officers and state troopers to obtain medically unnecessary prescriptions for patients whom doctors never treated. The prescriptions included those for compounded pain creams, scar creams, antifungal creams, libido creams and certain vitamin combinations, all of which paid out generous reimbursements to the pharmacy from the health insurance plan.
In exchange for the prescriptions, the recruiters and the doctors received kickbacks from the out-of-state compounding pharmacy and pay co-conspirators, documents say.
Federal authorities have yet to identify, the name and the location of the out-of-state compounding pharmacy that was at the center of the fraud scheme.
Pfeiffer said wherever theres money, youll find someone trying to take advantage of the system. And the state plans generosity presents more opportunities for fraud.
The State Health Benefits Plan has been a popular target for Christie over his tenure. During his stump speech over the last eight years, Christie has called the state insurance coverage a Cadillac plan due to its extensive coverage, premiums for which are mostly funded by New Jersey taxpayers. In 2014, Christie set up a task force to review the state benefits program and reduce its cost.
David Frankford, a professor of law at Rutgers University-Camden said drug compounding has had issues for years because of inflated pricing and a lack of industry regulations. He was unimpressed by the $25 million scope of the fraud.
Thats peanuts in the scheme of what actually goes on, he said.
He said hundreds of billions of dollars in fraudulent claims are paid out annually.
But Frankford, who teaches a course on health care fraud, said there is an impact.
So were paying for services that wouldnt otherwise be performed, Frankford said. Its generally thought that it hurts the process of competition, because rather than providers choosing other providers based on their merits or quality, they choose based on whether or not they get a kickback.
The figure is even larger if one accounts not only for insurance dollars wasted due to fraud, but also the cost of trying to detect it and prosecute it, Frankford said.
Frankford, who has been writing about fraud since the 1980s, said the nature of the health insurance system especially the state plan, which processes hundreds of claims a day makes it difficult to detect fraud.
Compounding fraud is a growing issue around the country.
In July, federal authorities arrested 412 people in connection with defrauding health benefits plans of more than $1.3 billion. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the current administration will continue to target those who try to defraud health benefit plans.
Willem O. Rijksen is director of communications for the Office of the State Treasurer, which oversees the states health benefits and pensions plans. He said the contractors for the state have proper safeguards in place.
The states contracts with carriers have appropriate systems in place to identify charges for services that appear to be abnormal, excessive or fraudulent, and to conduct examinations when deemed necessary, Rijksen wrote in an email. Cases found to be abnormal, excessive or fraudulent are to be reported to the appropriate federal and state authorities.
Frankford said the only way to stop health care fraud is to prosecute it.
In particular, prosecute individuals, Frankford said. Most criminal experts will say that the amount of the penalty is important, but much more important is whether or not it can be detected and prosecuted. People will take the risk if they know its fairly unlikely to be prosecuted.
WHITECLAY -- Nora Boesem learned the hard way how little child welfare officials think of children with fetal alcohol syndrome.
When she and her husband applied to be foster parents, they said they would not take children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Their first three placements all had FASD. When she began seeking assistance for them, she was told they were lucky -- they hadnt adopted them yet and could send them back.
I didnt take that well, she said. A child is not a pair of shoes.
A day after the Nebraska Supreme Court rejected an appeal seeking the reopening of Whiteclays four beer stores, the Legislature's Whiteclay Task Force heard from local residents and others about the challenges facing the village near the South Dakota border.
The stores, which were forced to close in April, had for decades served millions of cans of beer each year to the Oglala Lakota people of South Dakotas nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned.
At the summit on Saturday, Boesem said she and her husband eventually decided they would only foster children with FASD. She is now president of Roots to Wings FASD and the parent to 12 children with fetal alcohol syndrome.
A lot of my children are products of Whiteclay, and their parents are products of Whiteclay.
Some spoke Saturday about the need for better access to health care in the Nebraska communities near Whiteclay.
Thirty percent of children under 18 in Sheridan County live in poverty, and a recent health needs survey by the Panhandle Public Health District shows that health care costs are barriers to access for much of the population.
Telehealth services offered through the University of Nebraska Medical Center may be a partial solution, said Dr. Fernando Wilson, of the UNMC Center for Health Policy. UNMC is already offering virtual drug and alcohol counseling at the Oglala Sioux Tribe Nursing Home south of Whiteclay, he said.
UNMC also recently hired an expert in fetal alcohol syndrome.
The Pine Ridge Reservation needs a detoxification center, an expanded residential treatment facility -- the current one on the reservation has a capacity of seven -- and transitional facilities, said Selina Hayle, the national expansion director for the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions.
While closing the Whiteclay beer stores hasnt solved the alcoholism and drug problems on the reservation, Boesem said, it has created hope that more is possible.
OCEAN CITY Charles Strange stood at the podium set up outside the Music Pier on Saturday and talked about his son.
Michael Strange joined the Navy and was killed in Afghanistan in 2011. Charles set up the Michael Strange Foundation, which provides services for people coping with fallen service members.
I buried my father, I buried my cousin, I buried close friends not even in the same circle as burying a child, he said.
He almost broke down in tears at one point while telling the story. He paused for several seconds.
Someone in the crowd around him yelled, Its OK, were with you.
Hundreds of people came to the Boardwalk Saturday morning to support families of wounded soldiers during the ninth annual Walk for the Wounded.
The walk is hosted by Operation First Response, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to wounded service members and families, and is sponsored by OceanFirst Bank.
The Boardwalk was filled with people wearing matching red shirts for the walk.
Nick Constantino, an adviser with Operation First Response, said the event generally gets hundreds of people to attend and has raised more than $600,000 for the organization since its been in operation. More than 300 people showed up Saturday morning for the walk, he said.
The event raises awareness of what veteran and military families go through when a member is wounded or killed in combat, he said.
The community in Ocean City is so patriotic, Constantino said. A lot of the families come in and they bond; its almost like a reunion.
Peggy Baker, founder and president of Operation First Response, spoke about the importance of patriotism and the sacrifice that service members make.
Im free today because someone fought, bled or died in my place, she said at the opening ceremony.
Several walk attendees had family members in the military who either died or were wounded, and some wounded service members came out for the event.
Wildwood Italian Festival draws large crowd Saturday WILDWOOD The smell of hot Italian sausage wafted through the air Saturday afternoon at Fox Park.
Retired Sgt. Sean Lewis, who served in the Army, was injured in an explosion in 2004 in Iraq that resulted in him losing his right leg and suffering a traumatic brain injury.
Lewis was the first soldier to receive assistance from Operation First Response. He told his story and spoke to families, walkers and advocates before they took to the boards Saturday.
For veterans with families, its a really, really difficult thing when you have to look at your kid and say, Daddys not sure how were putting food in the house, he said. Operation First Response are there to make sure you dont have to do that.
Candidates Davies, Wall examples to young people
Ive often heard my friends in Cape May talk about how much it saddens them that young people typically go off to college and dont return to Cape May to live and work. We talk about the need to give young people a reason to see Cape May County as more than a place to retire to or for a vacation.
Young people are more likely to stay when they see their peers working and raising their families in Cape May. Two examples are Danielle Davies and Greg Wall and both are running for county freeholder positions. Both have returned to Cape May County with a conscious commitment to live and work here and to make Cape May County the attractive and vibrant community that other young people want to come back to after college.
Davies received her bachelors degree from Villanova University in Pennsylvania and after living in San Francisco returned to Cape May where, with her husband, she is raising her two children. Wall received his masters degree from Kings College in London before returning to his roots in Cape May.
I am excited to imagine fresh leadership with a renewed passion and energy to work on behalf of what is best for Cape May County.
Ann McCabe
Cape May
Miss America needs scholarship fundraising
The Miss America Organization should solicit and accept donations from the public like any other scholarship fundraising organization. The balance sheets of the Miss America Organization indicate that the existing business model is not working and that now is the time to embrace a philosophical and cultural change to openly compete in the fundraising marketplace.
I present this suggestion not as a criticism but rather as a challenge to move forward with the mission of becoming a strong financially independent fundraising organization dedicated to awarding college scholarships to young women through the existing pageant competition system.
Peter Haberstroh
Ventnor
Recycle the tear-downs
I watched in disbelief yesterday as a bulldozer demolished the house next door. Perfectly good windows, doors, appliances and furniture were ground to a pulp. With so many needy families in the area and in hurricane stricken places, why cant developers at least make an attempt to repurpose things people could use?
Greed and speed get in the way of doing whats right. Thats where this country has gone wrong. Many are quick to criticize someone who lives in the past. But if living in the past means helping others and showing respect for neighbors, then Im all for it.
I can only hope that caring, kindness and a gentle concern for towns and the world return someday ... soon.
Leah Johnson
Ocean City
ATLANTIC CITY The second phase of the cleanup of soils under a long-gone manufactured-gas plant is under way, according to its owner, South Jersey Gas.
For the next few weeks workers will be doing site preparation, including taking out the foundations of an old Verizon building and two other buildings demolished in Phase I.
After that, soil removal and encasement will begin. Work is expected to continue through 2018, said SJ Gas Project Manager for Environmental Affairs Kenneth Sheppard.
The site is on the bay just south of where the Atlantic City Expressway enters Atlantic City.
Coal tars and chemicals from their breakdown have contaminated a square block between North Florida Avenue and Turnpike Road, bordered on the bay by Sunset Avenue and at the other end by Island Avenue.
The plant operated from 1900 to 1918 and was later acquired by South Jersey Gas from its operator, Atlantic City Gas and Water Co. A gas similar to natural gas was created by heating coal and oil in the days before natural gas could be mined and delivered by pipeline.
The companys contractors will remove about 92,000 tons of soil from 2 to 6 feet down on the property and replace it with clean soil, according to SJ Gas. That work should start in about three weeks.
Another 163,000 tons of soil from 4 to 28 feet below the surface will be treated with stabilizers like Portland cement, keeping the deeper pollutants from leaching, the company said.
There are still two property owners that SJ Gas is trying to negotiate with to gain access for the remediation. One is the former Deull Fuel building owner and the other is the owner of a private residence on Sunset Avenue, he said.
SJ Gas is negotiating for access to the Deull Fuel and Sunset Avenue properties, according to Sheppard.
Phase 1 work included removal of three buildings, removal of 13,160 tons of polluted soils from Turnpike Road and North Georgia Avenue, and installing new subsurface sewer utilities in the area working with Atlantic City, according to SJ Gas.
The gas-manufacturing process produced byproducts and residues that may include tars, sludges and light oils, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The wastes contain known and suspected cancer-causing agents.
SJ Gas has said tests have shown the underground pollution plume ends under Turnpike Road and does not continue under nearby homes.
The company has said it has air and water quality monitors on site to make sure emissions dont exceed safe levels.
The company has also said the pollution is underground and there are no pathways of exposure for the people in the area, although a gasoline-like odor was noticeable during a recent visit.
Fifty years after she bought her Kalamity Kate outfit, Leta Powell Drake can still squeeze into that leather skirt and blouse.
Which she will do Friday for an evening of reminiscing with George Churley, puppeteer for the "Cartoon Corral" show, at the Nebraska History Museum, 131 Centennial Mall North.
The skirt is a little tight in the waist like I cant button the waist. So if I faint, will someone call 911, Drake said during a telephone interview.
Drake and Churley will share stories and answer questions from fans, now in their 50s and 60s, who remember the "Cartoon Corral" show that was on KOLN/KGIN every afternoon after school for more than two decades.
Drake was Kalamity Kate from 1967 until the show ended in 1980. Churley and his puppets were on the show for its last five years.
And both still run into people who remember them, particularly folks who were on the show as children and who answered Kalamity Kates inevitable question What do you want to be when you grow up?
Churley was the head of the theatre department at Concordia University in Seward and already a part-time puppeteer when he began creating the puppets that would fit into the western-themed kids show.
Occasionally, someone will recognize his name on a credit card and say, Weren't you the puppeteer on "Cartoon Corral"?
One of the common questions hes asked What is your favorite puppet? has no good answer. Churley's got no favorites, but the two he had the most fun doing were the horse, Flash T (thats T for Terrific or T for Tumultuous or T for whatever fit the theme of the day) and Little Reggie, the kid who was kind of the adult of the puppets.
Someone recognizes Drake almost weekly because she still looks like the Kalamity Kate on TV years ago.
Drake figures somewhere around 60,000 children were on the show during the years she hosted it. Kids from Lincoln, kids from Benkelman, 15 to 20 a day, sitting on the four benches and waving to Grandma back home.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience in an era where most local stations produced their own live children's show.
"They were cheap and they were successful," says Drake.
When Drake was asked to take over the live afternoon childrens show, she thought it would be fun to be a rocket lady. "I wanted to fly a rocket ship" after all she was a licensed pilot. And wear a silver lame jump suit."
But the station manager nixed that idea. It was too expensive. The station already had invested in a cowboy set, with a fake tree, a fake fence, a bale of hay and the four sets of long benches, she said.
So she bought the leather skirt ($12), the blouse ($12), and got a free (fake hair) wig from Lucile Duerr, in exchange for a credit line at the end of the show.
The morning show, where Drake interviewed local dignitaries on live television for an hour, was much more work. She had to know the issues and have intelligent questions ready.
But Drake is remembered by thousands of Nebraskans as Kalamity Kate in a simple show where Drake made little people famous for a day.
Thats why she spent four years collecting memories and working on a book about the show and that era in early TV of live childrens show The Calamities of Kalamity Kate, published three years ago.
She collected stories such as this one from 1973, when kindergartner Michael Hemmett and his two older sisters were on the show together.
Kalamity Kate asked them what they wanted for their birthday. Oldest sister said, a tape recorder. Next sister also said a tape recorder. So little Michael decided he probably should want a tape recorder, too.
And when Kalamity Kate asked him why they all wanted a tape recorder, Michael had an answer. We are going to put it under my mom and dads bed and record them kissing at night.
Beehive, MENA's leading peer to peer lending (P2P) platform, has secured $5m investment as part of a Series A round led by Riyad TAQNIA Fund and supported by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Fund (MBRF), the financial arm of Dubai SME, as well as several other regional investors. This latest fundraise brings the total raised by Beehive to $10.5m since its launch.
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/564314/Craig_Moore.jpg )
Craig Moore, Beehive Founder and CEO, said:
"We're delighted to have the support of our strategic investors in this latest round which demonstrates the appetite for investment into fintech businesses in the region and will enable us to further expand the Beehive digital model and drive product and market expansion."
To date, Beehive has successfully facilitated finance over $35 million (AED 130 million) to more than 200 business funding requests and registered more than 5000 international investors. In March, Beehive became the first peer to peer lending platform in MENA to be regulated. Launched in 2014, Beehive uses innovative technology to directly connect businesses with investors, giving SMEs faster access to lower cost finance and investors attractive returns and diversified risk.
"Beehive has attracted us as the pioneering regulated P2P lending platform in MENA. It has engaged in building strategic agreements with government and large corporates in the UAE, where it fulfills a clear financing need. We are particularly excited to support the company's expansion into Saudi Arabia where it would finance Saudi SMEs," commented Adel Al-Ateeq, Acting CEO, Riyad Capital
Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME, who will also be joining the Beehive board said, "Beehive is a fintech pioneer and we've already seen our strategic partnership with them translate into immediate and tangible results for SMEs and our investment will further strengthen that commitment."
"Beehive is an SME for SMEs and our focus is on continued growth and broadening our reach to create further opportunities that will drive the ecosystem," added Rick Pudner, Beehive Chairman.
Riyad TAQNIA Fund (RTF) is a Saudi Arabia-based venture capital fund founded by Riyad Capital and TAQNIA. It is backed by leading institutional investors in Saudi Arabia and invests in the areas of ICT, Energy & Sustainability and Advanced Materials.
About Beehive: http://www.beehive.ae
Beehive, is the first P2P platform in MENA to be regulated by the DFSA. It facilitates flexible Sharia compliant financing solutions for established SMEs seeking finance from AED 100,000 for up to 3 years. Beehive directly connects businesses looking for finance with a crowd of investors, creating mutually beneficial partnerships for growth. Individual investors can invest as little as AED 100 into any business listed on the platform. Beehive undertakes thorough due diligence on each business listed on the platform and facilitates the finance agreement between the business and investors, charging a small percentage fee of the finance amount.
About Dubai SME
Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), Government of Dubai, aims to foster an entrepreneurial culture and develop a competitive SME sector for the Emirate of Dubai. The key strategies adopted by Dubai SME are: advocate a pro-business environment for developing entrepreneurship and SMEs, seed innovative start-ups and groom promising SMEs. Dubai SME's vision is to make Dubai the centre for innovative SMEs to start, grow and expand their businesses, thus adding greater value to the economy of Dubai.
About Peer to Peer Lending:
Peer to peer lending is founded on (loan based) crowdfunding principles and refers to investors directly investing into businesses via an online platform. This process is more streamlined and efficient and operating costs are reduced versus conventional financial institutions. As a result, peer to peer lending gives businesses faster access to low cost finance and investors better returns on their money and diversified risk. Global peer to peer lending is forecast to reach more than USD $300 billion by 2020. The SME funding gap in MENA is estimated to be $260 billion.
Media enquiries:
Francesca Moore, Chief Marketing Officer, Beehive, marketing@beehive.ae .
SOURCE Beehive Group DMCC
Beehive, MENA's leading peer to peer lending (P2P) platform, has secured $5m investment as part of a Series A round led by Riyad TAQNIA Fund and supported by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Fund (MBRF), the financial arm of Dubai SME, as well as several other regional investors. This latest fundraise brings the total raised by Beehive to $10.5m since its launch.
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/564314/Craig_Moore.jpg )
Craig Moore, Beehive Founder and CEO, said:
"We're delighted to have the support of our strategic investors in this latest round which demonstrates the appetite for investment into fintech businesses in the region and will enable us to further expand the Beehive digital model and drive product and market expansion."
To date, Beehive has successfully facilitated finance over $35 million (AED 130 million) to more than 200 business funding requests and registered more than 5000 international investors. In March, Beehive became the first peer to peer lending platform in MENA to be regulated. Launched in 2014, Beehive uses innovative technology to directly connect businesses with investors, giving SMEs faster access to lower cost finance and investors attractive returns and diversified risk.
"Beehive has attracted us as the pioneering regulated P2P lending platform in MENA. It has engaged in building strategic agreements with government and large corporates in the UAE, where it fulfills a clear financing need. We are particularly excited to support the company's expansion into Saudi Arabia where it would finance Saudi SMEs," commented Adel Al-Ateeq, Acting CEO, Riyad Capital
Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME, who will also be joining the Beehive board said, "Beehive is a fintech pioneer and we've already seen our strategic partnership with them translate into immediate and tangible results for SMEs and our investment will further strengthen that commitment."
"Beehive is an SME for SMEs and our focus is on continued growth and broadening our reach to create further opportunities that will drive the ecosystem," added Rick Pudner, Beehive Chairman.
Riyad TAQNIA Fund (RTF) is a Saudi Arabia-based venture capital fund founded by Riyad Capital and TAQNIA. It is backed by leading institutional investors in Saudi Arabia and invests in the areas of ICT, Energy & Sustainability and Advanced Materials.
About Beehive: http://www.beehive.ae
Beehive, is the first P2P platform in MENA to be regulated by the DFSA. It facilitates flexible Sharia compliant financing solutions for established SMEs seeking finance from AED 100,000 for up to 3 years. Beehive directly connects businesses looking for finance with a crowd of investors, creating mutually beneficial partnerships for growth. Individual investors can invest as little as AED 100 into any business listed on the platform. Beehive undertakes thorough due diligence on each business listed on the platform and facilitates the finance agreement between the business and investors, charging a small percentage fee of the finance amount.
About Dubai SME
Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), Government of Dubai, aims to foster an entrepreneurial culture and develop a competitive SME sector for the Emirate of Dubai. The key strategies adopted by Dubai SME are: advocate a pro-business environment for developing entrepreneurship and SMEs, seed innovative start-ups and groom promising SMEs. Dubai SME's vision is to make Dubai the centre for innovative SMEs to start, grow and expand their businesses, thus adding greater value to the economy of Dubai.
About Peer to Peer Lending:
Peer to peer lending is founded on (loan based) crowdfunding principles and refers to investors directly investing into businesses via an online platform. This process is more streamlined and efficient and operating costs are reduced versus conventional financial institutions. As a result, peer to peer lending gives businesses faster access to low cost finance and investors better returns on their money and diversified risk. Global peer to peer lending is forecast to reach more than USD $300 billion by 2020. The SME funding gap in MENA is estimated to be $260 billion.
Media enquiries:
Francesca Moore, Chief Marketing Officer, Beehive, [email protected] .
SOURCE Beehive Group DMCC
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In October, MHz Choice premieres new series and seasons of Mysteries from Sweden, German Dramas and Comedies, Italian Crime Drama and two very special Documentaries.
Oct. 3: Missing
In this dark and suspenseful four-part Swedish mystery, Helena Bergstrom (the original Annika Bengtzon) plays Maja Silver, an inspector with the Stockholm police department who returns to her hometown in the Swedish Bible Belt in an attempt to reconnect with her daughter.
Helena Bergstrom as Maja Silver in Missing
Oct. 3: A Dangerous Fortune
Based on Ken Follett's world-wide bestselling novel, the opulent German drama A Dangerous Fortune is a story of love, unfulfilled passion, greed, power and intrigue, set against the backdrop of Victorian London's financial world.
Oct. 10: Henning Mankell: Homo Narrans
Before he died in 2015 Swedish writer Henning Mankell asked his friend and renowned documentary filmmaker Stefan Jarl to film his "testament". The resulting doc shows never-before-seen footage of one of the world's best-selling writers, a leading figure in the wave of "Nordic Noir" fiction best known for his novels about inspector Kurt Wallander.
Oct. 10: Turkish For Beginners (Season 2)
Teenage Lena is horrified when her mother moves their family in with her Turkish boyfriend and his two kids. Cultures clash and hormones rage in this hilarious and critically-acclaimed German comedy. Season Two picks up with Lena caught in a dilemma: should she follow her head and stick with her boyfriend, or follow her heart and pursue a new relationship?
Oct. 24: Antarctica's Secrets/Antarctica: Living on the Edge
Two wildlife photographers join a French polar expedition to showcase the marvels of Antarctica - and journey into the realm of the emperor penguin. If you liked March of the Penguins, you'll love these fascinating documentaries about the frozen continent!
Oct. 24: Anti-Drug Squad (Season 2)
Detective Daria Lucente has been promoted as the new chief of the Anti-Drug Squad in this Italian crime drama. She's out for revenge against the drug dealers who killed her husband and partner, and intends to bring down the entire cartel and its new boss with her expert team.
To view sample clips of some of the above programs, click here.
Direct all inquiries and screening requests to Kelly Hargraves at [email protected].
MHz Networks offers U.S. viewers access to a library of the best international television mysteries, dramas, comedies and documentaries subtitled in English on DVD and its digital platform, MHz Choice. MHz Networks' unique international programming is also available on its national channel, MHz Worldview. MHz Worldview is available nationwide on DirecTV ch. 2183 and on 25+ select public television affiliates.
New MHz Choice customers receive a free 30-Day Trial. For more information or to subscribe, go to mhzchoice.com.
SOURCE MHz Networks
Related Links
http://mhzchoice.com
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC for Life the Medicare Advantage product of UPMC Health Plan will now offer high quality and high value plans in Delaware County for 2018.
New this year, UPMC for Life is offering two HMO plans in Delaware County in 2018 so that Medicare-eligible members can choose the one that best suits their needs.
All UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members will have access to a provider network that includes over 25,000 doctors and 155 hospitals in Pennsylvania, including the Crozer-Keystone Health System. That means members will have access to local providers and health care facilities such as Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Delaware County Memorial Hospital, Springfield Hospital, Taylor Hospital, and Community Hospital.
All UPMC for Life HMO plans maintain an "Excellent" accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest honor a managed care plan can receive.
UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members can also benefit from UPMC Health Plan's Health Care Concierge program. Concierges are customer service representatives who are knowledgeable about Medicare and are dedicated to answering members' questions and to getting their problems solved with just one phone call.
For the second year in a row, UPMC Health Plan ranked highest in Pennsylvania in overall member satisfaction according to the J.D. Power 2017 Member Health Plan StudySM.
H3907_18_1290 Accepted
All of UPMC for Life's Medicare Advantage plans offer more benefits than Original Medicare alone, including low copays for primary care physician visits and complimentary membership at a participating fitness club through Silver&Fit. Plans will also offer preventive dental coverage.
The UPMC for Life HMO Deductible with Rx plan will have a monthly plan premium of $0 while UPMC for Life HMO Rx will have a monthly plan premium of $81.
UPMC for Life members will also have a $0 copay for preferred generic (Tier 1) prescriptions when filled at a preferred pharmacy starting on Jan. 1, 2018. Our new preferred pharmacies will also offer members our lowest copays on generic (Tier 2), preferred brand (Tier 3), and non-preferred (Tier 4) drugs. This change is designed to help members fill prescriptions as cost-effectively as possible at preferred pharmacy locations, including Costco, Giant Eagle, Giant Food Stores, Kmart, Rite Aid, Sam's Club, Walgreens, Walmart, and Wegmans.
All UPMC for Life HMO members will have full in-network coverage when traveling to the state of Florida. That means they maintain the same benefits and cost sharing when they see a provider in Florida as they do at home in Pennsylvania, simply by calling UPMC Health Plan to activate their travel benefit.
"UPMC for Life is excited to offer great coverage, great value and security to the Medicare beneficiaries of Pennsylvania," said John Lovelace, president of government programs at UPMC Health Plan. "Our members have the security and peace of mind with in-network access to high-quality hospitals as well as the concierge support of our top-quality member services."
UPMC for Life plans include preventive dental coverage for cleanings and exams. The UPMC Dental Advantage Medicare benefit includes a $15 copay for one oral exam and a $0 copay for cleaning every six months. It also offers a $15 copay for one bitewing x-ray every year.
All UPMC for Life members can take advantage of the Silver&Fit Exercise and Healthy Aging Program. This program provides membership at participating fitness facilities at no additional cost to the member. For those who prefer to work out at home, the program provides a variety of home fitness kits including walking, Pilates, yoga, dance, and cardio strength.
Additional benefits for all UPMC for Life plans include Assist America, which provides help when travelling more than 100 miles from home or to a foreign country. Help is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
This award was not given by Medicare. For more information about UPMC for Life's CMS Star Rating, go to www.Medicare.gov.
Medicare beneficiaries must continue to pay their Medicare Part B premium when enrolled in a UPMC for Life plan. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premium, and/or copayments/coinsurance may change on Jan. 1 of each year. The provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. Other providers are available in our network.
UPMC for Life's pharmacy network offers limited access to pharmacies with preferred cost-sharing in our PA service area. The lower costs advertised in our plan materials for these pharmacies may not be available at the pharmacy you use. For up-to-date information about our network pharmacies, including pharmacies with preferred cost-sharing, please call Member Services at 1-877-539-3080 (TTY: 1-800-361-2629) seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. or consult the online pharmacy directory at www.upmchealthplan.com/medicare. Other pharmacies are available in our network.
UPMC for Life has a contract with Medicare to provide HMO and PPO plans. Enrollment in UPMC for Life depends on contract renewal. UPMC for Life is a product of and operated by UPMC Health Plan Inc., UPMC Health Network Inc., and UPMC Health Benefits Inc.
About the UPMC Insurance Services Division
The UPMC Insurance Services Division is owned by UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) a world-renowned health care provider and insurer based in Pittsburgh, Pa. As a provider-led organization that is part of an integrated health care delivery system, the UPMC Insurance Services Division is committed to providing its members better health, more financial security and the peace of mind they deserve. The UPMC Insurance Services Division partners with UPMC and community network providers to produce a combination of knowledge and expertise that provides the highest quality care at the most affordable price. The UPMC Insurance Services Division which includes UPMC Health Plan, WorkPartners, UPMC for Life, UPMC for You, UPMC for Kids, and Community Care Behavioral Health offers a full range of group health insurance, Medicare, Special Needs, CHIP, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance and workers' compensation products and services to more than 3.2 million members. For more information, visit www.upmchealthplan.com.
SOURCE UPMC Insurance Services Division
Related Links
http://www.upmchealthplan.com
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC for Life the Medicare Advantage product of UPMC Health Plan remains committed in 2018 to offering high quality plans at premium costs that are among the lowest in Berks County.
UPMC for Life is offering three plans in Berks County in 2018 including a new HMO plan and a new PPO plan so that Medicare-eligible members can choose the one that best suits their needs.
UPMC for Life has partnered with Tower Health, formerly Reading Health System, to give all members access to the local doctors and hospitals they know and trust, including Reading Hospital and the new, state-of-the-art Reading HealthPlex, The Reading Hospital SurgiCenter at Spring Ridge, and Reading Health Rehabilitation Hospital. The UPMC for Life plans have a select network of providers members must use for their care. Members get full in-network access to the doctors and hospitals of Tower Health and UPMC. For nearly 20 years, UPMC has been one of the top-ranked hospitals in the nation.*
All UPMC for Life HMO plans maintain an "Excellent" accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest honor a managed care plan can receive.
Y0069_18_1288 Accepted
UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members can also benefit from UPMC Health Plan's Health Care Concierge program. Concierges are customer service representatives who are knowledgeable about Medicare and are dedicated to answering members' questions and to getting their problems solved with just one phone call.
For the second year in a row, UPMC Health Plan ranked highest in Pennsylvania in overall member satisfaction according to the J.D. Power 2017 Member Health Plan StudySM.
All of UPMC for Life's Medicare Advantage plans offer more benefits than Original Medicare alone, including low copays for primary care physician visits and complimentary membership at a participating fitness club through Silver&Fit. Plans will also offer preventive dental coverage.
UPMC for Life HMO Rx will lower its premium cost to $81 per month in 2018, a $14 monthly premium reduction from 2017.
New for 2018 is the UPMC for Life HMO Premier Rx plan, which will have a $0 monthly plan premium along with a $0 annual deductible and Part D prescription drug coverage. This plan will also have a $0 copay for primary care physician visits. Also new for 2018 is the UPMC for Life PPO Rx Enhanced plan, which will have a monthly premium of $135. UPMC for Life members will also have a $0 copay for preferred generic (Tier 1) prescriptions when filled at a preferred pharmacy starting on Jan. 1, 2018. Our new preferred pharmacies will also offer members the lowest copays on generic (Tier 2), preferred brand (Tier 3), and non-preferred (Tier 4) drugs. This change is designed to help members fill prescriptions as cost-effectively as possible at preferred pharmacy locations, including Costco, Giant Eagle, Giant Food Stores, Kmart, Rite Aid, Sam's Club, Walgreens, Walmart, and Wegmans.
For the second year in a row, all UPMC for Life HMO members will have full in-network coverage when traveling to the state of Florida. That means they maintain the same benefits and cost sharing when they see a provider in Florida as they do at home in Pennsylvania, simply by calling UPMC Health Plan to activate their travel benefit.
"UPMC for Life continues to offer great coverage, great value and security to the Medicare beneficiaries of Pennsylvania," said John Lovelace, president of government programs at UPMC Health Plan. "Our members have the security and peace of mind with in-network access to the top-ranked hospitals as well as the concierge support of our top-quality member services."
UPMC for Life plans include preventive dental coverage for cleanings and exams. The UPMC Dental Advantage Medicare benefit includes a $15 copay for one oral exam and $0 copay for cleaning every six months. It also offers a $15 copay for one bitewing x-ray every year.
All UPMC for Life members can take advantage of the Silver&Fit Exercise and Healthy Aging Program. This program provides membership at participating fitness facilities at no additional cost to the member. For those who prefer to work out at home, the program provides a variety of home fitness kits including walking, Pilates, yoga, dance, and cardio strength.
Additional benefits for all UPMC for Life plans include Assist America, which provides help when travelling more than 100 miles from home or to a foreign country. Help is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
*U.S. News & World Report (America's Best Hospitals, 8-8-17)
This award was not given by Medicare. For more information about UPMC for Life's CMS Star Rating, go to www.Medicare.gov.
Medicare beneficiaries must continue to pay their Medicare Part B premium when enrolled in a UPMC for Life plan. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premium, and/or copayments/coinsurance may change on Jan. 1 of each year. The provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. Other providers are available in our network.
UPMC for Life's pharmacy network offers limited access to pharmacies with preferred cost-sharing in our Pa. service area. The lower costs advertised in our plan materials for these pharmacies may not be available at the pharmacy you use. For up-to-date information about our network pharmacies, including pharmacies with preferred cost-sharing, please call Member Services at 1-877-539-3080 or 1-844-870-2231 (TTY: 1-800-361-2629) seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. or consult the online pharmacy directory at www.upmchealthplan.com/medicare. Other pharmacies are available in our network.
UPMC for Life has a contract with Medicare to provide HMO and PPO plans. Enrollment in UPMC for Life depends on contract renewal. UPMC for Life is a product of and operated by UPMC Health Plan Inc., UPMC Health Network Inc., and UPMC Health Benefits Inc.
About the UPMC Insurance Services Division
The UPMC Insurance Services Division is owned by UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) a world-renowned health care provider and insurer based in Pittsburgh, Pa. As a provider-led organization that is part of an integrated health care delivery system, the UPMC Insurance Services Division is committed to providing its members better health, more financial security and the peace of mind they deserve. The UPMC Insurance Services Division partners with UPMC and community network providers to produce a combination of knowledge and expertise that provides the highest quality care at the most affordable price. The UPMC Insurance Services Division which includes UPMC Health Plan, WorkPartners, UPMC for Life, UPMC for You, UPMC for Kids, and Community Care Behavioral Health offers a full range of group health insurance, Medicare, Special Needs, CHIP, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance and workers' compensation products and services to more than 3.2 million members. For more information, visit www.upmchealthplan.com.
SOURCE UPMC Insurance Services Division
Related Links
http://www.upmchealthplan.com
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC for Life the Medicare Advantage product of UPMC Health Plan remains committed in 2018 to offering high quality plans at premium costs that are among the lowest in Western Pennsylvania.
UPMC for Life is offering six plans in the 28 counties of Western Pennsylvania in 2018 four HMO plans and two PPO plans along with a new HMO Medicare Premier Rx plan available in Allegheny and Beaver Counties so that Medicare-eligible members can choose the one that best suits their needs.
Four of the six existing plans will feature lowered monthly premiums in 2018. And most UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members will have access to a provider network that includes over 25,000 doctors and 155 hospitals in Pennsylvania, including the doctors and hospitals of UPMC. For nearly 20 years, UPMC has been one of the top-ranked hospitals in the nation.*
All UPMC for Life HMO plans maintain an "Excellent" accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest honor a managed care plan can receive.
UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members can also benefit from UPMC Health Plan's Health Care Concierge program. Concierges are local customer service representatives who are knowledgeable about Medicare and are dedicated to answering members' questions and to getting their problems solved with just one phone call.
Y0069_18_1287 Accepted
For the second year in a row, UPMC Health Plan ranked highest in Pennsylvania in overall member satisfaction according to the J.D. Power 2017 Member Health Plan StudySM.
All of UPMC for Life's Medicare Advantage plans offer more benefits than Original Medicare alone, including low copays for primary care physician visits and complimentary membership at a participating fitness club through Silver&Fit. Most plans will also offer preventive dental coverage.
The UPMC for Life HMO Deductible with Rx plan will lower its monthly plan premium to $20 (a $2 monthly plan premium reduction from 2017). UPMC for Life HMO Rx will also lower its plan premium cost to $81 per month for calendar year 2018 (a $2 monthly plan premium reduction from 2017) and UPMC for Life HMO Rx Enhanced plan will have a $263 monthly plan premium (an $8 monthly plan premium increase from 2017). In addition, UPMC for Life will continue to offer UPMC for Life HMO, a $0 monthly plan premium that does not include prescription drug coverage. This plan is considered ideal for persons who have prescription coverage through the Veterans Administration.
New for 2018 in Allegheny and Beaver Counties is the UPMC for Life HMO Premier Rx plan, which will have a $0 monthly plan premium along with a $0 annual deductible and Part D prescription drug coverage. This plan will also have a $0 copay for primary care physician visits. This plan has a select network of providers that members can use for their care. Members will have full in-network access to UPMC and Heritage Valley Health System providers. Members can use any UPMC or Heritage Valley Health System provider for care without a referral.
UPMC for Life members enrolled in a plan that includes prescription drug coverage will also have a $0 copay for preferred generic (Tier 1) prescriptions when filled at a preferred pharmacy starting on Jan. 1, 2018. Preferred pharmacies will also offer members the lowest copays on generic (Tier 2), preferred brand (Tier 3), and non-preferred (Tier 4) drugs. This change is designed to help our members fill prescriptions as cost-effectively at preferred pharmacy locations, including Costco, Giant Eagle, Giant Food Stores, Kmart, Rite Aid, Sam's Club, Walgreens, Walmart, and Wegmans.
For the second year in a row, all UPMC for Life HMO members will have full in-network coverage when traveling to the state of Florida. That means they maintain the same benefits and cost sharing when they see a provider in Florida as they do at home in Pennsylvania, simply by calling UPMC Health Plan to activate their travel benefit.
Medicare-eligible patients in Western Pennsylvania will also have the option to select among two PPO plans. UPMC for Life PPO Rx Enhanced plan will have a monthly plan premium of $135 and the UPMC for Life PPO High Deductible with Rx plan has a $35 monthly plan premium. Both PPO plans represent a $2 monthly plan premium reduction from 2017.
"UPMC for Life continues to offer great coverage, great value and security to the Medicare beneficiaries of Pennsylvania," said John Lovelace, president of government programs at UPMC Health Plan. "Our members have the security and peace of mind with in-network access to the top-ranked hospitals as well as the concierge support of our top-quality member services."
Most UPMC for Life plans include preventive dental coverage for cleanings and exams. The UPMC Dental Advantage Medicare benefit includes a $15 copay for one oral exam and a $0 copay cleaning every six months. It also offers a $15 copay for one bitewing x-ray every year.
All UPMC for Life members can take advantage of the Silver&Fit Exercise and Healthy Aging Program. This program provides membership at participating fitness facilities at no additional cost to the member. For those who prefer to work out at home, the program provides a variety of home fitness kits including walking, Pilates, yoga, dance, and cardio strength.
Additional benefits for all UPMC for Life plans include Assist America, which provides help when travelling more than 100 miles from home or to a foreign country. Help is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
*U.S. News & World Report (America's Best Hospitals, 8-8-17)
This award was not given by Medicare. For more information about UPMC for Life's CMS Star Rating, go to www.Medicare.gov.
Medicare beneficiaries must continue to pay their Medicare Part B premium when enrolled in a UPMC for Life plan.
This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premium, and/or copayments/coinsurance may change on January 1 of each year. The provider network may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. Other providers are available in our network.
UPMC for Life's pharmacy network offers limited access to pharmacies with preferred cost-sharing in our PA service area. The lower costs advertised in our plan materials for these pharmacies may not be available at the pharmacy you use. For up-to-date information about our network pharmacies, including pharmacies with preferred cost-sharing, please call Member Services at 1-877-539-3080 (TTY: 1-800-361-2629) seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. or consult the online pharmacy directory at www.upmchealthplan.com/medicare. Other pharmacies are available in our network.
UPMC for Life has a contract with Medicare to provide HMO and PPO plans. Enrollment in UPMC for Life depends on contract renewal. UPMC for Life is a product of and operated by UPMC Health Plan Inc., UPMC Health Network Inc., and UPMC Health Benefits Inc.
About the UPMC Insurance Services Division
The UPMC Insurance Services Division is owned by UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) a world-renowned health care provider and insurer based in Pittsburgh, Pa. As a provider-led organization that is part of an integrated health care delivery system, the UPMC Insurance Services Division is committed to providing its members better health, more financial security and the peace of mind they deserve. The UPMC Insurance Services Division partners with UPMC and community network providers to produce a combination of knowledge and expertise that provides the highest quality care at the most affordable price. The UPMC Insurance Services Division which includes UPMC Health Plan, WorkPartners, UPMC for Life, UPMC for You, UPMC for Kids, and Community Care Behavioral Health offers a full range of group health insurance, Medicare, Special Needs, CHIP, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance and workers' compensation products and services to more than 3.2 million members. For more information, visit www.upmchealthplan.com.
SOURCE UPMC Insurance Services Division
Related Links
https://www.upmchealthplan.com
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to a new study by American Families United, a national grass roots organization, at least 350,000 American citizens are married to foreign-born spouses with significant problems with US immigration law. But the number could easily exceed half a million.
"US citizens are the most neglected constituency in the immigration debate," said Kim Anderson, AFU president. "Yet recognizing that we are also the highest priority for legal immigration -- part of the only numerically unlimited category -- is the key to unlocking the debate."
AFU analyzed US Census data (PUMS -- the Public Use Microdata System) and found approximately 4.4 million US citizens are married to foreign-born spouses. These can be broken down by state: more than 800,000 in California; nearly half a million in Texas and roughly 350,000 in New York. Nearly all states have significant numbers: more than 100,000 each in Washington, Virginia and Illinois; 40,000 in Wisconsin and 35,000 in Utah.
"Even our lowest estimate of 350,000 US citizens married to spouses at immigration risk indicates that we are talking about significant constituencies in a number of key states, "Anderson noted, "nearly 150,000 US citizens in California, 80,000 in Texas, and thousands more even in relatively small, low-immigration states."
"This is about our rights as US citizens," said Anderson. "American citizens should not be forced to choose between our marriages, and our country."
The American Families United summary analysis is attached. We invite reporters to contact AFU for individual stories in your area.
Summary Analysis
*The AFU analysis is based on the special report done by the US Census Current Population Survey in 2013: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2013/cb13-157.html, updated to account for growth. That study, which used 2011 data, found 4.091 million US citizens married to foreign-born spouses.
The 2010 Census counted 39,956,000 foreign-born persons in the US, which had increased to 43.2 million by 2015 (Pew, ACS). We use the standard estimate of 11 million for the undocumented population.
Since the rate of increase the Census counts in the foreign-born population is in the range of 600,000 a year*, there are approximately 44 million foreign-born persons in the US. The consensus is that 11 million are undocumented, which indicates 1 in 4 foreign-born persons in the US are unauthorized or even undocumented.
Most of those 11 million population are not married to a US citizen. Yet a significant number are.
AFU analyzed the broad range of immigration offenses with serious consequences, which includes trivial and even technical violations, on which American Families United members have personal experience. So AFU has made an intentionally conservative estimate that the percentage of foreign-born spouses of US citizens who have problems with immigration law is substantially lower than the overall percentage of undocumented within the foreign-born population as a whole.
The AFU analysis is that 8-15% of the total "Married Couple Households with Mixed Nativity" counted by the Census have had some potential problem of the kinds that afflict AFU families. While a smaller percentage, the absolute numbers are significant particularly since, as AFU insists, this is about the rights of the US citizen.
United States
Totals
(in thousands) (2011) Census
data 4,091 2017 Projection
(of 4.4 Million)
4,400 Citizens married
to Immigration
Enforcement
Targets
(8%-15%) Alabama 23 25 2-4 Alaska 10 11 1-2 Arizona 110 118 9-18 Arkansas 17 18 2-3 California 811 872 70-131 Colorado 74 80 6-12 Connecticut 61 66 5-10 Delaware 11 12 1-2 District of Columbia 7 8 0.6-1 Florida 351 378 30-57 Georgia 91 98 8-15 Hawaii 37 40 3-6 Idaho 18 19 2-3 Illinois 162 174 14-26 Indiana 38 41 3-6 Iowa 15 16 1-2 Kansas 22 24 2-4 Kentucky 22 24 2-4 Louisiana 22 24 2-4 Maine 15 16 1-2 Maryland 71 76 6-11 Massachusetts 103 111 9-17 Michigan 91 98 8-15 Minnesota 45 48 4-7 Mississippi 9 10 1-2 Missouri 36 39 3-6 Montana 8 9 0.7-1 Nebraska 13 14 1-2 Nevada 62 67 5-10 New Hampshire 16 17 1-3 New Jersey 157 169 14-25 New Mexico 30 32 3-5 New York 316 340 27-50 North Carolina 84 90 7-14 North Dakota 4 4 0.3-0.6 Ohio 70 75 6-11 Oklahoma 28 30 2-5 Oregon 52 56 5-8 Pennsylvania 99 106 9-16 Rhode Island 16 17 1-3 South Carolina 35 38 3-6 South Dakota 3 3 0.3-0.5 Tennessee 40 43 3-7 Texas 465 500 40-75 Utah 34 37 3-6 Vermont 7 8 0.6-1 Virginia 106 114 9-17 Washington 120 129 10-19 West Virginia 6 6 0.5-1 Wisconsin 41 44 4-7 Wyoming 4 4 0.3-0.6
Total 4,396
(rounded to 4.4)
DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, Total Green Cards
2015 1,051,031 2014 1,016,518 2013 990,553 2012 1,031,631 2011 1,062,040
Contact: Kim Anderson, National President
AmericanFamiliesUnited.org
612-715-9833
Paul Donnelly
[email protected]
301-537-3573
SOURCE American Families United
Related Links
http://americanfamiliesunited.org/
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Berlin, Sep 25 : German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday said she wants to win back the voters who deserted her party for Alternative fAr Deutschland (AfD) which made history in the national election by becoming the first far-right party to enter the country's Parliament in almost 60 years.
Merkel is now set for a fourth term in office but centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU)-led alliance took 33 per cent of the vote in Sunday's election -- its worst result since 1949 but enough to remain the largest force in Parliament.
Her bloc must now embark on a series of negotiations in order to form a functioning government using its 246 seats as leverage, BBC reported.
The centre-left Social Democrats (SDP) -- Merkel's government partners since 2013 in a "grand coalition" -- also suffered their worst post-war result, taking 21 per cent. Martin Schulz, leader of the SDP, ruled out another coalition with Merkel.
He said his party will enter into the opposition, meaning Merkel may be forced to seek cooperation with the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Green Party. Both the parties took 10.7 and 8.9 per cent of the vote, respectively.
The AfD secured 13 per cent, marking the first time in almost six decades that an openly nationalist party will enter the Bundestag. The party on Monday vowed to fight "an invasion of foreigners" into the country.
Long-standing splits inside the party emerged on Monday when its chairwoman Frauke Petry said she would not join the AfD's parliamentary caucus, walking out of a news conference.
"We should be open about there being differences of substance in AfD," Petry said. "An anarchic party A can be successful in opposition, but it cannot make voters a credible offer for government."
On Monday, Merkel said she had wished for a better result. "We have started to analyse the voters we lost, especially with regards to those who went on to vote for the AfD, we want to get them back," Merkel said.
Merkel said her party would speak to the liberal FDP and the Greens, "but also the SPD, as we governed together for a long time".
However, SDP leader Schulz denying any coalition, accused Merkel of operating "sleeping pill politics" which "allowed a vacuum to develop which now other parties have capitalised on".
He was referring to the unexpectedly large numbers of AfD MPs that have been elected. The party, which only formed four years ago, is expected to take 94 seats in the 709-seat federal Parliament as the third-largest grouping.
AfD's campaign capitalised on a backlash over Merkel's decision to open Germany's borders to undocumented migrants and refugees in 2015. Its success shocked Germany's political establishment and protests against the anti-Islam party were held following the election result.
Talks between the parties, which will also include the CDU's Bavarian sister party the CSU, could last until after Christmas and risk triggering fresh elections if they collapse.
Don Walton Political reporter/columnist Don Walton covers politics and the Legislature along with writing a weekly column. Follow Don Walton 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
John McCain came to Nebraska often when Chuck Hagel was a candidate for U.S. senator.
The Arizona senator was here many times during Hagel's 12 years in the Senate, helping his Vietnam brother win a couple of elections.
And Hagel was national co-chairman of McCain's first bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000.
That relationship ruptured in subsequent years -- Hagel did not support McCain in his 2008 presidential contest with Barack Obama, and McCain opposed Hagel's nomination as secretary of defense in 2013 -- but the two men maintain a deep personal bond that will always be there.
McCain's visits to Nebraska opened the door to lots of private conversations and personal observation along with opportunities for Journal Star interviews, and now, at last, the John McCain who was here at that time has reemerged this year.
Strong, independent, fearless, brave, the self-described maverick of the past who is living Frank Sinatra's lyrics now: Doing it his way.
"And now, the end is near
"And so I face the final curtain
"My friend, I'll say it clear
"I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.
"I've lived a life that's full
"I've traveled each and every highway
"But more, much more than this
"I did it my way."
* * *
Brett Lindstrom was recently featured in an article in the online magazine ozy.com, which described him as an up-and-coming leader in the Legislature and perhaps beyond.
"Make no mistake," the blog suggests, "Lindstrom plans to run for statewide office one day."
"Best job, in my opinion, would be governor," Lindstrom states in the article. "You get to stay in Nebraska, and I feel like you could make a big difference there."
The blog described the Omaha senator as "an unconventional Republican in the nation's most unconventional legislature."
Although he is politically conservative, Lindstrom voted to override Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts' veto of legislation to abolish the death penalty and the governor's veto of a gas tax increase.
Whether he will be targeted by the governor in the 2018 election cycle, as some senators who are Republicans were in 2016, remains to be seen.
Although he has not yet formally announced his candidacy for reelection, Lindstrom will be seeking a second term next year.
Finishing up
* When in history has kneeling ever been viewed as an act of disrespect?
* Jeff Zeleny, senior White House correspondent for CNN who grew up in Exeter and graduated from UNL, will deliver the annual Peter Hoagland Lecture at the Sheldon Museum of Art on Thursday evening. Well-timed to see Huskers vs. Wisconsin in Lincoln two nights later.
* The huge tax reduction package that is emerging in summary form in Washington will be subjected to "dynamic scoring" to determine whether it would be revenue-neutral within 10 years. And the results will be well, look at this, I'll be darned, lo and behold.
* During a fascinating conversation between David Axelrod and James Baker on CNN over the weekend, Baker suggested the possibility of secretly sending a distinguished and diplomatically experienced private citizen to China as an unofficial envoy to attempt to negotiate a solution to the nuclear showdown with North Korea. You are that man, sir!
* "Based on the most recent statistics, if you exclude those special elections involving candidate issues, turnout for other ballot issues averages about 51 percent by mail compared to 34 percent turnout at the polls," Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale reported last week. Those high-participation special elections include bond issues and property tax levy overrides.
* Demands to remember passwords established long ago in order to continue to access purchased or transactional Internet sites are the electronic version of instruments of modern torture. It's called messing with you.
* After playing 162 games each over the last six months, the only one that really matters for the Yanks and Twins will be played Tuesday night.
* Wisconsin in Lincoln on Saturday night; an upset win could bring (at least temporary) peace to these troubled waters. And it is time for the Huskers to win a big game. Hey, why not?
New Delhi, Sep 27 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be on four-day trip to Uttarakhand from Thursday in which he will visit three Border Out Posts (BoPs) guarded by Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) and interact with its personnel, an official said.
The Home Minister will visit the Mana, Lapthal and Rimkhim BoPs as part of the programme of his trip and interact with the ITBP troops and attend the "Sainik Sabhas".
He will also inaugurate a civic action programme and blood donation camp at Joshimath.
Rajnath Singh will also address the officers trainees of 92nd foundation course in Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie and enteract the participants of Phase V of the mid-career training programme there.
Chennai, Sep 28 : Actor-filmmaker Dhanush's upcoming sequel to his Tamil hit film "Maari" will be simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu as a bilingual, its director Balaji Mohan said on Thursday.
Balaji confirmed via a tweet that the film will be shot in Tamil and Telugu.
Balaji Mohan, who directed the first part, will helm the sequel as well.
In "Maari", Dhanush played a dhoti-clad, moustache twirling local rowdy and he was paired with Kajal Aggarwal, who won't be a part of the sequel.
However, actors Robo Shankar and Vinod, who played Dhanush's sidekicks in the first part, will be part of "Maari 2", which is slated to go on the floors from October.
Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas has been signed to play the antagonist.
On signing the project, he told IANS: "After 'Tharangam' and 'Maradona', this will be my third collaboration with Dhanush. I'm really excited to be part of the project. I'm looking forward to start working on this project."
Dhanush made his foray into Malayalam films with "Tharangam". "Maradona" marked his second production in the language.
On the career front, Dhanush also has Tamil films "Vada Chennaia and "Enai Nokki Paayum Thota" in his kitty.
New Delhi, Sep 28 : She already gave a blockbuster in the southern industry before getting her big break in Bollywood with magnum opus "Mohenjo Daro". Actress Pooja Hegde says that she enjoys shooting down South as she feels that the people there are very welcoming to outsiders and newcomers.
"I love the South Industry and have a lot of respect for it. I started from there, they are very welcoming to outsiders and newcomers. It has been treating me really well. My fan base is increasing and more than anything I really enjoy shooting," Pooja told IANS in an interview.
The actress says that both Bollywood and the southern industry have the same functioning.
"It's just the language that changes," she said.
"I have enjoyed shooting down South and I will of course like to continue to shoot in both South and Hindi cinema. Right now my priority is doing good films and be continuously working. For me South is something special, there is a thrill of being in a big set, creating something new, which I am currently actually doing in South right now," added Pooja who is hopeful of doing romantic Hindi films soon.
"There is a lot more that I want to do, try new things. I am dying to do a sweet romantic comedy, a sweet love story," she said.
Pooja , who mostly played the girl-next-door in her Telugu films, was seen in a glamorous avtaar in "DJ". In Ashutosh Gowariker's directorial film "Mohenjo Daro", she was seen playing the role of Channi.
Asked if she got a smooth break in Bollywood, the actress said: "I would never say my journey has been smooth, it's been a roller coaster ride."
"There have been ups and downs, but its definitely been exciting as a person who is not from the industry to get a film opposite Hrithik and have a director like Ashutosh Gowariker. It was a dream debut. Somewhere I do feel that I am blessed that I have come this far. But I have a long way to go and a lot more to prove," she said.
Talking about her other associations, she has been roped in as the brand ambassador of Hindustan Unilever' s new skincare brand Citra -- a brand that has carefully created products using ingredients like the Korean Pink Pearl and the Japanese Green Tea over the last three decades.
When it comes to her own beauty regime, Pooja says that "one of the fundamental things is that you should never sleep with make up on."
"No matter how tired I am, I always remove my makeup and make sure I wash my face well with a good facewash. We have to be very conscious about using good skincare ingredients like Japanese Green Tea, especially since we live in polluted cities, so we need to ensure that our pores are clean and it gives the skin time to breathe," she said.
She also says that post the limelight, she has become more conscious about skincare routine.
"I feel in India, a lot of us ignore skincare routines, which is very important. I think post joining the industry, I am more aware of the need for a healthy glowing skin. I make an extra effort to moisturse my skin, pamper it and treat it very well," she said.
(Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)
Chennai, Sep 30 : Actor Kamal Haasan and filmmaker Shankar are all set to reunite after two decades for the sequel to their highly successful and celebrated 1996 Tamil film "Indian".
The film, to be bankrolled by Dil Raju, will be made in Tamil and Telugu.
"An official announcement is expected to be made today (Saturday). They are joining hands for 'Indian 2'. It will go on the floors next year," a source close to producer Raju told IANS.
In "Indian", Haasan played a dual role.
As a 70-year-old freedom fighter turned vigilante against corruption, Haasan won over audiences and critics alike. He played the father and son.
"Indian", which had music by A.R Rahman, was released in Telugu as "Bharatheeyudu" and in Hindi as "Hindustani".
Also starring Manisha Koirala and Urmila Matondkar, the film bagged three National awards including the best actor honour for Haasan.
Rumours are rife that "Indian 2" could be Haasan's last film before he takes the political plunge.
Latest updates on Indian Sports Honours Awards 2019
Washington, Oct 1 : US President Donald Trump on Saturday responded to harsh criticism of his administration by San Juan's mayor, saying that she and other Puerto Rican authorities had shown poor leadership in the wake of devastating Hurricane Maria.
Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and others on the US commonwealth were failing to act decisively amid the lack of electric power and serious problems with accessing fuel and water, Efe news reported.
"Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job." Trump, who is scheduled to visit the Caribbean island on Tuesday, wrote.
Trump made his remarks after Cruz on Friday night harshly criticized acting US Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, who on Thursday hailed the efforts of federal authorities to resolve the humanitarian crisis as "really a good-news story."
"It is not a good-news story when people are dying, when they don't have dialysis, when their generators aren't working and their oxygen isn't providing for them. Where is there good news here?" Cruz said.
Trump also has come under fire in recent days from some US lawmakers, who accuse him of not giving sufficient importance to the situation and responding too slowly to the crisis in Puerto Rico, where the electrical infrastructure was totally destroyed and people are having to wait in extremely long lines for food, fuel, water and cash.
Only around 4 percent of people have electricity and only 9 percent of telecommunications towers are functioning 10 days after the powerful Category 4 hurricane barreled through the island on Sept. 20 On Thursday, Trump waived the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (also known as the Jones Act), a federal statute that requires all goods transported by ship between US ports be carried on US-flagged vessels built in the US, owned by US citizens and crewed by US citizens or US permanent residents.
The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that the waiver of the law would be in effect for 10 days and allow foreign-flagged ships to supply Puerto Rico with fuel and other products.
Chennai, Oct 1 : Filmmaker Shankar, who is all set to reunite with actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan after two decades for the sequel to their highly successful 1996 Tamil film "Indian", says the idea to make the movie had been on his mind for a while.
On Saturday, "Indian 2" was officially announced in the finale of reality show Bigg Boss Tamil, which Haasan hosts.
Speaking on the occasion, "Enthiran" director Shankar said: "Every time I wrap up a project, I used to think of 'Indian 2'. For a long time, I wanted to make this film. Three years ago, a line struck me and I developed it into an idea for the project. I'm glad we are finally doing 'Indian 2'."
Currently wrapping superstar Rajinikanth starrer "2.0", a sequel to "Enthiran", Shankar said he thought about "Indian 2" when he commenced work on this project.
Haasan said he had never witnessed such a big launch for his film.
"This is a great platform to announce the film to over 6.5 crore who are watching the show," he said.
In "Indian", Haasan played a dual role.AHe played the father and son.
As a 70-year-old freedom fighter turned vigilante against corruption, Haasan won over audiences and critics alike.
"Indian", which had music by A.R Rahman, was released in Telugu as "Bharatheeyudu" and in Hindi as "Hindustani'.
Also starring Manisha Koirala and Urmila Matondkar, the film bagged three National awards including best actor honour for Haasan.
Rumours are rife that "Indian 2" could be Haasan's last film before he takes the political plunge.
Latest updates on Indian Sports Honours Awards 2019
Kochi, Oct 1 : Kerala Catholic priest Tom Uzhunnallil, who was rescued last month from an undisclosed location in Yemen, arrived here on Sunday.
He was given a rousing welcome by his family, church and top political leaders from the Congress-led opposition upon his arrival at the airport at 7 a.m. from Bengaluru.
However, no state government members were present.
"Thanks to all who was with me and may God bless all people. Returning to one's home is the best feeling anyone can have and I too have the same feelings," Uzhunnallil said.
Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala accompanied by half a dozen of Congress legislators said that it was highly improper that there was no one from the state government.
"The least that could have happened was a state minister should have been present. I wish this wrong will be corrected," said Chennithala.
Kottayam Lok Sabha member Jose K.Mani and P.C. Thomas, former five-time Lok Sabha member and former union minister of state and Kerala Congress leader, were also present.
From the airport, Uzhunnallil drove to the Don Bosco House and participated in the prayers at the St Mary's Basilica convent and visited the Archbishop's House.
Later in the day, he will arrive at his hometown of Ramapuram near Pala in Kottayam district.
After calling on the Pala bishop, in the evening will take part in a special thanksgiving mass at his home parish in Ramapuram and also attend a civic reception.
After he was released and brought to Oman on September 12, he flew to the Vatican where he met Pope Francis.
Uzhunnallil arrived in Delhi on September 28 and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
He is scheduled to call upon Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
The priest was associated with the Missionaries of Charity, which was running an old age home in Aden, when he was abducted by terrorists last March. Despite the best of diplomatic efforts his release could not be obtained.
New Delhi : Creativity and inspiration are the two defining factors for most writers and their craft. But while creativity is largely the process of generating original ideas, inspiration is random. Sometimes it comes from the simplest of things. Like the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Poetry, prose or drama; fiction or nonfiction -- Gandhi is everywhere.
There are indeed only a handful of iconic personalities who have caught the imaginations of as many writers as Gandhi has. And one is wonderstruck at the diverse set of books that have been written on him or are inspired by him. Even 70 years after his death, the process has not stopped, but only gained momentum.
From Mulk Raj Anand to Sarojini Naidu, Dominique Lapierre to George Orwell and Khuswant Singh to V.S. Naipaul, almost all "during-Gandhi", "post-Gandhi" and contemporary writers have somewhere referred to the life of "Bapu" in their works. Thus, they have brought different interpretations to his sayings, sketched fictional characters on his principles and composed verses on his thoughts.
Sarojini Naidu, in her sonnet on Gandhi, describes him as an eternal lotus who is a source of guidance and strength for billions: "O mystic Lotus, sacred and sublime/ In myriad-petalled grace inviolate/ Supreme o'er transient storms of tragic Fate/ Deep-rooted in the waters of all Time..."
But Indian writing on Gandhi and Gandhism has also undergone tremendous change during this process. From the almost mystical being of the during-Gandhi era to a historical being with human vulnerabilities.
Gandhian scholar Vashist Bhardwaj finds the works of R.K. Narayan critical for his exploration of Gandhi as subject. "Known for his direct approach in handling his subjects, in Gandhi's case too, Narayan has used his wit at its best to 'demahatmise' Gandhism. For instance, Gandhi is seen as an oblivious yet dominating character in 'Waiting for Mahatma' with eyes closed to what is around and busy playing the dynamics of 'self'. In Narayan's 'The Vendor of Sweets' too, Jagan, the protagonist, comes across a hypocrite Gandhian, symbolising Gandhi's failure to reach the masses," Bhardwaj noted.
The post-1990s' writings have seen greater concentration on Gandhian politics in writings on him. If B.R. Nanda is all praise for Gandhi's politics, Sunil Khilnani is just the opposite.
Early foreign writings on Gandhi include the works of French writer Rolland Romain, Danish writer Ellen Horrup, American and English writers like George Orwell and Edmud Jones, among others. Romain, in "The Man who Became One with the Universal Being", saw Gandhi as an ideal nationalist and called upon him to enlighten the youth of Europe. Similarly, Pearl S. Buck warned: "Oh, India, dare to be worthy of your Gandhi."
On the other hand, George Orwell puts Gandhi to trial, describing him as a "humble, naked old saint sitting on a prayer mat, attempting to shake the British Empire by utter spiritual power". Orwell refers to him as the "shrewd person beneath the saint" and asserts that his ideals of spirituality, spinning wheel and vegetarianism had narcissist undertones. However, Orwell also recognises the praiseworthy elements in Gandhi and writes: "Even Gandhi's worst enemies would admit that he was an interesting and unusual man who enriched the world simply by being alive."
In poetry, it is Herrymon Maurer's reflections that have attracted most attention. "During a second period of pause/Gandhi went on with his teaching/East and West looked at him/Followed him, and yet misunderstood him," Maurer famously wrote to summarise Gandhi's life.
To note the rising presence of Mahatma Gandhi in the world of words, an extensive literary survey titled "Gandhi in Creative and Critical Imagination" was conducted in 2012 and published in the International Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities by Sandhya Saxena, vice-principal of Bikaner's Jain Girls College.
"India in contemporary times is a stage set for Gandhi and Gandhigiri. Mahatma Gandhi permeates fiction as well as non-fiction in Indian writings, both in English and other languages. Gandhi is redefined in ways that are quite contemporary. Whereas in some cases there is an attempt to grapple with Gandhi and ultimately accommodate him, in other instances nothing of Gandhism remains unchallenged. Whatever be the case, in creative writings there is a sense of strong involvement as the writers pen Gandhi and Gandhism," Saxena maintained.
At a time when a considerable part of Bapu's presence is contrary to what he stood for -- roads named after him serve as begging tracks for starving men, women and children while his fabric and quotes are mere means to woo votes -- it is perhaps in these pages of Gandhian literature that Bapu and his ideals are still alive.
(Saket Suman can be contacted atsaket.s@ians.in)
Shenzhen (China), Oct 1 : Indian mobile phone manufacturer Lava International plans to target the sub-10k market segment while also investing in research and development (R&D) of new and unique designs and features for its phones to take on its competitors.
According to Lava's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Sunil Raina, the company, perhaps the only one from India to design and manufacture mobile phones in China, invested in an R&D centre in Shenzhen quite early on in its journey to ensure it does not disappear from the scene in a few years but "establishes itself as one of the leading global players in the technology space".
The 700-strong team of engineers -- mostly Chinese, but a fair number of them Indians -- in the facility here focuses on undertaking key design processes, including hardware design and engineering, mechanical design, industrial design as well as software development for its Android-based smartphones and feature phones.
"Opportunities come to countries, companies and people. Now the opportunity is travelling to India, which will also create opportunities for businesses and brands to become global players," Raina told this visiting IANS correspondent.
He added that at a certain point of time, opportunities come for global brands to emerge from a country -- as it happened with Google and Facebook in the US, Sony in Japan, Samsung and LG in South Korea, and Huawei and Oppo in China.
"If and when that happens, we are doing everything possible to make sure we are one of them" by focusing on product experience, purchase experience, communication experience and after-sales service experience, he said.
Lava's current products sell in India and in Southeast Asian and African countries.
Raina said its new products from this China facility will be able to give fair competition to global brands.
Interestingly, Chinese players have been rapidly increasing their market share in the Indian market, with local players Micromax Informatics, Lava International and Karbonn Mobiles losing their place among the top-five mobile brands to Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo. In the first quarter of 2017, the market share of Chinese mobile phone manufacturers was about 51 per cent.
Raina said that Lava sees an opportunity in the sub-Rs 10,000 segment of the market, where it currently has an 11 per cent market share.
"We want to dominate the sub-10k segment by acquiring over 50 per cent of the market share and that is why you would see most of our upcoming new phones targeted at this segment," he said, adding that these phones would offer features of high-end mobile phones at a lower price point.
Deepak Mahajan, Vice President-Product at Lava International, said in the current scenario, at least one Indian company had the possibility of becoming a truly multinational giant in the mobile phone space and his company hoped to occupy that slot.
"We have a very large domestic market; we have a strong leadership focused on bringing design, R&D and manufacturing to India; and the costs of manufacturing in China are now getting higher compared to India. It is only a matter of time," Mahajan explained.
"The fact that, unlike our competitors, we are designing our phones from scratch -- and that we have our own hardware designs -- gives us an edge," he added.
On an average, Lava develops about eight smartphones and three feature phones per year at its China facility, said Gaurav Nigam, Senior Vice President and Head of Product.
While the company has set up its R&D facility in China, its India-based Design Centre has also kicked off operations and will start rolling out its products by the end of this year, Nigam said.
(Vishav was in China at the invitation of Lava International to visit its Shenzhen design and R&D facility. He can be contacted at vishav@ians.in)
Srinagar, Oct 1 : With the public anger rising in the Kashmir Valley against mysterious incidents of braid chopping, police on Sunday announced a reward of Rs 6 lakh for anyone helping in nabbing the culprits.
Earlier, the police had announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh.
"The reward for giving information/assistance in nabbing any person found involved in braid cutting has been doubled to Rs 6 lakh. The name and particulars of the person/persons will be kept secret," a police statement said.
Incidents of braid chopping started in south Kashmir's Kulgam district quickly spreading to other places including central and northern districts of the valley.
So far, there has been no arrests.
Last week, the police caught three persons alleging that they may have been responsible. They were later freed because no evidence was found against them.
The locals have also alleged that some security personnel may have been responsible for these incidents.
After orders from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, the police set up special investigating teams in every district to probe the mystery.
The City Council of South Sioux City is considering a new ordinance (South Sioux City adopting new drone regulations," Sept. 19) regulating unmanned aircraft systems.
In seeking to restrict where and how UAS can fly, the proposed ordinance attempts to regulate airspace, which is the sovereign authority of the Federal Aviation Authority. We strongly believe this ordinance violates federal preemption and has the potential to negatively impact hobbyists in the area who have been flying drones and model aircraft safely for decades.
Although the Academy of Model Aeronautics shares the citys goal to keep our skies safe, we believe the proposed ordinance runs afoul of federal authority and creates unnecessary laws for hobbyists who already fly under AMAs set of community-based safety guidelines. Additionally, existing tort laws already apply to privacy cases, making specific legislation against UAS unnecessary and confusing.
We urge the City Council to reconsider the proposed regulation, which would be a hindrance for business, education and the existing community of responsible UAS enthusiasts in South Sioux City.
Rich Hanson, Muncie, Indiana
President, Academy of Model Aeronautics
Kolkata, Oct 1 : Elaborate security arrangements were made in Kolakata on Sunday for mourning processions by Shia Muslims on 10th of Muharram, the first month of Islamic calendar, police said.
"Nearly 7,000 to 8,000 personnel have been deployed on the streets to monitor the processions," a Kolkata Police officer told IANS.
Shia Muslim devotees take out large processions, beat drums and thump their chests on this day to mourn the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussain in 680 AD at Iraq's Karbala.
According to police, the processions in various parts of the city began at 9 a.m. and would continue till Monday morning.
Like the previous year, Muharram this year falls right after the Bijoya Dashami or Dussehra that is vastly celebrated throughout the city by Hindus.
The West Bengal government had initially issued a directive prohibiting the Durga idol immersion on the day of Muharram to avoid any form of unrest between the two communities.
However, the Calcutta High Court cancelled the state government's directive and allowed the Durga Puja immersion to take place on all days after Dussehra till midnight.
The High Court also asked the administration to take up necessary security measures to ensure that the processions of both communities can be conducted peacefully.
Kolkata Police have made necessary security arrangements on the river banks where the immersion would take place, an officer said, adding most of the prominent community pujas have decided not to immerse the goddess on Sunday.
"We have deployed the forces and have taken adequate security measures in case anyone wants to immerse the idols. However, most of the big pujas have asked permission for immersion on October 2 and 3."
New Delhi, Oct 1 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday demanded an independent audit of the Delhi Metro's accounts and a stay on the proposed fare hike till this report is received.
"... there is an immediate need for an independent audit of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) accounts, since residents of Delhi have already experienced how the private power distribution companies (discoms) used to hike power tariffs by showing fake losses," he said, according to a Delhi government statement.
"If the commuters would not be able to use the Metro because of high fares, what would be the utility of running the Metro," he asked.
The Delhi government had opposed the hike proposed in September last year, said Kejriwal, and decried the "manner in which the views of the elected government could be ignored" by Fare Fixation Committee (FFC), which decided the hike.
Set up by the Central Government last year to see the case for and recommend a price hike, the three member FFC, comprising a nominee each from the Central and the Delhi governments and a retired judge of Delhi High Court, had approved a two-phase hike in May. While one hike has already been done, the other was to be implemented from Oc1tober 10.
According to the statement, Kejriwal said that the DMRC's rationale for the hike - to cover operational costs and repay loans - was "highly flawed" and advised it to be efficient instead.
He also urged the DMRC to follow the Hong Kong model and not burden the common man with repeated hikes.
Decried by both the Aam Aadmi Party and Bhartiya Janata Party for the hike, the DMRC has since cited its mounting losses and unpaid debt as the reasons.
It noted that there has been no fare increase since 2009 though its input costs had dramatically zoomed in energy, staffing and repair and maintenance. It also noted that Rs 26,760 crore of the loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency was still outstanding.
Shirdi (Maharashtra), Oct 1 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday inaugurated the Saibaba Samadhi Mahotsav, heralding the start of the centenary celebrations of the revered 20th century saint Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Shortly after noon, the President hoisted a celebration flag atop a 51-feet tall special post erected in the Lendi Bagh area of the massive temple complex amidst chanting of hymns and prayers, said Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust Chairman Suresh Haware.
"I consider myself fortunate to have the honour of launching Shri Saibaba's Samadhi centenary celebrations. Saibaba's message of 'Shraddha and Saburi' and 'Sabka Malik Ek' is a boon for all devotees and entire humanity," said Kovind.
He also lauded the trust's efforts to make the temple as a key centre for the welfare of humanity with various social-cultural-educational-charitable activities.
The President also took a 'darshan' of the Samadhi Temple accompanied by Governor C. V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and other leaders and officials and was shown around the temple complex and its various activities.
The inauguration was preceded by a ceremonial 'shobha yatra' of the flag which was taken out at dawn in a procession which started from Shirdi village to the temple complex with thousands of devotees and villagers joining.
Haware said that during the entire centenary year, over 4.5 crore devotees from India and all over the world are expected to visit Shirdi for which the trust has made massive arrangements.
After the flag-hoisting, the President witnessed a ceremony to distribute spectacles to people who took part in a huge free ophthalmology camp at the temple as part of the celebrations.
A wandering saint, Sai Baba, whose date and place of birth and religion at birth are not known, took ;samadhi' on October 15, 1918 in Shirdi, where he earlier preached for several decades, advocating equality of all religions and condemning all social discriminations based on caste, creed or religion.
Earlier, Shirdi came on the country's air-map when President Kovind inaugurated the swank new Shirdi Airport and flagged off an inaugural Shirdi-Mumbai AllianceAir flight.
Developed by Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation at a cost of Rs 350 crore, the SSST has contributed Rs 50 crore to the project which is expected to be a boon to pilgrims arriving here and boost tourism in Ahmednagar and adjoining Nashik district.
Permitted initially for daytime operations by the DGCA, the new airport will slash the travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi, around 240 km apart, from six hours to barely 45 minutes.
Regular operations are expected to commence later this week with at least six return flights to be operated by various airlines from Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad, with more added later on.
The airport has a 2,500 metres, a 3,000 square metre terminal building with a capacity to handle 300 passengers daily which would be gradually augmented.
Mumbai, Oct 1 : Reliance Communication (RCOM) on Sunday said it will evaluate an "alternate plan for its mobile business".
According to the company, its board of directors at a meeting held here on Sunday reviewed the ongoing strategic transformation programme and considered alternate plans for debt reduction.
"The board decided that RCOM will evaluate an alternate plan for its mobile business, through optimisation of its spectrum portfolio and adoption of a 4G-focused mobile strategy," the company said in a BSE filing.
"RCOM already has the unique advantage of capital light access to India's most extensive world class nationwide 4G mobile network through spectrum sharing and ICR agreements with Reliance Jio."
The company said that combination of the mobile business of Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd (SSTL) into RCOM is also expected to be completed this month.
"The addition of SSTL's valuable spectrum holdings in the 800-850 MHz band will strengthen RCOM's spectrum portfolio by 30 Mhz, and extend the company's spectrum validity period in eight important circles in the country till the year 2033," the filing said.
The company has valuable spectrum across 800, 900, 1800, 2100 Mhz spectrum bands aggregating 200 Mhz, valued at over Rs 19,000 crore for the balance of validity period, based on last auction pricing.
"The company will evaluate opportunities for monetisation of the same through trading and sharing arrangements," the filing revealed.
Further, RCOM announced that merger of its mobile businesses with Aircel has been called off with mutual consent.
The two companies had signed a binding agreements in September 2016 for the merger of RCOM's mobile businesses with Aircel.
"Legal and regulatory uncertainties, and various interventions by vested interests, have caused inordinate delays in receipt of relevant approvals for the proposed transaction," the BSE filing said.
"Unprecedented competitive intensity in the Indian telecom sector, together with fresh policy directives adversely impacting bank financing for this sector, have also seriously affected industry dynamics. As a result of the various factors aforesaid, the merger agreement has lapsed. The board approved the same."
The company elaborated that it will focus on domestic and overseas B2B (business to business) segment.
"These B2B businesses generate equal revenues from domestic and overseas operations," the filing said.
"As part of the ongoing transformation and in order to enhance value for all stakeholders, the RCOM board reaffirmed the focus on these stable, capital light B2B businesses which have sustained and predictable revenues and profits, with immense growth potential."
Besides its focus on B2B segment, RCOM will also go ahead with real estate monetisation.
"The company has made good progress in its monetisation plans for prime real estate assets, including at Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City, Navi Mumbai, admeasuring nearly 125 acres, with development rights of potentially over 17 million sq.ft. and prime property near Connaught Place, New Delhi, admeasuring nearly four acres," the BSE filing disclosed.
"Indications of interest from leading developers, and independent third-party valuations, have established significantly higher present value monetisation potential of Rs 10,000 crore for the DAKC Complex alone. The company is engaged with leading global and domestic players, and expects to finalise developments agreements through an open and transparent process over the next few months."
In addition to real estate monetisation, it will also monetise its tower and fiber assets.
"The company will continue to implement its plans for monetisation of its tower and fiber assets, as already announced," the filing added.
Mumbai, Oct 1 : Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Sunday said it would appeal against a US court order in a lawsuit filed by an American firm for damages on the alleged misuse of its trade documents.
"The company plans to defend its position before the trial judge, as it did not misuse or derive any benefit from the documents of Epic Systems Corporation (Epic)," said the IT major in a regulatory filing on the BSE.
In an appeal by TCS, the Western District Court of Wisconsin, however, reduced the compensatory and punitive damages to $420 million (Rs 3,055 crore) from $940 million (Rs 6,110 crore), awarded by its jury in April 2016.
Wisconsin-based privately-held healthcare software firm Epic had alleged that a TCS employee had illegally downloaded its documents, which amounts to breach of contract and an Intellectual Propriety (IP) infringement.
"The company has received legal advice to the effect that the order and the reduced damages awarded are not supported by evidence presented during the trial and an appeal can be made to a superior court to set aside the jury verdict," said TCS in the filing.
The order will not have impact on the company's financial results for the second quarter of 2017-18, to be declared on October 12, it said.
New Delhi, Oct 1 : Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday said he has taken up the issue of sanitation workers dying while manually cleaning clogged sewers in the national capital with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Ten sanitation workers died in July and August this year in Delhi while manually cleaning the sewers, one of which was located in a hospital, though manual scavenging had been banned in Delhi in 1994.
Speaking here on the occasion of 'Swacchata Hi Sewa' campaign organised by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) at India Gate, Puri stressed the need for mechanized cleaning of sewers.
He said his concern over unsafe and manual cleaning of sewers was shared by Kejriwal who met him last Tuesday and that an amount of Rs 300 crore was sanctioned by his ministry for the three municipal corporations of Delhi for procuring mechanized sewer cleaners.
"The national capital of Delhi is among the major global cities of the world and it needs to be clean to be worthy of that status," said Puri, appealing to citizens and others like hotels not to dump garbage in to sewers so as to prevent their clogging.
"We should give up the attitude of we litter and others would clean," he said, and called for ensuring segregation of waste at source on a war footing in the national capital.
He further said that over 80 lakh citizens have participated in the 'Swacchata Hi Sewa' campaign in the urban areas of the country. The campaign is being held throughout the nation to mark the third year of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.
New Delhi, Oct 1 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday concluded his four-day visit to Uttarakhand.
During his visit, he visited Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp at Gauchar and participated in 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign. Apart from the Kedarnath temple, he also visited the ITBP's Lapthal and Rimkhim Border out Posts and inaugurated the Civic Action Programme and Blood Donation Camp at Joshimath.
The Home Minister also addressed Officers Trainees of 92nd Foundation Course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie.
After successfully launching major metropolitan markets throughout New York, DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Jersey and more, locals bring the nations #1 dining app on iTunes to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Spotluck is a free mobile app that helps hungry diners decide where to eat. Like a game of restaurant roulette, users play by spinning a virtual wheel of local restaurants to unlock smart discounts. Spotlucks proprietary software fluctuates discounts (15% to 35% off) based on day, time, and even weather.
Williamsport has an amazing selection of local restaurants that offer quality food and are an essential part of a tight-knit community, said Dillon Tedesco, one of Spotlucks founding members and Chief Revenue Officer. By featuring some of the best locally-owned spots together on Spotluck, we help them stand out against the many corporate chains on the Golden Strip."
Spotluck discounts change based on factors that impact restaurant occupancy; think Priceline or Uber for restaurants. Rainy Mondays yield larger discounts while sunny Fridays remain low (but attractive), giving users that extra nudge to try a local spot. Best of all, users get a guaranteed 10% discount at all Spotluck restaurants regardless of their spin results.
It was a two-man effort to bring Spotluck to Williamsport. Cousins Dillon Tedesco and Josh Howe helped build Spotluck from the ground up. The two were on a personal mission to bring the nations top restaurant app home. Its been an extremely rewarding experience to bring Spotluck to our hometown and introduce something new and different to Central Pennsylvania, said Josh Howe, Williamsport native and Director of Spotlucks Pennsylvania operations. In only one week, nearly twenty local restaurants have already signed up including DiSalvos, Rivals, Bullfrog Brewery, The Sticky Elbow, and other local staples.
About Spotluck
Spotluck is a Washington DC-based startup founded in 2014 that has grown to work with over 1,300 restaurants in DC, New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Spotluck is available for free download on iPhone and Android.
Encore Energy, Inc. announced today that the Company is currently testing a horizontal Berea oil well project in Eastern Kentucky with plans to drill three (3) additional horizontal oil and gas wells in the area of Lawrence and Johnson Counties, Kentucky.
"Qualified SEC defined accredited investors can deduct 100% of their intangible drilling costs (IDC) against all forms of state and federal income this year, in 2017. This typically results in a ~40 - 50% tax immediate tax savings with potential for years of potential monthly income", said Joseph Hooper, Encore's Executive Vice President and Director. We remain very confident in the continued growth in demand and a strong recovery for the price of crude oil, added Hooper.
The horizontal Berea play of Eastern Kentucky represents more than 20% of the state's annual oil production and is regarded as the best shallow horizontal oil play in Kentucky. The horizontal Berea also provides good potential for gas as a byproduct of oil production and Encore is currently making plans to build gas sales infrastructure making it more efficient to produce and bring this gas to market, said Steve Stengell, Encores President CEO.
For more information regarding the 2017 year-end IDC tax deduction and to see if you qualify as an SEC defined accredited investor, please contact Joseph Hooper at (270) 842-1242, ext. 224 and be sure to read the most recent article from Energy and Mining International magazine regarding Encore Energy, Inc. and its Berea oil program at http://www.encore-energy.com/Energy%20&%20Mining%20International%20Encore%20Berea%20Oil%20Article.pdf
Assumptions, Disclaimer and Cautionary Statement: The information herein may contain forward-looking statements, and actual results may vary. Words such as "estimate", "will," "intend," "continue," "target," "expect," "achieve," "strategy," "future," "may," "goal," or other comparable words or phrases or the negative of those words, and other words of similar meaning indicate forward-looking statements and important factors which could affect actual results. Forward-looking statements are made based upon Management's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects upon Encore Energy, Inc. Oil and gas investments involve a high degree of risk, uncertainty and are only suitable for qualified Accredited (SEC Definition) investors who are sophisticated in making business decisions and can bear the financial loss of their entire investment, while delivering a turnkey profit to the Company for proving the prospect development, lease acquisition, drilling, completion, engineering and ongoing production operations. The Company does not provide tax advice and investors should seek the advice of their tax professional. Any tax and/or other information herein is provided for illustration purposes only and may include estimates that are uncertain and subject to change. It is impossible to accurately forecast profitability, production, reserves, income, expenses and timelines for any project. No assurances can be made as it relates to reserves, production, income, profit, prices, timelines and/or other estimates. Actual production and results are beyond the control of management. In the event that commercial production is achieved, it may take many years for the investor to recoup his or her investment. The Company's lease acreage position under is subject to change and includes acreage under lease, Farmout agreement, verbal agreement, renewals, expired terms and any other prospective acreage in which the Company has communicated and/or negotiated with the landowner the leasing of oil and gas rights, now or in the future, and the lease / mineral owner has leased or communicated their intent to lease there mineral lease rights to the Company. It is important for qualified investors to acknowledge the fact that the US government provides them with tax savings (100% IDC tax deduction) to mitigate or at least off-set some of the financial risk associated with domestic oil and gas investments. This is not an offer to sell or buy a security. An offer shall only be made pursuant to SEC Regulation D, Rule 506(c) by a private placement offering memorandum, and this is not a private placement offering memorandum.
RACINE When disaster hits, there is much more than water and supplies that need to be sent. There is also the rebuilding, and Racine-based Case Construction Equipment has stepped up to the plate.
Case Construction Equipment is involved in a large, post-Hurricane Harvey cleanup effort along with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization.
You cant understand the devastation leveled by a hurricane until youre standing at the point where the eye made landfall and see the damage, stated John Dotto, brand marketing manager with Case, who was on the ground with Team Rubicon in Texas. It disrupts basic services and infrastructure for weeks and potentially months.
To help with cleanup efforts, last month Team Rubicon began heavy-equipment operations in what has been dubbed Operation Hard Hustle, with equipment and on-site support personnel provided by Case. Initial heavy equipment operations included debris removal and home demolition near Rockport and Aransas Pass, Texas, where the eye of Hurricane Harvey made landfall in August.
This is the most-severe disaster the heavy equipment operators at Team Rubicon have been deployed to since the inception of the equipment operation training program in 2015, stated Scott Harris, vice president-North America for Case Construction Equipment.
According to Dotto, the company is directly responsible for one full-sized excavator and two skid steers, plus the coordination of the additional equipment supplied to the effort by Case dealer Sonsray.
Case also sent Racine-based personnel including Dotto to help make sure everything got up and running smoothly and to coordinate connections with local service entities at the beginning of the operation.
You cant understand the devastation leveled by a hurricane until youre standing at the point where the eye made landfall and see the damage, stated Dotto who was on the ground with Team Rubicon in Texas. It disrupts basic services and infrastructure for weeks and potentially months.
Were inspired by the spirit and resiliency shown by Texans, and are committed to doing what we can in conjunction with Team Rubicon to start rebuilding the community.
According to Dotto, Case is likely to have equipment on the scene for weeks to come, with additional personnel from the Racine office rotating in and out. This is the first of what could be a couple of heavy-equipment operations in hurricane-affected areas with Team Rubicon.
More than 850 volunteers
Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall, Team Rubicon has deployed more than 850 volunteers to Texas in support of the ongoing relief efforts with debris removal, damage assessments, muck-outs, expedient home repair and chainsaw operations. Strike teams on the ground have conducted more than 5,000 damage assessments and provided services to more than 300 homes to date.
Sonsray Machinery of California shipped compact track loaders in for the operation, and Michelin North America donated sets of its Tweel airless radial tires to outfit skid steers working in demolition applications. Nueces Power Equipment of Corpus Christi is providing on-ground equipment support to the operation in Rockport.
The heavy equipment competency within Team Rubicon was created to train volunteers in the safe operation of equipment to support disaster response operations. Case has provided ongoing equipment and training support since the beginning of the heavy equipment program in November 2015.
Team Rubicon continues to establish operations throughout Texas and Florida in response to Harvey and Irma and will deploy additional heavy-equipment teams as needed.
For the 10th consecutive year, interRel will host multiple Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) & Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) sessions at Oracle OpenWorld, the largest educational and networking event for Oracle technologists, customers, and partners. Taking place October 1-5, 2017 in San Francisco, California, this conference features education and insight into Oracles strategy and roadmap.
At OpenWorld 2016, interRel was recognized with the Oracle Global Excellence Award for Specialized Partner of the Year in BI & EPM and the Oracle North America Excellence Award for Specialized Partner of the Year in EPM Cloud Solution. interRel has won the North America award four times, including back-to-back wins in 2008-09 and 2015-16.
At this years conference, Oracle ACE Robert Gideon will be presenting two sessions on Sunday: Jumpstart Cost Allocations: Oracle Profitability and Cost Management Cloud Service and Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service/Oracle Business Intelligence Cloud Service. Oracle ACE Director Glenn Schwartzberg will be hosting two sessions, one with Jerson Santos of New Flyer and the other with Gabby Rubin of Oracle: Implementing Oracle Financial Consolidation and Close Cloud Service: Lessons Learned and Oracle Data Visualization and Oracle Essbase in Oracle Analytics Cloud.
In addition to speaking at conferences, interRel offers numerous resources to educate the EPM & BI community on Oracle Cloud products, including the first-ever books published on Oracle Cloud as well as free educational webcasts and videos. The company recently kicked off a webcast series focused exclusively on Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) and set up a landing page dedicated to OAC.
About Oracle OpenWorld
Oracle OpenWorld is the most important educational and networking event of the year for Oracle technologists, customers, and partners. This information technology conference is dedicated to helping businesses optimize existing systems and understand upcoming technology breakthroughs. The conference, which is expected to draw more than 60,000 attendees from 145 countries, offers more than 2,500 educational sessions, 400 product demos, exhibitions from 500 partners and customers showcasing applications, middleware, database, server and storage systems, industries, management, and infrastructure all engineered for innovation. For more information, to register, or to watch live keynotes and sessions, visit http://www.Oracle.com/OpenWorld.
About interRel Consulting
Founded in 1997, interRel Consulting is the longest-standing Hyperion partner dedicated solely to implementing Oracle Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) Cloud and Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for Fortune 500 and mid-size companies. An Oracle Platinum and Cloud Select Partner, interRel is the only winner of Oracles Global Cloud Partner of the Year for EPM and the only four-time winner of Oracles North America Partner of the Year for EPM and BI. The company is a nine-time Inc. 5000 honoree committed to education with a platform that includes 10+ books in its best-selling technical reference series, Look Smarter Than You Are with Hyperion, free, twice-weekly webcasts, the free-access video education platform, Play it Forward, on YouTube, and multi-track Oracle EPM/BI Road Shows across North America. Home to six members of the Oracle ACE program, interRel frequently participates in Oracle Technology Network international tours in developing markets. To learn more about interRel Consulting, please visit http://www.interRel.com.
Contact
Danielle White
(972) 735-8716
dwhite(at)interrel(dot)com
Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge: Winner of The 2016 Mercedes-Benz Best of the Best Dealer Recognition Award We will never forget that it is not the product we sell or service we deliver, but rather the people that we care for that made all of this possible.
The Mercedes-Benz brand is known for setting the benchmark in luxury vehicles. The brand produces remarkable high-quality vehicles and expects each dealership to provide service that exceeds the expectations of every customer. Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge has proved itself a leader among Mercedes-Benz dealerships by winning the 2016 Best of the Best Award, an honor that has been bestowed upon the dealership for the fifth time, making it the most times any dealer in Louisiana has received this honor. This distinction is something that the dealerships team members consider an honor and a driver for providing their customers continued excellence and satisfaction.
This high honor isnt one that comes easily. The team at Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge has worked tirelessly to meet the demands of their customers while excelling in Customer Service and Satisfaction, Management and Leadership, New Vehicle Sales and Auto Service and Parts.
Customers who look toward Mercedes-Benz vehicles know what they want. They know what they expect, not only from the vehicle, but also from every person with whom they interact with during the course of their vehicle ownership. These expectations start from the second they step onto the dealership lot. They want a Luxury Sales Ambassador who knows about the vehicles, but isnt pushy, a finance department that can get the deal structured, and a service department that can keep the vehicle operating at a high caliber. Service after the sale is a huge factor for proud Mercedes-Benz owners.
Customers who visit Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge know they will have all of their expectations met. They also know they are considering a vehicle that has safety in mind throughout its design and manufacturing process. While other manufacturers have issued numerous recalls, Mercedes-Benz continues to sit high up on safety ratings. In fact, the 2017 C-Class models are listed in the Top 5 for safest luxury vehicles. With a 9.3 out of 10 score for the overall safety rating and a 5 out of 5 score for side-impact crashes, it is easy to see why so many individuals count on Mercedes-Benz vehicles to keep them and their family members safe.
The innovative options on these luxury vehicles address customers desires and requirements before they have a chance to ask for them. From high-quality interiors that make riding in the vehicle enjoyable to the durable frames, top-notch exterior features, and top-of-the-line security features that make Mercedes-Benz vehicles visibly appealing as well as safe, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are highly desirable to people who demand the best out of life. For this and much more, Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge is proud to be a premium Mercedes-Benz dealership in the state of Louisiana.
Nick Pentas, General Manager and Managing Partner of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge details why customer service is so important at their dealership.
Pentas says, We are very honored to win this prestigious award and would like to thank all of our clients from the bottom of our hearts. We understand that they have many options for their luxury vehicle needs and chose us based on the relationships we have with them and in the community. This award gives us the inspiration we need to continue performing at a top level and maintaining our high sense of civic responsibility. We will never forget that it is not the product we sell or service we deliver, but rather the people that we care for that made all of this possible.
With the distinction of being on the 2016 Best of the Best list, Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge has kept up with what customers in southern Louisiana expect when they do business with a luxury vehicle dealership. The team members at Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge consider this award a motivational factor to continue providing service that is beyond what is expected.
We are very excited to open our doors and begin serving this vulnerable population and help families in the community achieve the calm and comfort theyve been striving for.
The Arbor at Bremerton is a newly built Memory Care community that specializes in providing a comfortable and caring environment for older adults with Alzheimers, dementia, or other mental care needs. Located at 3510 9th St., the building boasts 48 private rooms designed to promote comfort, security, and wellness.
Our philosophy of care centers on learning the unique history of each resident so we can tailor our approach to meet the needs of each individual, says Brock Crosby, Executive Director. We are very excited to open our doors and begin serving this vulnerable population and help families in the community achieve the calm and comfort theyve been striving for.
The new memory care community incorporates nautical and harbor themes to honor Bremertons rich history as a naval and port city. The Arbor at Bremerton is designed to promote health, friendship and trust in a safe and secure setting. Therapy programs utilize music and art for a whole-body approach to wellness; and care staff help with dressing, bathing, medication management, and day-to-day tasks while keeping the residents engaged and independent.
According to the Alzheimers Association, more than 5 million Americans are living with the disease today; and that number is estimated to increase by 40% by 2025. Through the addition of The Arbor at Bremerton, the Avamere Family of Companies is committed to staying ahead of that upward trend through unique memory care programs and amenities specific to helping that population.
About the Avamere Family of Companies
Founded in 1995 and based in Wilsonville, Oregon, the Avamere Family of Companies began as a single nursing facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. Today, the Avamere Family operates nearly 50 Independent Living, Assisted Living, Transitional Care and Skilled Nursing facilities, over 8,200 employees, and includes multiple ancillary healthcare companies that provide services including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, home care, home health, hospice, palliative care, and primary care. For more information, please visit http://www.avamere.com.
Local bus company, All Aboard America! Inc. and The Certification for Sustainable Transportation (CST) announced that 110 employees have completed the CST's EcoDriver and Idle Free Certification Programs and 95 of their vehicles have been eRating certified. Company officials were pleased with the announcement and expressed their enthusiasm for the program. Scott Duncan, General Manager said With our strong commitment to the environment, All Aboard America! is thrilled by the engagement of all of our employees in the University of Vermonts eRating Sustainability Program. Our clients are responding well to this new certification along with the latest equipment technology on our newly purchased vehicles.
The CST is a mission-driven, not-for-profit program housed at the University of Vermont. Its mission is to: reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions, increase energy efficiency, and promote the use of alternative fuels and new technologies. Similar to how Energy Star works in the appliance sector, the CST accomplishes its goals largely through three programs: its eRating vehicle certification, an Eco-Driver certification program, and an Idle-Free driver certification program.
All Aboard America! and its employees began the process over a year ago to have its vehicles and drivers certified. Since then all of their employees have completed the CST's EcoDriver and Idle Free training courses. The training courses teach drivers an array of EcoDriving practices as well as how to avoid unnecessary idling. These programs can help drivers save fuel and reduce the environmental impacts of their vehicles.
Each qualifying vehicle in the companys fleet received an eRating certification based on a variety of environmental criteria, the CSTs Director, Dave Kestenbaum, said of All Aboard America!
We were very pleased with the level of commitment All Aboard America! and its employees have made to incorporate EcoDriving and Idle Free practices. Its great to see a company get invested from the top down to reduce their environmental impacts. Additionally, we are really amazed that All Aboard has so many vehicles qualify for the eRating label. This is not an easy certification to get, and it shows that they can move people from point A to point B extremely efficiently! Now that All Aboard America! has completed the certification program, they will continue to work with the CST to promote efficiency internally. All Aboard America! is celebrating over 80+ years of Chartering Confidence. If you would like more information about this topic, please visit http://www.allaboardamerica.com or http://www.erating.org. Also, feel free to contact Scott Duncan.
FCPX Audio Tools - Pixel Film Effects - Final Cut Pro X Plugins This plugins is a set of Audio induced effects for FCPX.
FCPX Audio Tools is a set of 20 essential audio induced effects created for use within Final Cut Pro X. Utilize frequency isolation sliders to determine the exact range the audio effects respond to. Pick from a variety of transform, exposure, and distortion effects and stack these tools limitlessly, all within Final Cut Pro X.
FCPX Audio Tools features a combination of 20 transform, distortion, and color correction effects that respond to the audio in your timeline. Choose from basic position, rotation, and scaling effects, to a variety of blurs and exposure effects. Additionally, Audio Tools includes distortion effects including pixellate, prism, and crystallize. Create amazing audio induced effects with incredible ease.
FCPX Audio Tools responds the full range of frequencies of the music inserted by default. However, users can use the low and high frequency sliders to isolate a desired range. With these two controls, editors can allow anything from the lowest rumbles to the highest pitches to affect objects in Final Cut Pro X.
FCPX Audio Tools can be stacked limitlessly in Final Cut Pro. Place various effects and different frequency ranges to the same logo, text, or media to interesting effects that react to different frequencies within the music. It is important to note that the hierarchy of the effects will create a unique look.
FCPX Audio Tools works with logos, media, and text. Using Audio Tools is simple. Start by dragging an effect directly onto a layer in the timeline. Next, select Choose Song in the inspector menu and insert an audio file. Lastly, drag the audio file into the timeline directly under the effected clip. If the clip you want to affect begins after the audio begins, simply use the frame offset slider to sync up the audio.
Established in 2006, Aliso Viejo, California-based Pixel Film Studios is an innovative developer of visual effects tools for the post-production and broadcast community. Their products are integrated with popular non-linear editing and compositing products from Apple FCPX. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac OS X, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Harriet Lane was born in the Franklin County community of Mercersburg PA.
Franklin County Visitor's Bureau is recommending Harriet Lane: The Original First Lady of Washington by Bob O'Connor. Released in September, the book focuses on Harriet Lane, niece of 15th President James Buchanan, who after losing both her parents by age eleven was cared for by Buchanan. Harriet Lane lived an exceptional life for a young lady of her era. Provided a quality education, Lane engaged in politics and world affairs at a level a woman did not typically experience. She formulated her own opinions and was an asset to her uncle in his service as minister to Russia and England as well as in his service as president.
Harriet Lane was born in the Franklin County community of Mercersburg PA. Today, the Lane House, where Harriet and her family lived, remains an elegant residence in small town Mercersburg.
Harriet Lane: The Original First Lady of Washington is historical fiction, ninety-five percent rooted in fact, according to author Bob OConnor. The book, told in the voice of Harriet Lane, begins with her earliest memories, growing up and beginning her education in Mercersburg and the pain of losing both her parents. It concludes with the end of her uncles presidency.
The book is author Bob O'Connors thirteenth work, which includes both fiction and nonfiction. Among the titles are A Perfect Steel Trap, A House Divided Against Itself, "The Virginian Who Might Have Saved Lincoln," "The U.S. Colored Troops at Andersonville Prison, and The Murphy Farm: A Refuge From Racism. He's added Harriet Lane to a cast of key figures in history such as John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and U.S. Colored Troops. This book, as most of his books, is set near the authors home in Charles Town, WV.
Harriet Lane: The Original First Lady of Washington is available on Amazon and from the author websiteboboconnorbooks.com, A book signing is slated at the new Franklin County Visitors Bureaus11/30 center in May 2018, the month of Harriet Lanes birthday.
The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore Franklin County PA and enjoy the history, arts, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods and warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County PA is located just north of the Mason Dixon Line and an easy drive to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Discover more....plan your visit at ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com or by contacting 866.646.8060
Co-Founder Armando Pantoja With CNBC This creates a very powerful incentive engine, a distributed computing platform where the bigger the bounty the more developers come into the play and the quality increases, which in turn drives up the speed and efficiency of the platform. At an exponential rate, this could become a very robust eco
HireMatch, The first Decentralized Blockchain Employee Recruitment Platform, is in the midst of an Initial Coin Offering (ICO). The ICO, which started on 9:45am today, has reportedly raised over $343,000 in the first 2 hours.
The HireMatch token reduces the cost to acquire new employees by removing unnecessary friction and creating a more efficient marketplace by providing crowdsourced labor an incentive to find, verify and submit candidates to job listings.
"There has been tremendous and overwhelming interest in HireMatch's open API over the past month. Developers using our API can take a percentage of the bounty reward in proportion to the number of the candidates that their service finds, verifies or submits to job listings. HireMatch Chief Architect Armando Pantoja explained to CSNBC Africa at the World Bitcoin Conference in London.
Investors are said to have come from accross Europe, Asia and Canada. The funding raised during the ICO round will be utilized for product development and technology, legal fees, patents and new employees.
The HireMatch Token sale ends on October 31st.
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RACINE On Oct. 17, Racine residents will vote to determine their next mayor. On Saturday, in the first debate with just two candidates, state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, and Racine Alderman Sandy Weidner laid out why they are the best one for the job.
In many aspects the candidates are similar. They talked about their strong union backgrounds and desire to help the citys immigrant community feel safe. Both support initiatives to get city residents employed with Foxconn jobs and both talked about the need to diversify in the area of appointments to city committees.
The debate, which about 100 people attended, was held at the Dr. John Bryant Community Center, 601 21st St.
City administrator position
There were issues about which they had starkly different views. Starting from the beginning, Mason said, I am a Democrat and I am going to bring Democratic values to City Hall.
Weidner, in contrast, said that while she supports democratic values, I have chosen to put the D away, adding: I dont think party politics plays a role in City Hall.
The candidates clashed on the need for a city administrator position, with Mason in favor of the position and Weidner against it.
During the debate, Mason said cities that are growing and succeeding need both a city administrator and mayor a city administrator to ensure departments are serving the community, and a mayor to lay out clear expectations and the vision.
Weidner said: I currently oppose the city administrator position because we havent had luck with the ones we have had.
The four city administrators the city has had concentrated on areas other than being the city administrator, Weidner said. One concentrated on finance issues, the other human resources, another economic development beyond his ability and the current administrator, James Palenick, is concentrating on new development, she said.
Commercial corridors
Uptown revitalization also came up during the 2-hour debate, which consistend almost entirely of questions from the audience.
Weidner said there is a plan in place to revitalize Uptown, but that all the commercial corridors need help. She said she would direct intergovernmental funds and federal Community Development Block Grant funds to those corridors to help revitalize them.
Mason also expressed support for those areas, but said people need to look at more than just the corridor itself. We have to address the holistic area, Mason said. That includes looking at reducing crime, raising wages and increasing home ownership.
We need to embrace the neighbors who live in the area, Mason said.
Finance differences
When a question came up about taking money out of campaigning, Weidner pointed out that Mason has raised $100,000 and was critical of the fact that some of his support has come from outside the state.
Mason responded that he has relatives in New York and Washington, D.C., who support him and that he is honored to have such a broad base of support, which he said includes dozens of local people who have gone out to knock on doors in the city on his behalf.
Twenty-nine-year-old mechanical engineer Nicholas Afedi Donkoh drove all the way from his house in France to his hometown in Ghana to prove a point: that everyone deserves an adventure.
I just wanted the world to know that its not only white people who can go on such trips, but we blacks, too, can do that as well, he says.
There was a secondary purpose also: The whole idea was to make Ghana more popular and also make Ghanaians all over the world proud.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Donkoh says he bankrolled the trip himself, denying earlier reports that he received sponsorships, while revealing he spent nearly $2,400 just on fuel. Before setting off, Donkoh tinkered with his BMW 7 Series to boost performance.
I increased the horsepower from 400 to 450 so that the car could move a little bit faster, he says, adding that a trip to the Chambre de Commerce in Paris was required for all the necessary travel documents and permits.
A bit of self-care was also called for, with the driver kick-starting an exercise regimen to ready himself for the road.
Rough sleeping and unlikely hospitality
On the evening of Friday July 7, the Ghanaian loaded his car with 24 bottles of water, food and two spare tires and set off into the night, quad bike in tow.
Driving through France to the southern tip of Spain, Donkoh arrived at the port city of Algeciras on the Bay of Gibraltar.
From there he hopped on a ferry to Tangier in northern Morocco. With the Atlantic to his right, he continued through Western Sahara, then Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso.
I spent about three days driving on the desert, he says, describing the process as difficult.
Donkoh bemoaned the border crossings and immigration systems: Even if you have all your traveling documents valid, you still have to pay some money before youll be allowed to cross the border.
It was sometimes frustrating. Then there was the terrain. In all, Donkoh says he lost seven tires to the road. At night he sought out gas stations in lieu of a room.
I initially planned to stay in hotels, but things didnt go on well, so I had to sleep in my car. It was only in Burkina Faso that I spent the night in a hotel, he says.
Despite the obstacles, he says it was still a nice experience. I even met some Ghanaians in Mauritania who invited me over for a bowl of our local fufu dish in their home. I met amazing people during this journey.
Homecoming
Midafternoon on Sunday, July 16, Donkoh crossed from Burkina Faso to Paga in Ghanas Upper East region. That was the only border I wasnt delayed, he recalls.
The immigration officers were very surprised when I told them that I drove all the way from Paris. I was allowed to cross without going through any form of immigration checks. Upon arriving he first paid a courtesy visit to Regional Minister Rockson Bukari in Bolgatanga, before heading to his hometown, Tarkwa, in the west of the country.
When you travel by air, you dont really see anything, he says, reflecting on the experience. You only arrive at the airport of your destination and disembark.
But when you travel by road, you will see a lot of beautiful places and nice things on the way. It was a great experience traveling through the desert and all those savanna areas.
On the road again?
The adventure doesnt stop in Accra, says Donkoh nor does the flag-flying. Hes set his sights on South Africa and wants to travel there in a Kantanka, a Ghanaian-made auto brand.
We are currently discussing it with the manufacturers of Kantanka cars, he says, smiling.
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Economists regard "no deal" as the very worst case scenario for Britain, although hardcore Leave supporters welcome it.
What will you do if there is no deal? May was asked by Andrew Marr on his politics show this morning.
May replied, "We are recognizing . government is working on what it would need to put in place if there was no deal, what were also working on is ensuring we get a deal, that we get the right deal, for the United Kingdom"
Marr pressed her to describe what happens "on day 2" after "no deal"?
She replied, "That's why government departments are looking to see what changes are needed, what we need to put in place. Its not just government departments doing that."
She then added, using the term "no deal":
"The EU withdrawal bill and other legislation that we will bring through in the wake of that will be setting the scene for yes us having a deal but also the possibility of a 'no deal.'"
Marr then asked her if she would resign if she failed to get a deal.
A few minutes before the headline act, Stonebwoy hit the stage, assailants reportedly attacked his wife, Dr Louisa Ansong, in their tent.
As a result of this, she was rushed to the hospital to receive treatment.
But, the incident didnt prevent him from thrilling the thousands of Bhim Nation fans that had gathered at the venue.
Stonebwoy shared photos of the incident with the caption (unedited): Knife cuts Tru My Tent Missed Me As Target And Cuts wifey on her back side! Minute Before I Hit Stage! But #IstillDeliveredForMyPeople and Rushed To The hospital right after I Got Off Stage...
Cant express my gratitude enough to all who Came To make it possible. #ATTWC17 Record Broken!
According to reports, Yutong bus with registration number GM 2212-16 from Kumasi to Accra collided head on with Man Diesel trailer from Accra to Kumasi loaded with rice this dawn.
Nkawkaw Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Boadu confirmed this to Adom News on Sunday.
He said the accident occurred around 1:30 am Sunday and the 10 died on the spot.
The Nkawkaw Divisional Police Commander noted that the trailer hit the side of the Yutong bus injuring all passengers sitting on that side of the bus.
Afrobeat is Nigeria's most prized music export to the world. It is a genre that defines us thematically, contains our country's happiness and struggle, and expresses what it means to live the Nigerian way.
Afrobeat, the music genre was developed in the 70s out of a combination of West African musical styles, such as Highlife and Yoruba rhythms, with American funk and jazz, with a focus on chanted vocals and percussion. The genre features chants, call-and-response vocals, and complex, interacting rhythms.
A key figure in its development is Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti who popularised the style both within and outside Nigeria. It was partially borne out of an attempt to distinguish Kuti's music from the "soul music" of American artists such as James Brown.
The music of Fela was partly inspired by the Black Panther movement, and they were created with social and political leanings, and Nigerian slangs and proverbs. He threw all of these together to create a genre that is conscious, fighting against the military dictatorship of Nigeria at the time. Some of it was also targeted at the vestiges of British colonial rule, which made Africans aspire for the trappings and lifestyle of Westerners.
His work in the genre has made him one of the most influential musicians of the world. His albums The 69 Los Angeles Sessions, Best of the Black President, Expensive Shit, Live!, Zombie and The Underground Spiritual Game remaining popular.
2017 marks 20 years since the death of Fela, and his music has spread across the world. Felas genre has become engrained into world music traditions, birthing movements and inspiring thousands of records. Away from his sons Femi and Seun Kuti who have furthered Afrobeat, outside Nigeria, the genre has taken root. Bands such as Antibalas, Tony Allen, London Afrobeat collective, and many others have performed the genre in various continents.
Elements of Afrobeat have been passed down, stripped and utilised to create new records. In Felas home country, Nigeria, a new generation of artists have tapped into his music to create hit records. Artists such as Wizkid, Davido, Tekno, Runtown, Mr Eazi and more are pushing for international recognition.
It is this root that has made Western media coin the controversial term Afrobeats, - Adding an s to classify African pop sounds.
I think the fact is a new population of the world are calling our new strain of pop music coming out of Nigeria Afrobeats. We have chosen to interpret that in a positive way, while acknowledging very clearly and repeatedly the difference between Afrobeat and Afrobeats, says Sam Onyemelekwue, Managing Director, Trace Nigeria.
And the fact that the world is now calling Wizkid, and others Afrobeats. We will continue to highlight that difference. What we dont want is for the young movement of music to lose the power of what Afrobeats is, what people make that connection to. So we dont mind the term. We are yet to get Yeni onboard because she said Baba (Fela) is still knocking her head for the mistake, he said.
Varied and strong as the current Afrobeat scene is, no performers so far are going to take the style away from Fela Kuti.
Felas influence stretches beyond Africa into distant lands. And artists from all over the world continue to draw inspiration from him. The latest is Wyclef Jean who released a new song titled Fela Kuti.
Global superstar and famed Hip hop artist, Wyclef is working on a new album titled Carnival III: The Fall and Rise of a Refugee. The project which will be released under the label, Heads Music is due to hit the market on September 15, 2017.
The 12-track project will be Jeans eighth studio album since releasing his debut album The Carnival in 1997.
To lead the album though is track drawn straight from Felas breast, and named after the legend. The track, Fela Kuti samples Eko Ile. It was produced by Supah Mario, who also worked on Young Thugs Wyclef Jean single, housed on his 2016 Jeffery album.
Wyclef Jean Pays Tribute To Legendary Fela Kuti
Felas vocals, the gongs and horns come on, reworked with a rattling emphatic drum creating an immersive yet muscular groove, upon which Wyclef delivers his story about a lady who is on an adventure in Hollywood and wants to have fun. He tells her: The voodoo is workin' on me, Dance like Fela Kuti, Mama say ma coosa Energy
I decided to name it Fela Kuti because, for me, I feel like we be thinking of [Bob] Marley, we give a lot of people from our past props, so when the kids hear Fela Kuti, I really want them to Google it, Wyclef tells XXL.
Fela Kuti studied jazz in England. Wyclef studied jazz at Vailsburg High School. Fela Kuti then went back to his country and tried to help his country by running for president. Wyclef, you know, did the same thing.
Then, Fela, through all his obstacles and all that, his music is what pillared him right back to the top. He understood the strongest way to help politically was to make sure the music was bangin.
So for me, the same way kids can have songs called Wyclef Jean who are influenced by me, I want kids to know who Fela is and what he means.
Beyonce have recorded a full-length album based on the Nigerians material. Her recent African-themed baby shower also had Felas music as part of its soundtrack.
Wyclef isnt the only popular international artist to get inspired by Fela. We did a whole Fela album that didnt go up, Producer The-Dream wrote, in an entry for Beyonce song End of Time on lyric annotation site Genius. It was right before we did [album] 4. We did a whole different sounding thing about 20 songs. She said she wanted to do something that sounds like Fela.
As we all know, it is quite impossible to separate religion (Christianity) from our transition from the pre-colonial era to the years after we became a free country.
In those days, there were prolific missionaries that served as both spiritual and community leaders. These men, indigenous and foreign, helped to make the important decisions, thus earning their place in the history books.
Pulse Nigeria is honouring these outstanding Christian Nigerian leaders from that period to this year, as we mark our 57th year as an independent country.
Here are 12 most remarkable Men of God since the 1960s in no particular order.
1. Josiah Olunowo Oshitelu: Like Orimolade, this Christian leader gave people something they could identify with. He founded The Church of the Lord (Aladura). This church falls under the African initiated church category. These are churches that were started in Africa by Africans and independent of foreign missionaries. He was succeeded by Emmanuel Owoade Adeleke Adejobi on May 7, 1967.
2. Samuel Oshoffa: Reportedly, his ministry started after he resurrected people from the dead. This ministry is the popular Celestial Church of Christ. He lived from 1909 to 1985.
3. Timothy Oluwole Obadare: Apostle Obadare was a popular indigenous prophet in spite of an eye problem that made him blind. Despite his disability, he became an evangelist in the Apostolic Church of Nigeria in 1953. Obadare was there for fours years before going to the Christ Apostolic Church, which was founded in 1941 by Joseph Ayo Babalola: He took the leadership of CAC after Apostle Babalola died in 1959. During his reign as the G.O, he evangelised on both radio and TV. He was at CAC for 56 years until his death on March 21, 2013.
4. William F. Kumuyi: Pastor Kumuyi is the founder of one of the most known churches in Nigeria, which is the Deeper Life Ministry. He was named one of the "500 most powerful people on the planet" in April 2013.
5. Benson Idahosa: This man is one of the most influential pastors in Africa. He led the Pentecostal movement in the 1960s and 1970s. He founded the Church of God Mission International in 1972. Reportedly, some of the most beloved pastors of today were groomed by him. He also stands out for standing up to Islamisation attempts during General Babangidas administration in 1986. He advocated for other Christian leaders to be activists.
6. David Oyedepo: Idahosas time was followed by a new era of churches like the Living Faith Outreach Worldwide, popularly known as Winners Chapel.It was founded by Bishop Oyedepo in 1986, whose church seats 50,000 people.
7. Enoch Adejare Adeboye: Pastor Adeboye, fondly called Daddy G.O has become a well-renowned preacher, respected in both the Christian and political circles. He took over the Redeemed Christian Church of God, which was founded by Pa Josiah Akindayomi in 1952. Under his leadership, the church has blossomed and has gained a reputation for having branches everywhere.
8. Mike Okonkwo: He is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM). It was was founded on January 4, 1981. The churchs founder is one of Idahosas proteges.
9. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya: The Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) is undoubtedly one of the most popular churches in Nigeria. It was founded by Pastor Olukoya in 1989.
10. Chris Okotie: This man went from the music scene to establishing the Household of God Church International Ministries in 1987. Later on, he tried his hand at politics by running for the President under the Justice Party (JP) in 2003. He lost to Olusegun Obasanjo but this did not stop him from trying again in 2007. This time, he created his own party, Fresh Democratic party, FRESH. Sadly, he was beaten by Umaru Yar'Adua. Pastor Okotie tried for the third time in 2011. Unfortunately, he lost to President Goodluck Jonathan.
11. Chris Oyakhilome: He is the founding president of Believers' Loveworld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy. Pastor Oyakhilome was one of Nigerias most popular televangelists.
12. Temitope Balogun Joshua: This preacher came on the scene when he started the Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN) with only eight members in 1987. Since then, his church has become a go-to for miracles, prophecies and more for Nigerians and people from all over the world. Prophet T.B Joshua is definitely one of Nigerias biggest Christian leaders in 2017.
Honourable Mentions:
This list would be incomplete without the following men:
1. George Adegboye: He is the President of the Ever Increasing Word Ministries, also known as Rhema Chapel International Churches. The church was started in Ilorin, Kwara State after God called Adegboye on December 19, 1981. His ministry has birthed Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Pastor Samuel Olubiyo, Pastor Victor Adeyemi and others.
2. Gabriel Olutola: Olutola is a former President of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, which was borne out from the Apostolic Church of the United Kingdom. The international church was brought to Nigeria by three Missionary delegates on September 23, 1931.
3. Lazarus Muoka: He started The Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement with a few pioneer members. The church was created sometime in 1994.
4. Biodun Fatoyinbo: He is the senior pastor and founder of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly. The megachurch was created on February 14, 1999.
5. Suleman Johnson: This Apostle is the Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, created in 2004. The headquarters is in Auchi, Edo State.
6. Samuel Adeyemi: He is the Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre. The church was started on November 18, 1995 at the Eko Chinese hotel on Allen Avenue, Ikeja Lagos.
7. Felix Meduoye: Rev. Felix Meduoye is the fourth indigenous General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria.
8. Moses Orimolade: It is impossible to discuss religion in Nigeria without mentioning Orimolade, the founder of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim. He was one of the first people to provide Nigerians with a relatable version of Christianity, after the colonial era.
9. Joseph Ayo Babalola: It can be said that the first Pentecostal church was founded by a former construction truck driver named Joseph Ayo Babalola. He created the Christ Apostolic Church in 1941, after leaving the Apostolic Church.
10. Last of them all, but definitely not the least is Samuel Ajayi Crowther. He was our very first Anglican Bishop.
Education is the bedrock of national development, so they say, but that would have been very right if the academic foundations laid by the founding fathers of the country had been sustained.
While many students are basking in the independence anniversary of the country, some senior citizens are only shaking their heads in self-pity for the youths because the youths do not know what they have lost in terms of quality education.
Truly, the bulk of the students in higher institutions across the country may not know the degree of the damage the education system has suffered.
It is may seem difficult for them to believe Nigerian universities were once a model for other African higher institutions because the epileptic relationship between ASUU and the Federal Government has always denied them the best of education.
Pulse Nigeria spoke with senior citizens who attended schools when History as a subject was more important than Religious Studies in our school syllabus . They shared the good news about what it takes to be a student then, but the state of education in 2017 is the direct opposite of the good memory they have to share.
The former Governor of Oyo state, Victor Omololu Olunloyo , who was also a two-time commissioner of education recalled how Nigeria had one university that was better than many universities we have now. He recalled how Obafemi Awolowo's free and compulsory education sparked development in 1965.
The former governor also reminisced the good days when there was no ASUU strike to disrupt academic calendars and how several jobs used to await students even before they graduated.
It is very true that Nigerians students used to get jobs even before they graduated. When I graduated I had several jobs. I was interviewed for Shell's job in London, an oil company, to work in Shell's Holland branch. I had another one at the University College, and another one in Zaria
Former acting registrar, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, Mrs. Gloria Abumere is another lucky Nigeria who received her primary, secondary and tertiary education when the country had not been polarized.
Recalling the good ol days, she spoke glowingly about how school united students from different backgrounds without class segregation. She also mentioned how schools in the 70s were established to teach moral values and not to exploit parents.
She said, In 1972 when I was in form 5 government took over some schools and most of the schools we had that time were missionary schools and most of our teachers were what you would call sane people, who believe in God and taught values. It is not like now when everything is diluted. These were Christian schools that were not set up to exploit our parents.
However, the good academic memories they enthusiastically shared with a young Nigerian have been stamped out of the academic environment. All sort of things happen in the university today from intimidation to sexual harassment.
The ex Governor in his estimation of the system regretted the degeneration of the Nigerian education heightened by the establishment of many mushroom universities across the country.
"There is a proliferation of Universities now, especially the so called Private Universities. Some of them are good and some of them are nothing to write home about. There are too many universities now because of Politics. Before you set up any higher institution of learning, you must consider the quality of the students you want to produce".
It seems like the many higher institutions we have were established to reduce the standard, because the rate at which Universities and Polytechnics are set up in Nigeria is not in consonance with the quality of education students receive in these schools.
Again, these Institutions are fond of admitting students beyond their infrastructural capacity. This has led to schools shunning out thousands of graduates year in year out. As an ex commissioner for education, Olunloyo could not hide his feeling about the falling standard of education in Nigeria.
A lot has changed about University system in Nigeria. The university is like any other system with input and output. The input and out has changed. The numbers and the quality as well as the university entrance exams have all changed. The quality from Primary to secondary schools and the university has dropped. The quality in various subjects have also fallen. Look at the quality of subject like history which has just been restored. How can you have a country without history?
While job opportunity is a major problem confronting Nigerian graduates today, it was in the 70s a reward for completing a higher education. The battle between job and graduates today is an endless one, as government makes zero efforts to rescue university and polytechnic graduates from the grip of unemployment. In a country where the government is not willing to create any job, graduates are at the mercy of who they know in a company to get a job.
Olunloyo testifies to the abundance of jobs available for graduates in the 60s.
It is very true that Nigerians students used to get jobs even before they graduated. When I graduated I had several jobs. I was interviewed for Shell's job in London, an oil company to work in Shell Holland branch. had another one at the University College, another one in Zaria. That is manpower development. The kind of Industry we had and the kind of production we had were fantastic.
Mrs. Abumere also reminisced how easy it was to get job on completion of university or polytechnic education.
"I remembered the Police Force and the Army came to the schools to recruit people. Life is an adventure to me, so I did go for the interview but I am small in stature. So when I entered they all started laughing they said they have a certain height for the recruitment and I told them I am still growing. The Army offered me employment but my dad didn't like it. Some of my classmates joined the army and a few of them joined the police, because they came to the campus to interview and to recruit''
Going by the account of the senior citizens on the state of education in the 70s, there is no doubt that the present academic system is the bastardized version of the legacy of the founding father of Nigeria.
Unlike the Godly teachers that taught the likes of Mrs Abumere, sexual harassment and rape culture has left the street and found their way to schools. There have been stories of teachers and lecturers harassing female students.
There have been instances when university students receive lectures under the tree because there are no enough classrooms, and of course there have been many ASUU strikes meant to improve the university system but slow down the progress of the students.
There have also been instances when religion has caused disunity among students and ultimately, Job after graduation is never guaranteed again. These are reasons why no student should revel in the flag waving exercise.
On several occasions, it actually turns out that maladjustments are responsible for the offences.
"October 1" gets to the root of the matter just like the CI and ID documentaries. The film tells the story of Danladi Waziri (Sadiq Daba), a police officer, mandated to uncover a serial killer in Akote, a rural community, where he is serving. He is assisted by Sgt. Afonja (Kayode Olaiya), a native of Akote, who understands the traditions of the community. Incidentally, these events take place in the build-up to Nigerias independence on 1st October, 1960; which is where the film derives its name.
It is pleasant to see Sadiq Dada in a film long after he appeared in "Nightmare," a 1995 Zik Zulu Okafor production that also starred Pete Edochie, Onyeka Onwenu, Sandra Achums and Charles Okafor. Daba is excellent as Danladi. The choice of Demola Adedoyin as Prince Aderopo is laudable and he commendably plays his role with a wily demeanour.
Miss Tawa (Kehinde Bankole) is admirable as the village belle, but Kayode Olaiyas comic role as Sgt. Afonja is the icing on the cake called "October 1." In fact, he steals the show literally and will, no doubt, win a couple of awards as Best Supporting Actor in upcoming award ceremonies.
Kunle Afolayan must be commended for the brilliant casting and directing. The location and props are fitting while the costumes remind one of pictures taken by our parents and grandparents in those days. Unlike many Nollywood films,"October 1" is well subtitled.
The film aptly integrates several interesting subplots; smartly employing subtext and irony. Tawa believes she was not taken to the city for her secondary education because she is female. She says, The two bright boys were taken to Lagos. I wasnt because I am a lady. However, as the story unfolds, the viewers understand why Tawa was not one of the chosen ones. Yet in the end, she is the well-adjusted of the three as the two young men are scarred by their experiences in secondary school.
The tension between various Nigerian tribes even before independence is skillfully portrayed in the Kanayo O. Kanayo subplot. All hell is let loose when he loses his daughter and he believes that Danladi is shielding Usman Dangari, his kinsman, suspected of killing the young lady. Much as his loss was irreparable, Kanayos character fails to acknowledge that other young women had lost their lives in similar circumstances. Therefore, instead of pushing for an end to the killings, he misinterprets it as hatred for his tribe.
Tunde Babalola, the screenwriter, must also be extolled for conducting adequate research into goings-on around that period. For instance, there is a mention of Rosemary Anieze (Miss Nigeria 1960) during one of the chats between Tawa and Prince Ropo.
Agbekoya (Kunle Afolayan) should have spoken up sooner than later. He could have saved a number of the slaughtered girls from their neurotic assailant. One hopes the police charged him as an accessory to the crimes. There is no significance to Deola Sagoes role as Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti in the film.
Rev. Dowling, the paedophile-priest, always walks into the boys hostel, calls one boys name, singling the person out and saying, its time for night prayers. Are night prayers meant for just one boy each night? That does not serve as a suitable expression in that circumstance.
Granted that "October 1" is not fast-paced, the action nonetheless unravels at a rate that keeps everyone in suspense. This 140-minute picture is another feat for Nollywood.
The suspect reportedly broke his nose and arm.
Insablog9ja reports that the man in his 30's was among 51 foreigners nabbed in the Ops Black Flora on Friday, September 29.
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Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Fadzil Ahmat said 171 foreigners were screened during the raid that lasted from 7 pm to 11 pm.
"Out of the 51 who were arrested, eight were women.
According to the reports, the majority of them are Nigerians, while the others are from Nepal, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Kenya and Uganda," he told a press conference.
Ten of the arrested suspects tested positive for drugs.
It seems like a lifetime ago to some of us but there are many Nigerians who remember what happed on that historic day.
Pulse takes you back in time as senior citizens tell us how they celebrated the first Independence Day.
1) Mr Awoyemi
All I can remember is what at school there was a cow which was killed as part of the meal and shared to all students. Cups and flags were handed as present to all students. The flag was green, white, green and it was the first time we saw the new Nigerian flag.
2) Mr. Sola
Trains were provided all over Lagos for school children to Iddo and then buses were provided from there to race course. There was a parade by all school children. Aguiyi Ironsi, ironically, oversaw the lowering of Union Jack and replaced with green with green.
Power was handed over to Tafewa Balewa from Sir James Robertson. Cows were given to schools for the childrens feeding which took place on a later day. It was called the race course then and not Tafewa Balewa Square.
3) Mrs. Sola (wife)
I cant remember much because I was in primary school. I do recollect that we were taken to TVS where there was a huge crowd seated in the stadium like seats. We were handed Nigerian flags and we did a march past. And then for the first time we sang the new anthem Nigeria we hail thee.
4) Mr. Babarinde
All I remember was there was so much fuss going on. My father was involved in local politics and spoke about freedom weeks before independence.
On the day itself, I know me and my friends went to the race course. The whole school went. Our teacher told us something about the Queens sister or cousin attending. I know we marched and sang the new national anthem which is no more.
5) Mr. Teniola
That day I wore my white plimsoll. That was what we wore back in the day. The night before I had polished it with nugget to make it shine. The next day was a day of celebration. My white shoe matched by the white of the new flag. After marching at the racecourse, my show was dirty but I didnt care.
6) Mrs. Arinze
I was in the United Kingdom at the time, a young girl in the university. Independence Day in England, well the Nigerian community there celebrated. My friend and I went to a ball organized by some of the Nigerian boys around. It was fun but we were happy that Nigeria was independent. Those were good times.
7) Mr. Thomas
My parents were civil servants at the time. After we the kids marched at TBS we went home. My parents stayed on to see the Union Jack lowered and the new Nigerian flag raised. Some days when I pass the TBS, the memories want to come back but it's so blurry. I can remember Nigerians smiling that day but most of them are gone.
8) Chief Morakinyo
The Marina you see now is not what it was in 1960. On the day of independence, the decorations were everywhere. It was a festival. The atmosphere was vibrant and it was a Saturday too. My elder brothers went out later to catch fun. The next day it was thanksgiving. Great times.
9) Mr. Osi
I wasnt in Lagos. I was a small boy in Abakaliki. 1960...thats many years ago. If my memory serves me right, we went somewhere, my classmates and I, and we were dancing. I was very young back then.
10) Mrs. Tayo
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When you finally get down to business, you worry that youre not getting hard fast enough, and you fumble with the condom. It takes some maneuvering to get into position and find a rhythm that works for both of you.
The next day, you replay what happened over and over again. You don't understand. You like her. She likes you. So why was the sex so...well...awful?
First of all, relax. Not only is awkward first-time sex OK, its also normal.
When you go into something having high expectations its probably not going to live up to what you want, says somatic psychologist and certified sex therapist Holly Richmond. Her explanation for this? If a couple has been dating and they really like each other, theres something at stake, because they are invested in the relationship." This may be especially true for men: The anxiety can get in the way of his performance and pleasure.
In fact, for the vast majority of couples, the first time you have sex wont be the best sex youll ever have with that person.
I always tell clients the first time in bed with a new lover is like taking a tourist trip through a beautiful city. There's something uniquely inspiring about the first time seeing each other naked. But it's not until later, when you get to see the places they don't show the tourists, that you really appreciate the life of the place, says New York City sex therapist Stephen Snyder, MD, author of Love Worth Making: How to Have Ridiculously Great Sex in a Long Lasting Relationship.
The places that tourists dont get to see? The secret spots where your partner likes to be touched, and how they like to be touched. This takes time and effort to learn, because all bodies are different: some women, for instance, like intense stimulation directly on their clitoris, while others prefer a lighter touch. It takes time to learn the map of your lovers body and what works for them.
The good news? If the sex isnt as good as you'd imagined, there's an easy way to fix that: by having lots more sex. Assuming you like this person and want to see them again, you should absolutely try having sex again.
I think sex gets better and better not only because youre learning each others bodies, but because that attachment is growing, Dr. Richmond says. If it's still not great after a few tries, Dr. Snyder advises asking your partner how they like to be touched.
If you continue having sex and it still doesnt improve, then you need to ask yourself whether the relationship is worth pursuing especially if your partner is unwilling to communicate about how to make it better, notes Dr. Richmond.
Of course, if the sex was so bad you just cant deal, or something in your gut is saying this isnt right, you are under no obligation to sleep with or see this person again. That's particularly true if the other person is selfish in bed and only concerned with their own needs.
Its certainly possible that they were like that due to anxiety, or how much they were drinking, but its not a great sign if a person is not at least somewhat focused on your pleasure, Dr. Richmond says. (And obviously, it goes without saying that if sex ever feels non-consensual or coercive, you should run like the wind.)
But if you're still committed to making the relationship work, keep going and communicate about your desires. Little by little, the sex will improve. If youre committed to making a relationship work and having consistent sex with this person, attachment, security and the openness with constant communication will make sex the better, Dr. Richmond says.
Above all else, communication is key. It might sound obvious, but its mind-boggling how many people just dont ask their partner how they like to be touched. You dont have to go over turn-ons and turn-offs over dinner like you're in a job interview. Simply ask, Does this feel OK? or Tell me how you like to be touched; I want to make you feel good." Dont be nervous to ask, and if she asks, dont be nervous to answer, either. It's mega-hot to hear someone share that they like their nipples pinched hard, or that they love having sex from behind.
Here are 10 things we took away from the speech; which was delivered to commemorate Nigerias 57th year as a nation state.
1. Buhari blames leaders of Southeast for IPOBs rise
In this address, the president made it clear that Nigeria isnt going to break up under him.
With renewed agitations for a Biafra State by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by Nnamdi Kanu culminating in unrest and clashes in the Southeast, Buhari had strong words for political and traditional leaders in the Southeast.
I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through (during the civil war of the 60s). Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly, Buhari scolded.
2. Agitators for a break-up of Nigeria are irresponsible
Buhari said calls for restructuring of the country are in order.
But he also lamented that these calls have led to the rise of irresponsible groups who are calling for a balkanization through violent means.
Recent calls on re-structuring, quite proper in a legitimate debate, has let in highly irresponsible groups to call for dismemberment of the country. We cannot and we will not allow such advocacy.
As a young Army Officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about two million lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through, the president said.
3. Buhari says restructuring advocates and separatists should go through legislature
As separatist agitations boil over in the Southeast and Niger Delta regions, Buhari reminded activists and separatists alike that they still have to follow due process and not resort to violence.
At all events, proper dialogue and any desired constitutional changes should take place in a rational manner, at the National and State Assemblies. These are the proper and legal fora for national debate, not some lop-sided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives, the president said.
Government is keeping up the momentum of dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta to keep the peace. We intend to address genuine grievances of the communities, he added.
4. Past leaders didnt save for rainy day
According to the president, past Nigerian leaders frittered proceeds of crude oil which inevitably led to the depressed economy he inherited.
However, in spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per barrel and about 2.1m barrels a day, that great piece of luck was squandered and the countrys social and physical infrastructure neglected.
We were left with no savings and huge infrastructure deficit. The APC governments campaign rallying cry to restore security, re-balance the economy and fight corruption was not all rhetoric.
5. Corruption is Nigerias number one enemy
Buhari was elected president thanks largely to a strong anti-corruption reputation.
In this address, he stated that he isnt about to let up on his bare-knuckled fight against graft and sharp practices in the polity.
We must fight corruption which is Nigerias Number One Enemy, Buhari declared.
He added: We are fully aware that fighting corruption was never going to be a straightforward task. We expected corrupt elements to use any weapon to fight back, mainly judicial obstruction and political diversion. But we are determined to eradicate corruption from our body politic.
"In this fight, the government has empowered teams of prosecutors, assembled detailed databases and accelerated the recovery of stolen funds.
Buhari also listed his administrations institutional reforms to include: "enforcing Treasury Single Account, the Whistle-Blowers Policy and the Integrated Payroll Personnel and Information System".
6. Buhari says you should always blow a whistle
According to the president, the war against corruption can only be won if all Nigerians take to the battlefield with him.
Fighting corruption is a bottom to top operation. I call on all Nigerians to combat corruption at every turn. By not asking for and refusing to accept a bribe, by reporting unethical practices or by blowing a whistle, together we can beat corruption, Buhari said.
7. You should always celebrate on October 1
Nigeria may have gone through plenty of challenges since 1960, but your president wants you to be thankful and pop some wine on Independence Day.
Over the years, the country has gone through trials and tribulations, but October 1st is always a day for celebrations, Buhari says.
It is a day for thanksgiving, reflection and re-dedication.
It is also a day for remembrance. We should remind ourselves of the recent journey from 1999 2015, when our country happily returned to democratic rule.
8. Judiciary is being reformed to fight corruption
Some pundits suggest that until the judiciary is reformed, Nigeria wont make progress in the fight against corruption.
Buhari agrees.
The president says the judiciary is being reformed on his watch, to better help in the anti-corruption battle.
There are signs of increasing cooperation from the Judiciary. Recently the Chief Justice of the Federation directed Heads of all our Courts of first instance and Appeal to accelerate hearings of corruption cases and dismiss any judicial officers found to have been compromised, says the president.
Justice Salami has just been appointed to chair the Judiciarys anti-graft committee. Government expects a lot from this Committee".
9. Theres been improvement in the power sector
Apart from promising that his administration will accelerate its work in the next two years, President Buhari also said the power sector is experiencing an improvement.
Power remains a huge problem. As of September 12th, production of power reached an all time high of 7,001 Megawatts. Government is increasing its investment, clearing up the operational and financial log jam bedeviling the industry. We hope to reach 10,000 Megawatts by 2020.
Key priorities include better energy mix through solar and hydro technologies. I am glad to say that after many years of limbo, Mambilla Power Project has taken off.
10. Buhari promises improvement in next two years
The Buhari administration has gone past its half way mark. There are two more years before the president's first term elapses.
Buhari says improvements are underway before 2019.
1. Release of 106 Chibok girls, as well as over 16,000 people in Boko Haram captivity.
2. Tackling insurgency, decimation of Boko Haram in the North East.
3. Recovering 14 local governments and territories previously under Boko Haram control in the North East, rebuilding lives of citizens there; about one million displaced persons in the NE have returned to their communities in two years of this administration.
4. Curbing the incidence of kidnap across the country. (Arrest of kidnap kingpins and dismantling of kidnap cells across the country.)
5. Restoring morale of the Nigerian military; re-organizing and better equipping the Nigerian Armed Forces.
6. Purchase of 12 Super-Tucano aircrafts worth $600 million to aid the Nigerian military's current operations in the North East.
7. Ensuring continued peace in the Niger Delta through consistent funding of the FG amnesty programme for ex-militants.
8. Introduction of an improved mechanism for distribution of aid to IDPs in the North East through the establishment of the Special Intervention Programme of the Federal Government. (Door-to-door strategy)
Economy
9. Implementing the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) to aid economic recovery, taking the country out of her worst recession in 29 years, despite fall in oil prices.
10. N1.2 trillion expended on capital/infrastructure projects nationwide, a milestone in the nation's history.
11. Effective implementation of the Treasury Single Account, and increasing government revenue by over N3 trillion as well as entrenching transparency and accountability.
12. Implementation of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), thus tackling corruption by plugging loopholes for siphoning of public fund and tracking of illicit funds through multiple accounts
13. Ease of doing business: the Federal Government signed into law two bills from the National Assembly (Acts are the Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act, 2017 (otherwise known as Collateral Registry Act) and the Credit Reporting Act, 2017) which has facilitated access to more affordable credit for Nigerians, fast tracked budget submissions and promotes Made-in-Nigeria products.
14. Establishment of the Presidential Quarterly Business Forum to enhance interaction and private sector participation in the development of the economy.
15. Institutionalizing E-governance setting the foundation for the creation of a truly digital economy.
16. Creation of opportunities for youths to leverage innovation in technology through the introduction of the Aso Villa Demo Day (AVDD) through which over N700 million has been disbursed to young entrepreneurs.
17. The revitalization of the Made-in-Nigeria campaign. (Emphasis on consumption of local products gain grounds)
18. Implementing reforms in the civil service which has led to the elimination of over 30,000 ghost workers, thereby saving the country billions of naira monthly.
19. Massive investments in agriculture, e.g, Anchors Borrowers Programme to improve local produce, improving fertiliser distribution and access across states through the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative.
20. Reduction in rice imports as a result of governments policies that has encouraged massive rice production across Nigeria.
21. Improving transport infrastructure (rail and road); construction work ongoing on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, renovation of Abuja International Airport runway, completion of Abuja Kaduna Railway among others.
22. Social Investment Programmes (SIP): N-Power Volunteer Scheme creating jobs for over 200,000 (and still counting) unemployed graduates in all the 36 states and the FCT.
23. SIP: Ongoing Government Enterprise and Empowerment (GEEP) Scheme; commenced in November 2016 in collaboration with the Bank of Industry, where soft loans ranging from N10, 000 to N100, 000 have been given to over 189,000 market women and traders across different states.
24. SIP: Home Grown School Feeding Programme, where almost three million schoolchildren have been fed, while tens of thousands of cooks have been engaged in their respective states.
25. SIP: Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme, under which about 25,000 less privileged Nigerians so far are now being funded with the monthly N5,000 stipend in 9 pilot States (Bauchi, Borno, Cross Rivers, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Osun and Oyo). More beneficiaries are expected to be added in more states.
26. The establishment of MSMEs Clinics, a small Business support programme to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in different states.
27. Establishment of One-Stop-Shops to support policies on Ease of Doing Business.
28. The take-off of the 2nd Niger Bridge.
29. Phasing out subsidy for petroleum products, elimination of fuel scarcity and queues in petrol stations.
30. Implementation of the FG Niger Delta new vision, a comprehensive road map to improve livelihood and social infrastructure.
31. Improved power generation nationwide adding $500million to Nigerias sovereign wealth fund and about $87million to its excess crude account.
32. The creation of the N30billion Solid Minerals Development Fund.
33. Encouraging the patronage of local contents and increasing export in agriculture.
34. Signing of Executive Order 001 which is the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment - to ensure that public servants offer prompt service in a predictable and transparent manner, and sanction undue delays.
35. Signing of Executive Order 002 which is on prompt submission of annual budgetary estimates by all statutory and non-statutory agencies of the Federal Government including incorporated companies wholly owned by FG.
36. Bailout of cash crunch states; about N689 billion to 27 states of the federation to pay salaries in 2015.
37. Complete refund of Paris loan deductions to states (unprecedented).
38. Implementing the 2011 UNEP report for the ongoing Ogoni clean-up process after decades of oil spills and pollution.
39. Modification of the tax system so that it is more efficient.
40. Reforms in the airports (reconstruction of the Abuja airport runway and ongoing work at the Lagos airport).
41. Reforms at the nations seaports (Issues with cargo clearance at the ports addressed)
42. Improved duration (under 48 hours) for visa approval especially for investors.
43. Resuscitation of the nations refineries which are now working at 50 percent capacity for the first time in over a decade.
44. Eleven of the dead 33 fertilizer plants have been resuscitated while four others are to be revived shortly and this has profound impact on the ongoing revolution in the agricultural sector.
45. For the first time in more than 45 years, the Mambila Power Plant is set to take off with the allocation of $5.6billion for its realization and an expected 3,050 MW output upon completion.
46. Increasing external reserves to a 13 month high of $33 billion from $29.13 billion which has surpassed the ERGPs target of $30.56 billion despite global low oil prices and production challenges.
47. Cancellation of the Joint Venture cash calls with oil multinational companies operating in Nigeria (For the first time in the history of the industry) which has led to savings of billions of dollars lost to fictitious contract payments.
48. Release of N2 billion take off grant for the Maritime University as part of measures to address agitations in the Niger Delta region.
49. The new development bank of Nigeria (DBN) is finally taking off with initial funding of $1.3billion (provided by the World Bank, German Development Bank, African Development Bank, Agence Francaise De Development) to provide medium and long term loans to MSMEs.
Anti-graft War
50. Improving Nigerias international image and regional cooperation with neighbouring countries in fighting insurgency.
51. Anti-corruption war: Prosecuting alleged corrupt public officers and recovering billions of naira of stolen public funds; the successful establishment of the whistle-blower policy.
52. Signing of Executive Order 004 Voluntary Income Asset Declaration Scheme (VAIDS). This aims to increase tax awareness and compliance, and reduce incidence of tax evasion.
53. Signing of agreements with a number of nations to provide Automatic Exchange of Information.
54. Signing of the Extradition Treaty between Nigeria and United Arab Emirates (UAE) toward strengthening Nigerias anti-corruption campaign.
55. Establishment of PACAC a think-tank that has provided leadership, direction and also built capacity of personnel in the fight against corruption.
Others
56. Eradication of polio disease in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police chief and driver were abducted on Funtua-Birnin Gwari road.
Adeniyi is the ACP in charge Police Criminal Investigation Department in Zamfara and was on his way home to Edo when they were abducted.
The command Public Relation Officer, ASP MukhtarAliyu, told NAN that the two regained their freedom on Saturday at about 11:00 PM.
According to him, the abductors released the two following intense pressure by the police anti kidnapping unit, aerial surveillance and activities of the IGP Intelligent Response Team.
The pressure made the abductors to tactically release the victims; so far no arrest was made but we are putting every effort to trail the criminals, he said.
Sources had earlier informed NAN that the abductors had demanded for N50 million as ransom before releasing the assistant police commissioner, but the command spokesman denied any knowledge of that.
The Chairman of the anti-corruption group, Mr Debo Adeniran, while reacting to the broadcast, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the speech was particularly good for the anti-corruption fight.
He said the President reflected commitment and sincerity of purpose to the fight in the broadcast.
He said with the renewed commitment to fight as shown in the speech, the anti-corruption campaign had bright prospects of succeeding.
The speech by the president to mark the 57th anniversary of Nigeria inspired great hope for a better country.
With respect to the anti-corruption fight, the president reflected great sincerity of purpose and commitment in the broadcast.
And the way he called on the National Assembly and the Judiciary for support, the president was humble and factual enough to show that corruption could not be fought by the executive alone.
The president also outlined some of the ways in which he intend to make the fight more effective.
This is what is expected of a leader and I think all Nigerians should support the president in the campaign, he said.
Adeniran described the appointment of Justice Ayo Salami as Chairman of Judiciarys anti-corruption committee as a step in the right direction.
He said the retired Appeal Court judge had the pedigree to add bite to the anti-graft war.
Adeniran said there could be mixed feelings about the credibility of other members of the committee but that Salami would provide the right leadership for the committee to succeed.
Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, said this as part of his goodwill message to mark Nigerias 57th Independence Anniversary.
Saraki, while applauding Nigerians for their efforts, called for peace, unity and stability of the country irrespective of creed or tribe.
He also urged political, traditional, religious and business leaders to close ranks in order to initiate and implement ideas and strategies that would further develop and increase the standard of living of the citizenry.
According to him, the task for a greater Nigeria is a collective responsibility.
He enjoined every citizen to believe in the project Nigeria and pray for peace and progress of the country.
It is apparent that the need for peace, unity and stability in our nation cannot be compromised.
Our togetherness, abundant resources and diversity are our greatest asset.
Let us therefore refrain from tendencies that would pull us apart, he said.
The president of the senate noted that though there were challenges, the country was in a better stead today than it was a year ago.
He called for more concerted effort to enhance the lives of all Nigerians by continuing the consolidation of the present positive economic outlook.
Dogara made the call in a goodwill message to mark Nigerias 57 years Independence Anniversary, issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan in Abuja.
The speaker, who said that Nigeria would only attain greatness in an atmosphere of peace, unity and stability, also urged the citizens to shun every harbinger of hate, division and violence.
May I use the occasion of this years Independence Anniversary to urge us all to reflect on those things that unite and bring us together as a people, and shun individuals and groups with divisive tendencies.
At this time more than any other, we must adopt the right strategies and utilize the advantages of our diversity to our benefit as well as blend our differences for positive outcomes in the process of building the Nigeria of our dream.
The speaker also urged Nigerians to eschew ethnic, religious and sectional chauvinism while coming together as one people and one nation bound in freedom, peace and unity as encapsulated in the countrys National Anthem.
True independence will continue to elude us until and unless we attain independence from tribalism, sectionalism, primodialism, religious extremism, partisan political bigotry, materialism, corruption and ancillary forms of retrogressive tendencies that threatened to consign us to the forgotten age.
ALSO READ: Dogara condemns calls for Nigerias separation
Dogara also assured Nigerians that the House of Representatives would continue to provide the needed legislative framework that would further galvanize the people.
He added that legislative framework would also unite the nation as well as help find solutions to the countrys socio-political challenges.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was made known in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Mr Yomi Layinka on Saturday in Ibadan .
He said the development was in exercise of the governors power of prerogative of mercy in pursuant to the provisions of section 212 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Seven persons were granted release from prison, having spent varying terms of their sentences.
Thirteen had their death sentences reduced to a term of years, having spent considerable terms in prison, while one person had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment, he said.
Layinka said that the records of the benefitting convicts suggested that they had undergone reforms.
He said that some of them had, while in incarceration, passed their General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations and obtained first degree certificates from the National Open University.
Some of them are also at varying stages of completion of their degree courses in different courses at NOUN, the spokesperson said.
He was gushing with immense pride at what the founding fathers had just achieved.
Today is Independence Day. The first of October 1960 is a date to which for two years every Nigerian has been eagerly looking forward to. At last, our great day has arrived, and Nigeria is now indeed an independent sovereign nation, Balewa declared with plenty of optimism at the square now named after him, in Lagos.
He added that; now we have acquired our rightful status, and I feel sure that history will show that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace: it has been thorough, and Nigeria now stands well- built upon firm foundations.
Balewa received the instruments of a new nation from the last British Governor-General of Nigeria, Sir James Robertson.
In and around the venue of Balewas address, cultural troupes, student groups and masquerades, took turns to break into a song and dance.
Above the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos where the Prime Minister delivered his address, fireworks illuminated the skyline and chants of Happy Independence Day Nigeria rang from Lagos to Sokoto.
The national pride across the regions was palpable and infectious. Nigerians strutted the place with a spring in their steps.
Nigeria, the founding fathers told everyone who cared to listen, had arrived.
Nostalgia
I remember with nostalgia and a sense of gratitude to God, how we stood for prayers led by the Anglican Bishop of Lagos, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Lagos and the Chief Imam of Lagos, recalled the late Chief Solomon Lar, a former Governor of Plateau State, to the Vanguard newspaper.
They all prayed for this nation and when it was exactly 12 midnight, the floodlights were dimmed and the light came up again, ushering a new Green White Green banner that replaced the Union Jack on the flagpole.
We sang the new National Anthem with great hope and sense of total commitment to our great nation, Nigeria. Later in the morning, the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, represented by her cousin, Princess Alexandra of Kent, formally handed the constitutional instrument to the Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
Coups
After the bloody coups, counter coups and military interventions of the 60s through 90s, Nigeria appears to have settled rather nicely into its latest democratic experiment.
In 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo who served briefly as military president from 1976 to 1979--following the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed--was elected president on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), heralding a new era for a nation that had literally been to hell and back.
In 2015, Obasanjo said Nigeria has made decent progress in spite of its enormous challenges.
The former president also added that Nigeria has to learn from its mistakes in order to make meaningful gains in the future.
When you look at the life and history of those that you may call settled societies or reasonably matured countries, we are not doing too badly, Obasanjo said during an interactive session with journalists in Abeokuta in 2015.
"Such successful nations would have had mis-steps just like we are having, they have made mistakes and most of them have learnt from their mistakes, they have been dynamic in the way they have progressed and I believe that we are doing the same thing.
"What is important is that certain cardinal principles, cardinal features of our national lives, values, should not be eroded. And then we should also be willing to learn from our mistakes.
Unbroken democratic experiment
In March 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari assumed the reins of leadership at the center after a newly formed opposition APC defeated the PDP during a keenly contested and followed general election.
President Buhari got the nod of voters on the back of a campaign promise to tackle endemic corruption, halt the terrorist insurgency in the Northeast and revive an economy that had tanked; no thanks to wastefulness and larceny from the political elite and their cronies.
As Nigeria commemorates 57 years as a nation state, Buhari has promised to deliver on those campaign promises--midway into his first term as a democratically elected president.
October 1st remains a special date for all Nigerians as this marks the day when we attained one of the most precious of human desires freedom, Buhari said during a nationwide address.
Over the years the country has gone through trials and tribulations, but October 1st is always a day for celebrations.
It is a day for thanksgiving, reflection and re-dedication.
It is also a day for remembrance. We should remind ourselves of the recent journey from 1999 2015, when our country happily returned to democratic rule, he added.
Separatist agitations
Nigeria has also battled separatist agitations in the Southeast and South South regions. In recent times, soldiers have clashed with secessionist agitators in Abia State.
However, Buhari has warned that Nigeria wont break up on his watch and has promised to steer the nation to pastures new.
In the past two years, Nigeria has recorded appreciable gains in political freedom. A political Party at the centre losing elections of State Governor, National Assembly seat and even State Assemblies to the opposition parties is new to Nigeria, Buhari said.
Added to these are complete freedom to associate, to hold and disseminate opinions. Such developments clearly attest to the countrys growing political development. But like all freedoms, this is open to abuse.
As a young Army Officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about two million lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through.
I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly.
At all events, proper dialogue and any desired constitutional changes should take place in a rational manner, at the National and State Assemblies. These are the proper and legal fora for National debate, not some lopsided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives.
Government is keeping up the momentum of dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta to keep the peace. We intend to address genuine grievances of the communities, the president promised.
Its a view echoed by Senate President Bukola Saraki who says being together is Nigerias biggest asset.
It is apparent that the need for peace, unity and stability in our nation cannot be compromised, Saraki said in an e-mailed statement issued on the eve of Nigerias 57th independence anniversary.
Our togetherness, abundant resources and diversity are our greatest asset. Let us therefore refrain from tendencies that would pull us apart.
It is necessary at this time in our developmental journey that we all redouble our resolve to make Nigeria take her rightful leadership position among her peers,Saraki added.
For Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola;"Our strength lies in our unity. We should therefore avoid anything that will destroy our unity and corporate existence.
"I urge Nigerians to cultivate the habit of hard work and high productivity in order to create wealth, stimulate national prosperity and the growth of the economy.
Pride in the flag
Political leaders across the partisan divide still retain plenty of hope that Nigeria is on the path toward greatness, even though theyve been most complicit in robbing Africas most populous nation of its rightful place in the committee of nations, through the years.
Theres plenty of patriotic fervour and infectious nationalism on the streets as well. Miniature flags have decorated cars and buildings across Nigerias major cities in the weeks leading up to the nations 57th anniversary. Restaurants and offices are being draped in flowing green/white flags from Lagos to Abuja.
And commercial bus drivers and cyclists are making the rounds with flags pinned to their windshields and caps.
Our nation will be great. Well get there, surely, said Titilayo, 26, a wide grin plastered on her face as she hung out with friends at the Ikeja City Mall last weekend. She had her face and those of her friends painted in the colours of her country as well.
For 32-year-old Henry who works as an accountant in one of Lagos finest auditing firms, his faith in Nigeria has never been greater.
We have all of the human and natural resources to be one of the greatest nations on earth. That often gives me hope that well turn the corner sooner than later. No one should bet against Nigeria, he added before handing this writer a hand flag as an independence day gift.
ALSO READ: 10 things we learnt from independence day address
There has been plenty of that pride in the nations flag on display; all week long. Vendors of miniature flags have certainly made a killing in recent weeks.
57 years ago, Balewa spoke so glowingly about the Nigeria of everyones dreams as the British flag was lowered for the green and white of Nigeria. There have been dashed hopes and unfulfilled promises along the way in all of these years.
During his declaration, Fayose promised to fix the nations broken healthcare system, revamp the countrys education sector and revive a faltering economy.
Fayose is yet to settle for a Vice Presidential pick, but thats exactly why we are here.
Here are the five persons who could be on the same ticket with Peter the Rock Fayose.
1. Ibrahim Dankwambo
By most accounts, a decent, quiet gentleman who only cares about getting the job done.
Gombe State Governor Dankwambo has reportedly acquitted himself on the job as the number one citizen of his home State.
Hes in with a fighting chance.
2. Sule Lamido
Hes maintained his allegiance to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even at a time when it wasnt politically expedient to do so.
Alongside his sons, former Jigawa Governor Lamido is battling corruption charges in court. But so is Fayose and your favourite politician out there.
Hes a strong character as well; a trait Fayose may not exactly fancy given his out-sized persona and ego.
Godswill Akpabio
A South West/South South PDP presidential ticket isnt exactly likely to fly, but former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and minority leader in the Senate, Godswill Akpabio is sure to garner Fayose the votes from two geopolitical zones who cry marginalisation at every opportunity.
Akpabio is also hands-on, loud mouthed and a seasoned campaignerjust what Fayose needs on the stomp.
He splashes the cash too without let, has a thing for roughening up opposition voices and often talks a big game.
He could turn out an asset for Fayose during barnstorming season.
Sign him up, Peter!
Nnamdi Kanu
Topping the list of persons Fayose counts as friends is separatist leader and hate speech merchant Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu is currently facing charges bordering on treason and illegal possession of firearms, but he may well have been given the all clear before 2019.
And theres nothing Fayose will love more than showing Ndigbo that he cares about them.
Picking the man who has become the face of Biafra agitations in Nigeria, could be a boon for Fayose's attempt to see himself as a lover of the Igbos.
A Fayose-Kanu ticket could also be the Ekiti State Governors way of pandering to marginalisation sentiments in the South east.
And since both men share the undying trait of calling President Muhammadu Buhari all sorts of unprintable names, they could just be the pair the doctor ordered for the PDP.
5. Ahmed Makarfi
Governor of Kaduna State from 1999 to 2007.
These days, Makarfis day job includes managing all the egos and alpha males in the PDP as the party's caretaker Chairman; pending when an elective convention holds.
At this moment, Makarfis PDP has zoned the presidency to the north of Nigeria, meaning that Fayose is not Makarfis flavour of the month right now.
ALSO READ:
However, all that could change if Fayoses presidential ambition proves undefeated within the ranks of the nations biggest opposition party.
And in politics, nothing is really cast in stone and there are no permanent enemies.
A Twitter statement said the social media company shared data with congressional investigators about ads from RT, a television group with links to the Moscow government.
The news comes after Facebook acknowledged foreign entities linked to Russia paid to promote political messages on the leading social network, potentially violating US election laws.
A blog post by Twitter said its vice president for public policy, Colin Crowell, met with staff Thursday from two congressional panels investigating Russian interference in the election process.
"This is an ongoing process and we will continue to collaborate with investigators," the statement said.
Twitter said it examined efforts by foreign agents to interfere with the election after Facebook indicated it found 450 accounts that appeared to have been used for this purpose.
"Of the roughly 450 accounts that Facebook recently shared as a part of their review, we concluded that 22 had corresponding accounts on Twitter," the statement said.
"All of those identified accounts had already been or immediately were suspended from Twitter for breaking our rules, most for violating our prohibitions against spam."
'Text to vote' scam
The statement added that RT, which was named in January in a US intelligence report on election interference, spent at least $274,100 in 2016 for 1,823 tweet ads or "promotions" that "definitely or potentially targeted the US market."
"These campaigns were directed at followers of mainstream media and primarily promoted RT Tweets regarding news stories," the statement added.
"We are concerned about violations of our terms of service and US law with respect to interference in the exercise of voting rights," the statement said.
Twitter said that during the election campaign, it removed tweets "that were attempting to suppress or otherwise interfere with the exercise of voting rights, including the right to have a vote counted, by circulating intentionally misleading information."
Twitter said some of the ads, or promoted tweets, aimed to deceive voters by telling them they could "text to vote," which has no basis in fact.
"We have not found accounts associated with this activity to have obvious Russian origin, but some of the accounts appear to have been automated," the statement said.
"We have shared examples of the content of these removed tweets with congressional investigators."
Earlier this month, Facebook said it would turn over data on some 3,000 ads purchased by a Russian entity that appeared to inflame political divisions during the campaign. Some $100,000 was spent on the Facebook ads.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Twitter's presentation "deeply disappointing" and "inadequate."
Warner told reporters that the Twitter data was "basically derivative based on accounts that Facebook had identified (and) showed an enormous lack of understanding from the Twitter team of how serious this issue is, the threat it poses to democratic institutions, and again begs many more questions."
New research on 'bots'
US lawmakers as well as a special prosecutor are investigating whether Russia interfered with the election or aided Donald Trump's successful presidential campaign.
A study released Thursday meanwhile found the campaign to spread "junk news" during the 2016 presidential election via Twitter appeared to target key states that were the most contested.
The research paper by the Oxford University Project on Computational Propaganda suggested a sophisticated effort to spread disinformation using automated accounts, or "bots."
The researchers said that in the days leading up to the election, "Twitter users got more misinformation, polarizing and conspiratorial content than professionally produced news."
But in swing states, "average levels of misinformation were higher," even when weighted for the relative size of the state.
The study is just the latest to highlight the role of a disinformation campaign, widely believed to have been directed from Russia, to influence the election and help Trump while hurting his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
The Oxford researchers said the latest analysis suggests "strategically disseminated polarizing information" during the campaign.
A Twitter statement questioned the accuracy of the study, saying that research conducted by third parties about the impact of bots and misinformation on Twitter "is almost always inaccurate and methodologically flawed."
MOLINE -- Second-grader Ali Coons can't wait to get back to school Monday. Her week off from classes at Moline's Franklin Elementary School due to a Sunday fire was far from enjoyable.
"I love school," Ali said. She especially loves math.
She, along with hundreds of Franklin parents and students, learned Saturday that classes will resume Monday at a new Falcons' aerie -- once Moline's IBM building and most recently serving as Western Illinois University Regional Center, 3561 60th St., Moline.
The building was bought Friday by Rock Island, Honolulu and Sausalito, Cal.businessman Joe Lemon. Mr. Lemon said he had a number of large companies interested in the building, "but I just told them to step aside."
He said he felt fortunate to be in a position to help someone, and knew he needed to move quickly to be able to care for the kids at Franklin School. Mr. Lemon joined Franklin walkers in Friday's homecoming people, unbeknownst to most parade-goers.
When Moline superintendent Lanty McGuire warned Mr. Lemon that the district may need the building for the rest of the year, "he didn't flinch," Mr. McGuire said.
"It's a big relief to us," said Mr. McGuire. "We were thinking we would have to scatter students to other schools, but Mr. Lemon solved that problem for us."
Moline administrators had considered several other options, including the Coolidge building, Allendale school headquarters, the Rock Island Arsenal, and a number of churches, including Heritage Church's offer of its Esperanza Center -- the former Ericsson Elementary School, Mr. McGuire said.
"Finding a building means we all get to stay together," principal Michele Pittington said. "And that's a huge relief to our students, parents, administrators and to the community."
Mr. McGuire said he told teachers that they were going to like the new building so much that they may wish to never leave. Ms. Pittington told him he was right.
"I will never be able to get you out of there," Mr. McGuire said. "It has air conditioning," a comment that drew loud and sustained applause.
Teachers, though, weren't around to ask. "They're busy moving," Ms. Pittington said.
Slightly shorter school days will be necessary, she said.
"Our day will begin at 8:25 a.m. and end at 2:30," Ms. Pittington said. "Everything will be a little shortened," but will include music, library, PE and art.
"We don't have a gym, but will make a small make-shift one," she said. Volunteers also spent Friday assembling a fenced-in, outdoor playground center.
Three district-wide counselors also will be available to support students, she said.
Student transportation will be provided. Buses will pick up kids from 8:05 to 8:10 a.m. from the Moline Two Rivers YMCA Spirit, Mind and Body Center/Union Congregational Church site, at 1811 53rd St., Moline.
Students opting for bus rides will be taken to the new building, 3561 60th St., Moline, or parents may take their kids to school. Detailed traffic directions were handed out to parents.
Franklin School and the "New Franklin" are 2 1/2 miles apart.
School dismissal times will be 2:30 p.m. or at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Buses will return to Two Rivers Spirit, Mind and Body with students who elected to ride.
The center also will be open as early as 7 a.m. for parents needing to drop their kids off early. Parents needing any additional help should call Mr. McGuire, who said he realized how difficult it was for people who needed to take emergency time off and that he would work with anyone to remove any hindrances caused by the school transfer.
Mr. McGuire thanked students and parents for their patience and understanding. He also thanked core groups of people including members of crisis teams, school board members, WIU administrators, maintenance personnel and other community members reacting to the situation.
School board member Andy Waeyaert mentioned Franklin's plight to WIU administrators to start the ball rolling, Mr. McGuire said.
"People in this school district are so fortunate to have the type of leadership, teachers and staff willing to take such good care of children, keep them safe and get them back to school," Mr. Lemon said.
Anyone who walked in the parade Friday would know what a great community we live in," Mr. McGuire said. "But I realized that our T-shirts should have read "Franklin Strong, Moline Strong and Community Strong."
Franklin PTA president Emily Keag, wore a Franklin T-shirt Saturday, while saying "Franklin parents are awesome." She also found it interesting comparing Franklin's blue colors to IBM's Big Blue nickname.
Ali's mom, Katie Coons, was just excited the district formed a plan as fast as it did.
All Ali cared about is getting back to math class.
Space is indeed the final frontier; the only geographical area comparable on Earth is Antarctica. In some way, space has been apportioned like Antarctica has, with various international governments claiming land and space, but not the whole. In fact, space is governed by an assortment of treaties and international conferences which basically state that no one entity can own the moon, individual celestial bodies or the heavens and galaxies that surround them. What follows is a brief survey of those laws, but as complicated as these laws are, this article is not intended to be another Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
After Sputnik 1 was launched Oct. 4, 1957, the United States and other countries began to realize the legal implications of space exploration. Matthew J. Kleiman observes in Space Law, 101, that before Sputniks launch, the legal status of space was unclear. Outer space was treated legally as airspace was treated; national sovereignty included the air space above a countrys territory, Mr. Kleiman states. As early as 1919, international law accepted this definition of air space.
According to such a definition, Sputnik orbiting the Earth would have trespassed on the air space of every country it flew over. The United States more or less looked the other way, certainly not up, Elizabeth Howell states in Who Owns the Moon? Space Law and Other Space Treaties. President Eisenhower indulged the Soviets because he had hope of the U.S. overtaking them in the space race. As a result, rules governing outer space began to change, especially those dealing with aircraft.
Today space law means international and national laws that rule and govern what we as humans do in outer space, according to Mr. Kleiman. The laws will further evolve with the growth of private entities seeking to pick up the space program where the space shuttle program left off.
The International Institute of Space Law, IISL:
Nearly fifty countries belong to this global organization that promotes peaceful use of space. IISLs mission is the promotion of further development of space law and expansion of the rule of law in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, according to iislweb.org. In connection with the ECSL or European Centre for Space Law, IISL holds an annual symposium. Other events include the International Astronautical Congress.
Apparently, the answer to the question of who owns the moon is no one and everyone, according to Space.com. While the United States flag presumably remains firmly planted on the lunar landscape, the moon isnt exactly a candidate for statehood.
In fact, the Moon Agreement of 1979 is a treaty signed by 16 nations. It sets standards for use and exploration of the moon. All nations apparently have the right to explore the moon and space in general. The United Nations has been active in implementing international space treaties, just as it has been active in implementing treaties among nations on Earth.
The most important standard of all that is common to all space treaties dictates that the moon and space in general should be explored for the benefit of all people of the Earth, the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs states. Since 1968, the United Nations has hosted four conferences dealing with the use of outer space. Most space treaties forbid the orbit of nuclear weapons and stress that all nations have the same equal rights to space exploration. In a way, space-faring treaties are similar to seafaring treaties and rules, including Hugo Grotius Law of the Sea (1609). Piracy is forbidden in both sea and sky by all laws that deal with either.
Several other treaties were written that dealt with the use and exploration of outer space, according to Space.com. These include The Rescue Agreement (1968), The Liability Convention (1972), The Broadcasting Principles (1977), The Remote Sensing Principles (1986), The Nuclear Power Sourcing Principles (1992), and The Benefits Declaration (1996). These agreements all deal with rescuing astronauts and legal liability of space travel, use of satellites, use of television broadcasting signals in space, and more. Apparently, the idea of avoiding a real Star Wars scenario was in the minds of those who drafted such treaties.
While modern space explorers continue to travel boldly where no one has gone before, new laws and regulations will accompany them. As private space tourism evolves, the law of space personal injury will also grow, and with it, a new legal specialty in space will skyrocket.
Today is Sunday, Oct. 1, the 274th day of 2017. There are 91 days left in the year.
1867 -- 150 years ago: J.C. Goodhue, agent for the Peake Family, has made arrangements for two concerts in Babcocks Hall on Oct 28 and 29.
1892 -- 125 years ago: Dr. J.W. Stewart will address the young mens meeting in the YMCA.
1917 -- 100 years ago: E.D. Fisher, of South Rock Island, has been appointed assistant to Superintendent Fred Rinck of the local free employment bureau.
1942 -- 75 years ago: Rock Island city trucks gathered pressed tin cans saved by housewives for shipment to war production plants.
1967 -- 50 years ago: A brisk breeze blew the leaves gently on a beautiful fall day in Galesburg as the remains of Carl Sandburg were brought home to rest in a little park behind the house where he was born in 1878. Nearly 3,000 people sat in bleachers or stood through the simple memorial service for a man who had made a lasting impression on the world he lived in for nearly a century.
1992 -- 25 years ago: Suzy Bogguss, a native of Aledo, was given the Horizon Award for showing the most promise at the annual Country Music Association award show Wednesday night in Nashville.
Fire engulfs 40 houses in Balkhu settlement
At least 40 houses were destroyed when a massive fire broke out in a squatter settlement in front of the fruits market at Balkhu in Kathmandu on Saturday night.
Id like to address the elephant in the room. That elephant being the Republican Party and their refusal to represent the majority of their constituents. Lets begin with stricter gun control (something that would help lessen the fears parents have when sending their children off to school), 53% of Americans favor this (Pew Research) yet the elephant in the room refuses to consider any such thing. Over 70% of Americans want stricter background checks yet again; the elephant in the room refuses to represent them. 61% of Americans say abortion should be legal. Again, the elephant in the room pushes laws that do the opposite. 74% of Americans do not want social security reduced in any way. But the elephant in the room pushes to do just the opposite, cut social security. 63% of Americans now prefer Medicare for all, but the elephant in the room fights it with all its might. 67% of Americans feel more needs to be done to reduce climate change, but not the elephant in the room. The elephant sides with the fossil fuel industry claiming its not a big concern. Given these few statistics (there are more like them) its obvious that the Republican Party is the party of minority rule, quite the opposite of what our founding fathers envisioned. The Republican Party has become a power cult, not a party that represents the majority of Americans. Remember this while you mark your ballot in this midterm election. Save Democracy! Vote Democratic!
For rail transport, this is tough to cope with because most railways are large traditional organisations, which makes change difficult to achieve. The problem is that if railways do not act quickly, all the advances of the last few years which have enabled the industry to grow, will be lost, and rail could face a bleak future once more.
As Mr Bernt Reitan Jenssen, CEO of Oslo public transport administrator Ruter, explains, public transport is not a door-to-door service and is often unpleasant to use, and while there has been strong growth in recent years, because some of the alternatives are even worse, this is a very risky situation to be in. It is just waiting for someone to come up with a better idea, he says, which could have a dramatic effect on operators.
The European Railway Industry Association (Unife) has just published a position paper on railway digitalisation which sets out some of the challenges facing the industry and what steps need to be taken to reap the rewards promised by digitalisation. Unife identifies six disruptive trends in transport including intelligence, automation, new entrants and cyber security.
Unife also points to some of the opportunities that digitalisation presents to make far better use of the technology already available, including switching from periodic and preventative maintenance of both rolling stock and infrastructure to a predictive system. This could reduce costs and improve reliability dramatically, both of which are essential for rail to be more competitive.
Unife wants to see a step change in asset management by using innovative technologies, new economic models, and enhanced standards. But it says there needs to be common priorities and objectives, a clear roadmap, and a deployment plan to achieve a digital transformation. It wants the industry to work together to achieve this with assistance from the European Commission. Unife also wants the European Union to offer more financial support.
Several railway organisations are already seizing the opportunities which digitalisation affords. German Rail (DB) and Britains Network Rail (NR), for example, have strong digitalisation initiatives underway, while French National Railways (SNCF) has sent teams to Silicon Valley to see what is possible.
Others are taking very bold steps to radically change the way they work. Ruter, for example, has decided to replace its already successful smartcard ticketing system, which accounted for 60% of revenue, with one based on smartphones. The future is not more hard work, ticketing machines or barriers, it is cloud-based, Reitan Jenssen, told IRJ.
Barcelona Metropolitan Transport (TMB) has taken the opportunity presented by the opening of its first driverless metro line to completely rethink the way it operates and maintains the entire metro network. Traditional jobs such as drivers, station masters, operating managers, and maintenance technicians have been swept away and replaced with customer care agents and operating managers on conventional lines and operating technicians on the automated lines. The change has brought staff much closer to customers and eliminated many repetitive tasks resulting in much greater job satisfaction and a reduction in absenteeism.
MTR has also worked hard at trying to improve staff morale on its Stockholm metro concession by weeding out managers who are not willing or able to change the way they work, and having employees who are engaged and empowered to make improvements.
Railways also need to be much more customer-focussed than they are now. If we continue to ignore the wishes of our customers, and continue to come up with inferior solutions, we will be gone in a couple of years, Reitan Jenssen warns.
MTR recognises this and has done a lot to improve customer satisfaction since it took over the concession to operate the Stockholm metro in 2009. In a two-year period, MTR took 800 actions to improve customer performance with the result that customer satisfaction improved 10% in three years.
Rail transport also has its disrupters in the form of new operators which are having a major impact on the market. These include NTV which forced a step change in the overall quality of high-speed rail services in Italy; Leo Express, Czech Republic, which has expanded rapidly; SNCFs Ouigo high-speed operation in France which demonstrated to its parent company that it is possible to run a high-speed service more efficiently; and now MTR Express in Sweden which expects to be in the black next year (p36). Brightline in Florida could also become a disrupter if its soon-to-be-launched inter-city service proves a success, as this is the first private passenger operation to launch in North America for at least 50 years.
The rail industry can continue to develop and prosper provided it takes the necessary steps to change. This requires companies to be agile, imaginative, and willing to embrace new technology and ways of working - things which railways have struggled with in the past. The alternative is, however, too grim to ponder.
Property details:
A charming wooded lake gated subdivision. The perfect place to have a vacation retreat or retirement home you always wanted. Located in Southwestern Tennessee with rich rolling hills ans small-town hospitality. This area offers fishing, boating and abundant wildlife. The community has 4 lakes a Olympic size pool and club house. The association is managed by all volunteer help people who live in the community so to keep the maintenance fees as low. The address is 695 Wildwood Drive, Saulsbuy, TN ...
Price: $ 1,272 Seller State of Residence: Tennessee State/Province: Tennessee Type: Homesite, Lot City: Saulsbury Location: 380**, Saulsbury, Tennessee
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PM Deuba calls for utilising senior citizens' skills, knowledge and experiences for country's devt
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today extended wishes to all the mothers, fathers and older persons in the country on the occasion of 27th International Day of Older Persons.
Although the temptation to read only the books, newspapers and magazines with which we already agree is great, we mustnt give into it. This opinion does not reflect the opinions of the editorial staff.
Days after quitting the Congress, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane on Sunday launched a new party called 'Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh', and indicated his organisation may align with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"I have just launched the party. I am waiting for some people to join, then I will decide the future course (of action)," the 65-year-old tough-talking leader, who has pockets of influence in the Konkan region, told a press conference in Mumbai.
Rane, who served as the chief minister in 1999 when he was in the Shiv Sena, hinted that his outfit might be veering towards the BJP camp.
"I have friends there, so I have no issues with the party (BJP). Let me first make new friends for my party, and then I will be able to announce my next move."
Asked if he aspires to become the chief minister, he said, "I still have an ambition to become the chief minister of Maharashtra. It never dies. I will wait for the right time to come."
He said he or his new party will never oppose any development work, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious bullet train project.
The BJP's saffron ally Shiv Sena has been critical of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The criticism has become increasingly strident following the stampede on the narrow foot overbridge linking Parel and Elphinstone Road stations that claimed 23 lives recently.
Earlier, there was speculation that Rane may join the BJP as some reports suggested that he had met party president Amit Shah in Ahmedabad a few months ago and later in New Delhi.
However, a section in the BJP was learnt to be not in favour of Rane's induction into the party.
The Shiv Sena's threat to review its continuance in the Maharashtra government was also seen as a hint to the BJP not to take Rane into the party fold. The Shiv Sena has been bitterly critical of Rane, who had objected to Uddhav Thackeray's elevation in the party.
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had expelled Rane from the party following which the Maratha leader joined the Congress on July 26, 2005. He was made the revenue minister in the then Congress-NCP government in the state the very next day.
Rane's son Nitesh, an MLA known for his strongarm tactics, had launched 'Swabhimani Sanghatana' around a decade back. His organisation was often locked in confrontation with the Shiv Sena. Senior Rane borrowed the name for his new party from his son's organisation.
Asked about the future of his son's outfit and his own party, Narayan Rane said, "Now, both would become one entity. The Swabhimani organisation will be a part of the political party."
Rane had resigned from the Congress last month after accusing the party having reneged on the promise of making him the chief minister when he had joined it 12 years ago. He had also resigned as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Asked if he would contest the election for the seat that has fallen vacant following his resignation, Rane said he would take a call after the Election Commission announces the schedule.
Rane also criticised Uddhav, saying "Everyone in Shiv Sena, except for Uddhav Thackeray, is my friend. He hardly understands any issue and keeps criticising BJP leaders and their decisions. It is due to his leadership that the party has been widely ridiculed."
"I have similar equations with Ashok Chavan (the state Congress chief). Except for him, everyone in Congress is my friend," he said.
Photograph: Sahil Salvi for Rediff.com
A man armed with knife stabbed two women to death at the Saint Charles train station in the southern French city of Marseille on Sunday before being shot dead by patrolling soldiers in a suspected terror attack.
On Twitter, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said after the attack at Saint Charles main train station he was heading to Marseille.
It is reported that the attacker shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he stabbed two women.
"Two victims have been stabbed to death," Local media quoted regional police chief Olivier de Mazieres as saying.
The area around Saint Charles train station at Marseille has been cordoned off and the station has been evacuated.
On September 15, a man wielding a knife attacked a soldier of Operation Sentinelle force patrolling outside Chatelet metro station in Paris.
France has opened a counter-terrorism inquiry after the rising incidents of troops being attacked, stationed at capital's transport hubs and tourist sites.
France has been the victim of a string of Islamic State-inspired terror attacks in the past two years, most notably the November 2015 atrocities which claimed the lives of 130 people.
Image: Police secure the area outside the Saint-Charles train. Photograph: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters
Spanish riot police smashed their way across Catalonia on Sunday as they confiscating ballot boxes and voting papers to try to halt a banned referendum on a split from Spain.
IMAGE: Spanish Civil Guard officers remove demonstrators outside a polling station for the banned independence referendum in Barcelona, Spain. Photograph: Susana Vera/Reuters
Police broke down doors to force entry into voting stations as defiant Catalans shouted "Out with the occupying forces!" and sang the anthem of the wealthy northeastern region. In one incident in Barcelona, police fired rubber projectiles.
Catalan officials said 337 people had been injured in the police crackdown. Officers in riot gear hit people with batons and forcibly removed would-be voters, including women and the elderly, from polling stations.
The referendum, declared illegal by Spain's central government, has thrown the country into its worst constitutional crisis in decades and deepened a centuries-old rift between Madrid and Barcelona.
The Spanish government has pledged to stop the poll, which is declared illegal by the country's constitutional court.
There was an extraordinary show of determination as thousands turned out to vote despite threats from the government in Madrid.
The Spanish government considers the referendum unconstitutional and had ordered the police to seal public facilities to prevent voting.
Meanwhile, the Spanish interior ministry had asked Catalan schools to collaborate with their operation to halt the referendum.
Furiously reacting to the brutal crackdown on the voters, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias said, "Bumps, shoves, old women dragged. What the PP is doing to our democracy is repugnant to me. Corrupt, hypocritical, useless. Is this your 'victory' Mariano Rajoy?" The Guardian reported.
IMAGE: People cast their ballots at a polling station. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont cast his vote in Cornella de Terri, a village in Girona province.
Spanish national forces in riot gear entered several sites, while the Catalan police, known as Mossos, watched voters stream in but made no move to interfere with them.
Barcelona's mayor, Ada Colau, expressed her discontent about the Spanish police's intervention in the referendum.
"A cowardly president has filled our city with police. Barcelona, city of peace, is not afraid," Ada Colau tweeted.
On Saturday, multitudes of supporters of Catalan independence maintained their standoff with the Spanish government they were prepared to hold a fiercely disputed referendum.
IMAGE: Voters wait in queue outside a polling station. Photograph: Yves Herman/Reuters
Several parents had already occupied the schools in a bid to prevent police from restricting access to their use today as polling stations.
The actions and reactions have come a day after huge crowds massed in Barcelona, the regional capital, for a final campaign rally by independence supporters.
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont called on the people to vote despite the obstacles.
"We are people who have experience with difficulties, and every difficultly makes us stronger. Friends, so that victory is definite, on Sunday, let's dress up in referendum (clothes) and leave home prepared to change history, to end the process and start progress, social progress, economic progress and cultural and national progress," he said.
Notably, Spain's central government had issued stern warnings against the referendum. The country's apex court has even barred it as unconstitutional.
With inputs from ANI
President Bhandari calls for reverence for older persons
President Bidya Devi Bhandari has urged one and all to honour and revere the senior citizens as well as to emulate their good values and works, arguing that they are repositories of experience and wisdom.
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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
As soon as the Universal logo flickers and switches to its retro 70s look and the disco music starts to play, jazzing up Jimmy Carter speeches and old news footage, we know what were in for with the cocaine-smuggling adventure American Made. This is a romp and a half. Maybe even three.
Director Doug Liman has never been a minimalist filmmaker, and American Made just might be his most maximalist film yet. It skitters and jumps, shivers and boot-scoots, never, ever sitting still. You could say its like Blow, on well, blow. But theres a breezy sunniness to this film, which looks like a faded snapshot reclaimed from an 80s photo album. VHS lines and time stamps crackle effervescently.
American Made casts a nostalgic golden filter on what was admittedly a rather dark and dramatic period. Drug cartel-related violence plagued the Southeast while the first lady urged everyone to just say no. Meanwhile, the American government was essentially allowing the illegal import of cocaine while providing guns to the rebels fighting in Central America.
This is all told through the true life story of pilot, drug smuggler and informant Barry Seal (Tom Cruise). Hotshot flyboy Seal is Maverick gone a bit soft, a commercial TWA pilot who takes up with the CIA and Medellin cartel because hes got mouths to feed and an elastic moral compass.
Through Barrys perspective, American Made, which is written by Gary Spinelli, is the Iran-Contra Affair for Dummies, explained in simple terms and sometimes animation via Barrys voiceover (a framing device has him telling his life story into a VHS camera).
Magnetically energetic as always, Cruise merely serves as the star vessel through which this story passes. The supporting actors steal the show, including Caleb Landry Jones as his redneck brother-in-law, and a smarmy Domhnall Gleeson as Barrys CIA contact Schafer. Jesse Plemons is also predictably great in a small role as a naive small-town sheriff.
But this is Barrys film from first frame to last. Some creative license has been taken for dramatic effect, but when it comes to the governmental machinations, thats all pretty real.
American Made has some glorious moments when its firing on all cylinders, but it cant sustain that throughout. It shows its references, a combination of Goodfellas, Blow and Scarface, but never achieves the internal consistency of those films. This is far more roughshod. But somehow, despite its awkwardness, American Made has an undeniable shaggy-dog charm.
A post-script at the end of Rebel in the Rye states that legendary Catcher in the Rye author J.D. Salingers seclusion and refusal to publish only made him more famous and revered. Its tempting to raise the curtain on that mystery, but its like pulling back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz. Ultimately, whats revealed in the new biopic of young Salinger, written and directed by Danny Strong, poses some interesting questions but doesnt live up to the power of the mystery around the man itself.
Strong draws on Kenneth Slawenskis biography, J.D. Salinger: A Life, to provide the details about what shaped the young upstart writer in the early 1940s. The young British actor Nicholas Hoult steps into the role of Jerry Salinger, whos bad at school, chases women and lives to write, despite the protestations of his father (Victor Garber). Kevin Spacey plays Whit Burnett, Jerrys writing professor at Columbia, and their connection proves the central relationship to the story.
One of the most intriguing questions posed by the film is why write? Its a question Whit demands of Jerry. In the puritanical form of writing that Whit teaches, and that Jerry adopts, the motivation to write is simply the writing. Write because you must, because you cant stand not to write. Dont write to be a writer.
After a bleak stint in the war, ravaged by PTSD, Jerry discovers meditation and begins to apply its tenets to eliminate the distractions of modern life. His monk-like approach to his work transforms his writing into an almost-religious devotional experience, and he retreats to New Hampshire, becomes a recluse and ceases to publish his work altogether.
Hoult capably commands the screen and holds attention, even when Rebel in the Rye is a screenplay desperately in need of some focus. The film often feels like it doesnt know where to tell you to look, or needlessly over-explains in a reductive manner. It ends with a clunk, because ultimately, when the curtain is pulled back on the Wizard, isnt it always a bit of a let down?
You were a mentor for the Regional Acceleration and Mentoring Program. What do you want to see long-term from RAMP?
My personal vision for RAMP is to evolve the program to two or three sites in the region, helping 10 companies per site per year. That would put us on a pace of accelerating 20 to 30 companies a year, or about 200 to 300 companies over a 10-year span. If even 10 percent of 200 companies take root and grow here to an average size of $50 million in annual revenues, employing an average of, say, 100 to 150 people with an average annual wage of $70,000 across the employee base, the region would have added 2,000 to 3,000 jobs and a collective wage increase of over $140 [million] to $210 million.
And we can do this on an average annual investment of probably $750,000 per year for all the sites. So a $7.5 million aggregate investment over 10 years would have the potential of creating over $175 million in local wages, using the average of the range. It would be a phenomenal return on the regions investment.
What was your experience mentoring the startup Acomhal Research through RAMP?
Fun and rewarding. Samy Lamouille and Rob Gourdie are fantastic scientists, and even better people. Samy is a brilliant cell biologist whose academic training and prior professional work never exposed him to the multi-faceted issues of starting and running a company. Participating in RAMP and having access to peers, classroom instructors and a mentor who could help with some fundamental business issues and connect him with other resources really helped him. He was very appreciative, which was rewarding to me in terms of my volunteer involvement.
Learning the tenets of how to start and grow a company is kind of like teaching someone to read. It is a lifetime gift. All the mentors view their participation as an opportunity to pay forward the help we all have received during our careers.
What do STEM startups need the most from our community right now?
No. 1: Continuity and expansion of the accelerator program, which means growing the mentor and instructor base to support more companies. No. 2: Access to early-stage capital from investors. Having the VTC Innovation Fund and Common Wealth [Growth Group] get organized is fantastic for our region, but they are really positioned to invest in A rounds or later. Many of these startups need seed-stage capital that ultimately has to come from the region. No. 3: There is an acute need for this type of early seed capital married with access to non-dilutive grant funding for life science companies. The region wants life science companies to spring forth from VTCRI [Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute] and VT research. However, there is an almost total lack of willing, domain-experienced life science investors in the region.
How easy is it for startups to access local capital?
I would classify it as hard, but improving. I already alluded to the formation of the VTC Innovation Fund and Common Wealth Group. Their presence and activity in the region is critical. Further, New Richmond Ventures is actively watching the region and the CIT Gap Fund is another willing partner. But we need to proactively invest both time and money in cultivating investor relationships in places like Boston and San Francisco and with other regional groups like the 757 Angels, TAP [Triangle Angel Partners], RTP [Capital], etc.
How can a regular person in the community support or invest in these new developing industries?
To have a vibrant startup community requires the energy and commitment of people across all sectors of the community. Individuals can serve as mentors if they have the right depth of experience or perhaps become subject matter experts in fields like law, finance, marketing, market research, etc. Also, individuals who have the capacity and risk tolerance to make early stage investments in these companies are also welcome and needed. Supporting RAMP financially is another way to show your support of the acceleration programming.
Chalet Orr had barely entered adulthood when her Granny's health rapidly declined.
One evening the family crowded into Grannys nursing home room. Orr was perched next to the bed. Granny reached for her hand.
Her beautiful blue eyes, I can still see those looking into the room. I dont think it was pain, but a little bit of Im scared and Im glad you are here, and I dont want people to leave me kind of face, she recalled.
Eventually, Orr stood to leave and Grannys hand slipped from her grip.
In my heart, I knew that evening when I hugged and kissed her goodbye that was going to be the last time, she said.
In the early morning hours, Orrs mom came into her bedroom. The nursing home had just called. Granny had passed.
Ive always wondered if there was a nursing home staff with her, or if she was lying in the room alone, Orr said. Honestly, I dont want to think of her being by herself.
That worry stuck with Orr, so when the call went out to the Carilion Clinic family looking for people willing to sit with patients who are dying alone, Orr, a secretary in Carilion's pediatric department, answered. She didn't know what to expect with this new volunteer duty, as Granny's experience was her only one with death and dying. But Orr felt blessed and honored that she could provide comfort to someone in his final moments.
Outliving loved ones
After a year of planning, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in November 2015 launched a pilot of the No One Dies Alone program in its palliative care unit.
The 10-bed unit is where patients stay when they are nearing the end of their lives and are seeking comfort care and symptom management. Patients stay a few hours or a few weeks. About a third of the units patients will enter hospice care and go home or to a nursing home. The others will die on the unit. Mostly, they are comforted in their last hours by family and friends who often stage vigils, said Phyllis Whitehead, a clinical nurse specialist who works throughout the hospital but whose focus is on palliative care.
Not all patients are so fortunate.
They have outlived their loved ones, or they dont have family or friends, Whitehead said. Sometimes physical distance prevents relatives from reaching the hospital in time. For others, a lifetime of emotional distance leaves them isolated.
Whatever the reason, Whitehead wanted to start a program so that they would not be alone in their last hours.
The dying process is an interesting thing. When youre talking about the last few hours of your life, you are typically not interacting a lot, she said. Hearing remains intact. Theres an assumption made that its a basic human right, that unless its the preference of the individual, people dont like to be alone."
But palliative care unit nurses, who have as many as five patients in their care, cannot linger with one.
Whitehead had heard about a program called No One Dies Alone and sought an allegiance with Carilions volunteer coordinator, Shanna Flowers, in late 2014. Together, they spent the better part of the year setting up the pilot, recruiting and training volunteers and fine-tuning a text-alert system to let the volunteers know when a palliative care patient is dying alone.
The program has expanded into pediatrics and may soon reach other floors, including the emergency department, which cares for patients with lethal injuries who are brought in from accidents all over western Virginian, and whose families might not even know yet.
'Outpouring of support'
No One Dies Alone began in an Oregon hospital in 2001, although the seed was planted 15 years earlier when Sacred Heart Medical Center nurse Sandra Clarke was at the beginning of her career.
Clarke writes on her hospitals website that she was beginning her shift when a frail, elderly man with a Do Not Resuscitate order asked in a barely audible voice, Will you stay with me? She promised shed return as soon as she looked in on her other patients. But as often happens in hospitals, she became busy and was delayed.
Moe One time we had a volunteer say, You mean, they really die? You have to be really sure this is something you want to do. Helen Moe, Carilion chaplain
An hour and half later, she returned to the mans room and discovered he had died. Alone.
I looked around. Scores of people were nearby providing state-of-the-art patient care, Clarke wrote. For this man, state-of-the-art should have been dignity and respect.
Not long afterward, she transferred to the intensive care unit and noticed that no one died alone there. ICUs typically have the lowest nurse-to-patient ratios, so when a patient nears death, his nurse can stay at his bedside.
For many years, Clarke talked with others at her hospital about starting a program in which staff members would volunteer to sit with dying patients who lacked family or friends. For 14 years she heard all the reasons why such a program wouldnt work, but then she captured the attention of the pastoral care staff. Together, they created No One Dies Alone, or NODA.
Sacred Heart provides information to other hospitals seeking to begin NODA, but theres no formal program with set rules, nor is there a registry to know how many hospitals have adopted a similar program. Each hospital tailors NODA to fit its own circumstances.
When Whitehead heard of NODA, she wanted to bring it to Roanoke Memorial.
It was amazing the outpouring of support, Whitehead said as Carilion staff joined a planning committee.
They decided to start small, with a pilot in the palliative care unit, and to keep the circle tight.
Because of sensitivity, we started with employees or volunteers, someone from the Carilion family, Flowers said. Several months ago, they opened it up to people outside of Carilion as long as someone from the health system can vouch for them.
We have to make sure we have the right person in place sitting with these people in these very tender moments, Flowers said.
As with all Carilion volunteers, they are required to have an annual health screening, flu shot and tuberculosis test; pass an initial drug screen and criminal background check; go through a general training session and interview with Flowers. NODA volunteers receive additional training and a tour of the palliative care unit.
Sometimes after people go through the initial training, they find out this is something they cant do. Thats why after the training we bring them to the unit to do an orientation," said Carilion chaplain Helen Moe, who volunteers as the NODA coordinator. One time we had a volunteer say, You mean, they really die? You have to be really sure this is something you want to do.
While more than 60 volunteers have gone through the training, only 35 have sat with patients. During the first year, volunteers were requested for about a dozen patients. To date, they have sat with 20 people. Initially, Moe was finding it easier to fill evening and weekend shifts than weekdays. For three patients, no volunteers were available. The problem was addressed through another round of recruitment and training that looked for people available during those hard-to-fill daytime hours.
'Not alone anymore'
When nurses sense a patient has but a day or so left, they contact Moe. She then sends out a text alert to all the volunteers, and those who can sit with the patient text back their availability.
From the first alert that went out the day before Thanksgiving 2015, Moe has been able to count on a response from Arden Howell of Christiansburg.
Howell survived a bout with cancer seven years ago but had to take early retirement from his job in industrial maintenance.
I was surprised at how long it took me to recover, he said. About a year later, with his energy restored, Howell decided to volunteer. At what, he wasnt sure, and then he saw a New River Valley newsletter about volunteers and the first item was for hospice volunteers.
I was shy and reserved, but I thought, Well, I can sit with someone for an hour and maybe talk with them,' he said.
His first patient lived in Hillsville.
The first time I met him, we talked for three hours, and every week after we talked for three hours. It changed my life, and he became one of my closest friends, he said. Every time Id leave, Id say, Darryl, Im not going to say goodbye. Im going to say Ill see you later. Ill see you in your chair, or Ill see you when I get to heaven.
Howell feels as though God signs his checks now. He sees five hospice patients on a regular basis, and when Moe texts that someone is alone and dying, he gets there.
You can sit in a dark room and know if someone walks in and that youre not alone anymore, he said.
He sat with one man until his family, who lived several hours away, could arrive. He sat with another man who lived in a nursing home and had outlived his family.
The people where he had been living made homemade cards out of construction paper and had written words to encourage him. So I read his cards to him, Howell said. His family was at the nursing home.
Expanding to pediatrics
Other departments at Roanoke Memorial have asked that NODA expand beyond palliative care.
The overall goal is as we recruit volunteers, it will expand because patients are dying across the hospital. But we had to start small, and really work out the kinks to make certain we have enough resources to cover the demand, Whitehead said.
Moe understands the need, especially for the emergency department, which sees most of the people critically injured throughout the region.
Whitehead Its an emotional relief that theres someone at the bedside." Phyllis Whitehead
When Moe was an intern and was the only chaplain in the hospital, a nurse called about midnight and told her about a young man, without identification, who had been struck by a truck on Interstate 81. His head injuries were lethal.
She said, I think the least we could do before he dies is pray with him. So we went in and had a prayer. She had to go back to work. I thought, I cant leave this child here by himself. Im sure he has a mom and a dad, and nobody knows hes here, she said
Moe pulled up a chair and sat with him until he passed early in the morning.
Its such a privilege to be there in that time for them. Its just the most rewarding thing a person can do is to give a little of your time to someone who has no one, she said.
NODA recently expanded into Carilion Childrens Hospital.
Six or eight months ago, I got a call from one of the pediatric doctors who said, We have a dying child and their parents arent able to be there. Is it possible to have a volunteer come and sit with them?' Whitehead said. I then reached out to the pediatric floors and found, yep, this does happen.
It doesnt happen often, and it hasnt happened since NODA has been available.
She expects NODA volunteers might be asked to sit with a child whose organs are going to be donated during the time between brain death and when transplant arrangements are made.
The child cant be aware of whats happening, so this is in support of the nursing staff, who will know there is a volunteer there at the bedside, she said.
The NODA volunteers have helped the palliative care nurses.
Its an emotional relief that theres someone at the bedside, and if there are any changes, theyll be quickly notified, she said.
'He wasn't alone'
Volunteers, even those with medical training, are not permitted to provide any care.
They are asked to sign in, then jot notes in a book to communicate with other volunteers, the nursing staff and even family should they arrive from out of town. They are also advised to talk with a chaplain or a nurse.
Moe said a support system is built in, and its OK if you get up there, and you cant do it. You just go to the nurses station and say you cant.
Some of the volunteers are like Orr and have never been with anyone who died.
All my childhood, it was such a trauma when someone died. But you know, it really is such a peaceful thing. Your heart is just open, Moe said. There is nothing scary about it.
When Orr answered Moes text alert for the first time, she wasnt sure exactly what to expect when she entered the room of a dying patient.
He was nonresponsive. His eyes were shut. I pulled my chair close to him, and I just laid my hand on top of his, and talked to him a little bit, she said. I hummed quietly, and sang some songs to him, and I felt his hand tighten on mine, and it just let me know that he knew somebody was with him and that he wasnt alone.
Orr said she was not there to push her religion on him, but she prayed silently that he would have peace and would not be in pain.
His family actually came in, and I didnt linger, she said. They were very appreciative to come in the room and see that their loved one wasnt by himself.
Welder Dave Wertz spends most of his days toiling inside a dimly lit brick warehouse overlooked by Mill Mountain.
As visitors enter his studio, they immediately see a group of metal horses covered in plastic wrap to the right of the doorway. Neatly arranged along the far wall opposite of the entrance are collections of metal sheets and rods.
On a Wednesday afternoon in early September, Wertzs latest works bask under the only light in his spacious shop. They are three 3- to 4-foot-tall smiling metal fish that each weigh about 120 pounds. The set contains two more fish, but the short, bespectacled artist says those pieces are currently being painted at another place.
The Roanoke-based artist was commissioned earlier this year by the owners of Christiansburgs Old Town Mall to complete a project to spruce up that part of the towns downtown. Wertzs five fish will occupy a now concrete planter on the side of the stairs leading up to the mall entrance facing Main Street.
The sculptures are scheduled to be unveiled during a celebration at 3 p.m. on Oct. 18.
The mall is a separately-owned corridor in an a row of adjoined, but individual, properties lining Main between Franklin and Hickok streets. The mall leads and is home to five businesses, the most visible of which are an optometrist office and a Macados restaurant that can be directly accessed from a rear parking lot.
Scott Mann, an optometrist who co-owns Invision Eye Care with his wife, said he one of the malls owners and the propertys other owners had sought ways to liven up their section of downtown. Mann, a long-time friend of Wertz, said he turned to the artist, who himself suggested the fish idea.
The malls other owners are Bob Poff, who owns property management firm Valley-Wide Management Inc., and Jay Nagle, who owns New River Engraving. Poffs property business is not located in the mall itself.
We all like local art, Mann said. We basically just had a dead space in front of the Old Town Mall. I said, Lets talk to Dave and see what kind of ideas he has.
Wertz not only suggested fish, but he ensured each of the sculptures features included distinct ball-shaped eyes and smiles.
So theyre kind of happy looking, Mann said. That was kind of the idea behind it. Dave has also done work for ... the Center in the Square [in Roanoke]. We saw his work there, so we were just inspired by it.
Wertz has already left his mark on Invision. The optometrist office is most distinguishable by a group of different colored and 7-foot-long eyeglass frames attached to the malls outside wall facing Main Street.
Wertz said Mann and his partners were looking for something with depth.
We want to do something for the community, rather than just a sign that says, Were the greatest, whatever we are, Wertz said.
Wertz said one of the intentions with the sculptures is to project the fishs jovial expressions.
We want kids to love it so much theyll want to bring their parents in, he said. Theyre happy, easy, theyre non-controversial. Its just good simple art.
The whole idea of this is to make people smile, hence the personality of the fish. If you walk past these and dont grin, you need an attitude adjustment.
As if his own creations projected themselves onto him, Wertz smiled as he explained how he built the mall structures.
The fish are made out of carbon steel sheets, each an eighth of an inch thick. He employed a torch to cut out the shapes and used just his hands and feet to bend the metal.
Wertz, who has done decorative welding for 15 years, said his work often goes outside Southwest Virginia. But significant local projects hes done include a wall of metal fish inside Center in the Square and a 20-foot-tall abstract sculpture in front of the Rescue Mission of Roanoke.
Wertz said most of his work goes inside homes. Holding up his smartphone, he scrolled through and pointed to various kinds of metal furniture such as a tree structure used to support a glass table.
Wertz said a similar, but smaller, project to the mall one could work well indoors.
We just hope it will spur other downtown owners and the town to create more art downtown, Poff said.
Town officials and other people with stakes in town have in recent years tried to reverse a widely held view that downtown isnt as lively as it could be.
A presentation to town council this past summer included figures on employment within a 1-mile radius of downtown, which jumped from between 2,800 and 2,900 in 2007 to slightly less than 5,000 roughly a decade later.
It was tough, Nagle said about downtown during the early 2000s. But its absolutely, to me, come back.
Champions of downtown Christiansburg point to the renovation of the old Main Street Baptist Church, the recent arrival of the Farmers Market and smaller aesthetic additions such as the fish. They also talk up the culture of the existing small businesses downtown.
I get people from all over who say I come into town and I see all these nice flowers and planter boxes, said Mayor Mike Barber.
Roger Woolwine, whos challenging Barber for mayor this year, couldnt be reached for comment.
Addressing transportation, immigration, and other statewide issues, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie outlined several of his policy proposals Saturday at a town hall meeting in Salem.
As part of his InformEd Decisions tour, Gillespie held a question-and-answer session at the American Legion attended by about 40 people who asked the former Republican National Committee chairman about his plans to improve Interstate 81, his stance on Confederate statues and his views on sanctuary cities.
Gillespie framed the town hall discussion which was limited through a ticket lottery as a way to inform voters on his views since his opponent, Democrat Ralph Northam, agreed to only three of the 10 debates Gillespie proposed. Northam, the states lieutenant governor, committed to three debates and seven joint appearances with Gillespie before Election Day on Nov. 7. Libertarian Cliff Hyra is also vying to be Virginias next governor but has not been invited to participate in the debates.
At the town hall, Gillespie touted his 18 policy proposals so many that he had to create a second campaign website, he joked.
He also praised the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute as one of Virginias premier institutions of higher education and promised to be a full supporter of the institute should he be elected governor.
That is in keeping with the model I have in mind for our higher education institutions, for our four-year colleges and universities and that is for them to be more fully integrated in our economies and be economic engines here, he said.
Northam has also touted the work of the research institute, having made a stop there in July to decry Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Gillespie pledged to make improving I-81 a top transportation priority, but wasnt able to detail what form the improvements would take. Widening the road to three lanes in both directions, building new exits and adding safety measures are all possibilities, he said.
Because its been overlooked for way too long and ignored for way too long, my point is we need to get on this and we need to get on this now, Gillespie said.
Ultimately, the changes to the congested interstate would be a comprehensive vision compiled by local officials and those at the state and federal level, he said.
Gillespie also reiterated his opposition to removing Confederate statues because they teach Virginias history. Northam has advocated for moving the statues to museums.
After fielding a question about gang violence from Roanoke County Sheriff Eric Orange, a Republican, Gillespie vowed to ban sanctuary cities in Virginia.
Gillespies campaign has released several TV ads in the Roanoke Valley discussing MS-13 gang violence in relation to sanctuary city policies.
The ads label Northam as weak on fighting MS-13 gang violence because of a tie-breaking vote he cast against a bill that would ban sanctuary cities in the commonwealth. Gov. Terry McAuliffe later vetoed the legislation.
Northam has stood by his vote, arguing that violent criminals should be jailed regardless of their immigration status.
Northam has also repeatedly pointed out that Virginia has no sanctuary cities, a fact Gillespie acknowledged Saturday.
We dont have any cities or counties that have declared themselves sanctuary cities, Gillespie said. But you know what, leadership is not always just responding to a problem. Leadership is anticipating a problem and saying we are not going to have them.
After Saturdays town hall, the Democratic Party of Virginia pounced on Gillespies admission that Virginia does not have any sanctuary cities, saying Gillespies TV ads are misleading Virginia residents.
Today Ed Gillespie admitted that his divisive, disgusting TV ads are based on a lie, party spokesman Kevin Donohoe said in a statement.
By knowingly airing false ads, Ed Gillespie is blatantly misleading the people of Virginia and proving that he will say or do anything to win power.
Gillespie's ads never explicitly say Virginia is home to sanctuary cities, but the ads stoke fears of gang violence and insinuate MS-13 violence is on the rise because of Northam's vote.
RICHMOND Attendees at Saturdays fundraiser and recognition event for the Prevention Project, which curbs human trafficking through education, heard from area high school students about the programs effectiveness.
Those on hand for the Sweet Taste of Freedom program also heard from a student, who, while a senior at Smithfield High School, developed a computer program now in use by law enforcement to penetrate a dark area of the Internet where sex traffickers and their clients lurk.
Joell Maisano, manager of the Prevention Project, a program of the Richmond Justice Initiative, said the seven-state program was piloted in the Richmond area at Hermitage High School in 2012 and is now in all Henrico County high schools. It also has been used in Goochland County and is in Newport News.
The program trains teachers and others how to make teens aware of their surroundings, how to detect lures used by traffickers and how to protect and shield their vulnerabilities, while also encouraging them to be leaders helping to look out for their classmates.
Were trying to reach as many students as possible which is why we have events like this to keep the costs low for schools who want it, Maisano said.
Since 2012, she said, the program has reached nearly 10,000 students.
The prevention project offers a six-lesson curriculum designed to give schools, after-school programs and youth groups the means to prevent teens from falling victim to traffickers. It also offers the training to nurses, social workers, counselors, administrators, teachers and youth workers.
Maisano said many students have not heard about human trafficking before learning about it through the project curriculum.
If you dont know what it is, you cant protect yourself against it, she said.
As of June 30, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center which connects trafficking survivors and victims with services said there have been 950 cases of human trafficking reported in Virginia since 2007. Most of the cases involved women, about a third involved minors, and sex trafficking accounted for about two thirds of the cases.
Clearly, we need to have human trafficking education in all schools, said Jessica Willis, executive director of Richmond Justice Initiative. If children understand what it is, they will be more likely to identify it.
The victims of traffickers come from all walks of life, she said.
Usually we go into high schools, but I am so pleased to share with you that this very week, in Newport News, every single sixth, seventh and eighth-grade student is piloting our new middle school program, Willis told the supporters on hand Saturday.
Matt Ployd, a government teacher at Smithfield High School, said that as he went through the material provided by the Prevention Project with his students last school year, they quickly grasped the importance of the subject.
The material provided by the Prevention Project helped the students and myself realize theres no safe demographic, theres no safe gender, theres no safe socioeconomic background, no safe sexual-orientation. ... Every single persons at risk, he said.
The program educates students about the problem from the safety of a school, he said.
In the classroom you can control what they get to see. We cant on the streets. Theyre going to be educated one way or the other. Theyre going to be educated either by people trying to pick them up, or theyre going to be educated by us showing them what to look out for, he said.
Ployd said his students decided to work on ways to spread awareness about human trafficking or to curb its effect.
One of them, Joel Hatfield, then a senior at Smithfield, went above and beyond. He developed a computer program that can unmask traffickers and their clients who use The Onion Router, or Tor network, where their real identities, their credit card numbers and other information would otherwise remain anonymous.
Ployd said he sent the program to the countys information technology staff for examination to make sure Hatfields claim was accurate.
They immediately called me back and said, This program has no business in the hands of anybody but the military and law enforcement, he said. It has been used successfully in the real world by law enforcement, Ployd said.
The program can penetrate the veils and firewalls of the dark web in order to hunt down human traffickers where they feel the safest in their homes, Ployd said. Suffice to say, he got his A.
Hatfield, who has since graduated from Smithfield, also appeared at Saturdays event.
What I created attacks the Tor network. The Tor network is used to hide online. ... It allows people to watch child pornography; they can use it to buy illegal weapons, drugs, any criminal activity, he said.
The program can allow law enforcement to find exactly where they live.
To learn more about the Prevention Project or to make a contribution, go to www.prevention-project.org.
Its taken 60 years and billions of dollars, but mass transit is finally coming to Dulles International Airport outside the nations capital. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is ready to open the second and final phase of its Silver Line Metrorail extension on Nov. 15. The six new stations will for the first time connect the airport and the outer suburbs of Loudoun County to the regions flagship mass transit system. But the Silver Line extension comes at a time when ridership on Metro remains at roughly half of what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Metro officials say the long-term vision of those who pushed for the line will be vindicated as riders return.
AKERS, Claude Eugene September 29, 2017 Claude Eugene "Gene" Akers, 72, of Snowville, passed away Friday, September 29, 2017. He was a member of Unity Christian Church in Radford and served in the United States Marine Corp during the Vietnam War. He was a propane gas truck driver for over 25 years and a local commissioned minister. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred W. and Ruby T. Akers; three brothers; and a sister. Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Annie Bocock Akers; daughter and son-in-law, Lori and David Phillips of Snowville; son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Jennifer Akers of Belspring; eight grandchildren, Ryan, Christopher, Jordan, Kayden, R. J., Erika, Emily and Michaela; and many other relatives and friends. Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 at Unity Christian Church in Radford with the Rev. Wendy Wilson officiating. Entombment will follow in the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin with full military honors. The family will receive friends from 5 until 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening at the Mullins Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Unity Christian Church, 400 Tyler Avenue, Radford, VA 24141. The Akers family is in the care of Mullins Funeral Home & Crematory in Radford. www.mullinsfuneralhome.com
February 10, 1926 September 25, 2017 Lowell Boothe was born in Floyd County to Leonard T and Cassie Mannon Boothe. He served in the Army in World War II in India. He attended Bridgewater College where he met the love of his life, Pat Boothe. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnical Institute in 1950. Lowell and Pat married in 1951 and taught school in Check, Virginia for a few years. Pat and Lowell, along with their two small children, moved to the Pacific island of Saipan to teach native students for the Naval Administration. After four years on Saipan they taught on the islands of Chuuk and Yap. In 1966 they moved to South Dakota to teach at the Flandreau Indian School until their retirement. In 1980 they moved back to Floyd to live on the Boothe Family Farm. In addition to farming, Lowell served as a County Supervisor for two terms and was active on various boards and committees. He participated in Med Ride, Share, and other volunteer activities. Lowell was an avid reader and was in his element wearing his overalls and smoking his pipe. Lowell was predeceased by his beloved wife of 64 years, Pat Boothe. He is survived by daughter, Sue Anne Boothe; son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Monique Boothe; and grandchildren, Robert and Dominique Boothe; and his sister and brother-in-law, Marie and Robert Daniel; and niece, Laura Daniel; niece and husband, Tina and Sterling Borger; nephew and wife, Paul and Sherrie Myers; and niece, Tanny Myers; and great nieces and great-great nieces and nephews. The Boothe family would like to express their appreciation to the staff at Skyline Manor Nursing Home. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday October 7, 2017, at Laurel Branch Church of the Brethren. A Memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. with Pastor Angel Carr officiating. Online condolences may be made at www.gardnerfuneralhomefloyd.com or on Facebook @gardnerfuneralhomefloyd. Anyone wishing to make a gift of remembrance in Lowell's honor are asked to consider the Floyd County Rescue Squad.
WITT Kimberly Dawn September 27, 2017 Kimberly Dawn Witt, 29, of Christiansburg, Va. went to be with the lord on Wednesday September 27, 2017. She is survived by her grandmother, Josephine Burton; mother, Judy Witt; uncle, Tony Witt; two aunts, Nikki Witt and Joanne Sawyer as well as several cousins and her beloved pet Princess. She will be missed by all who knew her and will always be in our hearts with much love. Services were held privately. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.hornefunseralservice.com.
SEATTLE In this city, which is a petri dish of progressivism, a prevailing theory is that when you raise the price of something, people will buy less of it, except when they do not. Another, and related, theory is that constitutional and statutory texts should be construed in the spirit of Friedrich Nietzsche: There are no facts, only interpretations.
The city council has voted to impose a tax, effective next year, on sugary soft drinks, raising the price of a 2-liter bottle of soda about $1.18. Presented as a public health measure to combat obesity, the tax is projected to generate about $15 million a year, although the aspiration of sin taxes (e.g., Seattles taxes on guns and ammunition) should be zero revenues because chastened consumers will mend their benighted ways. Still, proponents of the tax are confident that it will make people behave better by consuming less of the disapproved drinks.
Three years ago, the city council, adhering to another current tenet of progressivism, voted unanimously, of course to increase the citys minimum wage incrementally from $9.47 to $15 an hour. The council rejected the contention that when the price of entry-level labor increases, employers buy less of it. The city commissioned a study from six University of Washington economists ranging from left to right, presumably expecting their findings to be congruent with other studies purporting to show that the demand for such labor, unlike the demand for sugary sodas, is price-inelastic. (And unlike in Denmark, where the minimum wage increases 40 percent when a worker turns 18, and the employment of young workers declines one-third.)
The University of Washington study, however, published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, concluded that the costs to low-wage Seattle workers have been three times larger than the benefits. Using a richer trove of data and more sophisticated statistical methods than have been available for other studies of minimum wages, the report concluded that Seattles still-advancing increase has cost more than 5,000 jobs, and that workers whose wages were increased to comply with the new minimum lost an average of $125 a month as employers reduced their hours. Although total employment in the restaurant industry, which hires a substantial portion of minimum wage workers, did not decline, employers replaced less skilled, low productivity workers with others able to produce higher-value work products. As one of the studys authors said, Basically, what were doing is were removing the bottom rung of the ladder.
The city responded by seeking alternative facts. Forewarned about the six economists conclusions, it sought more congenial findings from some economists at the University of California, Berkeley, who are known for research that supports the agenda of the national Fight for $15 movement. The Berkeley economists were so prompt that their findings were publicized before the University of Washington economists report was released.
Seattles city council is as undeterred by constitutional and statutory language as it is by social science. In July, it enacted unanimously, of course a city income tax, setting the tax rate on incomes below $250,000 at 0 and a 2.25 percent rate on individuals incomes above $250,000 and on household incomes above $500,000. Washington, which has no state income tax, has a law that says: A county, city or city-county shall not levy a tax on net income. The city council, which overestimates its cleverness, claims it is taxing total income as defined on IRS 1040 forms. But that is net income, after deductions and exclusions. Furthermore, the states constitution has this uniformity clause: All taxes shall be uniform upon the same class of property. Twice the state Supreme Court has held that a graduated income tax is unconstitutional.
A suit challenging the city councils tax notes that cities, as creatures of the state, have only such taxing authority as is expressly granted by the state Legislature. And the tax is explicitly designed to test the constitutionality of a progressive income tax, on which Washingtons Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled. The city council must hope that the states Supreme Court, which is very liberal, can be persuaded, in a third consideration of unchanging language, to say that constitutional and statutory facts can be made to disappear in a mist of interpretations.
In 2010, advocates of a progressive income tax submitted this for a referendum. It lost almost 2-to-1 (64-36). It lost even in King County, home of Seattle and its Nietzschean city council.
Will is a columnist for The Washington Post Writers Group.
By John Edwards
Edwards, a Democrat, represents the 21st Senate District, which covers Roanoke, Giles County, and parts of Roanoke and Montgomery counties.
Last month, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced that Virginia has landed more than 1,000 new economic deals worth more than $16 billion in new economic investment more than any administration in our Commonwealths history. Those projects are creating jobs and opportunity in every corner of Virginia. But they are just one part of the progress we are making to strengthen our economy in the short and long-term.
Despite this evidence, some Republican candidates are claiming that our economy is worse off than the numbers appear. By cherry-picking certain economic data and ignoring others, they seek to make political points. They are entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts.
The facts about our economy under the administration of Gov. McAuliffe, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring are simple. When the governor began his term, he inherited a Virginia economy with great potential and great flaws. As a huge recipient of federal dollars, Virginia was too reliant on the whims of Washington. Congressional dysfunction has led to devastating sequestration cuts to defense and other parts of our economy resulting in significant hits our economy, to the tune of billions of dollars.
As those impacts were hurting our Commonwealth, we took several steps. We focused our education system and our workforce development system, rooted in the industrial age, to prepare Virginians for the jobs of the 21st century.
Recognizing the need for change, this administration and Democrats in the General Assembly set out to build a new Virginia economy that works for everyone, no matter who they are or where they live. The governor and his team sought to diversify our economy by bringing in new job creators that are not reliant on federal spending. They also worked to build a stronger climate for economy growth by investing in priorities that will strengthen our workforce and promote innovation for generations to come.
In 2016, the governor and the General Assembly agreed to the largest K-12 investment in Virginias history. That new funding was coupled with a curriculum redesign and a new emphasis on workforce credentials, apprenticeships and science, technology and math skills so that academic can better prepare students to do the jobs that are open today and create the jobs of tomorrow.
As federal dysfunction and sequestration cuts played havoc with our economy, Gov. McAuliffe has worked to broaden Virginias focus from defense and government-related contracts to diverse and cutting-edge industries. In many cases, that meant going out and finding large job creators and encouraging them to locate in every corner of Virginia. Here in the Roanoke region, new projects like Deschutes Brewing and Eldor Corporation and expansion of the VTC Research Institute, among others, will put more people to work and generate economic activity to make this region prosper and grow.
But corporate recruitment is just part of this administrations economic development approach. Of the 1,000 economic development announcements, 70 percent reflect expansions of existing Virginia businesses and more than 50 percent employ less than 500 people. These projects will create 53,221 new jobs and bring over $9.73 billion in investment.
While some of these projects are still on their way to final completion, the effect of rebuilding our foundation to create a new, diversified economy has begun to pay dividends. Since the beginning of the McAuliffe Administration, Virginias unemployment rate has dropped from 5.4 percent to 3.8 percent and we have added 215,000 new jobs. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, total wages and salaries in Virginia have increased by 12.2 percent since January 2014, while average hourly earnings and total personal income have increased by 7.4 and 13.3 percent, respectively. Unemployment claims are at a 44-year low in spite of a boom in our population.
Republican politicians want to try to convince Virginians that our economy is worse off today than it was when this administration began. But a simple reading of the facts demonstrates that this is not true. There is no question that every region of Virginia, including ours, is better off today than it was four years ago.
Gov, McAuliffe and Ralph Northam know that we still have work to do to build an economy our families deserve. The work we have done together to lay a foundation for future growth will continue to create jobs and opportunity for many years to come. Those are the facts.
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 not often that we give our young people a chance to lead, to make decisions and to know that with this leadership and decision-making, comes other responsibilities.
Many church and social youth groups in Samoa are led by youths who are in their 30s so many young people grow up never having had the chance to learn, make mistakes and practice leadership and group skills on their own.
Our culture also leans more towards a listen to your elders and do as they say type system rather than shared opinions by everyone which are respected.
But leadership and decision-making is what is being fostered and encouraged at the High Tech Youth Studio in Vaivase, and in fact celebrated.
Newly-named Le Tuiga Samoa, by a representative workshop group of the many, young people who flock there, ownership of the premises and everything that comes out of it is now very much genuinely shared.
Right from the start when the former Samoa College boarding facility was being renovated, it was the young people who chose the colours for the interior.
Simply by demanding that these young people themselves make these decisions, was very new to our youth.
Simply put, they decorated it; they named it, its theirs.
Initially funded by the New Zealand government, NZ will hand it over to the Samoan government in 2019.
The facility boasts a film studio, music studio, adobe suite programmes, animation programmes and space for community engagement.
They welcome people of the ages between 8 - 26 years, people with disabilities, out of school learners and those who identify as LGQBT.
But perhaps what sets Le Tuiga apart from other educational facilities in Samoa is the learning method that is practiced and promoted there.
Some have called it learning by doing, others peer learning and it is definitely both those methods.
Trying things out, experimenting, watching others around you and communicating with other students beside you and online is all encouraged.
Asking the In Country Manager Moananu and the Studio Producer, Khosrow to do it for you, is not.
Moananu Tyrone Laurenson is excited about the possibilities and has already got many success stories to tell.
This method of learning will revolutionise how information is shared amongst young people connected internationally to then expand and build on to create and invent. Its about everybody talking, communicating and being creative. Its just amazing what they can come up with when given a safe space to think and create.
The mantra for the High Tech is about expanded learning opportunities and it revolves around three things: culture, community and technology.
Samoa is unique in my view, in that those other countries, like New Zealand, Fiji and the United States -- English is their first language, whereas in Samoa, it is not. Were actually meeting all the criteria and core values of this organisation.
We should be able to truly meet the culture aspect with our Matai system, we have the village system - all the structure is in place in terms of culture. So we have all that, where other countries may not have.
So thats what excites us. In terms of technology, our argument is that we already have a demonstration of old technology, in things like the pea, the malu and the ie toga.
Dear Editor
Re:The govt. is broke
The Torrens System of individual title was introduced to survey land then cast out 99% of family without any consultation to simplify land ownership for taxation.
This is a historical pattern being repeated because it has so efficiently destroyed cultures and taken customary land many times. I laugh at the silence of historians like Damon Salesa, so clever yet so silent and impotent in the face of colonization.
No Aiga was consulted as required by our Constitution.
We see two sides to the Palagi Law. Virtues and rights are trumpeted, while behind the scenes the crushing of the FaaSamoa. The use of 30 pieces of silver is widespread to shut the mouths of village councils and faifeau as the young are encouraged to leave the land for better opportunities.
The land is left to be leased by the government and converted in the next phase to freehold with absolute ownership held by the government.
Where are the Palagi of Australia, NZ and Australia, who cry out against the breach of indigenous rights, yet remain silent while all Samoans are being bullied, lied to and cheated of our customary land.
It is by might that we will hold these customary lands because every Palagi legal process can be corrupted. Look at our professional classes, accountants, lawyers, Judges falling in line on their knees humbled and praying to the god called Tupe.
Ask an American what he would do if a foreign power came to steal his land, already taken by him from our Native American brothers, and he will show you an array of guns and a ferocity to shame the majority of Samoans, who live on their knees and hold their wrists out to the Palagi to shackle them with chains.
The other night I slipped into Moe Manatu:
Deep in the Night
Between Life and Death
An Aitu showed me
the descent of my people into slavery.
I glance beyond him to the tens and hundreds
of years to a Unity
never seen before.
Fondling his shears
gibbering and chuckling at
snipping the bloodlines of mighty
unborn.
Gloating of Aiga chained to machines
at night crawling to kennels
twitching abandoned in sleep
by Ancestors and unborn
animals bred for work
at the ankles of foreigners
I know relatives fearing the dying of light
trading the unborn for material goods and pleasures
I hear faifeau afraid of poverty
mumbling poems of endless Paradise
if we will but accept our chains and pay gods taxes
Step aside you merchants and mumblers
We tattooed have not flinched from the chisel
We step up in times of War
I see your titles o so high and your gold
Yet where it counts in loyalty and love
You are retarded and huddle behind the Aitu
I know an old toa of Lepa
ended up in Ponsonby on a narrow bed
lying ill a coward crept up to choke him
a mighty uppercut floored the cheeky relative
years later the coward returned
to leave bruises on his precious face
Aue!
Never beaten this toa
his spirit never broken.
For by our will in Life and Death
We are Samoa.
Maua Faleauto
The Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration, C.E.O. Papalii John Afele Taimalelagi has defended the Courts process of petitions which are filed with the Judiciary.
This follows concerns expressed by a group from the Malietoa family who called on the President of the Land and Titles Court, Fepuleai Ropati Atilla, to investigate alleged illegal leaking of a petition in what they said is a sensitive matter.
The call on the President was highlighted in a letter obtained by the Sunday Samoan.
Dated 25 September 2017, the letter was signed by Papalii Titiuatoa Malietoa, Papalii Ioane Malietoa and Papalii Malietau Malietoa and the official stamp of the Court acknowledging receipt was clearly visible.
Their petition, they had said, should not have ended up with another party before it was publicized in the Savali.
However in a response from the M.J.C.A. Chief Executive Officer, Papalii flatly denied their assertion that the document had been illegally leaked and further, explained the process.
However first, the M.J.C.A. Chief Executive Officer made it clear that he had declared his conflict of interest with the issue at hand due to his familial ties.
I am responding in my capacity as the C.E.O. specifically targeting the Petition Process, nothing more.
This is the process.
Once a petition is filed and signed, then the parties, swear an oath in front of the Deputy Registrar or Registrar.
Once the fee is paid, it becomes a legal document of the court.
Then the matter is handled by the Mediation and Registrations Division. They schedule a date for mediation for all the parties and at the same time, the petition is passed over, to the Lands and Titles court.
Its from there summons letters are issued to the other parties or respondents.
The summons letters inform them of the petition and a copy of the petition will be attached with the summons letters.
Also in the summons letters, are basic instructions of when the matter is scheduled to be held at the Court.
At the same time, the petition is being prepared to be sent over to the Savali for publication.
The petitions are not confidential documents, said Papalii.
The petitions are given to the respondents or interested parties as they are entitled to have copies.
The statute requires that the petitions are given to all parties of the petition and as well, its a must to be advertised in the Savali, explained Papalii.
High Tech Youth Studio at Vaivase has finally given itself a unique Samoan name Le Tuiga.
On Wednesday, the newly-appointed High Tech Youth Networks Studio Producer, Khosrow Siisiialafia organised a two-day workshop titled Name the Nameless.
It was not only to provide a unique name for the Studio; the first of its kind in Samoa, but also to design a logo.
Students drawn from primary and secondary schools in the studios after-school programme as well as youth who are out-of-school learners, spent Wednesday evening and Thursday morning using all the facilities available at the Studio to come up with a name.
They set about with crayons, pens, pots of paint, a guitar, song and dance as well as the computer programmes such as Photoshop and other facilities in the Music Studio to develop the final product.
By Thursday afternoon, the students had narrowed the possibilities down and in an extremely close vote, the group decided on the name Le Tuiga Samoa as the name for the Studio.
Discussion on the final selection recognised that the ceremonial head-dress is uniquely Samoan, and is worn by youth both female (taupou) and male (manaia).
The tuiga logo also reflects youth and their connectedness through family, village and culture and promotes youth as future leaders.
The stems of the tuiga reflect a connectedness to the world though modern communication such as the mobile telephone and the computer.
The hyper, flame and connect statement represent activity.
Khosrow explained that whilst all studios in New Zealand, Hawaii and Fiji are all under the High Tech Youth Network umbrella, each Studio has a unique name.
The studio in Otara for example, was named Studio 274 because those are the first three digits for all telephone numbers in Otara.
Similarly, one of the studios in Hawaii was named Studio Shaka with the familiar Hawaiian Hang loose hand logo.
The primary outcome was that it would be the students themselves who would ultimately name the studio and design its logo, Khosrow said.
The students who were involved in making a name for the studio are all active High Tech Youth members.
In-Country Programme Manager Moananu Tyrone Laurenson explained that student involvement leads to ownership and care of the studio by those who have an active interest in its developments.
He was also grateful to several people who gave their time and took part in this workshop.
Guest presenter and also Chairperson for the Pacific Youth Council and NUS Lecturer Miss Tahere Siisiialafia led the students through a series of activities in her presentation entitled Thinking Outside the Box, where she encouraged the participants to think of a title that was positive, attractive, unlimited and would reflect a uniqueness and identity, Moananu said.
In her presentation entitled My Contribution a second guest presenter and A.P.T.C. Trainer in Community Development and Youth Work, Loretta Tuiletufuga took the students through a series of exercises to look at My Contribution speaking of values of team work, friendship, and unity.
Finally the Original Krumpkings Badi Siisiialafa and Lars Bell better known as local rapper Escape conducted exercises to bring out the students creativity - both in composing music and also dance as a means of encouraging creativity and expression.
Earlier this year, Moananu pointed out that although the Studio is an outside model being adapted for another country, Samoa fits into the mission at the core of H.T.
He anticipates there will be some challenges in the beginning, but that it is also a very exciting place to be.
The mantra for the High Tech is about expanded learning opportunities and it revolves around three things: culture, community and technology.
Samoa is unique in my view, in that those other countries, like New Zealand, Fiji and the United States -- English is their first language, whereas in Samoa, it is not. Were actually meeting all the criteria and core values of this organisation.
We should be able to truly meet the culture aspect with our Matai system, we have the village system -- all the structure is in place in terms of culture. So we have all that, where other countries havent all got that, necessarily.
"So thats what excites us. In terms of technology, our argument is that we already have a demonstration of old technology, in things like the pea, the malu and the ie toga.
One of the most exciting resources that H.T. has, is its international networks and the fact that peer learning will extend beyond their location here in Samoa. The students will be able to connect online in conference style and participate in tutorials or webinars with other members in their international network.
So far, different H.T.Y.N.s have held such conference type tutorials. One recent one was on international coding tutorial, which former U.S President Barack Obama, (a well known fan of the High Tech Youth organisation in his home state of Hawaii) tweeted his support encouraging the kids in the network
to keep up the good work
This method of learning will revolutionise how information is shared amongst young people connected internationally to then expand and build on to create and invent. Its about everybody talking, communicating and being creative. Its just amazing what they can come up with when given a safe space to think and create.
The High Tech Youth Network premises adjacent to Samoa College, boast a film studio, music studio, adobe suite programmes, animation programmes and space for community engagement.
They welcome people of the ages between 8 - 26 years, people with disabilities, out of school learners and those who identify as LGQBT.
They are also looking for volunteers with industry type skills who can share their expertise and experience with their members, any time is appreciated.
A 45 year old male was arrested and charged by Police on Friday last week for possession of narcotics during the execution of a search warrant.
This was according to the Police facebook page.
Police Spokesperson, Superintendent Logoitino Filipo confirmed the incident.
He told the Samoa Observer via email that the 45 year old male was a case from Faatoia during a police drug bust that was conducted in the area.
The accused is being charged for possession of narcotics, said Filipo.
At the moment is remanded in custody to wait for his court appearance (today) on the 2nd October for mention.
During the search, police seized a plastic bag of suspected methamphetamine and three smoking pipes.
At the moment the police are continuing their investigations.
However, we wish to acknowledge the public for their support in our fight against illicit drugs.
Samoa as a Christian state is one of the best things that has ever happened to the lives of our people.
Amisone Amisone from Aufaga frimly believes this.
The 35 year old told Village Voice that it is such a blessing to be a Christian country.
Im happy with our country being a Christian state, he told Village Voice. I mean just by thinking about the many crimes that are happening, it is terrifying to even be a witness to everything and I know with us finally being Christians; I hope this will change many things.
Ive learned that we dont really know when things will change; I mean luckily we became a Christian country otherwise there would be some other new religion being set up.
Amisone believes that when culture and Christianity go together; everything works out fine.
It is the best combination. God is the one we turn to for help all the time. I mean I know we have the Ministry of Police but it is good to know that as Christians, we know that God is the answer to all of our problems.
Not only do we have that but we have those who are involved in the governance of villages because they contribute huge support especially when it comes to managing people.
You know with the police; when they catch someone breaking the law; they take them to court. But with the Village Council, not only do they punish people for their wrongdoings but they also push them to do the right thing so they actually give them the lessons that add meaning to their lives.
They either tell you to sit in the middle of the house without moving or they hit you with words; good, encouraging words that will drive you in a better direction.
Amisone said even with good governance in a village; there are also people who are against this and they always end up moving to the town areas.
Theres no peaceful life in Apia. So what makes you think that when youre out of the village; you will have a peaceful life? Well you thought wrong.
Our culture goes together with our godly beliefs because that makes us different; that is what makes us true Samoans.
Some Santee residents are weary of what they say are relaxed rules for those parking their RVs and trailers on city streets. On Wednesday they bumped heads with their recreational-vehicle enthusiast neighbors during an workshop at a City Council meeting.
The council is now looking at possible revisions to the citys current ordinance about the parking and storage of RVs in the public right of way.
Complaints often centered on RVs being parked for weeks in the same place, a city staff report stated, instead of being moved every 72 hours per California law.
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Other major concerns, the report cited, are RVs obstructing sight lines along streets and RVs blocking private driveways and the roadway.
You cant go when another car is coming from the other way, let alone when Waste Management (garbage pickup) is coming down street, said Jonda Cvek. You have to pull over and park thats how tight it is. I am in support of any kind of modification to help improve things so we can all get along here in Santee.
Several RV owners told the city they have little choice but to park on the street. Some said they have either no driveway or cannot fit their RV onto their property, and there are too few storage lots for them to pay to park. City Councilman Rob McNelis said he waited for years to get a spot to store his RV at Santee Lakes.
While not poised to make a change in enforcement yet, the council will consider updating its law. The changes could include:
Allowing a shorter time for on-street RV parking
Specifying a minimum distance which RVs must be moved after 72 hours
Prohibiting overnight parking unless a permit has been issued
A standing-room only crowd peppered the council with stories about trying to squeeze their cars along roads where parked RVs on opposite sides of a street allow for little room. Another said there was a near-miss of a child recently because of an RV blocking the view.
City Councilman Stephen Houlahan said he was saddened about what he sees as a breakdown in the community, that people in the city would be smart to communicate more neighbor to neighbor.
Houlahan acknowledged that RVs are a Santee lifestyle, but that there are safety factors involved and to think deeply about what youre asking the council.
We want that lifestyle but this is also about safety, he said. I would sacrifice all the RVs for a childs life.
Questions were raised also about what the city plans to do about RV law benders who take advantage of the citys soft stance on citing vehicles defying the law.
A few said they were sure neighboring El Cajon RV owners were coming over the city line to park their vehicles because they know they wont be ticketed or towed.
El Cajon has a permitting system for people who leave their RV parked and unattended for an extended period or overnight. RVs, trailers and commercial vehicles parked on city streets are ticketed if they are without a valid on-street parking permit. The citation for parking without a permit is $104.50 a day.
Enforcement is getting more and more difficult, said Santee Development Services Director Melanie Kush. As cities around the region have stricter regulations, Santee has become storage grounds for RVs on the streets.
Santee City Council members said that while the issue is important, sheriffs deputies should spend their time on bigger crimes in the city.
Being pragmatic, our sheriff cannot handle this, cannot enforce this, McNelis said. He said the city should consider hiring a code compliance officer to handle the RV issue.
Santee sheriffs deputies enforce the state law by marking a vehicle, noting the date and time. They then return to the RV after 72 hours to determine if it as moved.
Santee makes no stipulation of a minimum distance a car must move. Other jurisdictions have set rules beyond the state code.
In Oceanside, a vehicle must be moved 1/10th of a mile after 72 hours. To avoid a citation, it must be moved at least mile from this location and not return for 24 hours after the end of the 72-hour monitoring period. In Imperial Beach, the city limits street parking of RVs to 48 hours.
City Councilman Brian Jones said he was hoping Santee would not take a draconian route and asked for a law enforcement task force and to hit the known hot spots for illegal RV parking in the city.
News will get out that, Oh the city of Santee finally stepping up and doing something, you better get your act together and move your vehicle, Jones said.
karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
Oceanside could officially be without a mayor after Wednesday.
Jim Wood, the citys top elected official since 2004, has been absent since he suffered a stroke during an angiogram May 16. If he does not return to preside at Wednesdays City Council meeting, state law mandates that the office be declared vacant.
Wood, 69, has not responded to the Union-Tribunes emails or phone messages, communicating only through his city aide, Debbie Mikulay.
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At this point, Mayor Wood continues his therapy and is focused on his recovery, Mikulay said by email last week. His family and doctors have not made a final decision on his return to office.
A decision could be announced before Wednesdays meeting, she said.
We are giving him all the space he needs to make his final decision, she said. Doctors input, as well as input from close friends and family, are all being taken into consideration.
Wood has visited with several of his constituents and city staff members in recent months, Mikulay said.
Deputy Mayor Chuck Lowery has been serving as acting mayor in Woods absence.
He and other council members have said they wish the best for the mayor and that, out of respect for Wood, they declined to speculate on whether he will return to office or how his position might be filled.
I wish him well, said Esther Sanchez, a council member first elected in 2000. Hes served the city of Oceanside for many years, and this job can be pretty stressful.
Wood contracted sepsis while in the hospital, which slowed his recovery, but he was released June 24 to go home. The stroke was his fourth since 2011.
His balance and speech were affected by the most recent stroke, his aide said in August.
He initially requested a 60-day medical leave, which the council approved. That leave expired in August, triggering a new 60-day period in which he could return to his office. That period expires Wednesday.
To continue as mayor, Wood would have to participate in Wednesdays meeting.
His absence at the meeting would trigger another 60-day period in which the four City Council members could appoint someone to serve the remainder of his term, according to state law. If the council members are unable to agree on an appointment, or if they declare an impasse on the appointment, the mayors spot will go on the ballot in the citys next regular election, which will be the primary in June.
So far, Woods absence has not affected any high-profile decisions on the council, where a tie vote is the same as a no. A fifth vote could be important in a split decision, which appears likely on at least one upcoming issue: a proposed medical marijuana ordinance expected to go to the council later this year.
Wood served 31 years in the Oceanside Police Department, retiring as a senior investigator after he was elected to the City Council in 2002. He was elected mayor two years later. He narrowly lost a bid for San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horns seat in 2014.
philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @phildiehl
Laced with blues tunes and humor, shot through with stories of horror and redemption and steeped deeply in both ancient myth and modern debates about race and privilege, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) is an epic you wont forget.
And forgetting is a huge if unspoken undercurrent of the Suzan-Lori Parks play, now receiving a riveting and powerfully poetic San Diego premiere at Intrepid Theatre.
Though set during the Civil War, the play is very much of the moment reminding us again and again, in this time of renewed racial frictions, exactly how we got here.
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Beyond the flurry of ideas from the mind of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Parks (Topdog/Underdog), though, Wars is simply a compelling and expertly performed yarn, directed with a masterful sense of rhythm and emotional tone by Intrepid producing artistic director Christy Yael-Cox.
The piece follows the odyssey of a West Texas slave named Hero (Wrekless Watson) and odyssey is the ideal word here, as the story loosely tracks Homers mythic tale of Odysseus and his quest to return home from his battles.
Theres a character named Homer, too (portrayed by Cortez L. Johnson), who has a deeply fraught history with his friend Hero, and stays home from the war with Heros wife Penny (Tamara McMillian) as well as fellow slaves portrayed by Durwood Murray, Leonard Patton, Antonio TJ Johnson, Rhys Green and the singularly named Yvonne.
Their master, the hard-drinking Colonel (Tom Stephenson), has made an extraordinarily cruel offer to Hero: Fight alongside him for the South and for his oppressors and win his freedom.
The consequences of Heros decision reverberate throughout the play; they likewise stir issues that resound in real life to this day.
The piece unfolds in three parts, spread out over close to three hours (with one intermission). In the middle section titled A Battle in the Wilderness Heros encounter with a Union soldier named Smith (Sean Yael-Cox), whos imprisoned in a wooden cage, results in a revelatory conversation about the meaning of freedom.
Hero has been subjugated for so long that his self-identity is almost completely defined by what someone is willing to pay for him. So he simply cant get his mind around the Union soldiers ideas about the glories of liberty.
Whats the beauty of not being worth nothin?, as he puts it.
The two also have a prophetic exchange about how people of color will suffer for eons to come because of the way we were bought and brought here.
And then the spiteful and self-loathing Colonel in a beautifully layered performance by Stephenson goes into a cutting exposition of racial privilege that begins with the words: I am grateful every day that God made me white.
The acting is excellent across the board, starting with Watson, who projects with often heartrending impact the hopes and agonies of the wandering Hero.
Cortez L. Johnson is a commanding presence every time he takes the stage as Homer, who fumes with righteous anger and is in many ways the voice of stark reality.
Antonio TJ Johnson (the shows assistant director) is charming and funny but a figure of spiritual conflict as Heros adoptive father, the Oldest Old Man, who urges him to go off to war. (The father of the title is left a little mysterious; Parks may be suggesting that sons such as Hero are destined to perpetuate the fallout of their fathers battles, although the Colonel also serves as a twisted sort of father figure here).
Green, McMillian, Yvonne, Murray, Sean Yael-Cox and Patton all bring rich textures to their roles; Patton also turns in stirring vocals on blues interludes played by ace guitarist Jim Mooney, and Murray takes on a surprise character that earns big (and very welcome) laughs.
Jeanne Reiths contemporary-meets-vintage costumes, redolent of grime, sweat and suffering, put us right in the moment, as do Karin Filijans lighting and TJ Fucellas sound.
And at the back of Sean Yael-Coxs rustic set is a long ramp by which characters make their entrances, giving us glimpses of them well before they arrive onstage.
Its an affecting metaphor for the long road that leads from our countrys troubled past right into a contentious present.
Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)
When: 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, 444 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter.
Tickets: $29-$58 (discounts available)
Phone: (888) 718-4253
Online: intrepidtheatre.org
jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @jimhebert
Kaori Fukuyama arrived at pursuing a career in art later in life after taking an art class in her late 20s. Before then, shed spent her career working in design, specifically with landscapes. Although shed had some basic art instruction as a child growing up in Japan, it wasnt until adulthood that the craft of creating visual art became more than a thought or hobby. In the years since that pivotal art class at UC San Diego Extension, her work has been selected for various exhibits, commissions, permanent collections and awards.
An instructor during a class mentioned some names of abstract expressionists and showed examples of their work. Shortly after the class, I saw a painting by Mark Rothko in person for the first time at a museum, Fukuyama says, describing the style as an expression of inner feelings through color, combinations of shapes and inventive ways to apply paint to canvas. I sat captivated on a bench for what seemed like hours in front of those smudgy blocks of colors. It was a powerful and in some ways spiritual experience to be so moved by a painting without needing to analyze what it meant or what the artist was trying to convey. It went straight to my heart and stayed with me.
Currently, shes one of five artists (along with Robert Barry, Don Fike, Elena Lomakin, and Allan Morrow) with work on display at the 2017 Cannon Invitational at the William D. Cannon Art Gallery in Carlsbad. This is the final week to see pieces from these local artists, who were selected from the 2016 Juried Biennial exhibition. The invitational exhibition closes on Saturday.
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Fukuyama, 38, lives with her husband and is an abstract painting instructor at the Bravo School of Art, a part-time landscape designer and has a studio in Normal Heights. She took some time to talk about her work, what she has on display at the Cannon Gallery, and how she wasnt the best art student as a kid.
Q: What medium/media do you prefer to work in?
A: For painting, I am enamored with oil-based paint. I love the richness of color and versatility of that medium and how smoothly it glides on the canvas. Its a special sensation that I cannot get from any other media. I recently started working on 3-D constructs as well. With 3-D works, I have gravitated towards everyday materials like paper, plastic straws, wire, and yarn; I feel free to explore and dont get too precious with the process.
Q: How did abstract expressionism speak to you as an artist?
A: Ive always felt deep connections to color, which was an important tool for expressionists. I tend to intuitively choose a certain color or find a combination of colors to represent a specific place, feeling or event. So, communicating through color in an abstract language seemed like a natural choice for me. I also find abstract expressionists works to be the most engaging, and when in a gallery or museum, I enjoy spending a lot of time with them. I wanted to create work that would have a similar effect on viewers.
Q: Why was this a style you wanted to focus on? What drew you to it?
A: Mostly because I found this way of painting both interesting and challenging at the same time. The more I studied, the more I wanted to learn. Initially, I worked hard to gain technical skills. Over time, I started asking myself what makes my work unique or different from others. About four years ago, I took an abstract painting class at UC San Diego Extension, led by Pia Stern, who has been my mentor since then. With help and wise guidance from Pia, I slowly discovered that what I was trying to capture in my work boils down to two fundamental elements: color and light. Since then, Ive explored these two subjects in depth, and it has been exciting and rewarding. Its so interesting to think that one can spend years learning about how color and light interact with each other in so many different ways.
What I love about Carlsbad ...
Im impressed with the quality and variety of exhibitions and programs that Cannon Gallery brings to North County. The show openings are always well attended, and the community seems very involved with and supportive of the arts. Its so empowering that Carlsbad supports art and provides a venue to showcase artists multiple times a year, and completely free!
Q: What are you trying to express in your work?
A: I try to capture the essence of color and light. For most, color and light surround us daily, and each of us tends to have very specific connections to them. I believe colors are what help us feel and recognize beauty in the world, yet the way humans see color depends on the presence of light. We can see light without color, but we cannot see color without light. Light helps us visualize the world, provides warmth, enables growth of plants and other food sources, and it can even evoke spirituality. How many kinds of light do we encounter in our daily life? How do they make us feel? How does it affect us subconsciously? These are questions I ask and try to answer through my paintings.
Q: What inspires you in your work?
A: Im inspired by very simple things: how the light falls on a simple swatch of fabric, the way an origami folded object casts shadows, a sliver of light spilling out from a crack in a door, subtle color changes in the sky as the sun moves across it, or the amazing color palettes and patterns found all around in nature. Of course, I am also inspired by the incredible works of other artists, especially those associated with the California light and space movement, including Robert Irwin, James Turrell, Peter Alexander and others.
Q: Tell us about the work you have on display for this show.
A: I have seven abstract oil paintings and a book-based sculpture on display at the invitational exhibition. The paintings showcase my favorite subjects of color and light, either with vibrant intensity or a more subtle simmer. They explore my interpretation of natural beauty, such as patterns of flora or the atmospheric lighting during a rainstorm, spatial relationships and depth, and even some expressions of surrealism.
The book piece was actually created as an assignment for a class at UC San Diego Extension. I had a thought to make a book-based work and found my husbands old calculus textbook gathering dust on a shelf. I thought of the wealth of information contained in that book, and how it became a part of him during his studies. I was inspired to create some kind of flower as a symbol of knowledge and education that would emerge from the inside of the book. I also wanted to explore the mathematics that underlies the beauty we find in nature through the floral pattern. It was my first time working with a book, and I had a lot of fun making that piece.
Q: What has this experience taught you about yourself?
A: Looking back on my work from the past few years, it taught me that I could trust my own curiosity to guide me through my creative journey. In the past, I felt nervous or uncomfortable about trying new things, about the uncertainty of not knowing the outcome, but as I reflect on those fears now, I realize that thats when I had the most fun and felt growth as an artist. Now, I feel more comfortable trusting my instincts and following my curiosity.
Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?
A: My mentor, Pia Stern, says, Dont judge yourself, dont limit yourself to one medium or another. And be open to all sides of yourself to see what is in there.
I used to struggle to stay focused on one thing for a long time and often felt guilty about changing my mind on what I wanted to do in life. Now, I view life as a fluid, malleable, ever-evolving continuum. As someone who is naturally curious about the infinite variety in our world, I feel that I need to do a variety of things to be fulfilled. Making art, for me, has been a process of self-discovery, and I hope Ill never stop learning about myself and the world.
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?
A: I was not a good art student in Japan. I tried hard and enjoyed drawing, sketching, and painting. In high school, though, I did not select fine art as an elective course because I thought I wasnt good at it. This lack of self-confidence about art stayed with me for a long time and it wasnt until I took some drawing classes in college that I started to realize my potential. This goes to show you that its never too late to start creating art, and that perhaps elementary and middle school report cards should be taken with many grains of salt.
Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.
A: Sleep in a little, have a good cup of coffee, spend time hiking in the mountains or swimming at La Jolla Shores with my husband. If were not enjoying the outdoors, we like going to museums or local galleries. I feel nourished and rejuvenated when I see good art and when I spend quality time enjoying the wonderful San Diego climate. I am lucky to have found a partner who enjoys both of those things.
Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @lisadeaderick
In 1984, Paul K. Lebidine was a boot at Parris Island, working hard to graduate as the honorman.
Thirty-three years later, Brigadier Gen. Lebidine stood on a parade ground at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, serenaded by a marching band and lauded by top military leaders as a humble commander who gave much of his adult life to his country.
Lebidine retired during a ceremony Saturday evening on the air base. Until April 7, he led the New Orleans-based 4th Marine Division, the reserve ground combat arm of the Corps.
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Although this is, in some sense, my retirement, what this really is is a passing. Its a passing of traditions from one generation to the next, said Lebidine, who followed the path of his grandfather and father into military service.
Meritoriously promoted to corporal, Lebidine served as a platoon commander and company executive officer in 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, deploying to war in Iraq during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
He spent more than a decade on active duty before joining the reserves.
The Corps also activated him for five more combat deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan, but Lebidine still retired Saturday as a reservist.
You know, this is kind of a shame, in a way, said retired Brigadier Gen. Michael I. Neil, a recipient of the Navy Cross for combat heroism in Vietnam. He retires with a R after his name when he was a regular officer for those 10 years.
Saying he was damned proud of that R, Lebidine, 56, built and commanded Camp Babylon in Iraq before advising the Iraqi Army in Al Qaim and the National Operations Center in Baghdad.
The San Diego resident spent two years in Afghanistan and a pair of advisory and development commands before taking the helm of 4th Marine Division in late 2015.
Lebidines decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon with a gold star.
Its really hard to be a reserve Marine, said Lebidine, a former police officer who graduated from the Thomas Jefferson Law School.
Theyre just as dedicated, just as focused, but they dont have the time. Its really hard to try to keep everything moving in their lives and to keep working toward, and keep holding to the standards that theyre required to uphold.
Lebidine will retire to care for his aging and ill mother and father. He also vowed to spend more time with his wife, Angie, and their two daughters Brooke and Brynne, after so many years overseas.
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cprine@sduniontribune.com
Despite state and federal reports outlining concerns about staffing, equipment and reservoir problems at Camp Pendleton, military officials are telling the troops and their families that the water is safe to drink.
On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Marine Corps had entered into a consent decree designed to shore up deficiencies exposed during a weeklong tour of the sprawling base in late June.
The twin state and EPA inspection reports provided to The San Diego Union-Tribune revealed inspectors found animal carcasses in three reservoirs, an advanced water treatment plant that had been periodically shut down and operators who failed to routinely inspect, maintain and document equipment problems, leading to foundational cracks and inadequate seals in the water treatment system.
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During a tour of a $53 million treatment plant on Friday, Camp Pendleton officials insisted that there never was a danger to Marines or their families.
The waters safe. All the big items that were identified have been addressed, base spokesman Carl Redding said.
Rotting rodents and frog found by EPA and state agents were immediately removed and the reservoir water super-chlorinated to kill any potential diseases germs that would have been eradicated when they went to a treatment plant anyway and their chemical sensors monitored that, officials said.
They were all at a level that would kill anything there, said John Simpson, the director of the bases Water Resources Department.
The Union-Tribunes tour of the treatment works highlighted the complexity of the Camp Pendleton water system. Its actually two systems, divided between north and south districts.
Groundwater is drawn through wells to 34 reservoirs, treated and then distributed to 18 areas that Marine commanders run like small towns. The water sluices there through more than 400 miles of pipes, many of which lead into and then exit treatment plants that strip out iron, manganese and other minerals before disinfecting it with chlorine bleach and other chemicals.
At the main southern treatment plant, six operators work 12-hour shifts daily, tracking the water as it moves through the works, listening for alarms that monitor chlorine and other substances in the system, changing filters in rows of tubes and logging into notebooks a wide range of data, from readings on a computer screen to reports of leaks.
There should be 11 operators working there, but Camp Pendleton struggles to recruit and retain water system specialists. Of the 98 positions listed on paper for the division handling both the north and south sectors, 33 remain vacant.
In the EPA report, a Camp Pendleton supervisor stated that the base typically hires older men who are retired and dislike working weekends or others who would not make it at any other water system because the base couldnt match the wages and retirement packages offered by nearby local and state agencies.
Simpson, a retired Navy officer, said a wage study was done that could trigger higher pay for workers, and hes leavened the ranks with contractors, who can be brought on faster than civilian Department of Defense employees.
He said that many employees were highly trained specialists who worked at Camp Pendleton out of a sense of patriotism.
Red tape can tangle the hiring process for nine months, or longer, officials said, but a new program that hires Marines and sailors leaving active duty promises better staffing in the future.
The size of the water systems workforce is important because vacancies limit what they can do. The twin inspection reports cataloged numerous problems at the plants and reservoirs, including sensors and alarms that dont work, overgrown brush thats tangling equipment, leaking pumps and valves, unsealed electrical wire, uncleaned tanks, exposed pipes, bird and insect infestations, missing or damaged seals, dilapidated vents and water leaks.
The EPA files noted that the Marines bought the workers a new truck to use to perform routine valve maintenance:
The truck is brand new and has not been used yet and there was no evidence of a formal valve maintenance program, the report stated.
It creates challenges to fix all this stuff, Simpson said. And it becomes a loop, right? We dont have enough of our own folks because its a challenge to hire.
The base is putting together a tiger team to address all the problems in the reports, but that takes operators away from their core duties and delays repairs at other parts of Camp Pendleton.
Political divisions on Capitol Hill over the past decade have prevented lawmakers from passing military budgets, forcing the Marines to rely on continuing resolutions throughout the year to fund operations.
That hurts Simpsons ability to ink contracts with contractors to patch many of the problems mentioned in the reports and fund capital projects that could modernize the water system.
Many water treatment plants nationwide use what are called supervisory control and data acquisition or SCADA systems. The systems monitor and record data as water is being taken from the wells, through booster stations and reservoirs to the treatment plants and then out to customers.
Their networked computer systems often trim the number of workers necessary at water plants because their networks of sensors, valves and pumps can be tracked and controlled from remote locations, with most events automatically and electronically logged.
The Marines are piggybacking on a Navy project to land a $3 million system that will unify the northern and southern water operations on Camp Pendleton.
Ross Davis, the Water Resources Divisions assistant director, said the new system will help exponentially, but it probably will be another year before its installed.
What SCADA does is it allows me to repurpose people into doing regular maintenance, which I cant do now because I dont have enough people, said Davis. And it provides a higher level of safety throughout your whole operation because you can see everything thats going on and make adjustments without driving around at midnight in a rainstorm on a back road.
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cprine@sduniontribune.com
Amid one of the worst hepatitis A outbreaks the country has seen in decades, San Diego is set to host a health conference that will bring thousands of infectious disease experts to the area.
The annual scientific meeting, known as IDWeek, will start Wednesday. It was planned long before the outbreak. Organizers have added an impromptu session that will touch on San Diego, titled The Surprising Return of Hepatitis A.
According to the IDWeek schedule, Dr. Monique Foster of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions division of viral hepatitis, and Dr. Eric McDonald, director of San Diego Countys epidemiology and immunization services branch, will lead the discussion on Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the convention center.
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David Andes, head of infectious disease at the University of Wisconsin and IDWeeks program committee chair, said San Diegos outbreak would have been at the forefront of discussion regardless of conference location.
It wouldnt have mattered where the conference was, Andes said. This is an important outbreak that obviously has important implications to public health, and were hoping that discussions that emanate from the conference will help to abate the current situation, or at least help people to better address similar outbreaks in the future.
The San Diego outbreak, which has sickened at least 460 people, sent more than 300 to the hospital and killed 17, was first recognized by county health officials in March.
According to the most recent numbers released Tuesday by county officials, the number of confirmed cases linked to the outbreak jumped to 461 from 444 this past week.
The spread of the liver infection has been attributed to a lack of access to basic sanitation for San Diegos growing homeless population, which was the fourth largest in the country in 2016.
There were 9,116 homeless people in San Diego County in January and at least 5,600 were unsheltered, according to a report from the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.
Its unique in that its focus is not food-related, but globally, this isnt terribly uncommon, Andes said. In fact, if you were traveling to a developing country, most physicians would recommend that you get a Hep A vaccine.
San Diego Countys health and human services agency and the local health care community have given 42,000 vaccinations since the outbreak began, according to the countys website. About 22,400 of them were given by local health care systems, community clinics and pharmacies. Another 15,660 were given through mass vaccination events, mobile vans and foot teams targeting the homeless population.
More than 8,500 health experts from across the world are expected to attend this years IDWeek, a record number, Andes said. Attendees vary from infectious disease clinicians and public health officials to doctors, nurses, pharmacists and students in those areas.
Conference sessions will touch on a wide range of topics, including antibiotic resistance, new diagnostic tools and infection control and prevention. This year in particular, conference leaders are highlighting a number of new antibiotics and the results of clinical trials.
Other sessions will be updates on outbreaks locally and around the globe, which unfortunately there is never a shortage of, Andes said. By bringing together this multi-disciplinary group and people with different expertise, we really have a chance to learn quite a bit from each other.
The conference is set to run Wednesday through Sunday.
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Diagnosed when she was a teenager as HIV-positive, Rebecca Shea has had a tough road to travel for the past 27 years. So covering the four-mile course at Saturdays AIDS Walk and Run San Diego was something she felt she had to do even if it came after complications from a vascular condition that resulted in having two hips and one knee surgically replaced.
In the last four years, Ive been in a wheelchair for the walk, Shea, a 42-year-old from North Park, said just before the walk began in Hillcrest. I always said I would never wheel over the finish line. I would get up and walk. And this year, Im going to do the whole walk.
An estimated 6,000 runners, walkers and volunteers got up early in the morning to take part in the 28th annual edition that has raised $10 million since 1989, said Ian Johnson, director of events for the San Diego LGBT Community Center.
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The community really rallies behind this, Johnson said.
That wasnt necessarily the case when the first event was held to raise money and awareness to combat HIV and AIDS.
The precursor to Saturdays race was an event called the San Diego Walk For Life, held back in 1986.
It had a different name because we couldnt use the word AIDS, said Susan Jester, one of the founders of the first run. People wouldnt even write a check with the word AIDS on it. It was kind of a scary feeling.
The AIDS epidemic reached its height in the mid- to late 1980s, and fears and myths about contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, ran rampant as the number of deaths spiraled.
A lot of us who were around then, we really have PTSD from the whole experience, said Terry Cunningham, the 71-year-old retired chief of HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch for San Diego County. It was horrifying. I stopped counting the number of friends who died when it reached 100, and that was in 1986.
But on Saturday, Cunningham looked at the crowd filled with smiling faces and couldnt help notice the difference in atmosphere.
You dont see the walking dead anymore, he said. Youre seeing people who are healthy. You see the excitement. And the number of young people here, thats so wonderful.
One of those young people was Jana Johnson, a 25-year-old kinesiology major at San Diego State University. She attended last years run as a volunteer to get extra credit for a course she was taking and had such a good time she volunteered again.
She and her friend, Jerome Avery, held up signs and shouted encouragement to the walkers and runners.
The group of people here is amazing, Johnson said. You can find any kind of person here.
Saturdays event came just days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced there is effectively no risk of an HIV-positive person with an undetectable amount of HIV to sexually transmit the virus to an HIV-negative partner.
The news followed the lead of HIV experts and prevention organizations that have campaigned for an initiative called undetectable equals untransmittable.
That (announcement) is huge, Johnson said. It helps erase the stigma. Maybe more people will go and get tested and hopefully people wont be afraid of what HIV is.
Medical advancements since the mid-1990s have dramatically improved the futures of those who have contracted HIV. Antiretroviral medications have been developed to such a degree that a 20-year-old man with HIV who begins treatment early can expect to live to 77 the same lifespan of an average American male.
A drug called PrEP has been introduced that keeps HIV-negative people from becoming infected. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, PrEP is a single pill taken once a day that is highly effective.
People who take it are protected from getting HIV, said Dr. George Lemp, director of the California HIV/AIDS Research Program, based in Oakland. So its a tremendous advance. We cannot only keep the people alive who have HIV but we can prevent people from getting it in the future.
Dr. Douglas Richman, professor of pathology and medicine at the University of California San Diego and director of the Research Center for AIDS and HIV infection at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, said the progress in HIV research is one of the real, major accomplishments of medical science in the last 25 years.
Basically, the management of HIV has a better prognosis than management of diabetes and hypertension, Richman said.
But Richman was quick to add that access to medical care is vital.
The reality is that there are still people out there who are infected and dont know about it, Richman said. There are people transmitting the virus and there are people with sub-optimal access to care ... (Some) people think its over, and it isnt over. Theres still 38 million people on the globe infected, living with HIV, and over half them arent being treated. So this is still a very important issue.
Johnson said thats why Saturdays run/walk is so important not only for the money it raises to pay for the services and counseling for long-term survivors and families affected by HIV, but also for providing emotional support.
Those who are living with HIV are coming here and saying, Oh, the community is behind me and supporting me, Johnson said.
Rebecca Shea, a 42-year-old from North Park, finishes the 3.9 mile course Saturday at the 28th annual AIDS Walk and Run, the largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser in San Diego County. (Rob Nikolewski/U-T)
Just before the race started, Rebecca Shea recalled how she collapsed on her couch when she got the news she had contracted HIV and assumed she was going to die.
Shortly afterward, a young man she knew telephoned to console her. Today, they have been married for 22 years.
It is a very happy day, Shea said. Its a fun day. Ill be ready for a nap later but yeah, its an extremely happy, emotional day.
The fastest runners completed the course in less than a half-hour. It took Shea a little less than two hours but she finished with a smile on her face.
It was hard, she said, but I did it.
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rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com
(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski
In July 2015, we packed my fathers belongings and brought him and his dog to San Diego to live with us. He had fallen months earlier, broken his hip and suffered from recurring infections.
We had already been caring for my partners father, who has ALS, so we had some caregiving experience. Quickly, though, I learned that caregiving is a highly individualized proposition.
Here are some things I learned:
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1. Organization is key
I bought a large binder and created color-coded sections for things like medications, appointments and insurance benefits. I brought the binder with me everywhere we went, and if a question came up, I had everything in one place.
2. Power up the power of attorney
It is important to have a conversation about who in the family will make decisions on behalf of the person who needs care. There are many ways to get a power of attorney established. You can see a professional, who will charge a fee for the service, or you can simply print out one of the numerous forms available online. The form will have to be notarized to make it valid.
3. Taming the paper tiger
Put all important documents like wills, medical insurance, life insurance in one place. With your loved one, fill out an advance health care directive. It establishes the decisions about specific medical situations, including end-of-life care. A medical power of attorney a kind of health care directive grants decision-making powers to the person of your loved ones choice. Having these kinds of documents helps diminish anguish and confusion during crisis situations.
4. Building the dream medical team
Make a master list of all the physicians and medical professionals helping with your loved ones care, with their addresses and phone numbers, and make multiple copies of the list to keep in your binder.
5. Find an advocate
As a result of his deteriorating health, dad had to start dialysis treatment in Los Angeles. An administrator at Fresenius, which runs dialysis centers around the nation, quickly became our advocate in San Diego. She helped locate a dialysis center in La Mesa and clued me in to benefits I didnt know existed. Your advocate may end up being a nurse, a doctor or a social worker.
6. Identify benefits
Benefits vary based on the type of health insurance whether an HMO, Medicare, Medi-Cal or VA. In my fathers case, because he didnt have any assets and minimal income, he qualified for Medi-Cal. The combination of Medicare and Medi-Cal covered his care and opened up a new level of benefits from mobile doctors and nurses to in-home blood draws and hospital equipment.
7. Ask the experts
Finding the right mix of benefits didnt happen overnight. I did a lot of research, made a lot of phone calls and asked a lot of questions. A phone call to Elder Law & Advocacy in San Diego led me to Medi-Cal Regulation Specialists in Northern California. I hired them to handle my fathers Medi-Cal paperwork from the initial application to the annual re-application process. For a one-time fee, they handled everything. But you must provide all necessary documentation.
8. Its OK to ask for help
Within days of moving my father into our home, we realized the extent of his care went beyond what we were physically able to do. Everyday tasks like bathing and getting out of bed required someone who was physically strong enough to help him. I called numerous home-health agencies, advertised on caregiving jobs sites and sought recommendations on Facebook. We eventually formed a core group of four caregivers who took various shifts during a 12-hour period during the day. Care at night fell to me and my partner.
9. Care for yourself
You cannot take care of your loved one if you dont take good care of yourself. Through the Southern Caregiver Resource Center, I was able to get some help with respite care. Thanks to grants, the San Diego-based organization works to give support to caregivers. In my case, they offered help in the form of 16 hours of caregiving help a month, enough to give me free time on a weekend to run errands or catch up on some alone time.
10. Inhale
... and exhale. Slow down, and breathe.
My father, Agripino A. Rocha, passed away on March 29, 2016, while recovering from surgery at a nursing facility.
Twitter: @outdoorlivingsd
michael.rocha@sduniontribune.com
Making the decision to hire a caregiver is hard enough, but unfortunately, its just the beginning. Here are five tips to help make the process easier:
1. What do you need?
Before you start looking for a caregiver, make a list of the kinds of tasks you want them to do. Some families only need help with day-to-day chores like cleaning, cooking and laundry. Others may require those with more skills for tasks like lifting, tending to bed sores or tracheostomy care. Whatever your needs, put together a thorough inventory that can be used as a checklist during your search. An easy way to get this list going is to literally go through a days activities make a list of specific activities from morning until bedtime.
2. The search
Once you know what youre looking for, you can start the search. There are many ways to do this: You can advertise on caregiving sites like care.com or carelinx.com. Ask friends and family for referrals. Use social media to spread the word that youre looking for a caregiver. Some will yield better results than others, so its best to use multiple approaches during this process. Caregiving sites may require a sign-up fee, but theyre a pretty safe route to take because theyve done a lot of the work for you from filtering out those who dont match your requirements to how much to pay. Going through an agency is another route they, too, eliminate a lot of the guesswork but also charge more.
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3. Crafting a job description
To get what youre looking for, it is a good idea to write a job description that clearly outlines your expectations and needs. If there are special needs like health care training for specific tasks it should be listed. That way, youre not going to attract applicants who cant perform those tasks.
4. Be upfront about money
About pay: If you post your ad online, many caregiving-focused sites may require you to include a range. Generally, the hourly rate it is between $10 and $25. If you decide to employ a caregiver directly, you can set your rate and negotiate with your soon-to-be employee. Many job seekers who advertise online provide you with a range so as to eliminate any confusion. A good rule of thumb: Be upfront about how much youre willing to pay, and that can help narrow down the list.
5. Closing the deal
Just like the job description you created outlining what you want, be clear about what wont be tolerated, such as excessive cellphone use, tardiness or smoking. Ask for three references and call them all. At least two of the references should be from former employers. If you are hiring a caregiver through an agency, a criminal background check is probably going to be required. If you are not going through an agency, consider using an online people search website (for example, backgroundcheckgateway.com) to confirm the information the worker has provided to you is correct. Be vigilant and dont be shy about asking a lot of questions.
Twitter: @outdoorlivingsd
michael.rocha@sduniontribune.com
After being lampooned by county Republicans for changing parties during his career in politics, county supervisor candidate Nathan Fletcher has given his retort to what is expected to be an issue in next years election.
Fletcher has faced this type of criticism before when he shifted from Republican to independent while running for San Diego mayor in 2012.
Two years later, running for mayor again but as a Democrat, his liberal bonafides were under a microscope, and the county Democratic Party, like the Republicans earlier, endorsed another candidate. Fletcher didnt make it past the primary in either of those races.
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People change with their life experiences, Fletcher said. He grew up in southern Arkansas, went to California Baptist University and served in the Marine Corps. He became a father, he saw battle buddies struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol abuse when they came home from war, and he picketed with janitors during a strike for better wages.
All of those are a part of life and I think that people understand that, he said. Im proud of that, that shows progress, and it shows youre listening and youre learning and growing.
A few weeks ago, the county Republican Party launched www.iHeartNathan.com, a website that highlights conservative positions Fletcher took when he served in the Assembly as a Republican. Using a impeccably coiffed, hand mirror-carrying cartoon rendition of Fletcher, it portrays him as a political opportunist who will change positions and parties for votes.
Before Nathan Fletcher became a rising star in the Democratic Party, he was a rising star in the Republican Party and an establishment favorite, the GOPs website says.
Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 in the central San Diego supervisorial district, and party affiliation could be an issue in a primary where four Democrats and two Republicans will be scrambling to finish in the top two spots and compete in the general election.
The county Democratic Party has endorsed Fletcher with over 90 percent of the central committee members voting to back his campaign. The seat officially is nonpartisan, but local elections often follow party lines.
The iHeartNathan website was registered by Jason Roe, a consultant who works with Republican candidates, including one of Fletchers opponents, former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis. Roe also once employed Fletcher to work on various campaigns, and has worked for candidates running against Fletcher in two earlier races.
It seems to be a pretty good compilation of the ideological pretzel Nathan has tied himself in pursuit of getting elected no matter what the cost. With Nathan, what you see is never what you get, Roe said. He said Fletcher moved to the left during his last year in the Assembly when he started the groundwork for his run for mayor in a city where Democrats have a major voter registration advantage.
Tony Krvaric, the chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County, did not return requests for comment for this story.
The website chronicles Fletchers political career, and includes conservative positions he took between 2008 and 2012 when he served in the Assembly and his first bid for mayor in 2012. He started that race as a Republican but ended as an independent after the GOP passed him over for an endorsement that went to then-City Councilman Carl DeMaio. He became a Democrat in 2014, got involved in party politics, and last year he attended that partys national convention as a delegate for Hillary Clinton.
The website highlights votes against a Harvey Milk holiday and low scores on report cards from abortion rights organizations. It contrasts that with positions he now has that are common on Democratic platforms.
And now Nathan is backhis star rising again with the help of a pliant Democratic Establishment who is passing over a Latina and two African Americans who have been loyal Democrats their entire lives, the website said.
It includes a gallery of photos of Fletcher with prominent, out-of-state Republicans, including some who have since joined President Donald Trumps administration. It also makes some false claims, including one that Fletcher was once the executive director of the state Republican Party.
Days after the GOPs website appeared, Fletcher put up his own website in response that portrays him a progressive and independent Republican when he was in Sacramento with a voting record that reflected his growth.
It holds attacks from conservatives as commendations, and highlights times where he ditched his own party and sided with Democrats to the annoyance of Republicans. The iHeartNathan Facebook page was flooded with comments from Democrats who extolled their support for Fletcher.
He was the first Republican in Sacramento to come out against Dont Ask, Dont Tell, a policy that prevented gay people from serving openly in the military, and was ranked the most liberal member of the GOP in the Assembly by the Republican Liberty Caucus. He also voted with Democrats on a bill that prevented so-called robosigning of home foreclosure paperwork.
From the beginning he was criticized by the GOP as being too progressive on nearly every Democratic core value: Equal Rights, Environmental Protection, Choice, Labor and Workers, says Fletchers website, https://www.nathanfletcher.com/Democrat.
Jessica Hayes, the head of the county Democrats, said Fletcher isnt trying to hide his time in Republican politics.
People are allowed to mature, we grow up. Were supposed to grow up, its normal, she said. He has never once denied his past, he has not denied his progress.
And he has been consistent as a Democrat, and has held onto progressive stances he took when he was still a Republican, Hayes said.
Even when he was an assemblyman, he wrote bills for homeless youth, a homeowners bill of rights, veterans, she said.
Fletcher said that his political allegiances have been scrutinized before, both when he was a Republican who was attacked from inside as too liberal, as well as later from Democrats who questioned his sincerity. He said he has since changed, and years after leaving the Republican Party, his stance should be clear, particularly with endorsements from Democrats with unquestionable bonafides.
In religion, its widely accepted that converts have the strongest faith. And that is certainly true of those who change parties, Fletcher said.
While he is trying to shore up support from progressives in a Democrat-heavy district, his inability to satisfy party insiders has cost him before. In 2012 when he was a Republican running for mayor he sought backing from the county GOP. Days before the party was to vote on which candidate to support, Fletcher or DeMaio, one of DeMaios supporters anonymously mailed members of the partys central committee members a 14-page dossier that questioned Fletchers conservative credentials. One of the documents was an F grade from the California Republican Assembly report card.
Five years ago, like he did recently, Fletcher had to defend himself, but that time he had to take a different tack and argue that he was, in fact, really a Republican.
Twitter: @jptstewart
joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com
(619) 293-1841
A burning fishing boat in the San Diego Bay that filled parts of downtown with thick smoke for days was nearly extinguished Sunday morning.
The 120-foot Norton Sound boat at the G Street pier ignited Friday morning for unknown reasons, reaching temperatures of more than 2,500 degrees enough to melt steel. No one was believed to be onboard.
By Sunday, the boat had cooled to about 100 degrees, with just a small amount of smoke billowing from holes burned into the hull.
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An acrid smell still filled the air, but not nearly as bad as previous days when some businesses near the boat temporarily closed.
1 / 9 Harbor Police officers Christopher Scheil (left) and Matt Oakley position their fire boat to hose down the haul of the fishing vessel. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 9 Harbor Police officer Christopher Scheil uses a TIC (thermal imaging camera) to check the temperature of the haul of the vessel that originally caught fire Friday morning. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 9 Often dousing the vessel with water, San Diego Harbor Police fire boat keeps continues to keep a vigil watch on the 130-foot vessel that originally caught fire on Friday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 9 Harbor Police officers Christopher Scheil and Matt Oakley position their fire boat to hose down the haul of the fishing vessel. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 9 Harbor Police officer Matt Oakley maneuvers the fire boat back to the dock after earlier hosing down the haul of the fishing vessel. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 9 Using the FLIR camera on their Harbor Police fire boat, the fishing vessel continues to glow from the former intensity of the fire. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 9 Often dousing the vessel with water, San Diego Harbor Police fire boat keeps continues to keep a vigil watch on the 130-foot vessel that originally caught fire on Friday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 9 Harbor Police officers Christopher Scheil runs the FLIR camera through a test. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 9 Using the FLIR camera on their Harbor Police fire boat, officer Matt Oakley points out three holes on the fishing vessel haul where the intensity of the fire burned open a hole. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)
Nearly 100 firefighters from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and the San Diego Harbor Police battled the blaze since it began late Friday morning.
Officials are still investigating what caused the fire and who the owner is. It is possible that San Diego Fire-Rescue, Harbor Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will work together on the investigation but a final determination has not been made, Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Monica Munoz said Sunday.
Fire officials were still determining when to remove the boat, which has been docked at the pier for months. The removal will likely occur early in the week. The boardwalk in front of the pier was opened to the public around 3 p.m. Sunday with the Harbor Police still using the pier to secure the dock near the boat.
No firefighters have been on the boat since Friday. Instead, Harbor Police officers have been spraying the hull to cool the ship. The objective is to keep the boat from sinking and releasing toxins into the bay or from detaching from the pier since it could drift into other boats, said Harbor Police Officer Christoper Scheil.
Something is still actively smoldering down at the bottom of the ship, he said.
Harbor police used thermal imaging technology to scan for the hottest spots on the boat. One device showed the white, glowing steel frame of the boat almost like a whale skeleton while the surrounding area was a dull gray.
The department has handled most of the fire fight, using its 40-foot FireStorm 36 boats to spray around 2,000 gallons of water per minute at the Norton Sound. San Diego Fire-Rescue also sprayed from the pier, but only for a few hours. Harbor Police vessels are able to pump water directly from the bay instead of relying on a fixed source of water like a fire truck.
No one was found when firefighters did a quick search of the vessel Friday. The chance of somebody being alive in the ship, in those conditions, is very limited, Scheil said.
An environmental contractor for the U.S. Coast Guard, NAR, surrounded the Norton Sound with a roughly 1,000-foot floating barrier, called a boom, to collect any debris that fell off the ship.
The fire was hot enough to keep firefighters alert for days. Some areas of the ship appeared to auto combust, or just catch fire because of extreme heat, and an explosion on the boat around 2 a.m. Saturday is believed to be from a propane tank.
Boat fires are pretty rare nowadays, but the last big one Harbor Police and others fought around here was in Summer 2014 when a $24 million yacht at a Chula Vista boat yard caught fire. The 110-foot Polar Bear boat was out of the water, up on blocks, unlike the Norton Sound.
For people downtown frustrated by the pace at which the fire extinguished, Sheil said the safety of first responders was most important and they do not have suits that could physically withstand the heat of the ship even though getting to the source of the fire is the quickest way to put it out. So, the slower spray-from-the-outside method was necessary, he said.
Ownership of the boat remains unclear. The Coast Guard said Sunday that the owner was Norton Sound Seafood Products, based in Alaska. The fire department spokeswoman said they have learned ownership of the vessel had been transferred to another owner, but it was unclear who it was. An employee at Norton Sound said Sunday afternoon that companys owner would be unavailable until Monday.
Late Sunday, a Port District spokeswoman said records showed the vessel was owned by Liliana Guadalupe, Jimenez Gonzalez and Samuel Ramos, with a Jalisco, Mexico address.
The vessels license with the Federal Communications Commission said the boat allows a maximum of 35 people aboard and weights 653 gross tons.
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phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar
ALSO
Fishing boat keeps burning, smoking on San Diego Bay
UPDATES:
9:28 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details. It was originally posted at 2:20 p.m.
Brown, acrid smoke continued fouling the air near Seaport Village on Saturday, a day after a fire broke out on a fishing boat at the G Street pier on San Diego Bay.
Fire officials say they have no idea how much longer the fire will continue to burn below the deck of the Norton Sound.
San Diego Fire-Rescue engine companies and San Diego Harbor Police fire boats began dousing the 130-foot vessel after the fire broke out about 9:30 a.m. Friday. No one was onboard.
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Fire Chief Brian Fennessy, who happened to be leaving the nearby U.S.S. Midway Museum, got to the fire first and saw the worst smoke coming from the stern. On Saturday, it appeared to be burning at the bow, a fire spokeswoman said.
Fire crews monitored the ship overnight on Friday and were to do so again on Saturday.
Harbor police on fire boats were training water on the outside to cool the steel hull. Thermal imaging measured the ships interior at 300 degrees, an official said.
Once the ship is cool enough to enter safely, NRC, an environmental contractor for the U.S. Coast Guard, will assess how to clean up the mess and remove the ship. Officials are concerned that toxic chemicals would be released into the bay if the ship sinks under the weight of water being poured onto the fire.
The billowing, stinky smoke has filled the air around the Embarcadero and Seaport Villages shops and restaurants, causing some businesses to close temporarily. Visitors are encouraged to phone before arriving to dine or shop in the area.
The Norton Sound is listed on various marine websites as a fishing and research vessel registered in Alaska. A Harbor Police official said it has been docked at G Street for months.
The vessel owner has not been contacted, contrary to information given on Friday, fire spokeswoman Monica Munoz said Saturday. The Coast Guard learned that its records were not up-to-date.. The Norton Sound owner listed had transferred ownership to another person not in the Coast Guard database.
Usiel Oceguera was waiting to use a bathroom in downtown San Diego a couple months ago when he was beaten by a man who stole his backpack.
That backpack belongs to me, Oceguera recalled hearing before he was hit in the face.
He didnt report the incident to police, nor did he tell anyone when a driver accidentally ran over his legs as he slept in the street a few weeks ago.
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Oceguera knows life on the streets can be dangerous, and that he and those around him can be easy targets as they tote their possessions in bags and shopping carts, or doze in parks or on sidewalks.
Some people get robbed. Some are sexually assaulted. Some lose their lives.
You are never safe when you are out in the open, the 44-year-old said last week as he relaxed on the grass in Embarcadero Marina Park South. Im not worried about all the people, but there is always someone out there that is not doing good.
Since mid-September, San Diego police have responded to three fatal attacks on homeless victims in as many weeks, a troubling development in a city that witnessed a spate of attacks on homeless men last year, resulting in the arrest of an accused serial killer.
The incidents this month which occurred in Southcrest, North Park and City Heights are unrelated, authorities said. Two of the victims were fatally stabbed and one was hit in the head with a skateboard.
An arrest was made in one of the cases, but police are still trying to identify suspects in the others.
Police say it is not possible to track whether violent crimes against the homeless in San Diego County have increased because no one logs crimes based on the housing status of the victims.
Even without hard data, however, homeless advocates say the sheer growth in the number of people on the streets likely means theres more crime occurring in that population. The county has an estimated 9,100 homeless. Advocates see a growing frustration in the community as the crisis continues.
Theres homeless-on-homeless crime, theres civilian-on-homeless crime, theres homeless-on-civilian crime, said Bob McElroy, a longtime advocate for the homeless who runs Alpha Project. It is the Wild West out here.
The nonprofit National Coalition for the Homeless documented 1,650 acts of violence against the homeless by housed assailants in the U.S. between 1999 and 2015 beatings, rapes, mutilations and homicides -- including 428 cases where victims were killed.
The group based its numbers on news reports, data provided by homeless advocates and service providers, and self-reported incidents by homeless and formerly homeless individuals. In 2014 and 2015, the most recent statistics released by the organization, it logged 43 incidents of violence in California, by far the most of any state.
McElroy said he often hears about people randomly targeting the homeless for assaults, seeing them as easy prey.
Ive witnessed it and Ive also heard the horror stories, he said. People drive by homeless people and (hit) them with paint balls, with pellets, with BB guns, eggs, rocks.
And then there are the attacks that turn deadly.
Last year, two brothers were arrested in connection with the death of George Lowrey, a 50-year-old homeless man who was beaten near an encampment in Santee.
Lowreys wife found him lying bound and bloodied underneath a large piece of plywood on April 24, 2016. He was alive but unconscious, with his wrists and ankles tied with bungee cords, the wife said in court. He died at a hospital.
A Superior Court trial is set to begin later this month for Austin and Preston Mostrong, ages 22 and 21, who face murder charges stemming from Lowreys death. A third defendant, the elder brothers girlfriend, is accused of lying to, or withholding information from, investigators.
So far, no trial date has been set for Jon David Guerrero, who is accused of attacking a dozen people last year, killing four. Many of the victims were homeless men. Some had railroad spikes driven into the head or chest, and some were set on fire.
The assaults stretched from February 2016 until July of that year, when Guerrero was arrested.
Criminal proceedings in his case were put on hold this summer after a county psychiatrist determined he was mentally incompetent to stand trial. If his competency is restored, the case will resume.
Excluding the men Guerrero is accused of killing, the number of San Diego homicides involving homeless victims largely remained about the same for the last three years, said San Diego homicide Lt. Todd Griffin. At the chiefs request, he recently compiled the crimes for an informal report.
That was before the three September homicides.
Roy Jack Bonilla, 44 was fatally stabbed on Sept. 13 after arguing with another homeless man, police said. Officers made an arrest in the case.
Three days later, a sleeping homeless man was beaten with a skateboard in an unprovoked attack in North Park. And on Sept. 25, a man was killed and a woman was injured in City Heights after some type of a confrontation in a homeless encampment.
The numbers ebb and flow, Griffin said. We may not get another one for the rest of the year. It is hard to say.
Some police departments have created homeless outreach teams that focus on providing referrals to mental health, housing and other services. Police assigned to the teams try to build relationships and trust in the homeless community.
Even with that relationship, some victims are reluctant to tell officers everything they know about a crime. A homeless woman recently reported she was raped but declined to reveal the suspects name, said Chula Vista police Sgt. Frank Giaime.
They wont tell us who the person is because they have to live in this community, the sergeant said. It is hard for them to feel like they can do something about that and identify somebody. If they arent going to tell us, there isnt much we can do.
Homeless advocate Michael McConnell said he senses heightened tension on the streets these days as concerns grow over the Hepatitis A outbreak, which claimed the lives of 17 people. He said the citys recent crackdowns on sidewalk homeless encampments, and the ensuing arrests, could erode trust in law enforcement.
People are not going to be anxious to want any kind of help from someone who they view is terrorizing them, McConnell said.
San Diego police spokeswoman Lisa McKean disagreed. She said officers often take on differing roles in every community: One day they might ticket a person and the next theyll be called to assist the same person as a crime victim.
Part of our job as law enforcement is the enforcement portion, she said. We wear a variety of hats at all times, depending on the needs of our community.
karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
For decades, local law enforcement agencies have requested surplus miliary equipment from the U.S. government to use in their efforts to fight crime and protect the public.
The federal program made headlines three years ago when police in Ferguson, Mo. deployed armored vehicles and high-caliber weapons to quell protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white officer.
Responding to the outcry, President Barack Obama in 2015 restricted some items, including re-purposed grenade launchers and other heavy-duty equipment, stressing that such items can alienate and intimidate local residents and send the wrong message.
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The Trump Administration rescinded those limitations in late August, saying they went too far.
Amid the national dabate over police use of military equipment, many law enforcement agencies in San Diego County returned hardware including a mine-resistant vehicle acquired by the San Diego Unified School District but the requests for military surplus equipment have continued, some as recently as May.
Local law enforcement agencies in San Diego County currently have about $1 million worth of military equipment, some of which was acquired as far back as 1991, according to Department of Defense. The items run the gamut from camera-equipped robots and gym gear to assault rifles and flashlights.
Most of the equipment is relatively mundane. The most common items shipped to local agencies include rubber flooring mats, safety goggles, barbed wire and magazine pouches.
Local authorities say the program saves them money and that the hardware is meant to protect the public and officers.
Of the 11,788 items local law enforcement agencies have received, only 217 are weapons, according to a review of the data. Only Escondido police has an armored truck, obtained in 2012 and worth $65,000.
Local Customs and Border Protection has the most equipment, in quantity and value. Most of the 7,241 items worth a combined $706,452 are supplies such as ropes, tents and safety goggles. Its big-ticket items include a road grader, valued about $79,000, and a ground sensor and surveillance system, worth nearly $63,000.
The items were acquired in 2015 and 2016.
The road grader is used to maintain and improve roads, while the sensors are used to detect vehicles traveling near the border, the agency said.
In May, the federal government handed down two remote-controlled, camera-equipped robots, each valued at $77,000, to San Diego police. They are intended to scan dangerous places and search for suspects holed up in buildings during SWAT incidents.
So far the tactical robots have not been used, San Diego police said.
Theyre so old that right now were just evaluating them to see if we can utilize them, and, if so, in what capacity, Sgt. Lisa McKean said.
According to the data, Escondido police have the largest stockpile of guns obtained through the program. The department has 65 assault rifles 40 of which were acquired in the last three years and four battle rifles, worth nearly $43,000 combined.
The department did not respond to requests for an interview.
Coronado police have obtained eight assault rifles through the program since 2002. Only two of the weapons are currently used by officers to complete gun qualification courses and use-of-force training. All eight are expected to be doled out to patrol officers by the end of the year, Sgt. Matthew Mitchell said.
He said the high-caliber guns are a way to protect the public and officers in dangerous scenarios.
For law enforcement agencies with tight budgets, the military program is a way to acquire valuable equipment they might not be able to have otherwise, local authorities said.
The program has saved the (Harbor Police) Department thousands of dollars, spokeswoman Marguerite Elicone said.
Several local law enforcement officials said oversight of the program is stringent, with the Defense Department requiring agencies to keep track of the items and undergo inspections to ensure the hardware is not misused.
Since the San Diego school district returned the armored vehicle in 2014, four other law enforcement agencies in the county have returned equipment. The military took back 10 assault rifles from El Cajon police, 17 battle rifles from National City police, 10 battle rifles from the Sheriffs Department, and 76 assault rifles and an armored truck from San Diego police.
Of the five agencies that returned equipment, only the San Diego Police Department has acquired new hardware the robots.
San Diego police decided to return the assault rifles and armored truck because they were too old, McKean said.
We couldnt use them, she said. We just had no use for them.
It remains to be seen if local agencies will request any of the items now available since Trump rolled back the limits on the military program.
Mitchell, of the Coronado Police Department, said he believes most agencies make smart choices when it comes to requesting equipment that will help them do their jobs effectively.
Its a good program if its used right, he said.
Daniel Wheaton contributed to this report.
Breaking News
Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
Phone: (619) 293-1876
Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
I write to congratulate the voters of San Diego. As a former Chargers season-ticket holder, I remain solidly against taxpayer-funded subsidies for the one business in America that has been given a 100 percent monopoly by Congress the NFL. Millionaires like Dean Spanos take and give very little back.
Last Sunday, we witnessed their love of country with their unity in disrespecting America and Americans. San Diego never needed the Chargers quite the opposite. Once again San Diego proves its difference from Los Angeles and goes its own way.
With both active and retired military comprising a major portion of the county population, no one disputes what freedom means and its cost.
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The millions the Spanos family would have collected at San Diego taxpayers expense will fund vastly more important city and county needs.
Mark Generales
Bonita Springs, Florida
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Councilmen David Alvarez and Scott Sherman are the same two who came up with the short-term vacation rental proposal recently (Airbnb debate heats up with new proposal permitting short-term rentals, Sept. 20). In this study (Report: San Diego needs to triple annual housing production, Sept. 21) they suggest that to combat rising housing costs, San Diego needs to triple the building of housing to prevent a shortage.
From the other side of their mouths, they propose a short-term vacation rental plan that allows for each owner to operate three short-term vacation rental homes. They cite a shortage of units as the reason San Diego is losing young, talented individuals to other places because they can no longer afford to live here.
The blatant irony of it is to permit more short-term housing in neighborhoods, while complaining about insufficient permanent housing available. These gentlemen need to take their commitment to serve their communities seriously. Their vacation rental proposal is an insult, except to greedy investors damaging the fabric of neighborhoods.
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Jean Ready Froning
San Diego
Letters and commentary policy
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The petition asked the UN to appoint a special representative to investigate human rights abuses in the province and to put West Papua back on the decolonisation committee agenda and ensure their right to selfdetermination is respected by holding an internationally supervised vote.
In New York last week, the exiled West Papuan leader Benny Wenda presented the petition banned by the Indonesian government, but smuggled across Papua and reportedly endorsed by 70% of the contested provinces population to the UNs decolonisation committee, known as the C24 and responsible for monitoring the progress of former colonies towards independence.
SYDNEY - The UNs decolonisation committee will not accept a petition signed by 1.8 million West Papuans calling for independence, saying West Papuas cause is outside the committees mandate.
In the West Papuan peoples petition we hand over the bones of the people of West Papua to the United Nations and the world, Wenda said of the document.
After decades of suffering, decades of genocide, decades of occupation, we open up the voice of the West Papuan people which lives inside this petition. My people want to be free.
But on Thursday the chair of the decolonisation committee, Rafael Ramirez, said no petition on West Papua could be accepted because the committees mandate extended only to the 17 states identified by the UN as non-self-governing territories.
I am the chair of the C24 and the issue of West Papua is not a matter for the C24. We are just working on the counties that are part of the list of non-self-governing territories. That list is issued by the general assembly.
One of the principles of our movement is to defend the sovereignty and the full integrity of the territory of our members. We are not going to do anything against Indonesia as a C24.
West Papua was previously on the committees agenda when the former Dutch colony was known as Netherlands New Guinea but it was removed in 1963 when the province was annexed by Indonesia as Irian Jaya.
Ramirez, Venezuelas representative to the UN, said his office was being manipulated for political purposes. Ramirez did not say the petition had not been presented to the committee, only that it was not able to accept it.
In a statement, Ramirez said that he supported Indonesias position that West Papua was an integral part of its territory.
Im sure ditch maintenance isnt on most peoples list of hot topics to read about in the Sunday paper but Ive seen so many eroding ditches lately that I felt it warranted some attention.
Ditches have a very important purpose; they maintain safe driving conditions by preventing water from accumulating on roads. The nature of what they do makes them prone to erosion, which can be problematic for two reasons.
Eroded soil will eventually be deposited. This can interfere with the ditchs ability to convey water. Soil accumulating in front of a culvert will restrict flow and in severe cases, may block flow completely. With flow blocked, the ditch is likely to overflow during rain, resulting in unsafe driving conditions.
Eroded ditches also pose a threat to local water quality and aquatic life. For example, nutrients transported by sediment may lead to harmful algal blooms that can sicken people or animals. Sediment can smother aquatic habitat, make finding food difficult, can clog the gills of fish, and can limit the ability of aquatic vegetation to photosynthesize. In addition, sediment in a drinking water supply can result in taste and odor problems meaning increased treatment costs.
I understand why people might reach for an herbicide to spray in the ditch. The lawnmower is usually too large and using a string trimmer is quite laborious, especially with our heat and humidity. If you get the urge to spray, please dont do it. While your ditch will be devoid of vegetation for a while, you will soon have a much bigger problem on your hands.
So what should you do? Go ahead and let the grass grow. The ditch doesnt have to be perfectly manicured. In fact, it will function best when its not. Allowing vegetation to grow in a ditch will help it to function properly and protect water quality. Its OK to give it a trim every now and again if it gets a little too wild for your liking. Keep in mind that some vegetation may attract desirable wildlife species, which is always a win in my book.
Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to people of all ages, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status and is an equal opportunity employer.
FLORENCE, S.C. The states top General Assembly leaders have pledged again to protect customers from continued rate increases after SCANAs failure to complete two nuclear energy reactors in the Midlands.
SCANA, the owner of South Carolina Electric & Gas, and its partner, state-owned Santee Cooper utility, are facing state and federal investigation after the companies shut down their V.C. Summer reactor project in late July.
Before the project was halted, the companies had spent $9 billion and raised customers rates 14 times to pay for the work and left million in unpaid work contracts.
South Carolina House Speaker Jay Lucas and Senate President Pro Tempore Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. indicated Friday that there are a lot of unknowns in the investigation but ratepayer protections are the states priority.
Lucas said hed like to see Leatherman lead the charge on energy regulation reform.
We need an overhaul to ensure that ratepayers interests are more strongly represented than they have been in the past, Lucas said. Our goal needs to be to ensure that ratepayers arent on the hook for this fiasco.
Leatherman agreed that ratepayers need protection but didnt specifically say whether reform would be on the table soon. He did say, however, that energy concerns will be a primary topic moving forward.
Weve got to look at the future power needs of this state, he said. Until then we have to figure out a way get those rates of the taxpayer and figure what else needs to be done with those in charge.
Neither Leatherman nor Lucas could provide further details on the continuing investigations into SCANA and Santee Cooper.
Lucas added that he believes the problems stemming from the SCANA fallout will likely dominate the House in the early part of the next legislative session.
SCANA does not operate in the Pee Dee; however, Pee Dee Electric Cooperative is a subsidiary of Santee Cooper.
Information originally reported by the Associated Press was used in this report.
Press Release
October 1, 2017 ANGARA BATS FOR SOCIAL PENSION FOR ALL SENIOR CITIZENS Not only did the Senate retain the value-added tax (VAT) exemption of senior citizens, it also seeks to allocate funding for a universal social pension that would benefit all poor senior citizens in the country. Under Senate Bill 1592 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill, part of the incremental revenues will go to the provision of social pension for all senior citizens except those with contributory pension. "Marami pa rin po sa ating mga senior citizen ang hindi nakatatanggap ng pension. By providing greater funding, it is our goal that all senior citizens will be reached by our social pension programs to help lift them out of poverty," said Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the ways and means committee. Based on the data from the Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE), only 29% of the elderly population are covered by the Social Security System (SSS), the Government Social Insurance System (GSIS) and other pension systems, while 34% of seniors are the target beneficiaries of the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). This leaves 37% or 3.1 million of the total 8.3 million senior population with no pension at all. The COSE and the Confederation of Older Persons Association of the Philippines have expressed their support for SB 1592. "The proposed measure to universalize the current social pension program is highly notable. There is a strong evidence that only a small minority of poorer older people receive a contributory pension, thus the proposal is more likely to cover the majority of poor and near-poor older persons. Such proposal will not only support a dignified life for millions of senior citizens, but also a fulfillment to President Duterte's socio-economic agenda on improving the social protection program of the country," said COSE Executive Director Emily Beridico in its position paper. To be eligible for the DSWD's social pension program, which gives P500 every month to indigent seniors, the senior must be frail, sickly or with disability; do not receive pension from state-run pension agencies; and do not have a permanent source of income or financial support from family or relatives. Under the proposed universal social pension, as long as the senior citizen does not have contributory pension, he or she will be qualified. To cover all 6 million seniors with no contributory pension, DSWD's 2017 social pension budget of P17.9 billion should be doubled to P35 billion. "We must bridge this gap in the social protection system in the country. Dapat ay masiguro natin na ang bawat isa sa kanila at mayroong sapat na ayuda para pambili ng kanilang mga gamot at iba pang pangangailangan upang sila ay makapamuhay nang komportable," said Angara, who is also one of the authors of the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, which grants discounts and VAT exemption to senior citizens. "As we celebrate National Elderly Week, we call on our colleagues to support this measure in recognition of the important role that our seniors play in nation building," the lawmaker added.
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A man leaving a wedding reception was struck and killed by a California Highway Patrol cruiser as he crossed the road in Half Moon Bay on Saturday night, authorities said.
The 74-year-old Burlingame man was leaving the popular Sams Chowder House around 8:24 p.m. when he was hit. The vehicle, a 2016 Ford, was traveling north on Highway 1.
The wayward pooch that wandered onto the BART tracks near Oaklands Coliseum Station and tied up Wednesday mornings commute for nearly an hour didnt make a lot of friends.
As riders pulled out their phones and tweeted pictures of the confused pooch, BART police who were called into action couldnt snag the dog.
So the systems power was shut off, leaving many riders trapped inside train cars.
As the panicked dog took off north, toward the Fruitvale station, cops boarded an inspection train and followed the dog at a slow speed, with an officer poking his head out the cabs window to make sure they didnt run over the animal.
The dog, however, just kept going leading police to dispatch an officer to the Fruitvale Station to cut the winded pooch off at the pass.
And indeed, when Sgt. Tanzanika Carter stepped in the dogs path and began talking to it calmly, the animal approached her. After being leashed and given some water, the young male dog which didnt have any identifying tags was escorted to Oaklands Animal Care and Control Center.
BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said opinions were sharply divided over the dogs antics.
Lots of people wanted to adopt the dog, and others wanted us to run it over, Trost said.
Afterward, however, fellow rider Samantha Gonzalez may have summed up the feelings of most commuters and the dog when she tweeted: What a ruff morning.
San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
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Two years ago, Fitbit was flying high, hitting its peak stock price and reporting record revenue as the indisputable market leader in wearable fitness devices.
Since then, the San Francisco company has struggled to maintain its dominance and carve out new areas of growth, as competitors such as Apple, Garmin and Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi gained traction with consumers hungry for fitness wearables and smartwatches.
The market was really starting to take off, there were only a handful of vendors, and none flexed their muscle as hard as Fitbit did at the time, said Ramon Llamas, an analyst who tracks wearables for the research firm International Data Corp. The market has moved on.
Fitbits release Sunday of its first smartwatch, Ionic, comes amid mounting pressure on the company to develop new products. But the Ionic will run squarely into the market leader the Apple Watch, a new version of which went on sale last month.
I dont think weve been behind, Lindsay Cook, Fitbits vice president of product marketing, said about the companys foray into smartwatches. We feel were in a great position offering this product to the market. We know consumers are interested in more full-feature devices.
More on the Ionic Fitbit unveils health-focused smartwatch to revive ailing demand
Fitbit has invested tens of millions of dollars as it has developed the Ionic watch, acquiring three companies over the past 18 months Coin, Pebble and Vector Watch and incorporating components from each into the new device. The $300 smartwatch will have mobile payment processing, GPS tracking, the ability to store and play music, and a heart rate monitor. It will not have a cellular connection, unlike one version of the new Apple Watch. The other significant difference between the Ionic and the new Apple Watch which starts at $399 with cellular, $329 without is that the former has longer battery life and is compatible with Android and Windows.
Ionic will support third-party apps, and developers can submit apps for review before the end of the year.
Analysts say the success of Ionic is critical to Fitbits future, as global demand for the bread-and-butter fitness trackers that Fitbit is best known for continues to decline. Consumers are increasingly demanding watches that not only track their fitness goals, but can also deliver email, stream music and perform other functions more similar to that of a smartphone.
If you think about the category theyre in today, its a shrinking category the basic activity tracker market, said Charlie Anderson, an analyst at Dougherty & Co. The smartwatch market, on the other hand, is growing. So its very important in the sense that if they have any hope to grow in the future, they need to be successful at smartwatches.
Fitbits market share in the worldwide wearables market fell to 13 percent at the end of the second quarter from 24 percent a year earlier, according to IDC data. Global Fitbit shipments dropped 40 percent, from 5.7 million to 3.4 million, during the same period.
Fitbit, however, still has a strong position. It shipped 3.4 million devices during the second quarter of 2017 roughly the same number as Xiaomi and slightly below Apples 3.5 million. The three companies have virtually the same market share, around 13 percent each.
Fitbit, which went public in 2015, declined to disclose sales projections for the Ionic.
Its not a bet-the-farm kind of thing, but its a significant turning point for the company, Llamas said. This is not going to be the end-all of Fitbits smartwatch aspirations. Its a starting point, not an end point.
The company is also set to release new Bluetooth-enabled, sweatproof headphones, called the Fitbit Flyer, on Sunday.
Analysts said wearables manufacturers including Fitbit are working toward getting insurance reimbursement for their devices. The Food and Drug Administrations recent selection of Fitbit for a pilot program which is meant to expedite regulatory approval for digital health applications on mobile devices could bode well for Fitbit, which is examining whether the heart-tracking algorithm in its watches can detect atrial fibrillation. Eight other tech companies, including Apple, Samsung and Verily Life Sciences of South San Francisco, were also selected for the program.
Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
Matt Rourke/Associated Press
Twitter is taking a public pounding for its role in spreading Russian-backed disinformation ahead of the 2016 presidential campaign. Congressional staffers, who are examining Russian election interference, gave the company caustic reviews for its presentation in meetings last week.
Twitter showed an enormous lack of understanding ... about how serious this issue is, the threat it poses to democratic institutions, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said after Twitter presented its efforts to shut down Russian operative accounts to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
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A clergywoman draped in purple stood in the pulpit at Grace Cathedral, arms lifted in the air.
Raise your voices, she said to the Episcopal congregation. A choir of white-clad men and women belted out, Hallelujah. Parishioners in their Sunday-morning best held their sheet music and sang. Their dogs obliged, too.
Or interrupted, really.
Ay-oo, howled Zoya, an 8-year-old husky. Her owner, Jihan Jiha, 15, who lives in Walnut Creek, hushed her.
Shes normally good, Jihan said, whispering to the pup. Sometimes she just wants to sing when everyone else does.
There was a lot of that kind of yipping and yapping going on at Grace Cathedral on Sunday. Not to mention meowing, slithering or just plain grunting. The cathedrals pews were packed with critters for the annual Feast of St. Francis and Blessing of the Animals, which honors the citys patron saint.
During one early morning service, a sheepdog fell asleep in the aisle, softly snoring through the homily. A basset hounds tail thumped against the ground. A yellow Lab with white whiskers attempted an escape, his leash slipping through his owners grasp. (The man was unsure whether all dogs do go to heaven or if his would be the exception.)
In the fourth century, St. Anthony of the Desert became the first to bring animals into the church for a blessing. It is now an annual tradition celebrated all over the United States on the feast day of St. Francis, who was named the patron saint of ecology in 1979, and was by all accounts a dog and cat fan. Churches around San Francisco open their pews to all species of parishioners.
Grace Cathedral clergy have blessed boa constrictors, a beehive, goldfish, parrots, dogs, baby tigers and even some San Francisco Police Department horses, who came for Sundays homily but left early because of the organ. Big sounds from big pipes freaked them out.
Usually someone will bark or make a hissy fit and the priest will just have to roll with it, said Lance Wood, a 70-year-old usher from Richmond. His schnauzer, Vilja, assisted with Woods church duties Sunday morning.
This one has been blessed more times than I can count, he said. Maybe 11? She is 11 years old. Its nice they acknowledge the animals. The sermon involves pets being a gift. They are.
Grace Cathedral Dean Malcolm Clemens Young said animals were another conduit for finding God. They have their own inner life, he told the congregation.
Now Playing: St Peters Union Church holds a Blessing of the Animals service in Upper Milford Twp. on Sunday, October 1, 2017. Video: MorningCall
Why do we bless animals in church? he said, pausing as an eager mutt barked in response. We come into God through our encounter with animals.
Even if they dont fit the prescribed views of the church. Cathy Broder of Oakland said she had been bringing her Samoyed, Lexi Mari, to the cathedral for nearly seven years.
I want her to be healthy and safe, Broder said, adding that Lexi had lost her right eye to glaucoma. I dont want her to be in pain. Normally she is a Jewish dog. But I think the blessing still translates.
Lexi short for Alexandria, for the last tsarina of Russia yipped and blinked, then nosed Broders hand.
Nearby, Angie Bailie of Lafayette hoisted her small pup Ace into her arms for a photo with a statue of St. Francis. His ears folded back as the iPhone flash went off.
Can you take a second one? Bailie said, shifting him in her arms. We want him to get the blessing. Its his first time here. I use him in companion therapy in nursing homes and hospices. We are hoping he can pass those blessings along.
She set Ace on the floor, and he wagged his tail so hard his butt wiggled.
Woof, Ace, a very good boy, said.
Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn
A 3-year-old boy struck and killed by a car as he crossed a Hayward street to chase after a dog was identified Saturday.
The Alameda County Coroners Bureau identified the boy as Stockton resident Marley Dixon.
The deadly event took place about 6:45 p.m. Friday on Fabian Way west of Harvey Avenue. The boy was crossing Fabian Way from the north when a 2014 Jeep Wrangler traveling east hit him, according to a statement from Hayward Police Department.
The driver, a 48-year-old Hayward man, stayed at the scene and cooperated with officers. The child was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The incident is the worse nightmare for those involved, said Sgt. Jason Corsolini of the police departments traffic bureau. The child had been running in between parked vehicles before the crash, he added.
The driver didnt know what he hit. He heard something and stopped, Corsolini said. Thats when he realized what had happened.
The driver provided a blood test, which indicated he was sober at the time of the incident. Witnesses report the man was driving at 15 to 20 mph, Corsolini said.
Corsolini said the boy had been chasing a dog that ran across the street, but it wasnt clear if the dog belonged to him.
The childs stepfather had been watching him and turned around for a second before the collision, he said.
The boy was knocked unconscious at the scene. He appeared to have minor abrasions and scratches when he was taken to the hospital, so his injuries were most likely internal or head-related, Corsolini said.
Police are conducting a traffic investigation to determine fault, but currently do not believe the driver was culpable, officials said.
Any witnesses to the incident are asked to call Corsolini at (510) 293-7149.
Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jennajourno
With clear skies and temperatures in the mid 80s, the highly-anticipated opening of the Texas Renaissance Festival could not have been more perfect.
The months-long event kicked of with the German-themed Oktoberfest weekend, which featured several different events.
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O.J. Simpson could be released from prison as soon as Monday, but Nevada Department of Corrections officials have been mostly quiet about how and when hell go.
Even Simpsons attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, said he didnt know the timing of the release he said he would wait patiently through this Friday for his client to be let out of prison.
LaVergne said he spoke to Simpson by phone and that his client was excited about the impending release.
I can tell from his voice on the phone last night that hes looking forward to freedom and hugging his family on the outside, LaVergne said. The Department of Corrections has been so good to Simpson and me that I wont question their judgment unless this isnt resolved by next Friday.
Simpson will be transferred from Lovelock Correctional Center north of Reno to High Desert Prison, about 45 minutes outside Las Vegas, before his release.
Simpson was granted parole in July for the botched robbery and kidnapping involving his own memorabilia at Palace Station Casino in Las Vegas. He was sentenced to up to 33 years, but the Nevada Parole Board granted him his freedom because of good behavior in prison.
Ive done my time, Simpson said at the hearing. Ive done it as well and as respectfully as anybody can.
The parole board was not allowed to consider the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in California. He was acquitted of the crime by a Los Angeles jury in 1995. But Simpson lost a civil judgment related to the crime and was ordered to play $33.5 million to the victims families.
Simpson has said he hoped to move to Florida upon his release from prison. However, a move to Florida would require approval by the Florida Department of Corrections. Officials of that department said they hadnt received such a request.
According to Florida officials, Nevada must validate a transfer plan and agree that they will allow Simpson to request transfer out of the state. Once Florida receives the request, officials there have 45 days to review the plan and determine whether Simpson will be accepted.
Simpson is eligible for release on parole Sunday, but the Nevada Department of Corrections doesnt process inmate releases on Sundays. Upon his release, he will be supervised under parole guidelines through September 2022.
David Montero is a Los Angeles Times writer.
I dont know him, I dont know him, said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
Lets give him a chance, said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
For most Republicans, Roy Moores run for Senate in Alabama is a subject best avoided.
Before winning Tuesday nights primary runoff to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the former judge was best known for his views that homosexuality should be illegal, that Muslims should not be allowed in Congress and that the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, were Gods punishment for Americans sins.
Yet in interviews since Moores win, almost no elected Republican has criticized Moore or his views. They dodged most questions about him, but said theyd be eager to accept him as a fellow legislator on issues like health care and tax cuts. Moore, a well-known ideologue, had suddenly become a blank slate.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Moore would fit fine within Senate Republicans broad spectrum of opinion and ideology and cautioned against prejudging Moore based on media coverage of his beliefs.
I have found, coming here to Washington, you see theres an awful lot of stereotypes of individuals, he said. How the press portrays them is not necessarily the individual that they are.
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., the only Republican lawmaker to criticize Moore, did so tepidly. Im obviously not enamored with his politics because thats not the future of the Republican Party, Flake told Politico.
The arms-length treatment of Moore, stands in contrast with how other far-right candidates have been handled. In September, North Carolina Republicans condemned a fringe candidate for mayor of Charlotte who listed being white as one of her qualifications. In May, after Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte body-slammed a reporter, a number of Republicans condemned his conduct.
Most famously, Republicans went into panic in 2012 after Todd Akin, then a Senate candidate in Missouri, told an interviewer that women could not get pregnant from legitimate rape. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney called on Akin to quit the race.
Theres no such demand being made on Moore. Pressed on Moores record which included being removed from Alabamas Supreme Court twice, questioning President Barack Obamas citizenship and falsely insisting that Islamic law is being enforced in liberal cities Republicans have shrugged.
David Weigel and Elise Viebeck are Washington Post writers.
HONG KONG The banners and posters were quietly hung in universities across Hong Kong, often appearing overnight, with bold white lettering calling for change and testing the limits of the freedoms that Beijing will allow this freewheeling city.
Hong Kong Independence! one banner declared. Fight for Our Homeland! said another.
To students from Hong Kong, the banners were a defiant insistence that their city is different from the rest of China, and that they can express themselves in ways unimaginable on the mainland.
But to many mainland students, the calls for independence were unpatriotic insults. Some pushed back in anger, ripping them from university bulletin boards and setting off shouting matches caught on videos that spread quickly on Chinese social media, exposing the widening gulf between Hong Kong and the mainland, which rules this former British colony.
The series of September clashes over the banners not only rekindled a debate over Hong Kings relative rights to free speech and protest freedoms unseen on the mainland they have also revealed deeper tensions between students from the city and those from the mainland. The issues are exacerbated by anxieties among Hong Kongs youth over a perceived loss of job prospects to their mainland peers and the chilling effect the ruling Community Party has on campus discourse.
The student spat is one part of broader tensions surrounding Beijings relationship with Hong Kong as the city undergoes an increasingly tense 50-year transition to Chinese rule. Beijing created a special status known as one country, two systems for Hong Kong following its 1997 handover from Britain to mainland China, giving it wide autonomy and civil liberties. At the citys universities, student union bulletin boards called Democracy Walls became filled with politics, polemics and youthful anger.
In the years since then, increasing numbers of mainland students have come to the city to study, laying the groundwork for tensions. In the last academic year, mainland students made up 76 percent of international students in public university programs, according to the government.
Hong Kong students think that mainland students are taking their learning opportunities and degrees from them, said Chris Chan, an economics student at Hong Kong Baptist University.
Many locals like Chan fear that large companies and banks are more likely to hire mainland Chinese graduates, since Hong Kongers often dont have as many connections to the mainland-dominated business community.
This anxiety over job prospects stems from deeper, systemic problems about skyrocketing rents and high costs of living. The influx of mainland Chinese has contributed to soaring housing prices.
Many young people believe that in contrast to their parents generation, we do not have any upward social mobility, Chan said.
Yi-Ling Liu is an Associated Press writer.
Theres no glamour in war. Or glory. Theres not even a patriotic narrative, really, especially not in the sentimental way war movies would have you believe. A more accurate vision: two people doubled over by their separate, randomly striking pains. Or one trying to make herself retch as the other blows smoke in her face. Or a rape during which both rapist and victim sob.
Twenty-two years after its premiere scandalized London, Sarah Kanes Blasted, which was inspired by the Bosnian genocide, remains one of theaters most graphic portraits of the inhumanity that war encourages, demands in us. Shotgun Players is barring minors from seeing its production of the play, which opened Friday, Sept. 29.
And yet if the show is almost impossible to watch, its also required viewing for anyone who takes personal civic responsibilities seriously. How can you hold your leaders responsible for their decisions about international conflict if you refuse to reckon with what that conflict actually looks like? How can you live your life with basic decency if you refuse to see the suffering of your fellow humans?
Directed by Jon Tracy and fearlessly performed by a cast of three, this Blasted is violent before it becomes violent. When older man Ian (Robert Parsons) and younger woman Cate (Adrienne Kaori Walters) enter the sleek hotel room of Nina Balls set, the mood is superficially playful. She dashes in, a flash in a doorway; he saunters, pausing in the frame, with the sly grin of one whos in complete control. Its like a game, all giggles and teasing and adoring smiles, except that Cate keeps deflecting Ians shark-like advances, turning away, covering and recovering her torso with her hoodie, yet not wanting to hurt his feelings or provoke his fury with those parries.
You see right away how insufficient those defenses will be. Tracys direction pinpoints, with scientific precision, how each moment brings characters 2 inches closer to, 1 inch farther away from, the inevitable. Characters cross a new boundary thrusting into personal space, then seizing an appendage simply because the tension becomes too extreme not to, but then lines that follow are incongruously banal, about, say, career moves: Whats this job, then? That Ian and Cate ignore or forget each trespass means the violence remains a mystery. It doesnt fit into a story, which makes it all the more real and all the more terrifying.
What you dont see right away is that Cate is no mere victim but a jumble of fight, fury, despair, desire and even some deviance, some cunning. Walters gives each new impulse full, rich life, getting the idea for each and then donning it as if looking among flotsam for the shield, or the weapon, that will save her life.
Nor does the outside world have an immediate presence. As the play begins, its as if their hotel room is the beginning and the end of the Earth. But soon the outside encroaches through the window, makes phone calls, knocks at the door, eventually materializing in the form of a soldier (Joe Estlack). The ruin he brings gets no more acknowledgment than Ian and Cates micro-level savagery. Its as expected, as unremarkable, as room service.
The hope of Blasted is that we, its audience, will acknowledge more.
Lily Janiak is The San Francisco Chronicles theater critic. Email: ljaniak@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LilyJaniak
Blasted: Written by Sarah Kane. Directed by Jon Tracy. Through Oct. 22. 90 minutes. $25-$40. Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org
To see a trailer: https://vimeo.com/232536725
To see the National Theatres introduction to the work of Sarah Kane: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcTVc2iGdmA
To hear a 1998 onstage conversation between Sarah Kane and academic Dan Rebellato: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAYfvqN5RVo&t=17s
Smack between a salmon-filled inlet and snowy mountain peaks, Anchorage is at the very edge of Alaskas vast wilderness. Everywhere you turn, youre reminded of it when eating fresh seafood at local restaurants, wandering through a park inhabited by moose, watching whales frolic in Cook Inlet or taking one of the roads headed out of town that immediately open the door to some of the most beautiful wildlands in the world.
The city is filled with parks, museums and restaurants that appeal to outdoor and culture lovers alike.
Jill K. Robinson
EXPLORE THE TOWN
MORNING
Fuel your Anchorage day with breakfast at Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop, where your choices range from fresh bread and pastries to cookies and cupcakes. Oven master Carlyle Watt was recognized as an Outstanding Baker by the James Beard Foundation in 2017, so consider ordering a few extra items for later.
Next, head over to Pablos Bicycle Rentals to get a temporary set of wheels with which to cruise the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. The trail winds for 11 miles along the coast, and is only part of Anchorages 135-mile paved trail system. While you roll along, youll have views of Cook Inlet, and theres always a possibility to get a glimpse of wildlife. If youre not into two wheels, you can walk along the coastal trail, too.
Bike folks in search of a challenge should pedal over to Kincaid Park on the west side of Anchorage. This huge park backing up to Cook Inlet has almost 40 miles of trails that offer advanced riders grueling hills and a fair share of natural obstacles, including moose. Give them a wide berth moose are a lot faster than you think, even without a bakery breakfast. (Tip: They cant get around trees as fast as you can.)
MIDDAY
The largest museum in Alaska, the Anchorage Museum offers an indoor way to get acquainted with the true North, and lets visitors explore the art, history and cultures of the state. Septembers opening of the museums 25,000-square-foot expansion includes the Rasmuson Wing, the Art of the North galleries, the new Alaska exhibition and an expanded Discovery Center. Dont miss Murmur, an installation that combines kinetic sculpture with a mixed-reality holographic experience, placing guests within an Arctic landscape.
Afterward, drop by 49th State Brewing for a lunch of freshly sourced Alaskan products salmon, crab, halibut, elk and even yak. Oh, and beer. Lots of Alaskan beer.
AFTERNOON
Even if youre not an intrepid adventurer, you can get up close to a glacier through a flight-seeing trip out of Lake Hood and Merrill Field in Anchorage. Rusts Flying Service offers a chance to soar above the Chugach Mountains and Prince William Sound, over belugas in Cook Inlet or Turnagain Arm, near Columbia Glacier, or even where climbers summit Denalis massive south face. Flight-seeing is the easiest way to reach the remote areas off the road system, and also to get a chance to take photos your Facebook friends (and actual friends) will envy.
EVENING
After a long, active day, take it easy with some Alaska oysters and Champagne at Bubbly Mermaid. Belly up to the bar, made from a piece of a former fishing boat, and choose from the hot and cold oyster offerings, as well as classic plain oysters that taste of seawater. Add tastes of sparkling wine from nearly a dozen open bottles, and youve got an Anchorage tradition that could just as easily be in San Francisco. If youre in a cocktail mood, try Blues Central, a speakeasy that serves up craft cocktails with an extensive selection of whiskeys and other spirits. Use the phone booth downstairs to get the password.
If you go
Lakefront Anchorage: 4800 Spenard Road; www.millenniumhotels.com
Hotel Captain Cook: 939 Fifth Ave.; www.captaincook.com
Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop: 1343 G St.; www.fireislandbread.com
49th State Brewing: 717 West Third Ave.; www.49statebrewing.com
Bubbly Mermaid: 417 D St.; www.facebook.com/akfreshseafood
Visit Anchorage: www.anchorage.net
Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
Shortly after their preseason-opening loss Saturday night to Denver, the Warriors announced that they have waived guards Antonius Cleveland and Alex Hamilton.
Cleveland had eight points in six minutes in the defeat to the Nuggets. In three minutes, Hamilton scored two points.
BERLIN Germany celebrated its first same-sex weddings Sunday, after a new law came into force putting gay and lesbian couples on an equal legal footing with heterosexual couples.
Town halls in Berlin, Hamburg and elsewhere opened their doors to mark the event, made possible by a surprise vote in Parliament three months ago.
Were making a single exception to fire a symbolic starter pistol because same-sex marriages are possible from today, said Gordon Holland, a registrar in Berlins Schoeneberg district.
Holland said it was appropriate for Schoeneberg to hold the first same-sex wedding in the country because it has long been a center of gay life in the German capital.
About 60 guests and an equal number of journalists packed into Schoeneberg town halls Golden Room to witness the marriage of Karl Kreile and his partner of 38 years, Bodo Mende.
The grooms entered the room to the popular Wedding March by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, before saying their vows and signing the marriage documents to applause and cheers from the assembled guests.
Kreile, 59, said it was an incredible honor to be the first same-sex couple to marry in Germany, noting that he and Mende, 60, had been campaigning for gay rights for decades.
After cutting the wedding cake featuring a rainbow flag and the words marriage for all the couple planned to head to Vienna later in the week for a five-day honeymoon.
We had a huge party 15 years ago that cant be topped, said Kreile, referring to the celebration after the couple registered their partnership in 2002.
Germany introduced registered partnerships in 2002, but those gave same-sex couples fewer rights than heterosexual couples who married.
Chancellor Angela Merkel long opposed same-sex marriages, only agreeing to a free vote in Parliament on the matter in June, shortly before national elections. The bill, which enjoyed strong public support, passed by a wide margin, with 393 lawmakers voting in favor of marriage equality and 226 including Merkel voting against.
This day sends a significant signal, which is that the states discrimination of lesbians and gays is finished, said Joerg Steinert, who heads the Berlin branch of Germanys lesbian and gay association. This was long overdue in Germany, and so this is a day of great joy.
Frank Jordans is an Associated Press writer.
An Air France flight bound for Los Angeles from Paris made an emergency landing in Canada on Saturday after one of the jumbo jets four engines exploded in midair, passengers said.
Passengers aboard the double-decker Airbus A380, the worlds largest passenger airliner, described hearing a loud noise about five hours into the flight. The plane, which had just crossed the southern tip of Greenland, vibrated for several minutes.
About two hours later, the plane landed at Goose Bay Airport in Labrador, on the far northeast edge of Canada.
Photographs and videos shared by passengers on social media showed tattered metal surrounding the exposed interior of an engine, its white covering blown away.
Air France said in a statement that the engine had suffered serious damage but that the plane landed safely. The regularly trained pilots and cabin crew handled this serious incident perfectly, the statement said.
The company did not address a possible cause for what happened.
A passenger, John Birkhead, said he and his wife had just stood up to stretch when they heard the explosion.
Suddenly there was an enormous bang, and the whole plane shook, said Birkhead, 59, who was returning home to California after a two-week vacation. We were lucky we werent tossed to the ground.
Sarah Eamigh, another passenger, said she had been dozing when she felt her stomach plunge as the plane momentarily dropped, then lurched back up.
Eamigh, 37, who was returning from a business trip, described the sensation that followed as a pervasive humming feeling, entirely unlike the side-to-side motion of turbulence.
Of course, we were all anxious, she said. We were white-knuckling our chairs. The cabin remained relatively calm, she said.
About 20 minutes after the disturbance, the captain, whom Eamigh described as sounding shaken, announced that an engine had exploded.
Air France said it was working to reroute passengers through one of its connecting sites in North America.
Eamigh said she was content, for the time being, on the tarmac.
You make friends in a situation like this, she said.
Vivian Wang is a New York Times writer.
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A PhD candidate in anthropology hopes this image of a village wedding in Iran reveals some of the "light and shade" that exists in a country that has in the past been so closed off.
Although it looked to be a serious moment, seconds later everyone burst into laughter, says Simon Theobald, who is completing his PhD at the ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Alicia Wilson and Simon Theobald, A Wedding, Iran, 2015 Credit:Alicia Wilson
Mr Theobald's partner Alicia Wilson took the photograph when they were both completing fieldwork in Iran.
It is now on display as part of a new exhibition by postgraduate anthropology students.
Actuaries will model alternative compulsory third party insurance schemes before Canberra's first citizen jury even meets, in a move critics say raises questions about the "integrity" of the jury process.
Ernst and Young will be paid up to $770,000 to model different compulsory third party insurance scheme designs, as part of the deliberative democracy pilot.
The future of the ACT's third party insurance scheme will be decided by a citizen's jury. Credit:Fairfax NZ
However their contract with the ACT government stated the company had to cost up schemes based on other jurisdictions, including hybrid no-fault schemes, before the end of September. The jurors will first meet this month.
That costing would occur during the "policy discussion phase", the contract states, and would only need to provide relative cost and premium ranges for passenger vehicles only.
Residents on both sides of the lake have criticised the ACT government's new bus routes, saying they have been disadvantaged by the changes.
From October 7, "Expresso" buses from Belconnen will not go to Barton and instead terminate in the city, with people heading to the parliamentary triangle having to transfer buses.
A new ACTION bus timetable will begin on October 7. Credit:Rohan Thomson
In Narrabundah, the government cancelled Route 5 and added a new rapid service called Route 6, and amended Route 4.
Residents in the southern Canberra suburb say the loss of Route 5 means trips to Woden or the hospital will mean a longer walk to access the new rapid route, or a much longer trip on two buses.
Tesla and Space X chief executive Elon Musk is known for his spectacular mastery of the media.
So adept is the billionaire tech founder at getting the press to eat out of his hand, Tesla, his electric vehicle and battery company, is able to thrive on a marketing budget of precisely nothing.
Yes, I realise I'm pointing this out in yet another article about the man. But it was nonetheless hardly surprising last week when Musk's presentation at a space conference in Adelaide created lots of headlines.
It's hard to not be impressed by someone trying to get humans to Mars, let alone colonise the red planet, in the not-too-distant future.
Australia's real estate industry is hoping recent rule changes for foreign buyers haven't dimmed Chinese appetites too much, as they eagerly awaited an influx of big-spending tourists during China's Golden Week holiday beginning on Sunday.
As Golden Week began, real estate agents prepared to roll out the red carpet for cashed-up Chinese visitors, offering them helicopter rides and limousine tours to show off prestige properties in the $10 million to $25 million range.
Chinese vacationers, six million of whom travelled overseas during last year's Golden Week, have become increasingly important to Australia.
In the year through June they accounted for almost a quarter of the $31.8 billion spent by foreign holiday makers in the country, while only accounting for less than one-sixth of the total number of visitors.
Ratings agency Moody's Investor Services has taken the knife to the massive China developer Dalian Wanda's credit rating, cutting it to Ba1 amid concerns of the company's weakened liquidity position.
The agency said this was "due to inadequate offshore cash to meet the potential repayment of its offshore bank loans of around $1.7 billion arising from potential non-compliance of certain maintenance requirements related to the company's existing borrowing obligations".
Dalian Wanda a fortnight ago began restructuring its business, which includes two $1 billion Australian apartment projects.
Dalian Wanda is one of the larger property developers and investors globally and has begun to restructure its business, which includes two $1 billion Australian apartment projects at Circular Quay and on the Gold Coast, plus the Hoyts cinema chain.
It has also pulled out of a London land deal worth $761 million.
Peer pressure is a powerful force, but not one that always leads to wise decision making.
Australia's corporate tax rate is again in the spotlight thanks to US President Donald Trump's ambitious tax plan announced last week to slice the US rate from 35 to 20 per cent.
Illustration: Jim Pavlidis
Let's leave aside the issue of whether Trump will be able to deliver on this promise.
The question is, with so many other nations engaged in a race to the bottom on corporate tax rates, can Australia afford to leave its 30 per cent rate where it is?
All the Yerong Creek talk (C8) prompted Allan Gibson of Cherrybrook to remember another of the town's claims to fame. He writes: "In 1993 the XPT established the Australian rail speed record of 193 kms per hour (120 mph) between the township and a nearby area known as Table Top." What next for this little town that could?
Tony Moo of North Sydney has fears of road rage violence "spilling over to parking rage" (C8), which may also influence Leah Gaskell of Sutherland's decision to "send a clear message" by using the passenger side of her car if she is not leaving her spot straight away. John Swanton of Botany does something similar, but for more contrarian reasons. He writes: "If I suspect I am being stalked for my parking spot, I just jump in the passenger side and put the seat in recline mode. Then, when the coast is clear, I move around to the driver's side and drive off."
This parked car issue (C8) is certainly dividing readers. Michele Rizzo of Annandale describes inconsiderately parked cars as "parked narks", while Jenny Coote of Woonona believes "time wasted waiting for someone to move their parked car" should be called "parkcrastination".
Sign of the times? David Rose of Hamilton was at Central Station and noticed a new hoarding being displayed that read: "Central's New Food Scene Coming Soon." He notes this sign "replaces the previous, almost identical sign which was put up about four years ago when all food services were taken away".
Paul Ray's conundrum (C8) certainly got you thinking. Ron Elphick of Buff Point suggests it's simple: "Because we get out of the car and off the bus/train." Sounds suspiciously like that parental standby "because". Gerard English of Waverton suggests the personal/impersonal nature of the preposition, with "a car being for personal needs, while buses and trains are for the many". Joy Cooksey of Harrington says that using "by car, by bus and by train" instead, you avoid buying into the whole in/on problem.
The Prime Minister has long been accused of lacking clear thinking on the issue of meeting this country's future energy requirements. It is an opinion unlikely to be diminished over the last few rollercoaster weeks where the joint issues of electricity generation and gas supply have been high on the news agenda.
But now the possibility of a standoff between Mr Turnbull and Premier Gladys Berejiklian over the issue of gas exploration in NSW to bolster a shortfall in gas supply looks likely to further raise the political temperature. Add to the mix two NSW byelections in rural seats this month and the current impasse has the potential to become really interesting.
Gas production. Credit:Michele Mossop
That the shortfall of gas was a serious matter became clear last Monday when Malcolm Turnbull announced that reports from the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission showed gas shortages in the east coast domestic market over the next two years "will be considerably higher than that estimated six months ago". The shortfall apparently is 110 petajoules of gas, more than three times the figure advised earlier in the year. Mr Turnbull explained gas costs were the "single biggest factor in the current rise in electricity prices" because gas set the wholesale electricity price.
So the Prime Minister did two things. On Wednesday he met with the three major gas-producing companies to ask them to increase supply to the domestic market or risk facing measures to stop them exporting so much. The outcome was billed as averting an imminent crisis.
Some bad ideas never die. After those who lived through the consequences of them are gone, the fallacious policies reappear, embraced by a new generation convinced it is smarter than its predecessors.
So it is with the United Nations. Last week, the international body opened for signing a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, which 122 non-nuclear UN member states adopted in July.
The point of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is to encourage the nine nuclear states the US, Russia, China, Britain, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea to follow the UN's lead, disarm and embrace a nuclear-free world. To mark the moment, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared that the only world that is safe from the use of nuclear weapons is a world that is completely free of them.
Someone forgot to tell Kim Jong-un. His wicked regime a former signatory to the more worthy Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty flouts international rules and norms by regularly testing missiles and nukes. As a result, there are growing fears that an accident or miscalculation could lead to nuclear war.
While on location in Malta during the making of a low-rent farce, The Lady And The Battleship (1956), actor Richard Attenborough and novelist/screenwriter, Bryan Forbes got together over a few sherbets to lament the tenor of the project they were involved in and to ponder the prospect of making a few films themselves.
Their discussion was the genesis of Beaver Films not, thank goodness, an early porn flick outfit but a company with a commitment to quality storytelling.
Richard Attenborough starred in the controversial film The Angry Silence. Credit:Peter Michell
They hired producer Jack Rix and, with fellow actors Michael Craig and Richard Gregson, knocked out the screenplay of this gritty working class drama which they waved in front of director Guy Green with whom Attenborough had worked on Sea of Sand.
It was a time when "kitchen sink" dramas were enjoying success films such as Saturday Night And Sunday Morning, Room At The Top and This Sporting Life.
India's former environment minister says he's appalled by Australia's decision to approve Adani's massive new coal mine in Queensland, and has questioned the Indian miner's environmental track record.
Jairam Ramesh has told the ABC the mine would threaten the survival of the Great Barrier Reef, and Adani's record in environmental management in India "leaves a lot to be desired".
India's former environment minister Jairam Ramesh in a file picture.
"And, if it leaves a lot to be desired domestically, there's no reason for me to believe that Adani would be a responsible environmental player globally," he told the broadcaster's Four Corners program.
Mr Ramesh said the federal and Queensland governments had not looked properly at the Adani Group's environmental and financial conduct in India before approving the mine in the Galilee Basin.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has backed US President Donald Trump's combative rhetoric against North Korea, crediting him with bringing China to the negotiating table.
Ms Bishop said the careful and patient approach of Barack Obama had not worked and Mr Trump had at least "changed the debate".
Kim Jong-un's regime has repeatedly tested Mr Trump's resolve since he came to power this year, detonating a thermonuclear device and launching a number of test missiles. In response, the US President has promised "fire and fury" the likes of which the world has never seen.
Despite the threat of nuclear war, Mr Trump has dubbed the North Korean dictator "Little Rocket Man" and threatened to "totally destroy" the rogue nation if it continues to provoke the United States. Pynongyang said it regarded those comments as a "declaration of war".
Sydney's property boom is allowing developers to undermine the state's affordable housing laws.
The key housing scheme, which is under review by the government, is designed to provide lower-rental accommodation for workers such as nurses, teachers and police.
Developers gain extra floor space in return for setting aside units to be leased at discounted prices, supposedly delivering rents below the "housing stress" level of 30 per cent of a household's gross income for low and very low income earners, with "some flexibility in pricing" for moderate income earners.
But Fairfax Media can reveal that some new developments include "affordable" two-bedroom units with rents as much as $850 a week more than 55 per cent of the gross income of an eligible single person with a child or 41 per cent of the income of an eligible couple with a child.
Governments could be wasting money on ineffective and expensive fear-driven road safety campaigns featuring mangled cars and bloodied bodies, finds new Australian research the latest to question whether these ads can save lives.
Three people have already died on NSW roads this long weekend, with police warning that double demerits are in place for speeding and risky behaviour such as mobile phone use.
A sleepy driver in an Easter road safety advertisement. Greg Harper's "Bloody idiot" commercial was the first in decades of campaigns by the TAC. Credit:James Boddington
The study argues that road safety campaigns like this that target penalties and points are more effective than those highlighting blood and bingles.
Why? Most drivers are more likely to believe they can control the occurrence of fines than a serious crash.
A party in Sydney's south-west descended into chaos overnight, with one police officer injured amid a 50-person brawl.
A 41-year-old man was in the process of being arrested when he allegedly punched an attending officer, who later received treatment for injuries to his face and arm.
He was taken to Bankstown Police Station has since been charged with resisting police in the execution of duty, assault police and affray.
Police attached to Bankstown Traffic & Highway Patrol Command attended the scene on Batchelor Avenue, near Panania station around 12.35am on Sunday morning, following reports of a brawl.
On arrival, officers were faced with about 50 people fighting at a residential premises.
Woma pythons, a spotted python and frilled-neck lizards are among the reptiles stolen in a break-in at a nature reserve.
Thieves broke into the Blackbutt Reserve at New Lambton in Newcastle over two nights, on Friday and at about 1.30am on Sunday, taking off with almost the entire reptile collection, leaving behind just one reptile, Newcastle City Council said.
One of the frill-neck lizards stolen from the Blackbutt Reserve. Credit:NSW Police
"On both occasions entry was forced to a storage room," NSW police said.
"A frill-neck lizard was stolen on the first night and 15 reptiles were taken last night."
The colourful career of society shrink Dr Robert Hampshire appears to be all but over after he was caught sending lewd late-night texts to a client following a day of drinking.
On Friday the psychiatrist lost his appeal to be allowed to continue practising while he waits a full hearing of the matter.
Robert Hampshire and Sally Hampshire in 2015 Credit:Virginia Star
In refusing to lift his suspension, Acting Judge Frank Marks of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal found that Dr Hampshire represented "a risk to the health and safety of the public".
Judge Marks said that, given his prior troubled history with the Medical Council, Dr Hampshire "does not have good prospects of succeeding on his appeal".
A man dressed as Wolverine was arrested in Sydney's CBD overnight after allegedly being kicked out of a pub, then punching two men and leaving one unconscious.
Police were met with the bizarre arrest at about 2am on Sunday after participants left Oz Comic-Con - a pop-culture event known for its revellers dressing up as their favourite characters - and went out afterwards.
Comicon revellers were caught up in a fight in Sydney's CBD on Sunday morning. Credit:Channel Nine
In addition to dealing with 'Wolverine', a Power Ranger was one witness assisting police with their inquiries at the King Street location.
The two victims were taken to hospital as a result of their injuries while the 28-year-old accused of causing their injuries was released this morning.
A Bavarian tradition dating back to the beginning of the 20th century has arrived on Australian shores for the first time as part of the country's largest Oktoberfest due to kick off in Brisbane next weekend.
The Oktoberpole was raised by hand in King George Square on Sunday, with nine Bavarian men among the group of 40 volunteers who lifted the 24-metre-tall structure.
The Oktoberpole is raised during a two-hour process in the heart of Brisbane.
Ludwig Aigner, part of the Burschenverein (Young Farmers Association) from Germany, flew almost 16,000 kilometres to take part in the traditional ceremony.
The pole was historically used to tell travellers what trades were available in German towns, resembling a modern street sign with various symbols hanging off it.
A confidential heads of agreement was discussed between Ipswich City Council and Asahi, the $20 billion Japanese beverage company.
Paul Pisasale is under investigation for disclosing confidential material during the 2016 Ipswich City Council election campaign. Credit:Chris Hyde
There was never council approval for the proposed plant at Redbank in March 2016 and no development application had even been lodged.
Former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale is being investigated for releasing confidential information about a proposed $50 million Asahi beer distribution centre during last years council election.
However, the beer and soft drink giant was also in talks with an industrial estate in the Brisbane suburb of Heathwood, where the $50 million plant was eventually built.
In September 2016, the Crime and Corruption Commission asked the Queensland Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning to investigate the allegation Mr Pisasale released information to the media to give an impression during the election campaign the Asahi plant would be built in the Ipswich suburb of Redbank.
The commercial-in-confidence proposal was released in a story in the Ipswich daily newspaper 10 days before the 2016 Ipswich election .
Fairfax Media makes no claim of impropriety against Asahi, which was said to be shocked in March 2016 when the information was released.
At the time, an Asahi spokeswoman told Fairfax Media the company was disappointed the commercial-in-confidence proposal had been made public.
Police are searching for a man after he fell into the water at a national park in North Queensland on Sunday.
It is understood the 31-year-old man slipped and fell about 30 metres into the water at Roaring Meg Falls which is found off the Creb Track in Bloomfield, north of Port Douglas.
The falls can only be accessed off the 71-kilometre Creb Track by four-wheel-drive.
Roaring Meg Falls at Bloomfield
A woman, who was with the man, had to walk some distance from where the man fell to a rangers hut to call for help because of patchy communication in the area.
One Sonny Day is operated through two trusts and McLister uploaded the documents requested in the review however they failed to upload correctly and PayPal limited One Sonny Day's account. Karryn Dargie and Dean Baird are the owners of Tasmanian design and architecture studio Interia. "That meant I could still receive money but not withdraw," says McLister. "Then it turned into the biggest mess, they kept requesting additional information from trust deeds to drivers licence to bank statements." Each time McLister provided the requested documents and then another few weeks would pass before PayPal requested more documents while money accumulated in One Sonny Day's frozen account. One Sonny Day is in dispute with PayPal.
"Two months later I still can't access the $6000 I have in my account and it is killing my small business," says McLister. "I call regularly but no one cares. They actually said to me 'You should have budgeted better'. It has just been so frustrating. We have no working capital available." McLister received what she says is a 'standard response email' from PayPal which states: "We aim to resolve all complaints as soon as possible. However, depending on the complexity of the issue it can take up to 45 days." PayPal has dragged its feet through this whole process. Karryn Dargie McLister filed a complaint last week with the Financial Ombudsman Service in a bid to get her money back. 'We won't take this lying down'
Karryn Dargie is another small business owner in dispute with PayPal. She is the co-owner of architecture and design practice Interia which turns over $250,000 a year. Dargie sold a custom made door handle to a customer for $3500 but after the customer mistakenly blocked the PayPal payment the money was automatically refunded to the customer and withdrawn from Interia's account and appears to be held by Westpac. "We had all the communication, the delivery and postage tracking," Dargie says. "We submitted it and thought everything would be sorted out. Lo and behold that was six months ago and we are still no closer to getting our money back." PayPal placed Interia's account in the red and so any money paid by other customers to Interia absorbed that debt.
As Dargie's products are custom made she has extensive communications with her customers which she says many businesses wouldn't have. "PayPal has dragged its feet through this whole process," she says. "As a small business I wouldn't normally have contact with my customer or my customers bank. But because I do I can see that there has been an administrative error by Westpac but I have no right to chase Westpac so I have to wait until PayPal decides out of the goodness of its heart to chase Westpac on my behalf." Dargie has also complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service. "We thought, excuse my French but f--k this, we won't take this lying down," she says. "I don't accept it as an administrative process fault. I suspect we are not the only people, but we have a much clearer link to our customer than most people have so we can see what has happened." Swift resolutions
Neil Slonim of the Bank Doctor, says small businesses need to be wary. "I wouldn't assume PayPal and other payment gateways are going to assume a quicker and smoother processing of cash," he says. "As much as you might dislike the banks they have been around a while and they do things pretty well, theres no guarantee newer players will do it better." A spokesperson for PayPal said the payments processor could not comment on individual cases. "PayPal is committed to working with its customers to resolve situations in a swift manner," the spokesperson said. "While situations can vary, and some cases can be more complex than others, PayPal aims to work closely with its customers, communicate effectively, and resolve issues as soon as possible. Our goal is to make it simpler and safer for people to spend, save, manage and move money with PayPal, and we aim to address any issues in a timely manner for all involved." After MySmallBusiness contacted PayPal for comment, it contacted One Sonny Day and Interia said it would refund the money owing.
A Melbourne council is using mobile phone records to monitor its staff, sparking a bitter workplace dispute over "Orwellian surveillance" that could have implications for anyone using a phone provided by their employer.
City of Stonnington recently suspended four enforcement officers who it accuses of rorting ratepayers by claiming to have been at work, when phone records indicated they were outside the municipality.
The officers could face dismissal if the allegations are upheld.
Three of the staff were employed as field service officers, enforcing Stonnington's planning guidelines at pubs and nightclubs in the area, and often received penalty rates for working evening shifts. A fourth worker was also part of the council's enforcement department, but worked day shifts.
A new alert system will give Victorians up to three days' warning of conditions that could cause deadly thunderstorm asthma, the state government has pledged.
A lack of an early warning system was a key factor in the freak thunderstorm asthma outbreak last November that killed nine people in Melbourne and landed about 8500 in hospital, Health Minister Jill Hennessy said on Sunday.
As the pollen season begins, Victorians are being urged to seek medical advice if they are prone to hay fever, whether or not they have a history of asthma, to determine if they are vulnerable to the pollen-caused illness.
Ms Hennessy said the government had overhauled the emergency response system and that authorities would now be able to monitor hospital emergency department presentations in real time.
An "alt-right" provocateur notorious for comparing feminism with cancer has announced he will be heading to Perth later this year to host a lecture on a number of controversial social issues.
As a part of the Troll Academy Tour, Milo Yiannopoulos will deliver a lecture at an undisclosed Perth location exploring his views on gay rights, political correctness, feminism, Islam and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Milo Yiannopoulos speaks during a news conference. Credit:AP
Set for December 2, the Perth show is the second in a line of other tour dates for the author.
Organised by Penthouse Australia, Yiannopoulos will also appear in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast throughout December.
Almost 2400 evacuees who fled the area surrounding Mount Agung volcano in eastern Bali have returned home as authorities stress it is safe for those who live outside the danger zone to return to their villages.
Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika emphasised that no one who felt afraid of the volcano would be forced to return home: "If they still feel they are in danger, they are welcome to stay."
However he said it was only necessary for about 70,000 people from 28 villages to have evacuated about half the total number of 141,399 evacuees.
"To all who live within the 50 villages in the safe zone, if they want to go home, they are welcome to go home, their home is safe. They have their lives there, they have their animals there, who will care for them if they leave for a long period of time?"
"The first time I would have the opportunity to sit with the North Koreans it would be to say what do you want to talk about, because we haven't even got that far yet," Mr Tillerson told reporters in Beijing on Saturday. The US was in direct communication with the regime, he said, adding, "we can talk to them, we do talk to them." US and Chinese delegations, including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi, meet on Saturday in Beijing. Credit:AP The remarks and Mr Trump's extraordinary intervention on Sunday highlighted the divergent views within the US administration on how best to get Kim Jong-un to halt his nuclear ambitions. While some have left the door open to military action against the regime, others have warned that could set off a potentially devastating conflict in Asia. At the same time, increased sanctions and diplomatic pressure have done little to force North Korea to alter course.
Great expectations: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and China's President Xi Jinping meet the press. Credit:AP Mr Trump tweeted in August that "talking is not the answer," while America's United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said that the time for dialogue was over and that she would "have no problem kicking it to" Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to sort. Among senior cabinet officials, Mr Tillerson's aversion to such language is shared only by General Mattis, who said "we're never out of diplomatic solutions" when he was asked about Mr Trump's August tweet. Mr Tillerson is a chief architect of the administration's "peaceful pressure campaign," an initiative that seeks to use UN Security Council sanctions to try and choke North Korea's economy while pressing countries to stop accepting North Korean guest workers and close the regime's diplomatic outposts. While Mr Tillerson's latest remarks in Beijing appeared tailored for a Chinese audience.
One goal of his trip to Beijing, where he spent less than 12 hours on the ground, appeared to be pressing China, North Korea's chief financial backer, to bring the North Korean leader to the negotiating table. While Mr Tillerson and Chinese leaders didn't mention North Korea in public remarks, he did raise the issue behind closed doors, according to a senior State Department official who asked not to be identified. In a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Mr Tillerson said "we are still waiting" for North Korea to show it's ready to have a serious conversation about denuclearisation, the official said. Shi Yongming, an associate research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, which is affiliated with China's Foreign Ministry, said Mr Tillerson's remarks about direct channels to Pyongyang were "positive news." "At present it's an impasse, neither the US nor North Korea dares to initiate a war despite fierce rhetoric," he said.
"So whoever first offers to talk will have an advantageous position. Not only the moral ground, but also in a better position to guide negotiations. It's wise for the Americans to openly acknowledge direct talks with the North." The war of words has escalated between Washington and Pyongyang in recent weeks, with Mr Trump labelling the North Korean dictator "Rocket Man" during his first speech to the UN, adding that the US would "totally destroy" North Korea if it attacks. The North Korean leader responded by calling Mr Trump a "dotard" and warning of the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history." Still, Mr Tillerson said the most important thing is to ease the rhetoric. He didn't directly respond to a question on whether Mr Trump should tone down his comments. Loading "The whole situation is a bit overheated right now," he said. "Everyone would like for it to calm down. Obviously it would help for North Korea to stop firing off missiles. That would calm things down a lot."
Marseille: Two women were stabbed to death and their assailant shot dead in the southern port city of Marseille on Sunday in what French police described as a "likely terrorist act".
Police sources said the suspect had shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) in Arabic as he attacked the women, aged 17 and 20, at Marseille's main railway station.
Two police sources said one had her throat slit while the other was stabbed in the chest and stomach.
A witness said she saw a man take a knife from his sleeve and stab a young girl and then a woman.
Damascus: It had stood for 2000 years in ancient Palmyra, when it was shattered along with much of the Syrian city by Islamic State in 2015.
Now the Lion of al-Lat stands proud again, after being carefully restored by Polish archaeologist Bartosz Markowski and re-erected in Damascus.
Russian soldiers attend the unveiling ceremony of the statue of the Lion of al-Lat, a 2000-year-old Palmyra statue that was destroyed by IS. Credit:EPA
It is one of several ancient monuments nearly destroyed by the terror group in the ancient city the jihadists have twice seized from government control during the six-year-long war.
The 15-tonne, 3.4-metre statue was damaged during the group's first spell in control of the city. It was moved to Damascus for restoration when Syrian government forces retook the city with Russian military support in March 2016.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee will meet in session on October 2, 2017.
The Central Committee meeting has been set for Monday at 9.00 am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.
The agenda point is Advice regarding the (re)appointment of an Ombudsman.
Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.
The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.
The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, and via www.sxmparliament.org.
EBENEZER:--- The Parliament of Sint Maarten finally convened last Monday, September 25th, to be updated by the Minister of General Affairs, the Honorable William Marlin, on the passing of hurricane Irma. An update, after two and a half weeks, to the highest representative body in the country, is unacceptable!
It took the Dutch Parliament less than a week (they met on September 12th) to deal with the hurricane situation in Sint Maarten. Two days after hurricane Irma, Minister Plaster of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations had already informed the Dutch Parliament by letter of the situation. In addition, the Dutch government has made preliminary plans with regard to recovery and financial aid while the Parliament of Sint Maarten is still to get a full and true account of what transpired pre- and post-Irma.
After a two-hour presentation by the Minister of General Affairs, which did not give Parliament and the people a lot of new information, parliamentarians posed their questions to the Minister, who then needed two full days to prepare the answers. One would have then expected that after responding to Parliaments questions on Thursday morning, that parliamentarians would have gone straightway into the second round of questioning. But no, this was not the case! The meeting for the second round was scheduled for Monday, October 2nd, four days later. If Parliament continues with this schedule, it will take them two whole weeks to be updated on hurricane Irma.
Is Parliament aware of the fact that, after the passing of hurricane Irma, the country has already moved from crisis and emergency modes and is now in recovery mode? One would have expected that a disaster of this magnitude and gravity would be given greater priority. It is time that parliamentarians hear from the Minister of General Affairs what plans are being drafted by Government for the structural, emotional, financial and economic recovery of the country.
According to the law, disaster preparedness and management are totally in the hands of the Minister of General Affairs. Article 8 states that he is authorized to give any and all instructions that he deems necessary. However, once a state of emergency is declared, the Prime Minister shares his authority with the Ministers of Justice and Telecommunication. Hence, if the Prime Minister is unable to answer questions concerning the curfew, the looting, poor communication and the blocking of the borders, then Parliament should call in the other two ministers for questioning. Since the Minister of General Affairs, does not know who gave orders to close the borders then the Minister of Justice ought to know because police officers, under his authority, were at the borders carrying out instructions. Something as serious as blocking an international border with a trailer and leaving that trailer unattended is extremely worrying. If the Minister of Justice cannot provide answers then Parliament should use its right of investigation to get to the bottom of this dispute.
Observing the meeting of Parliament, I noticed a disconnect with and a disrespect for Parliament by the Minister of General Affairs. After all, in the chain of command, Parliament is the higher authority, yet the Minister does not seem to take Parliament very seriously. It was disrespectful to wait until after his presentation to inform the President of Parliament publicly that he will not be available because he has another meeting. Proper protocol dictates that this should have been done prior to the public meeting. It also appears to me that Parliament was not officially included in meetings after the passing of hurricane Irma. I have seen videos and photographs of the King, the Governor and the Prime Minister touring the island but the President of Parliament seems to be missing in action. Am I to conclude that our President of Parliament was perhaps wearing high heel leathered shoes and therefore was unable to traverse the debris and the slippery hills?
Also, the Minister of General Affairs should not take the questions posed by the MPs personally but should answer every question objectively and factually without chiding and belittling the questioner. No question should be considered a stupid question! I commend MPs Tamara Leonard and Perry Geerlings who stood firm and insisted that their questions were not answered satisfactorily.
According to the Disaster Management Law, the Minister of General Affairs should have presented the Disaster Management Plan to Parliament as well as to the Collectivite of Saint Martin one month after its finalization. In this context, I commend MP Ardwell Irion for acknowledging, on behalf of his fellow parliamentarians, that Parliament was not as vigilant as it should have been regarding this matter. Furthermore, the law states that the plan should be synchronized with the Collectivite. Had this taken place, the closing of the borders would not be such a mystery today.
The Minister of General Affairs is obligated to present an evaluation report to Parliament six months after a disaster has occurred. However, to get the country back on its feet as quickly as possible, our Parliament should not drag its feet any longer on the Irma issue but should insist on receiving weekly briefings from the Prime Minister. Neither, should Parliament have to wait until the National Recovery Plan is completed in order to find out what Government is planning for the country and the people.
Wycliffe Smith
Leader of the Sint Maarten Christian Party
Gaval drove a 2021 Ford Expedition through a red traffic signal at about 12:30 a.m. Sept. 21, 2021, crashed into a 2014 Charger and then a 2011 Cadillac CTS driven by Nicholas Newman, who was killed.
US presses for more Iran nuclear inspections
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 28, 2017
The United States pressed Thursday for the International Atomic Energy Agency to carry out more nuclear inspections in Iran, warning that failure to do so would make the nuclear deal with Tehran "an empty promise." US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said that some countries were trying to shield Iran from more inspections by the IAEA, which is charged with verifying Tehran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord. "Without inspections, the Iran deal is an empty promise," she said ... read more
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Pleasant outdoor temperatures, autumn foliage and ethnic pride for Italian-Americans. Thats the tradition for the Columbus Day Parade in Greater New Haven, which was held in Hamden last year and East Haven the year before that.
This years march, the largest of its kind in New England, will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, in West Haven. The parade steps off at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, at Captain Thomas Boulevard and flows up Campbell Avenue to Center Street and Savin Avenue. The two-hour parade, which rotates among six municipalities, was previously held in West Haven in 2011 and 2006.
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STAMFORD Theres been a hole at the corner of Tresser Boulevard and Greyrock Place for some 30 years on a plot of land that has been vacant for even longer.
After urban renewal wiped out the neighborhood nearly five decades ago, the empty plot will finally see another groundbreaking this week.
The first hole of sorts on that plot was dug in the 1800s when Stamford had a short-lived but bustling shipping canal opening the East Branch of Stamford Harbor into the downtown, according to local historian Renee Kahn.
When the rail came in about 15 years later, they built a bridge that prevented larger ships from getting in and the canal just deteriorated ... but there was a very urban center left behind, Kahn said. The land was very restorable, but at the time the neighborhood came down during Urban Renewal, the philosophy was not to restore, it was to tear down.
The hole as Stamford knows it now was excavated in the 1980s, when Stamford developer F.D. Rich Co. bought the parcel and planned to build apartment and office towers. The expansive dirt pit has been there ever since, and earned the nickname the hole in the ground.
Sandy Goldstein, president of the Downtown Special Services District, remembers when the proposal was rushed to the Board of Representatives. Goldstein was president of the board, and called a special meeting so F.D. Rich could win approval for his grand plans at the empty parcel.
I always loath to call special meetings, because its a real inconvenience and it doesnt always benefit everyone, Goldstein said.
But after a little encouragement from the mayor at the time, Thom Serrani, Goldstein called the special meeting and the board approved the sale of Parcel 38 to F.D. Rich Co.
That hole in the ground has been an eyesore for a generation, Goldstein said. Now, at least 25 years later, were finally breaking ground.
Development at the corner of Tresser and Greyrock, across the street from the Stamford Marriott and the Stamford Town Center, is something Goldstein says shes advocated for since she took over the DSSD 25 years ago.
Ive pushed, however, since Ive been head of the DSSD, the land has gone through about three different owners, she said. So youre limited as to what you can do in that situation.
When F.D. Rich Co. re-acquired the property about four years ago and teamed with New Jersey developer Ironstate Development Co., the rumored plans included 800 apartment units, about 50,000 square feet of retail space and a possible Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel. By July 2014, the approved plan included a 672-unit residential complex and a corner cafe.
That was winnowed down slightly to 648 units, according to the phasing plan for the project on file with the citys Land Use Bureau.
Thomas Madden, the citys Director of Economic Development, said the most exciting aspect of the project is the micro-units planned for the building, which will mostly be comprised of one-bedroom and studio apartments.
This is offering a new apartment type for Stamford compared to what is currently being built, so were building our housing inventory, Madden said. This project has been a long time coming, and Im glad to see its finally coming to fruition. This has absolutely been one of the keys in completing puzzle of downtown.
The groundbreaking Tuesday will represent the beginning of the first phase of construction, which includes nine of the 11 mostly interconnected buildings planned for the residential development dubbed Urby Stamford. That phase will see the completion of 464 units.
The family of a Minatare girl are seeking her return.
LyDiana Gomez, 14, has been missing since Wednesday, at about 12 p.m.
Minatare Police Officer Charles Menezes said that the girl is believed to have ran away from home. From the information given to the department, he said, the girl is reported to have packed a bag and may have traveled to eastern Nebraska or out of state.
The girls mother, Josie Gomez, described the girl as weighing 125 to 130 pounds, with brown hair that has blond, green and blue hair color. Her hair is long on one side, with her bangs over her face, and short on the other sie, her mother said.
The girl is described as having brown eyes. According to the Missing Persons Clearinghouse of the Nebraska State Patrol, when last seen, the girl was wearing a red and blue checkered shirt, purple legging, a white jacket and black leather boots.
Anyone with information about the girls whereabouts can contact the Minatare Police Department, 308-436-6666.
ALLIANCE Western Nebraska Community College is hosting a Powerline Maintenance & Construction Open House Oct. 18 from 3-6 p.m. at the WNCC Powerline Lab, located at 1621 Kansas Street in Alliance, Nebraska.
The event is free and open to any prospective student and their family who is interested in the powerline industry. Attendees can participate in hands-on activities with simulations, including the rescue pole top, digger and bucket tops and pole climbing.
We are excited about hosting students and their families who are interested in the Powerline Maintenance & Construction program, said Admissions Director Gretchen Foster. The best part of the event is for them to get to know our students and learn about their experiences. The electrical power industry is an exciting and rewarding one with very competitive wages and gives them the ability to live and work almost anywhere.
Attendees will visit with WNCC faculty and current students about the program and representatives from WNCC Admissions and Financial Aid will also be on hand to discuss scholarships and financial aid opportunities.
Everyone is encouraged to stay and enjoy a complimentary meal, served by WNCC staff and students.
For more information, or to RSVP, please contact Foster at 308-635-6183 or email powerline@wncc.edu.
As North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un issues more threats against the United States, President Trumps executive order targeting North Koreas trading partners is a meaningful step to ramp up the pressure on this dangerous regime.
I have long said I do not believe American leadership means policing the world or putting boots on the ground in every conflict. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade policy, I can attest to the significance of trade to both economic growth and geopolitical relationships. These targeted sanctions by the Trump administration can cut off the resources that have allowed North Korea to expand its nuclear program and will put necessary pressure on countries which, to this point, have provided economic investment to the regime.
Under President Trumps executive order, issued on Sept. 21, trading partners and financial institutions doing business with North Korea face steep penalties. For example, ships and aircraft visiting North Korea are banned from the United States for 180 days. The ban also applies to any vessels that have engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer with a vessel that has visited North Korea within 180 days.
Other industries that can be sanctioned for involvement in North Korea include construction, energy, financial services, fishing, information technology, manufacturing, medical, mining, textiles and transportation.
The executive order also penalizes foreign financial institutions facilitating transactions tied to North Korean trade. President Trump stated, Foreign banks will face a clear choice. Do business with the United States, or facilitate trade with the lawless regime in North Korea.
By tightening the screws on North Koreas economy, we can further isolate Kim Jong Uns regime, limit its resources, and, ideally, prevent further advancement of North Koreas nuclear program.
The House has long been working on efforts to increase sanctions on North Korea. We called on the Obama administration to take action, but unfortunately we only saw the continuation of strategic patience. After the Trump administration stated the era of strategic patience with North Korea was over, the House passed the Countering Adversarial Nations Through Sanctions Act to increase sanctions on North Korea, Iran and Russia. One of the most far-reaching sanctions packages in history, this legislation passed the House and the Senate and was signed into law by President Trump in August.
Japan and Korea have been working with the United States on strategies to counter North Korean aggression, but until recently, China had yet to take significant steps against the regime. Now, multiple reports say Chinas central bank has issued a directive to its banks throughout the country to stop providing loans or financial services to North Korean customers. This is an important development from the country that accounts for 90 percent of North Korean trade.
The latest threat from North Korea is to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean. As the rogue regime escalates its intimidation campaign, we must keep strengthening U.S. intelligence so we know the true capabilities of North Koreas nuclear program. We should also continue to invest in our missile defense system, which was originally mocked as President Reagans Star Wars but enjoys much wider support today.
The world faces a precarious situation with North Korea, and taking action to limit the regimes finances is a smart strategy. The U.S. must show leadership and strength, and I am glad to see the Trump administration taking aggressive action against those who choose to do business with Kim Jong Uns regime.
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.
More employees are likely to see a timely new offering when they choose their benefits in a month or so: identity theft protection.
About 35 percent of companies offered it in 2015, global advisory firm Willis Towers Watson has reported, and 70 percent have said it could be on their benefits menu by 2018.
The huge data breach at Equifax is accelerating that timetable. Interest in adding the service as part of a voluntary benefits plan was already on the rise over the past few years, courtesy of the massive Anthem data breach in 2015, among others. But thats nothing compared with this latest credit bureau disaster.
The entire paradigm of how employers are viewing identity theft has just shifted, said Amy Hollis, national leader of voluntary benefits at Willis Towers Watson.
Now, some employers that planned to offer it next year are trying to shift it this year, she said, making it one of the fastest growing plan options. This development will be a boon to identity theft protection companies such as InfoArmor, ID Watchdog, LifeLock and CyberScout.
I see the fever pitch at which these programs are being adopted in benefits plans, and its only becoming more fevered since the Equifax breach, said Adam Levin, chairman and founder of CyberScout and a former director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
Employers see it as a timely perk that appeals to everyone especially millennials. Plus, its low-cost. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service said it could be considered a nontaxable benefit for employees; before, it was taxable unless the employer had a breach.
Many companies offer the service free to employees; others offer it at a discounted price or share the cost. At some employers, if an employee wants to make it a family plan, they can pay extra.
Employers have a strong interest in their workers using the service. Recovering from ID theft can be a huge drain on time most calls to fix things have to be made during the workday. A 2016 report from the Identity Theft Resource Center, which helps victims of identity theft, found that nearly 56 percent of victims surveyed needed to take time off work to deal with the issue.
Then theres the mental cost: A 2014 survey of identity victims by the Department of Justice found that 36 percent of people whose personal information was stolen reported moderate or severe emotional distress as a result of the incident.
How effective are identity theft protection services in preventing fraud? Thats extremely difficult to judge, since the data is fairly green, Hollis said. A March 2017 report by the Government Accountability Office found that when selecting a vendor to provide identity theft services, companies consider a variety of factors, but generally do not directly assess the effectiveness of each providers services, according to breached companies and experts with whom we spoke.
The biggest benefit for employers and employees may be peace of mind and thus higher productivity. The federal government is no stranger to picking up after cyberattacks, either. After a 2015 breach, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management entered into contracts worth $240 million for identity theft services for federal employees, according to the GAO report. The report noted that early last year the Obama administration proposed for the fiscal year 2017 budget that identity theft services be added as an employee benefit.
Should another breach happen, the General Services Administration does have contracts with IdentityForce to provide identity monitoring and data breach response services for affected workers, and with Identity Theft Guard Solutions, which does business as ID Experts.
Today BJC HealthCare is a titan in the health care industry. It dominates the St. Louis market and is perceived as a must-have network for many employer health plans and residents. And with one of the areas two adult academic medical centers, it takes on some of the most complicated cases with its partner, Washington University School of Medicine.
But BJC wasnt always No. 1.
A little more than 20 years ago, BJC was just an idea. Those who were on the front lines of assembling the first pieces of the now nearly $5 billion health system credit its CEO, Steve Lipstein, with transforming a fledgling organization into the behemoth it is today.
After 18 years at the helm of BJC, Lipstein, 61, last week announced his plans to retire in a memo to his more than 31,000 employees. At the end of the year, Lipstein will turn over the reins to Rich Liekweg, the second-in-command at BJC, which is also the St. Louis areas largest employer.
I think as a whole, people respect and take pride in the national and international recognition these institutions have developed together and its something I give Steve a lot of credit for, said Dr. Larry Shapiro, former dean of Washington University School of Medicine, who worked closely with Lipstein for more than a decade.
In the beginning
In the early 1990s, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the flagship facility in BJCs network of 15 hospitals, had yet to merge as one.
At the time, both Barnes Hospital and the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis were separate entities. They were within walking distance of one another, and each had a relationship with Washington University School of Medicine, said John Dubinsky, former board chair of BJC HealthCare.
For both chairmen of the hospital boards, it made sense to marry the two organizations.
The belief was, if we put them together we would be more able to run an efficient institution, to attract the best and the brightest doctors, and to attract a first-tier administration, Dubinsky said of his work with Chuck Knight, the former board chair of Barnes Hospital.
In 1999, after a yearlong search, the BJC board tapped Steve Lipstein, then 43, to become the organizations second CEO and to lead the organization into the future.
What we were impressed by was his energy and his enthusiasm and his commitment to financial integrity in addition to high-quality medical care, Dubinsky said.
It proved to be no small task.
Shortly before Lipstein took the reins, there were a handful of hospitals under the recently formed BJC umbrella, many of which were struggling with their own identity now that they were within a much larger organization.
The result of all this was a lot of bruised egos, Dubinsky said of the newly formed system. It was tough in the trenches, particularly trying to build a singular culture, he said.
And thats the environment Lipstein stepped into when he decided to move his family from the Chicago area to St. Louis.
In the trenches
What makes Lipsteins job so complex is the vast array of interests he has to represent from academic to community hospitals, adult to pediatric, and rural to urban. On top of that, he has to maintain a close relationship with Washington University School of Medicine, which uses BJC hospitals as teaching facilities and provides care to many BJC patients throughout the region, both in a hospital setting and on an outpatient basis.
The two work in partnership together and share in the bottom line, said Dr. David Perlmutter, the current medical school dean.
Steve has run the hospital system in a way that the financial health of the hospital system allows it to invest in the programs in the medical school, Perlmutter said.
Shapiro, a previous medical school dean, said what many may not realize is that Lipstein has a remarkable head for finance, a sentiment that was shared by others. Lipstein also previously served as chairman of the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
I quickly discovered I couldnt keep up with him in terms of math, Shapiro said of the times when Washington University and BJC would renegotiate their affiliation agreement.
Lipstein, in an interview Thursday with the Post-Dispatch, described how he gained passion for health care as an undergrad at Emory University in Atlanta.
He was looking for a job to bring in extra spending money while attending school, but he didnt have a car, which limited his options.
But across the street from his dorm was a hospital and thats where he landed his first job in health care, working Saturday and Sunday night shifts as a nursing unit clerk.
It was there that he gained an understanding for what its like to be on the front lines of health care, Lipstein said. From Emory, he went on to receive a masters degree in health care administration from Duke University in Durham, N.C.
Much of his career was spent working within academic teaching hospitals, and he has lent his experience and voice at a national level, including his role as vice chair for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a nonprofit group that uses information and data to help drive better decision making by patients and providers in health care.
Steve has the uncanny ability to look around corners and help us prepare for the future faster, said Herb Kuhn, CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association. Ive got to think extra hard when I go to a meeting with Steve.
Over the years, Lipstein said his philosophy on health care has been that its not actually a business.
Business is a good thing but most businesses measure their success in dollars and cents, return on investment ... in health care we measure our success in what were able to do for patients and families, he said.
Lipstein said that BJC is currently positioned to be counted among the great health care systems in America.
What makes BJC unique, he said, is that the health care system has a presence in every quadrant of the region, from Alton to Farmington to Belleville to St. Charles.
We are able to serve people where they live, where they work, where they go to school, where they go to church, and so that means we get to take care of all the socio-demographics and all races and all ethnicities and thats a really unique opportunity for a health care delivery system.
In 2013, Lipstein was named St. Louis Citizen of the Year and hes still active on the boards of Teach for America in St. Louis and Ameren, in addition to other postings.
ST. LOUIS The Sudanese woman sat on the sidewalk making tea, her wheelchair stacked high with clothes and blankets nearby.
Her husband was next to her, eating sunflower seeds from a bag, cane by his side. The space they had made for themselves near Gravois and Gustine avenues was outlined by a few blankets, under the canopy of a large tree.
This is home for the woman, 51, and her husband, 67. At least it has been for the past several weeks.
The couple have been living in the Tower Grove South neighborhood for at least four years, but never in one location for very long. The refugees became homeless about a year after they arrived in St. Louis in September 2011, and have been reluctant to accept help.
The spot on the sidewalk is where Alvin Ferguson and St. Louis police Officer Larry Dampier found the couple during their recent rounds to check in on the citys homeless a population scattered throughout the city, familiar faces living largely invisible lives.
For Ferguson and Dampier, its been a four-year partnership. Ferguson is a longtime outreach worker for St. Patrick Center, the regions largest homeless services provider. Dampier is a well-tattooed police officer whose role in addressing the homeless has transformed.
A few years before he teamed up with Ferguson, Dampier had been tapped by then-Police Chief Sam Dotson to address growing complaints about the homeless, especially a concentration downtown. Dotson said he thought Dampier, who has been with the force for 17 years, had the right temperament to handle a population filled with back stories of hardship, drug abuse and mental illness.
Being homeless is not a crime, but behaviors associated with it could be, Dotson said. We wanted to do something to change the trajectory.
Complaints from downtown residents and businesses were escalating. Disturbing the peace. Public urination. Drinking alcoholic beverages on streets and sidewalks.
Things were going good. I was writing four or five summonses a day, Dampier, 39, said. But as I was going along, I realized I was writing summonses to the same people. They werent going anywhere. The homeless were still there.
He began meeting with various groups with downtown interests including Bi-State Development Agency, which oversees public buses and trains; Downtown STL and St. Patrick Center, where he met Ferguson.
Ferguson, 62, asked Dampier if hed like to join him for a ride-along, not just around downtown but throughout the city.
It was eye-opening, Dampier said, and reconditioned him to be more of an outreach coordinator than law enforcement officer.
Ferguson said the key is trying to find out what got a homeless person to where they are now.
There has to be a rapport and getting to know them as human beings, Ferguson said. Theres an old saying that applies: Meet people where they are at.
Dampier, who like Ferguson is a military veteran, shares that sentiment.
I like to give these guys three or four warnings first, Dampier said. They are not drinking out of pleasure, but from addiction, and its a way to dull the pain or act as a substitute for the medication they can no longer afford or dont have access to.
But, he said, if they become belligerent or are causing a disturbance, or a complaint comes through the department, then discretion is not as wide.
Familiar faces
About a year ago, the city opened Biddle House in an old public market just north of downtown, creating a 24-hour homeless shelter operated by St. Patrick Center and Peter and Paul Community Services.
Its opening was meant to fill several gaps in homeless services, including providing a coordinated entry for the homeless to register for services, something that was scattered among dozens of agencies. Biddles day shelter replaced similar services offered by the Bridge Outreach, which closed its doors in June 2016. The city also needed a permanent spot for men to stay overnight as pressure mounted from neighbors to close a temporary emergency shelter in the gym of the 12th and Park Recreation Center.
And the city knew that its years-long battle with the Rev. Larry Rice to close his New Life Evangelistic Center was coming to an end and the 200 or so people who stayed there nightly would need services. Rice, who had been operating without an occupancy permit for nearly two years, shut his shelter at 14th and Locust streets in April, after 41 years.
With Rices shelter closing imminent, city leaders said there would be enough beds for the homeless throughout the citys web of agencies. Still, there are people who spend most of their time on the street. The citys last count of its homeless population, in January, came in at 1,336
Of those, 151 are chronically homeless.
These are the ones Dampier and Ferguson most often bump into, although they are always looking for new faces while checking in with familiar ones.
Hey, come here! Dampier shouted to a man from the passenger seat as Ferguson pulled his Ford Explorer over to the curb at a downtown park near Soldiers Memorial.
Where you been sleeping at? Dampier asked the man, as he stands a few feet away on the sidewalk.
Grandmas house. Shes been letting me stay there. They give him a bag of snacks. He assures the two men he is doing OK.
He has not been sleeping at Grandmas, Dampier said as they drove away, pointing out the mans dirty clothes and hair.
We have to take the temperature of the situation, Ferguson said. Often, a friendly face and a bottle of water are all thats needed. Those who have been living on the streets for a long time are often doing so by choice. They dont want to be part of a system they do not trust, one that has let them down or mistreated them in the past.
But eventually almost everyone comes around, Ferguson said. They get tired of run-ins with the law, have a spiritual epiphany or guys get too sick and too old to fight it alone. Timing is the key. Thats why its important for us to consistently be in touch.
As Ferguson and Dampier made their rounds recently, they drove by Soup Alley in Soulard, where about 25 men were gathered outside Trinity Lutheran Church. Coffee, eggs and soup are regularly served.
Hey, Michael, Dampier says to one of the men, who recognized Fergusons Ford Explorer and came to the window.
You got a hoodie? I need one bad, Michael said to Ferguson.
Well get you one, Ferguson assured him.
Turning onto Seventh Street, Dampier spotted a man drinking from an airplane liquor bottle at a bus stop. As Ferguson slowed down, the man on the bench tucked the tiny bottle behind him.
As a police officer, you have to gauge the situation and whether to take action, Dampier said. With a slight hand motion toward Ferguson, they continued on their route.
They headed toward midtown, and turned onto a tiny road off Vandeventer Avenue near where Highway 40 traffic rushed overhead. They found Dillion, a slender young man working on a bicycle. His encampment is hidden by a half wall and a thick grove of trees, the behemoth Ikea in the distance.
Dillion is in his early 20s, college-educated. But a few years ago, he fell away. He just wants to be left alone, Dampier said. In his mind, this is his reality and way of life.
Walking through Dillions camp, Dampier pointed to the rolls of wire the young man collects to sell for scrap metal.
Hes a good guy. A little bit of a hoarder, Dampier said as he looked around. The camp has been cleaned up by city crews several times, including large items such as washing machines, but it quickly fills up within a few days. Dillion wears headphones, a common accessory of the homeless. They help keep the voices at bay, Dampier said.
Driving down South Grand Boulevard, they eyed an older man pushing a Save-A-Lot grocery cart on the sidewalk in front of Compton Hill Reservoir Park. They pulled over to chat.
Got any potato chips? the man asked. Dampier nodded and gave him a snack bag, which included chips.
Another stop included the flood wall. Between the wall and the Mississippi River, Dampier and Ferguson found tents, clothes, hypodermic needles and mattresses. No one was there. They might have been shooed away or decided it was time to move on.
You always have to check these areas, Ferguson said. People return.
They drove by the old Greyhound station north of downtown and pointed to where the fence had been peeled back. Dampier shook his head, calling the vacant building one large communal Porta-Potty.
Not far away, they saw two women sitting on a retaining wall. The older woman, Samantha, had two cans of beer by her side. It was 11 a.m.
This is my first one of the day, she said as she held up one of the cans, her words badly slurred. And its not even open.
Samantha had been assaulted a few weeks earlier, and her face was still showing the signs. So was her left arm, a softball sized knot at the elbow, the entire limb reddish-black. A walker was in front of her. Dampier and Ferguson said it was there to help steady her after several drinks.
When you look at this, this is what gets you up in the morning, Ferguson said, clearly bothered by the condition of Samantha.
When are you going back to the hospital? Dampier asked her.
Never! she shouted. What the (expletive) are they going to tell me now?
Dampier grew agitated. The two have a history. He is still irked that she used nearby church grounds as a bathroom and that she continues to refuse help. But they drove on. They have done all they can this day. Samantha was intoxicated and angry, but not disturbing anyone.
Ferguson uses a street sheet to collect information on people, including name, race, age, gender and any illnesses or behavior that could indicate mental illness or substance abuse. A photo also is taken, if possible.
The priority is to get them into a unified system for housing, but it can be two to three weeks before a spot is ready for them. Once it is, a call is made to the cellphone number listed on their intake sheet, but its often not in service.
So we have to go looking for them, Ferguson said. The public often wants quick results, he said. But building relationships takes time. Getting people the help they need is not easy. And the people falling into and climbing out of homelessness is an endless cycle.
Its one in, two out, Ferguson said. A continuous stream of chronically homeless people.
An endgame
The number of homeless people in the city has not changed much over the past 10 years. In 2007, the city had about 50 more homeless people than today. There has been, however, a significant drop in the number of chronically homeless people, a hundred fewer than the 258 a decade ago. St. Patrick Center leaders say that is no accident. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development encourages giving priority to the chronically homeless for available housing. And the number of permanent housing options in St. Louis has increased over the past decade.
Dampier and Ferguson supported New Life shutting down, saying the shelter was more of an enabler than a reformer.
If you want people to sleep on the floor and never offer any service, thats Larry Rice, Dampier said. If you want a place to get two bologna sandwiches a day, thats Larry Rice. Youve got to have an endgame.
But with the closing of Rices shelter, it has become harder to keep track of the homeless population. Once concentrated downtown, those who are homeless are now finding refuge throughout the city. Dampier and Fergusons rounds take them north to Interstate 270 and Riverview Boulevard and south to Interstate 55 and Loughborough Avenue.
Seeing fewer homeless people around Rices shelter gives the community the illusion that they are gone, Dampier said. They didnt disappear.
The Sudanese couple, who speak little English and yield little cooperation, remain among Dampier and Fergusons biggest challenges. Some in the neighborhood have complained about them but, Ive heard from far more asking: What can we do to help? said Alderman Megan Ellyia Green.
Dampier said working with the homeless can be a slog, with victories small and slow in coming. But those living on the streets have to be checked on. They have to be told about available services. They have to know someone is looking out for them, even if it means sometimes overlooking the violations that they could be cited for.
They are like our children at this point, Dampier said. You have to talk to them and take care of them.
Because in the end, he said, everybody should have a comfortable place to stay. A place to call home.
ST. LOUIS A team of first responders from across Missouri who went to Puerto Rico to help with the destruction from Hurricane Maria are home.
Missouri Task Force 1 shared the news on social media Sunday after several updates from support crews on the ground in the country.
"I spoke with our MO-TF1 member who is the Operations Section Chief for the FEMA Incident Support Team in San Juan, Puerto Rico yesterday evening," a Facebook post from Wednesday stated. "He stated that pretty much everything on the island is destroyed, including infrastructure."
According to the post, team members were conducting welfare checks, helping citizens with medical needs and clearing roads. Some were working in remote areas "that may have had little or no support."
At least one person from Missouri Task Force 1 was in Puerto Rico before the hurricane hit, and shared video as the eye of the storm passed their hotel.
Task Force 1 was also in Florida and Houston recently to aid with other natural disasters. In Houston, the group helped rescue more than 375 people in a two-day span.
Kendallville, IN (46755)
Today
Cloudy skies. Flurries or snow showers possible late. Low 28F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..
Tonight
Cloudy skies. Flurries or snow showers possible late. Low 28F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Kerri pictured with baby Grace a week after she was born.
A STRATFORD-upon-Avon couple are looking forward to returning home after a holiday abroad turned into a near-death drama and premature birth of their daughter.
Baby Grace Anderson-Stirrup was born ten weeks early on 9th August, weighing 2lbs 6oz after mum Kerri suffered a massive haemorrhage and was rushed in for an emergency Caesarean.
Stratfords Kerri Anderson-Stirrup and her husband, David, both aged 37, had planned a ten-day holiday in Cyprus and flew to Paphos on 2nd July with Kerri given the all-clear to fly at 24 weeks pregnant.
The couple had been told that Grace, named after Davids nan, was due to be born on 17th October so a last adult only holiday seemed a perfect way to rest, relax and look forward to the future.
It was just three days into the holiday that Kerri suffered a haemorrhage and was put on bed rest at a British-run hospital in Paphos. She was to remain there for six weeks because of the risk of further bleeding.
It was a few weeks later when the bleeding started and Kerri became fell ill.
At the time doctors told her husband David they almost lost the baby and that his wife was very seriously ill. Kerri didnt get to see her daughter for three days while she battled through her condition.
The whole traumatic sequence of events has meant that David and his family have now been in Cyprus for three months because the baby was too fragile to travel.
It was like a roller coaster ride, theyve had to do it all by themselves and they are new parents, Christine Anderson, Kerris mum, said. Ive been out to see them twice but I still havent seen Grace because I had a throat and chest infection which could have been fatal for Grace when she was in such a vulnerable state. Im very proud of them but it must also have been very scary. However, the great news is that Grace was discharged from hospital last Friday.
Full story in this weeks Herald.
Its crazy to think someone my age, just 18, perhaps they could be my friends, going off to war, into battle and being killed.
A young student, born in another place at another time, sitting in the Tauranga Girls College library, her future secure and assured as much as possible, and shes pondering Passchendaele contemplating death on an unimaginable scale, the blood and gore, the courage and sacrifice on the Western Front 100 years ago.
And Amanda Yang struggles with the idea.
Did they really know what they were getting into at Passchendaele? I dont think they did know. Young men, little more than boys, leaving home for adventure, and dying. The Battle of Passchendaele, New Zealands darkest day, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres.
Eight hundred and forty six lives lost in one day, says Amanda. Putting that into perspective, 106 men killed for every kilometre of the Allied advance.
Thats three classrooms of my friends and classmates killed in the taking of one kilometre. One kilometre of mud, cloying mud, bodies and barbed wire.
Amanda is a student of biology, chemistry, statistics and business studies at Tauranga Girls College.
But I developed a fascination for WW1. And after studying Gallipoli I wanted to learn more of the stories so I focused on Passchendaele. Bloodshed, destruction, death.
Maybe because I am not from this country. She was born in Taiwan. I wanted to learn about New Zealands history, what helped shape our national identity.
And from that research for her internal exams, Amanda was moved to poetry.
New Zealand rifles, Walked on, Walked on, Mud and rain and pain, That dragged them every centimeter marched, much closer to the grave, Cloaked by blinding gas, Suffocated, Drained, No respite, No energy left to fight..
The imagery of the hell that rained down on the New Zealand soldiers is graphic. At first I didnt know it was so bad, says Amanda. And when I looked into it I felt really sad.
The enemy rattled through belt after belt, While the New Zealanders fell by the score, They fell on Gravenstafel Road tangled in wire, No call to retire, They fought on.
Its verse-laced with fact. Its also verse-motivated by a personal responsibility.
You hear the story of Gallipoli and Anzac Day but when I tell people about Passchendaele and the battle, they go, Really? Ive never heard of it.
And she paints an intimate portrait of the Kiwis who went away, fought and sacrificed.
They were young, Straight of limb, True of Eye, Stead and aglow, The sons of New Zealand mothers, The lovers, The Brothers, the men and boys from Aotearoa.
Amanda clearly identifies with the soldiers. They were very young, perhaps 18. Just her age she is still in school uniform. They were in another uniform a more menacing one. And perhaps had never been away from home and suddenly they were pitched into battle. They were just so bright with life and wide-eyed, so new and innocent. And theyre mixed up in something so crazy.
And when she closes her eyes for a moment, Amanda is transported to Passchendaele.
I am seeing mud, putrid mud. We are stuck and drowning in it. I can see barbed wire and hear the bullets. I can see bodies on the ground, pools of blood and the wounded left to die. Whoa! Theyre terrified.
And all the time the hail of bullets and shells, and the stench of death. Amanda poses a perfectly natural question. Was it worth it?
And in 10 days Amanda may have some answers she will tread that hallowed ground where those very New Zealanders fell. Her poem won a Ministry of Veterans Affairs schools competition. And tomorrow she flies out to Belgium with the defence forces as a youth ambassador at the national commemoration service at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
We will gather in the half light at the dawning of the day, In a foreign field, Where row on row the poppies grow, Like a korowai bestowed by Papatuanuku, To cover up our men, To protect them from their foes, A foe who too lies, In a country that is not their own, a generation that will never return to their home, On this day, 12 October 2017, We stand beside them as we could not do in battle, Our men, our boys from Aotearoa.
I have thought about it, but I dont think it will hit me until the moment I step on that ground. It will be a cool experience. It will be a sad experience. It ultimately established who and what we are today, says Amanda.
I think this will be the main purpose of the trip for me, to educate people. And for us as ambassadors to spread the word about Passchendaele and keep the story alive and understood.
Perhaps it will live on in her poem.
We their people weep again, In Passchendaele 100 years ago today.
12 October 1917
5:25am opening barrage began
Second New Zealand infantry brigade and third
New Zealand rifles
Walked on
Walked on
Mud and rain and pain
That dragged them every centimeter marched
Much closer to the grave
Cloaked by blinding gas
Suffocated
Drained
No respite
No energy left to fight
And still...
The enemy rattled through belt after belt while
the New Zealanders fell by the score
They fell on Gravenstafel road tangled in wire
No call to retire
They fought on
On 12 October 1917
3:00pm another push
This time halted
and the dying slowed
846 sons of New Zealand mothers fell
That darkest day before the dimming of the light
In the dawn eight kilometres gained
At the cost of 846
106 men and boys for every one kilometre won
But what a loss
Of New Zealand sons and lovers, men and boys
12 October 2017
We will remember them
They who were young, straight of limb, true of eye,
steady and aglow.
The sons of NZ mothers, the lovers, the brothers,
the men and boys from Aotearoa
We will gather in the half light at the dawning
of the day
In a foreign field
Where row on row on row the poppies grow
Like a korowai bestowed by Papatuanuku
To cover up our men
To protect them from their foes
A foe who too lies
in a country that is not their own
A generation that will never return to their home
On this day
12 October 2017
We stand beside them as we could not do in battle
Our men, our boys from Aotearoa
Haere ra e tama
Haere ra.
Haria ra te aroha i ahau
Aue! me tangi noa
Ahau ki muri nei Te iwi e
He ngakau tangi noa.
We their people weep again
In Passchendaele 100 years today
Aucklands fuel crisis pales in comparison to problems affecting other airlines and travellers around the world, tourism industry representatives say.
Thousands of passengers had their travel plans thrown into disarray over the last two weeks, because airlines were forced to conserve fuel as the pipeline which supplies Auckland Airport was repaired.
Jet fuel restrictions were lifted over the weekend, and Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts says in the scheme of things, the impact of the flight disruptions was relatively minor.
"I would say its had zero impact in terms of reputation.
"It was obviously disruptive to those passengers caught up in it, but the number of people involved here in flight disruptions was about the same as one of the winter storms we had this year."
Chris says there were far bigger problems more likely to attract international attention than Auckland Airports fuel shortage.
"Ryanair just cancelled 2000 flights, affecting 315,000 passengers. Thats the sort of disruption that does get world attention and thats on a much, much larger scale than what happened here in New Zealand."
Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett thought Auckland would have suffered some damage to its brand.
"Auckland has been positioning itself as a hub and if youre going to do that, you need to have credibility.
"The travelling public need to have confidence that they are going to be able to connect and they are going to be able to travel internationally, so there has been some damage around that."
The issues sparked by the pipeline outage need to be addressed, says Michael.
"You need to be able to give assurances to the marketplace that things like storage, things like transportation of fuel, that those things have been fixed. To me, I think that can happen and happen quickly."
House of Travel spokesperson Brent Thomas says while a single event like this would not do any long-term reputational damage, fuel storage would be something Auckland Airport would have to look at.
"No doubt other airports around New Zealand will also be assessing their risk factors based on what we have seen in Auckland.
"Obviously we are highly dependent on Auckland Airport for in-bound tourism, which is the second-biggest earner for New Zealand."
But Chris says it would be passengers who ended up bearing the cost of any decisions to increase fuel storage at Auckland Airport, so that should be considered carefully.
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand did not respond to a request for comment.
And Auckland Airport says it did not have anything to add to its previous comments, made at a press conference last week.
One of the key insights that greatly enhanced our view from the show was a discussion with His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, who joined us on Jubilee to shine a light on the part MYS plays in the bigger picture of the Principality.
Its really ingrained into the fabric of the community and internationally, explained H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. I think its really helped in the promotion of the Principality. [It's] a great ambassador for the Principality in terms of prestige and showcasing Monaco as a centre for the yachting industry.
The accolade and integration recognised by His Serene Highness himself is just one of the signifiers cementing this as a demanding, but extremely successful example of an evolving industry.
This is, after all, the platform in which all marine and luxury exhibitors use to promote and unveil the latest developments whilst coming together to discuss the next step to stay on top; allowing us to take note of the changes underway across the yachting industry.
With Yersin, an explorative research yacht in H.S.H. Prince Albert IIs charge, the discussion on board Jubilee turned to sustainability and adventure; enhancing the industrys recognition for change.
We asked Espen Oeino and Jonny Horsfield about their work on the ground-breaking REV project, providing in turn an answer that shone a light on the ethos of the modern explorer and its owner.
Over 180m, REV is - like Yersin - dedicated to research and ocean conservation, but on a huge scale. This will be the flagship of the stripped-back exploration lifestyle which has been on the table of major discussions across the show.
This is a trend we have, going to more remote parts of the world, explains Espen Oeino. I think the explanation is that perhaps people are more into experiences few have done before them as well. People want to use the vessel for other things other than a holiday home and vacation.
Spending more time on board is another theme running throughout the show, with yachts like Cloud 9 acting as the perfect example. Speaking with both Andrew Winch and Stefano de Vivo, we learned about the trend thats keeping owners on deck.
The owner sat down and said, 'I want a charter boat, but I want a boat where I can stay with my family on board, have my kids studying on board. I want to stay six months of the year on the boat," explains Stefano de Vivo.
Its a holiday boat, adds Andrew Winch, but the owners have been on board for over four months non-stop, two children, Mr & Mrs, the teacher, the nanny, guests and the owners mother, theyve lived on board for four months and its home.
The brokers bringing these revolutionary clients to the designers and shipyards are noticing more trends than just exploration as owners demand broaden amongst new technology and new possibilities.
While Fraser Yachts spoke to us about the constant call for sustainability, Chris Cecil Wright joined us in the studio to discuss the opportunity to use Cryptocurrency in the brokerage process; Burgess Yachts brought us the latest view from the shifting market landscape and Ocean Independence introduced a stripped-back approach to bringing brokerage back to the fun-side.
Sustainability may have been an exciting key focus running through the discussions, but with more meetings and positive activity on the ground, it was business as usual for the show as thousands of visitors fought their way through four days of solid, qualitative discussions. As the show draws to a close, we are left anticipating the news of any post-show movement.
Drone footage by MC Clic.
MINNEAPOLIS (TNS) Target has spent more than a decade adapting to the arrival of online shopping.
For a time, it outsourced much of its digital effort to Amazon. Then it tried to fight a head-to-head battle for the attention of internet shoppers.
Now CEO Brian Cornell is shifting the Minneapolis-based companys emphasis again to focus on a not-so-secret weapon: its stores.
While Walmart and other competitors move resources toward online operations, Target plans to invest more than $3 billion over the next three years in its brick-and-mortar locations. It is remodeling one-third of them and opening new, smaller ones in the heart of cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Despite the rapid growth were still seeing online and others are seeing online, the majority of retail shopping in America still takes place in a physical store, Cornell said, reiterating what has become one of his primary talking points.
The companys approach is counterintuitive at a time when the digital onslaught is leading other retailers to shutter hundreds of physical locations and some to go out of business altogether.
Yet Targets strategy has already shown signs of working, with an increase in sales during the spring quarter as the company remodeled stores and prepared to introduce new private-label clothing and home brands.
Whether it can build on this success will be a critical test for one of Minnesotas largest and most prominent businesses. But some retail observers believe that Cornell has identified an important advantage that online rivals cant counter.
With Amazon, you cant walk into a store and return it, said Brian Yarbrough, a retail analyst for Edward Jones. Thats one of the reasons why I think stores are here for the long term and arent going away. And its about convenience. Some people just like to shop.
There is a successful model for Targets approach.
When Hubert Joly took over Best Buy in 2012, the electronics chain, also based in the Twin Cities area, was in the midst of a do-or-die moment with Amazon. The companys previous leaders had closed 50 big-box stores and said more would be shutting soon.
Five years ago, there was a lot of words about, My God, Hubert, youre going to have to close a lot of stores, Joly said.
He bristled at the idea. Instead of viewing stores as a liability in an increasingly digital world, he argued that they were one of Best Buys biggest assets. Located closer to where most people live compared to its fewer and far between distribution centers, he turned the stores into shipping hubs to more quickly and cheaply ship online orders to customers doorsteps.
As technology has become more complex, Best Buy has also embraced the idea of having its stores become showrooms. Customers can discover and learn about the newest gadgets with the expert advice of blue-shirted employees, and the companys Geek Squad is available to help with installation. Thats an experience that is hard to replicate online.
Best Buy, which has 1,360 stores in the United States, has been quietly closing a few dozen a year, mostly its smaller mobile phone stores that are often in shopping malls. Joly said the retailer will continue to close some stores as leases come up for renewal, but that isnt the main plan.
We dont have a strategy to close stores, he said. Were excited by the roles that stores can play.
To be sure, both Target and Best Buy have also been investing billions of dollars to overhaul their supply chains to get online orders to customers doorsteps more quickly and efficiently. They have also been upgrading their websites to be faster and more user-friendly, with better search capabilities and display pages of products.
But online is also still a relatively small part of most retailers business, 4 percent of sales at Target and 13 percent at Best Buy.
Part of the reason to focus on leveraging stores is that retailers get a bigger payoff from in-store sales, said Audrey Manacek, who heads up the consulting giant McKinseys Minneapolis office. Online sales, which are growing much more quickly, are less profitable for retailers because they have to ship items to customers.
Still, retailers have to be in both games.
If you just stay focused on the stores and youre not also investing at an even faster pace in online, she said, youre going to miss the curve.
Even big believers in the future of online retail think it will evolve gradually. The Minneapolis-based venture capital firm Loup Ventures thinks the eventual balance will be 55 percent online and 45 percent in-store but says it could take 30 years to get there.
Customer habit is hard to change, said the firms Andrew Murphy. It will take a long time.
And then theres Amazon itself, which shook up the retail landscape this year by snapping up Whole Foods, giving it instant access to a network of 450 stores. The move was a validation of sorts for many traditional retailers: that even Amazon has come to realize that stores are useful.
Amazon is not a huge fan of physical retail, so I think it was a fairly large leap in their admitting to that weakness of not having physical stores, said Matt Sargent with consulting group Magid.
About 30 million people still visit a Target store every week. So Target is making major investments to keep them coming back for the foreseeable future.
Were not thinking about stores the same way we did even five years ago, Cornell said at a retail conference in March. If we did, wed be cooked.
A recent $10 million makeover of the store next to Targets downtown Minneapolis headquarters provides a glimpse into how its reformulating stores. Beyond the cosmetic changes with updated flooring and lighting, it has more of a department-store feel with more thought given to how items are displayed to help inspire more purchases.
And Target is looking to bring more digital elements into the experience, such as location-tracking capabilities that show shoppers what Cartwheel deals are nearby on the shelf through the Target app and via handheld devices through which employees can look up and order online different sizes or colors for customers.
Like Best Buy, more than half of Targets online orders are now either picked up in or shipped from its stores. Doing so has helped Target not only get packages to customers more quickly, but also cut down on shipping costs.
Target is testing ideas such as curbside pickup where customers can drive up to the parking lot to fetch online orders without having to step in the store. Walmart has already been aggressively rolling out a similar service focused on groceries to many of its stores.
While its trying to give customers what they want, Target also knows that if it gets people in the store theyre more likely to buy more things, said John Rabenhorst, a principal in the retail practice of consulting firm A.T. Kearney.
Thats been part of the secret sauce for Target people walk in looking for a couple of items and walk out with a whole cart full of merchandise.
They dont know what they need until they see it, he said. This idea of discovery doesnt happen as much online.
Owners of Amazon Echo devices can now make free calls to mobile phones and landline numbers through their smart speakers.
The feature, which many missed during Amazon's unveiling of its new line of Amazon Echo products, is a significant upgrade to the Alexa Calling feature that was launched alongside the Amazon Echo Show.
Free Calls On Amazon Echo Speakers
The Alexa Calling feature granted Amazon Echo owners free voice calls, but only to call other Amazon Echo speakers and smartphones with the Alexa app installed. The Amazon Echo calling feature was scrutinized for having no way to block incoming calls, but it was still a very useful feature given how popular the smart speakers are.
Alexa Calling, however, is now known to just be the first step in a plan by Amazon to enable easier communication between friends and family. The Amazon Echo, Amazon Echo Dot, and Amazon Echo Show are now all capable of calling mobile phones and landline numbers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for free.
Users will simply have to request their Amazon Echo speaker to call a person in their contacts or dictate a number that the device will dial. If Alexa's calling and messaging feature is set up, the details that will show up on the other end is the Amazon Echo owner's mobile number. Users can choose to display "unknown number" instead of their mobile number, but that might make people ignore your calls.
The feature, however, has limitations. While dictating phone numbers to make calls is now allowed, users will still not be able to dictate text messages to send to their contacts. This is because the messaging capabilities of the Amazon Echo are still restricted to other Amazon Echo devices and to Alexa apps.
New Amazon Echo Products
Users who would like to also receive calls on their Amazon Echo speaker should take a look at the newly unveiled $35 Amazon Echo Connect. The device, which also enables calls to emergency services and international numbers, connects to a user's existing phone line or VoIP to transform an Amazon Echo product into a speakerphone.
The Amazon Echo Connect is just one of the many new products that Amazon recently unveiled, which also includes the $99 second-generation Amazon Echo, the $149 Amazon Echo Plus, and the $129 Amazon Echo Spot. There is also the Echo Buttons, which are meant to be paired with Amazon Echo speakers for gaming sessions and will be sold for $20 for two pieces.
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CHICAGO (TNS) Detroit, and the idea of jobs making a very different kind of motor in the Motor City, is a big part of upscale watchmaker Shinolas brand.
But Shinola also has strong Chicago ties. A local tannery supplies the leather Shinola uses in its watch straps. Three Shinola stores have opened or are opening in the Chicago area by this fall. The company wants to set up a manufacturing plant on the citys South Side, though Shinola President Jacques Panis has declined to say what it may make and when it may open.
Over the years, Shinola has branched out to new products some built in-house, some with outside partners from bicycles to leather goods to turntables. What ties it all together? Panis said Shinola is trying to create U.S. jobs by finding ways to make, or at least assemble, goods in the U.S. that are often produced overseas.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: How did you come to Shinola?
A: Ive worked for our founder (Tom Kartsotis) for about 10 years at a company called Reel FX. We built a virtual world for kids there that was the project I was leading.
Q: This seems like a bit of a switch.
A: It is, but even the virtual world we were making was about creating an environment and a platform to engage, tell stores and educate. So when you think about the digital realm we were working in, and this place were working in today, theres a lot of similarities.
Q: You say the stores are designed to activate customers senses. What does that mean?
A: You get the sight of the store the colors, the warmth of the wood, the lighting. You can hear the Shinola turntable playing and the Shinola candle burning, and the team is going to eventually offer you a Shinola cola as well. And the last sense we want you to experience is feel. Our watches are out where you can pick them up, (along with) the leather goods, so you can feel the textures. Its a really wholesome experience that engages individuals on a personal level.
Q: Was there something the Shinola team saw when creating the brand that made you think the story around heritage and being made in Detroit would catch on the way it has?
A: It was our mission from the get-go to create jobs in the United States and, in creating jobs, design well-made, very high-quality goods. It was always our goal to tell that narrative and share the story of this brand and the city of Detroit. Theres an incredible history there of manufacturing. Our motors power the watches, so when you think about building engines, theres no better place to go do it.
Q: Do you think it could have worked as well elsewhere?
A: Detroit was our No. 1 choice. It just took time to find space and work with our partners to make sure they were comfortable with what we were doing.
Q: Youve introduced a much wider range of products. How do you decide where to branch out?
A: What were looking for is products that traditionally, at scale, have gone offshore and are being made in other parts of the world. We look at those categories and try to figure out where we can innovate and invest capital in those categories and bring those manufacturing jobs back here in the U.S.
We have to be able to build things here. Our supply chains are global, we have parts that come from all over the world, and we build it here.
Q: You say Shinola still wants to open a manufacturing facility on Chicagos South Side. Are there other cities where youre considering something similar?
A: Not at this point. We do have another brand in our portfolio, Filson, which makes bags and some outerwear in Seattle.
Q: So why Chicago?
A: Chicago is a city with a rich manufacturing heritage. If you look back at the history of the city, what was made here and still is made here, and you look at the South Side of Chicago and what is truly needed from a societal point of view there, we dont know of a better place, off the top of my head today, where we would go.
Q: When youre doing some sourcing overseas, and some in the U.S., where do you draw the line?
A: About 80 percent of the parts of our turntable are made here in the U.S. Its not about drawing a line, its about what is possible and what is not possible, and the cost of the parts. Its achieving a price point thats right for our consumer, and its about quality. Were not going to jeopardize quality just because we can have (a component) made in the U.S. versus offshore, but then we add it on to the final product here in the U.S.
Q: Last year, the FTC raised concerns that Shinolas marketing overstated the extent to which some products were made in the U.S., and Shinola agreed to add language about the use of imported parts. Do you think that affected how people felt about the brand, or sales?
A: I dont think so. People that know it and people that want to know it can see what it is and understand what it is. We were never an American-made thing, that wasnt how we built this. We built this on job creation.
Q: The idea of bringing manufacturing jobs back became very topical in the past election. Did you try to capitalize on that?
A: We dont want to capitalize on politics, its not really who we are. It allowed for some very interesting conversation. It creates some exposure for the brand, but its not something were out stirring up or looking for specifically.
As it recovers from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, Texas is testing its own version of Louisiana's Shelter at Home program, which was implemented to mixed reviews after last year's historic floods.
Texas is doing it. Florida has inquired, and now Puerto Rico, badly battered by Hurricane Maria, may be up next.
"These are all confirmations on the innovative thought that was put into this program in Louisiana," said Will Rachal, deputy director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, who went to Texas to assist the state with the development of its immediate plan for housing.
About 10,600 people took part in the Federal Emergency Management Agency-funded Shelter at Home.
Gov. John Bel Edwards has long defended the $165 million Shelter at Home program as being necessary to address the state's immediate housing needs following the flood.
Shelter at Home still has its critics among public officials and disappointed homeowners who have questioned the price tag for temporary upgrades that often had to be ripped out when homeowners set out on long-term solutions.
"Did it do everything we absolutely wanted it to do? No, and the governor has said that over and over again," Rachal said.
But it may be at the forefront of immediate disaster relief efforts, as officials eye the pricey costs and logistical issues with manufactured housing units and the housing market crunch in devastated areas.
"The thing that the governor kept insisting about this program is it kept people close to home," Rachal said.
Texas' Partial Repair and Essential Power for Sheltering program, or PREPS, was announced this week as a quick way to get people back in their homes as the state faces a shortage of available post-shelter housing.
Louisiana helps Texas as it plans for Harvey housing recovery efforts Temporary housing programs were met with mixed reviews after historic floods swept Louisiana
Edwards' administration pointed to restrictions on FEMA funding for the temporary nature of what people got from the pricey program.
Texas was granted a special exception reserved for particularly extreme circumstances after Irma hit Florida, Rachal said. That has allowed the state the opportunity to make more permanent repairs in some cases that Louisiana wasn't able to do with Shelter at Home. Rachal said Louisiana's experience helped pave the way for Texas' arguments for more flexibility.
"It was just a very extreme circumstance," he said.
Hurricane Harvey slammed ashore in Texas on Aug. 25 and hovered over the state for several days, flooding Houston and the surrounding areas. Now officials are shifting to plans for short-term housing efforts that are needed as shelters begin to close.
People whose homes were most severely damaged likely won't be able to return for months.
Options include hotels and rental homes, which FEMA provides assistance toward, but that puts pressure on the hotel and rental property stock in the area a problem Louisiana faced after the floods and that prompted the Shelter at Home program's creation last fall.
Louisiana looked to the "Rapid Repairs" program implemented in New York City in Superstorm Sandy's wake in 2012 for Shelter at Home inspiration. Rapid Repairs was hailed as a first-of-its-kind pilot program when it was first introduced, but it quickly faced criticism from homeowners who were dissatisfied with the quality of the work.
Edwards has said he had to convince FEMA to go along with the plan because of the threat of a housing shortage in Louisiana and his concerns about people being able to remain in their communities.
Mike Steele, a spokesman for GOHSEP, said the concept of Shelter at Home was hard to explain and the purpose and limitations may not have been clear for everyone partly because most people had never heard of such a program. "I know a lot of people were hung up on the fact that it was temporary fixes," he said.
Louisiana residents, who were familiar with FEMA trailers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, immediately questioned whether they would be brought in after the floods, though FEMA has moved away from manufactured housing units because of the cost and long transport times.
Steele said that Louisiana is looking at Shelter At Home as an opportunity to test a program that could be spread across the country in times of disaster as a quick recovery that keeps communities intact.
A spokesman for FEMA didn't respond to requests for comment.
"They've been good partners with us in the past and have provided us with assistance when we needed it, so we are happy to help," Steele said.
In touting the program options, including PREPS, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said in a news release that the state is working toward "a new model for simplifying and expediting the transition out of sheltering to short-term and long-term housing recovery efforts."
"The primary objective is to provide flexibility and options so that the effort can be locally led, state supported and federally funded," he said.
Brittany Eck, a spokeswoman for the Texas General Land Office which is overseeing the rebuilding programs, said that it was necessary for the state to try innovative approaches to recovery.
"The size and scope of Harvey and the devastation that it has caused has made this an unprecedented event," she said. "The needs of each area vary widely."
"In certain regions there are fewer options available," Eck said. "Being able to shelter at home enables you to have a place to live, it also enables the long-term rebuilding process."
She stressed that, like Louisiana's Shelter at Home, PREPS will do minimal work to make homes habitable.
"It's not going to make them whole," she said.
Eck said that Texas leaders looked at both Louisiana and a similar program in New York after Superstorm Sandy. New York's "Rapid Repairs" program also faced complaints from some homeowners dissatisfied with the work that was done.
"It's an unprecedented event with a program that has to be tailored to the needs of Texas," she said. "We're working with FEMA to make sure the program is as successful as possible."
Politicians can hardly be blamed for glossing over their failures, or even characterizing them as partial successes; they are not in a game that rewards brutal honesty.
We can mostly cock a deaf ear, because life is too short to count the lies coming out of Washington.
But sometimes an official announcement does such violence to plain truth that the senses of the most jaded hack must rebel.
So it is now that U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy et al have come up short in their attempt to kill Obamacare. Their spectacular failure in a cause central to the Republican agenda for years has not left them crestfallen, far less apologetic. They greeted the defeat of their legislation with a statement that is positively triumphalist. As a result of our efforts in the last few weeks, the senators preened, it's only a question of when their plan will put Obamacare out of its misery.
Since they couldn't do it when a simple majority was all they needed for passage, and the window of opportunity has now closed for that dodge, the upbeat tone is not easy to justify.
But hailing defeat as a harbinger of victory is easy if you are as much at home in fantasy land as our four senators. Our approach ends the march toward a single-payer health care where all medical decisions are made by a Washington bureaucrat, they say.
Supposing there is such a march and single-payer is hardly a popular cause in this country it would be a slur on our four senators to believe they are idiotic enough to believe what they write. Whatever the shortcomings of government-sponsored health care, the role of bureaucrats is limited to budget and administration, as it is under any system. All medical decisions are made by doctors everywhere. Indeed, how could it be practical for laymen in faraway offices to diagnose and prescribe treatment for every patient in the land?
Back when Sarah Palin was shrieking about death panels, it seemed that Obamacare had spawned the ultimate alarmist drivel. Our senators have outdone her.
As to why their legislation failed, the senators claim that the arcane rules of the reconciliation process limited our policy options and imposed an artificial deadline on our efforts. Reconciliation is a procedure that allows for expedited passage of budgetary legislation once a year.
The clear implications of the senators' statements it that their task will be easier now that reconciliation no longer applies. Well, if you can believe in the Washington bureaucrat who makes medical decisions in Ville Platte, you can believe anything.
The artificial deadline that allegedly hampered them in fact provided them with a soft option. If they could get their act together by Sept. 30, they didn't need to enlist a single Democrat. All they had to do was round up 50 senators and call a prompt vote. Now that time has expired, they will need 60 votes, meaning a bunch must come from across the aisle, and the right to filibuster has been restored.
Whether they will have an opportunity to pass a bill by simple majority is hard to say. The rules of reconciliation, which provides an express lane for budgetary legislation once a year, are indeed arcane. They are so arcane that a hitherto unknown official has swum into our ken. The task of interpreting the reconciliation rules falls to the Senate parliamentarian, one Elizabeth MacDonough. She it was who advised that the Cassidy bill had to pass by Sept. 30 and who may decide whether an Obamacare repeal bill can be introduced under reconciliation next year, which would presumably be its only chance. All we can say for sure is that there are no apparent grounds for the optimism our senators claim.
They aver, in the middle of announcing the abandonment of their health care plan for want of support, that it clearly resounded with our colleagues. That was a pretty cracked sound. Can't these guys hear us laughing at their pompous pronouncements?
No doubt they are correct to suggest Obamacare is not the ultimate answer to America's health-insurance needs. But their plan isn't either, and their cock-eyed statement cannot disguise the fact.
Email James Gill at gill1407@bellsouth.net.
The health care bill is dead. Now, Democrats, youre on.
Senate Republicans, not for the first time, could not agree last week on the vexing subject of repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
The last-ditch effort for repeal was one led in large part by a relatively junior senator, Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, who proposed a far-reaching but inevitably somewhat confusing concept of devolving Medicaid and other popular programs to the states.
It became a tangle, not because of bad intentions from Cassidy or co-authors like the respected Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, but from the sheer complexity of the American health care system changed in some ways by Obamacare, but still based on the interactions of so many actors: patients and doctors and hospitals and insurers and governments at the federal and state level. Its not one-sixth of the American economy for nothing.
Taking away, or simply seeming to endanger, the coverage gains under Obamacare is clearly a nonstarter politically. That couldnt get the GOP majority in the Senate to go along. But baked in the big Obamacare cake are costs, taxes and other moving parts particularly, high deductibles and premiums that are crippling for middle-class families. More than 40 percent of counties or parishes in the U.S. are down to single insurance provider, Cassidy pointed out Tuesday.
If Cassidycare did not make it and it didnt even come to a vote what comes next?
Thats where Democrats come in.
Acting on Napoleons dictum, dont interfere with the enemy destroying himself, they committed in a bloc to oppose the Republican repeal bills. That had the political result they desired, as only a few GOP defectors could stop any bill. Cassidy has all along expressed his frustration with Democrats stand.
And in fairness, Democrats have been working with the GOPs Lamar Alexander, of Tennessee, on a bill yet to emerge from Alexanders health committee that would deal with some of Obamacares problems. Under Senate rules, Cassidy noted earlier this summer, those provisions could not be part of his own bill.
Alexander, and Cassidy, earlier demonstrated their willingness to work outside party lines on the mental health issues in health care. Why not make that a model for a fix to problems with Obamacare?
It wont be the comprehensive repeal and replace that folks like Cassidy campaigned for. But for anything at all to pass the Senate, as the GOPs troubles lately demonstrate, Democrats must come to the table willing to give on some of their ideas.
The embrace of some form of national health insurance or Medicare for all by some Democrats is certainly a nonstarter politically at this time. A government that cant balance its books should hardly be expanding entitlements. If Democrats want to use health care as a club, while frustrations with Obamacares problems grow in middle-class households across America, such an impractical ideological stand wont get any bill passed.
For political reasons, maybe, Obamacare amended still may not be palatable to Republicans, but if Democrats misplay their hand, specific relief to American families is endangered.
Democrats, youre on.
HONOLULU -- Southwest Airlines is planning to offer flights to and from Hawaii and expects tickets to go on sale in 2018, airline officials said.
Police are investigating a vehicle fire in Kalgoorlie Crescent in Fisher which occurred between 10.00pm and 10.30pm on Friday.
ACT Policing is urging anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in the area to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or online via https://act.crimestoppers.com.au/.
Within weeks we will know whether a national postal plebiscite has opened the way for same-sex couples to enjoy equal rights under the law to marry.
If, as seems likely although not certain such a plebiscite results in a "yes" vote, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has pledged to amend the existing Marriage Act to enshrine into law marriage equality.
Labor and most crossbenchers will support this legislative amendment.
Let's hope that once this process is completed the country will wrench itself back to pressing issues such as ballooning debt and energy security diverted by a divisive same-sex marriage debate.
Victoria's anti-corruption agency, IBAC, and its ability to scrutinise members of Parliament have recently been in the spotlight.
First came Opposition Leader Matthew Guy's decision to refer himself to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission after The Age revealed his lobster dinner with an alleged Mafia boss and his Liberal Party-supporting associates. Next was the bipartisan decision by State Parliament's presiding officers to refer rorting allegations surrounding the electorate office of Labor upper house member Khalil Eideh.
Whistleblowers often face serious and long-lasting reprisals. Credit:Michele Mossop
Mr Guy who was already adamant his dinner with Tony Madafferi, who denies all allegations against him, amounted to nothing more than a momentary lapse of judgment would have been confident that IBAC would decline his offer to investigate. That was because no one had accused him of acting corruptly.
But Mr Guy, like all other state MPs, would also have been aware that IBAC's legislation ensures that allegations of corruption involving politicians are handled differently to those made against police and other public servants.
Four teenagers have been taken to hospital after a car allegedly driven by a 17-year-old L-plate driver crashed into a pole in Mount Waverley on Monday.
The car, believed to be carrying six teenagers, smashed on Waverley Road about 1.30am.
The four hospitalised teenagers were all in a stable condition. Credit:Melissa Singer
Two teenage boys were taken to Monash Medical Centre, another boy to The Alfred hospital, and a teenage girl was taken to The Royal Children's Hospital.
All were in a stable condition.
Four teenagers have been taken to hospital after a smash in Mount Waverly at 1.30am this morning.
3AW is reporting the car carrying six teenagers was being driven by a 17-year-old learner.
Two teenage boys were taken to Monash Medical Centre, another boy to The Alfred Hospital, and a teenage girl to The Royal Children's Hospital, all in a stable condition.
Jude Fasoli remembers feeling overwhelmed as she crossed the stage to meet the judges at the 1958 Royal Melbourne Show's Miss Show Girl quest.
The 17-year-old farmer's daughter, from Hedley, in South Gippsland, wasn't sure how to pose, or what to say, although she felt smart in her swish blue and white dress, and white gloves, hat and handbag ensemble.
Mates, not rivals: Robin Murphy (nee Hoyland), left, and Jude Fasoli (nee Pearson), right, have been friends since they met as contestants in the 1958 Miss Show Girl quest at the Royal Melbourne Show. A new exhibition at the Show tells the Miss Show Girl story. Credit:Chris Hopkins
Mrs Fasoli, now 76, didn't win the quest, but gained a lifelong friend, fellow contestant Robin Murphy, from Lilydale.
For 59 years, they have shared weddings, children's births, dinner parties and holidays together with their husbands.
"I feel Jeremy has never really ever been committed to the EU. I am a passionate Remainer and I feel he was ambivalent about it," she said. Jonathan Isaby runs the Leave website BrexitCentral. He said Corbyn's Eurosceptic views, rooted in his socialism, are well known. "Jeremy Corbyn's publicly stated support for Remain was at best lukewarm, with a number of passionate Labour Remainers taking the view that their leader and his aides were actively obstructing their efforts," he said. "Mr Corbyn has a track record of hostility to the EU going back decades and as a politician whose views have otherwise remained consistent throughout his career, it was no surprise that when it came to the 'Stronger In' campaign, his heart was not in it."
But that's not the message party member Karma McKeefery heard. She joined Labour in 2015 and speaks of Corbyn rapturously. "I voted Remain because Jeremy Corbyn voted Remain," she said as she departed Brighton for Lancashire on Tuesday. Karma McKeefery (left) and Sue Brennan from Lancashire say Jeremy Corbyn is restoring the party's socialist agenda. Credit:Latika Bourke "Jeremy Corbyn's the sort of politician that I've been waiting for all my life," she said, singling out his "honesty" and straight-talking. Richard Angell runs the Blairite internal pressure group Progress and says Momentum used their first year in charge at conference to deliberately exploit the "naivete" of the party's newer members to "save Jeremy Corbyn's Brexiteer blushes" by stamping out a debate on Brexit.
"It is such a pity Momentum's leadership used the biggest issue facing the country as a factional plaything. It does not bode well." Angell decries a "stitch and fix", the kind of which Alistair Campbell noted his former boss Tony Blair would have been proud. But Carol Billinghurst, who joined when Corbyn first stood to be the leader, says it's actually democracy at work. "The opposite is a problem really, there are people who are in a minority who wield quite a lot of power." Carol Billinghurst from Bristol joined the Labour Party and Momentum to support Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. Credit:Latika Bourke "It should be a democratic party and if most of the people who joined do like Jeremy and his policies, then that's the way the party will head," she said.
Under Corbyn, Labour membership has swelled to nearly 600,000, and regular conference-goers reported the biggest crowds in years. Lines to enter the venue stretched for blocks and people were turned away from numerous fringe events which were packed out up to half an hour before they started. Labour Party members queuing to hear Jeremy Corbyn's speech. Credit:Latika Bourke There is no doubt the frontman has a lot to do with it. Merchandise at the conference was about one man only: from "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn" scarves, Corbyn pins, singlet tops and T-shirts and "For the Many" posters to cloth tote bags with Corbyn posing like a film star, the stalls suggested the Labour Party had started and ended with one man who is still only an opposition leader. Jeremy Corbyn posters for sale at the annual Labour Party conference in Brighton. Credit:Latika Bourke
Mary Griffiths said the cult mentality stops her from criticising Corbyn openly amongst fellow Labour members. "When I sat for the first day in the conference and people were singing "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn", I turned to people around me, other members, and I said, 'Oh my gosh, people are celebrating this man and the situation we are in when he had that opportunity [but the Tories are still in power pushing through Brexit]' and they just looked at me as if I was coming from another planet." "We should remind everyone that they're coming to the Labour Party conference, not the Momentum conference," Labour MP John Mann told a Labour First fringe event. "It's great that we've got so many new members but those new members must remember there was a Labour Party before 2015." One Last Heave? Theresa May remains in Downing Street, but at 2017 conference Corbyn's supporters declared he was the real winner.
"Let me say this to those merchants of doom, the whingers and the whiners who say 'we should have done better, we didn't win', I say we did win," said Len McCluskey, the leader of the Unite union. "We aimed so low we are jubilant to lose," countered Jess Phillips, an MP from the West Midlands and outspoken Corbyn critic. "Let me give you a reality check," Scottish Parliament MP Jackie Baillie told a Progress rally. "We came third, behind the SNP and behind the Tories and if we let the jubilation of doing better than expected, and lets face it expectations were low, if we let that cloud our judgement we lose sight of the fundamental lessons we need to learn." The victory McCluskey speaks of though is the battle within the party, which Corbyn believes has translated into mainstream politics. An 'Oh Jeremy Corbyn' scarf on sale at the 2017 Labour Party conference in Brighton. Credit:Latika Bourke
But Chris Leslie, an MP from Nottingham, worries the party leadership will think more of the same will do the trick in five years' time. "Let's just have one more heave, go back in 2022 with exactly the same things we're in, that should be sufficient it isn't sufficient." And Welsh MP Wayne David said the leadership should not mistake anti-Tory sentiment for widespread Corbynism. "I had a lot of my constituents saying, 'Well, we're not really that enamoured with Jeremy ... but we're going to vote Labour despite Jeremy'," he said. The doubts are shared by those much closer to Corbyn's ideology. Compass, an anti-Blair left-wing pressure group said the conditions that combined to create Corbyn's shock-result are unlikely to be repeated. And it warns Labour could become the party of "cosmopolitan cities" at the expense of its working-class base.
"Three-quarters of the seats that we have to win at the next election are towns, where we found it harder to win," noted Yvette Cooper, who before the election was firming as the likely successor to Corbyn. Labour Party supporters with Jeremy Corbyn merchandise. Credit:Latika Bourke The hung parliament result conceals the daunting 64 seats Labour needs to win to secure a majority in the next election, scheduled for 2022. Wes Streeting says Momentum has a choice: to work with the entire party to make it electable, or continue its hostile takeover with threats to deselect moderate MPs. "They can either be the positive force of the party that can mobilise members ... or they can become and remain a factional vehicle that's more focused on revolutionary socialism, deselecting MPs and changing the rule books to rig the system," he said.
In this multi-sided debate, though, no faction appears in the mood to offer a genuine truce. Luke Akehurst from Labour First, a pre-Blair right-wing organisation, says the veteran MP John Spellar is working on a plan take back the party. "He has been foreseeing that these kind of problems would happen for a long time and urging us to get our ducks in a row," he said. "People don't think there's a plan. There is a plan, John's got it and he doesn't stick it up all over Facebook so you're not going to hear about it, he's just working on it." Phil Green, a 65-year-old lifelong member but first-time conference-goer, is also sceptical of Corbynism.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
A minister with an agenda
Disturbingly, Security Minster Bullrich has persistently refused to hold the police to account. Indeed, it has been a feature of her tenure to place the police as beyond reproach, and ignore all evidence of misconduct against them.
Patricia Bullrich has said that the unrest in the South of Argentina is due primarily to an organisation called the Resistencia Ancestral Mapuche (RAM). She has claimed that the security forces have completely confirmed that RAM is being financed by an English organisation.
We have found ourselves in a storm of controversy over this, as Argentinian media outlets have astutely identified our organisation, Mapuche International Link (MIL), as the only plausible candidate that Bullrich could have been referring to. The accusation that we are funding a group that Argentina labels a terrorist organisation is as serious as they come.
And yet it is also completely laughable, as our organisation is run entirely by volunteers who have been affected by, or are sympathetic to, the repression that Mapuche people continue to face in Chile and Argentina. And yet despite our repeated requests, Patricia Bullrich, has failed to either produce evidence against us or retract her accusation.
From our perspective, Bullrichs accusations are not particularly harmful to us. They have given us an opportunity to explain to sympathetic sections of the Argentinian media outlets the work that we do, and draw further attention to the historical injustices that shape indigenous peoples experiences in Argentina to this day. However, while we are ostensibly the targets of Bullrichs claims, the real victims are the indigenous Mapuche who live in Argentina.
Bullrich has used these allegations to fuel anti-British sentiment among Argentines, who still recall the Falkland Islands conflict. These accusations have served as a way of inciting racism towards indigenous Mapuche people, who have now been painted by sections of the far right as collaborating with foreign powers in order to undermine Argentine sovereignty.
Instead of addressing the structural, historical and political causes of unrest in Argentina, the far-right, with Bullrich as their new icon, have been able to conveniently explain away unrest as simply the result of foreign interference. The political tactic of blaming outsiders for internal strife is as old as they come, and Bullrich likely has one eye on Argentinas upcoming elections later this month.
The missing color of Benetton
Santiago Maldonado was taking part in a protest with the indigenous Mapuche Pu Lof community of Cushamen on the day that he was disappeared. The Pu Lof community has been in dispute with the Benetton company, which owns large swathes of indigenous ancestral land. Benetton is the largest land owner in Argentina, owning around 2 million acres.
Much of the land was acquired in 1991 when the government sold off large amounts of state-owned and indigenous land to multi-national companies. The sell-off was done without consultation of indigenous people, in direct contravention of article 17, section 2 of ILO Convention 169, which Argentina delayed ratifying until 2000.
Benetton claim that they have been reluctantly dragged into this conflict, however they have been quick to employ the services of the local Gendarmerie to violently remove families from land under dispute. Land that the Mapuche have lived on for centuries.
The Mapuche conflict with Benetton has been long and is ongoing. However, the violence towards the Mapuche has been escalating in recent months. On January 10th, 2017 Argentinian armed forces opened fire on Mapuche in the Chubut region, who were reclaiming ancestral lands currently in the hands of Benetton. Around 200 Gendarmes attacked the community of Lof en Resistencia, Cushamen, which comprises fewer than two dozen adults and five children.
The attack left many community residents injured, two seriously. The armed forces then ransacked the main house, and arrested at least ten members of the community. There have been reports of harassment and physical abuse of women and children. Amnesty International have condemned the police actions.
The hypocrisy in Benettons business practices is hugely dispiriting. On the one hand, they cynically exploit the notion of a world of multicultural and ethnic harmony for profit, as reflected in their United Colors of Benetton tagline.
Yet while profiteering on this image, they are simultaneously investing in land that was illegally and immorally seized from indigenous communities depriving them of the basic means of subsistence and their ancestral homes. Their political and economic power has given tacit support to the violent evictions of Mapuche families from disputed lands, the latest incident resulting in the sinister disappearance of Santiago Maldonado.
From these actions, it is clear that the Mapuche are the missing colour of Benetton.
Looking forward
Patricia Bullrichs contempt in neglecting indigenous peoples legitimate land claims by dismissing their resistance as instigated by foreign agitators and terrorists may well prove fatal to her partys chances at the upcoming elections. Her slow and lacklustre response to the disappearance of Santiago Maldonado has generated outrage and may well bolster opposition parties, some of whom have reacted with the sense of urgency that his disappearance quite rightly requires.
On the two-month anniversary of his disappearance, it is important to continue the fight for Santiagos return. And international pressure is building on this issue.
While we keep up this struggle, it is of upmost importance to remember the cause he was campaigning for when he was taken away: the disenfranchised Mapuche in Argentina. If we are to move forward in addressing the unrest in Argentina, then we must to look backwards with honesty to the causes of that unrest.
Mapuche people have long been the victims of the Argentinian state violence. In 1879 thousands of Mapuche were massacred in the Conquest of the Desert. The land that they had resided on and defended for centuries was violently seized. This is but one of a series of atrocities that have characterised the Argentinian and Chilean states relationship with Mapuche people.
The colonial history of the region has yet to be put to rest. It is only through engaging in consultation with Mapuche self-organised structures, and recognising the legitimacy of their claims to ancestral lands, that Argentina can move forward. Politicians behaving in the way that Patricia Bullrich has done do nothing to further that reconciliation.
This Author
Atus Mariqueo-Russell is the public relations officer of Mapuche International Link. He is a postgraduate philosophy student at Birkbeck University, and a former Green Party of England and Wales council candidate. He tweets at: @AtusMariqueo
Carole Concha Bell is the press officer of Mapuche International Link. She is a postgraduate creative writing student at Anglia Ruskin University. You can find her blog here. She tweets at: @nextgenchileans
Never has the need for professional, non-political leadership in the City of Norwalk been demonstrated more clearly than in the last couple of days. Members of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers (NFT) along with state representatives and Mayor Rilling staged a protest because of a provision in the bipartisan state budget, approved by the Legislature, but vetoed by Gov. Malloy. The provision increases the pension contribution for teachers from 6 percent to 7 percent in 2018 and then to 8 percent in 2019.
Teachers deserve a fair salary and contractual promises made do need to be kept. However, facing a budget crisis that has resulted in no approved budget through the entire first quarter of the fiscal year, we no longer have the luxury of protecting sacred cows. The increase to 8 percent is one that perhaps displeases everyone, and therefore means it is a true compromise.
It was an early morning wake-up call for many 4-Hers and their families Saturday. The grounds and barns opened at 5 a.m. in preparation for the first full day of the Aksarben Stock Show at Fonner Park.
The Feeder Calf Show and the Market Lamb Show, both of which were followed by showmanship competition, got underway at the Five Points Bank Livestock Arena at Fonner Park at 8 a.m. The 4-H Quiz Bowl activities at Bosselman Conference Center also began at 8 a.m. The afternoon featured the Market Beef Show and showmanship competition, along with the broiler, market swine and dairy show competitions.
In the morning, there was also a special celebration honoring 2017 Nebraska Pioneer Farm and Nebraska Heritage Farm Awards. The awards recognize Nebraska farm families who have consecutively held ownership of land in the same family for at least a 100 years (pioneer) or 150 years (heritage), respectively.
Craig and Julene Nutter of Gibbon earned heritage recognition. Nebraskas 150th anniversary of statehood make the awards special this year.
This is also Aksarbens 90th year of being a showcase for 4-H youth, and the first year the show has been in Grand Island at Fonner Park.
On hand for the ceremony was Greg Ibach, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. He said many Nebraska farm families have been working the soil for five to six generations.
In todays competitive and global agriculture system, Ibach said, continuing a family farm is not an easy task.
When you think about the rough times through the 1930s, through the late 1950s and 1960s and in the 1980s, to still be able to hold those farms in the same family lines is incredible, he said.
Ibach said some of the farms celebrated at Saturdays ceremonies had their ancestors plowing with a horse or oxen. Six generations later, their survivors had farm equipment running on computers and navigated by satellites in the sky.
The youth competing in the Aksarben show this weekend are the future generation of family farmers who will work to keep Nebraskas agricultural heritage.
One of the 4-H youth competing in the broiler competition was Brooke Behrens, 12. of Gretna. This is her second year competing in the Aksarben show. She has been in 4-H since she was 8 years old.
My grandpa asked me if I wanted to do it, Behrens said. I was old enough when he asked me, so the next year I decided to do it.
Behrens said the broiler project has taught her responsibility. You have to make sure that they are taken care of every day, she said.
Last year, she earned two purple ribbons but wasnt chosen to be among the top seven competitors. That was her goal this year, and she has learned new techniques in raising chickens to help her accomplish her goals.
Behrens advancement is typical of 4-Hers who work hard during the off-season to improve their techniques and knowledge.
For Jaysie Schoenfeld, 16, of Oakley, Kan., this is her second year showing goats at the Aksarben Stock Show. It was friends of hers that persuaded Schoenfeld to enter the Aksarben 4-H competition.
This is a fun show, she said. It is a really laid-back atmosphere and really enjoyable.
In her first year, she competed in the Aksarben Stock Show in Omaha. This year it is at Fonner Park, and Schoenfeld said she really likes the facility.
It is a really nice facility, and they have tons of room in the barns so it is not crowded at all.
Schoenfeld said her family started raising and breeding goats about six years ago as a result of her and her sister having goats as a 4-H project. Everything we show, we raise, she said.
The sisters are also showing lambs, pigs and cattle at the show.
She said coming to a show like Aksarben is a valuable learning experience. She makes friends with those she competes with and learn new tips and techniques about raising livestock from others.
I have a lot of friends in the show world, Schoenfeld said. We feed off each others competition that makes each other better every time.
Finishing in first place makes the Aksarben experience even sweeter, such as it did for Megan Sirek, 16, of Rice County, Minn., who took first place in the feeder calf show. This is Sireks first time showing at the Aksarben Stock Show.
This is amazing, she said. I have been working really hard all year, and to come to a show where there are people coming from all over the Midwest makes it very fun to win.
Ibach said having the Aksarben Stock Show and Purple Ribbon Auction move to Grand Island is just a great thing for the City of Grand Island. It says a lot about our State Fair and the grounds and the facilities that have been built here to be able to host a show like Aksarben.
Nearly 40 years ago, a young Greg Ibach showed his 4-H livestock project at the Aksarben Stock Show when it was at the old facilities in Omaha on Mercy Road. As a 4-H youth, Ibach said he met many new friends that today, like himself, have careers in the agricultural industry, either the private or public sector.
Ibach has been director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture for 12 years and is now under consideration for a top U.S. Department of Agriculture position in Washington, D.C.
There is no doubt that my experiences in 4-H whether it be involved in showing the livestock, but also in public speaking, demonstrations and the opportunity that gave me to develop career and life skills definitely led me to major in agriculture at the University of Nebraska and gave me the opportunity to serve agriculture yet today.
CBSD to hire law firm to investigate ACLU complaint
Central Bucks school board President Dana Hunter announced Monday the district would consider hiring lawyers to investigate ACLU complaint on Tuesday.
Wisconsin has serious problems arising from the large number of people incarcerated in its 42 state and federal prisons.
These problems are exacerbated by the fact that recidivism rates are high. Nationally, about 65 percent of all those convicted of felonies will end up back in prison within five years of release.
Wisconsins recidivism rate is about 57 percent. Recidivism generates a compounding incarceration effect over time. Considering only the cost of recidivism, and using whatever numbers you choose to measure that cost, if the rate of recidivism can be reliably reduced the dividends will accrue to taxpayers.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported (April 29, 2017) incarceration numbers in Wisconsin are heading toward 22,223 by 2019. Increases are caused by an increasing number of felony laws, many of which are overlapping, increasing penalties for violations and increasing recidivism rates.
Increasing incarceration rates are also dramatically affected by the following societal mindsets:
People with criminal histories being known only for the worse thing he/she has done.
Harsher sentences from laws including three strikes and youre out policies.
A felony conviction proves that people with criminal histories will never fit into society, rendering all felony convictions as life sentences.
Demanding that lawmakers make more laws when extant laws already address the crime in question.
The best solution to our societal problems is to build more and bigger prisons.
Defy Ventures (www.defyventures.org) is a non-profit entrepreneurship, employment and character-development program for currently and formerly incarcerated men, women and youth. Defy refers to its participants as Entrepreneurs In Training. Defys EITs are transformed to a way of behaving and thinking that rejects the acceptability of returning to prison. Many EITs are hustlers by nature. Defy helps EITs to transform that hustle into legal activities. Defy has operations in New York, California, Nebraska and Colorado.
Defy has demonstrated that recidivism can be reduced as part of its program of changing the way these Entrepreneurs In Training think and behave. Graduates from Defy training have a recidivism rate of less than 5 percent. In consultation with both liberal and conservative members of the community, I sent a letter to Gov. Scott Walker asking him to consider inviting Defy Ventures to operate in Wisconsin.
The Defy program for which I am a volunteer and that I financially support is at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln. The program typically costs between $500 and $800 per participant for the six-month CEO of Your New Life program. Tuition can be funded through private or public resources. About half of those enrolled finish the program, which includes a certificate in career readiness from Baylor University. Two reasons for the modest graduation rate are: The program is rigorous and time-consuming. Prison policies may cause inmates to lose privileges for violating prison rules. Learning to walk the line is part of the way Defy helps Entrepreneurs In Training transform their lives.
The in-prison program takes a two-pronged approach to EITs that are nearing re-entry. Entrepreneurs In Training are trained in practical business-related skills that should improve post-incarceration employment opportunities. The program simultaneously works with interested EITs on business ideas and planning. Defy works with participants to develop legal business plans that will result in positive cash flow within three months of incorporation starting with $20,000 or less. If an EIT finds no employment opportunities, then the person immediately pursues self-employment. In addition to normal resume content, EITs must concisely explain time gaps that exist as a result of time incarcerated. The Defy program culminates with a shark tank style business plan competition judged by executives. The winners receive IOUs they can use toward their business idea once released.
In addition to the academic instruction conducted by Defy staff members including homework, Entrepreneurs In Training must produce three deliverables during their Defy program: personal statement; resume; and, business plan.
The personal statement is crucial because it forms part of the resume and business plan. The personal statement provides the person with a response to: So tell us about yourself. The final version must be memorized and recited verbatim in 200 words or less, as follows:
Accomplishments and credentials.
Regret for mistakes made.
Circumstances (not excuses) that led to choosing to commit crimes.
Tangible lessons learned from time served for mistakes made.
Tangible ways the person has transformed including why he or she can now be trusted.
Expression of gratitude for consideration.
Imagine the benefits to converting some extant Wisconsin prisons into technical schools.
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Linkedin Yayoi Kawatoko (The Japan News/Asia News Network) Sun, October 1, 2017 18:02 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c7d00 2 Art & Culture Manga,Japan,Fairy-Tail Free
In creating epic fantasy manga Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima always kept in mind how exciting it could be for children if they feel like they are going on an adventure with the characters. The mangakas work has become popular both at home and abroad, selling more than 60 million copies, but the 11-year run ended in July.
Serialized in the weekly Shukan Shonen Magazine since 2006, Fairy Tail called it quits with its 545th installment. The manga featured attractive characters, friendship and fierce battles with formidable enemies, as any manga for boys should.
Set in a world with magic, dragons and wizards guilds, Fairy Tail tells the story of Natsu, who has the power of slaying dragons. The title of the work comes from the name of the guild he belongs to.
The wizards guild receives various requests, such as a plea to get rid of a monster. Natsu teams up with the heroine Lucy and his best mate Happy and goes on adventures to fulfill those requests. They are sometimes joined by Gray, who can create and shape ice at will, and Erza, who is the mightiest mage of the guild.
Fairy Tail naturally depicts many battle scenes, but Mashima said this is not the main part of his work. What I wanted to draw was the comradeship of Natsu and others, which can be clearly shown through how they take on the battles, the 40-year-old mangaka said.
Natsu and other members of the Fairy Tail guild rise to the occasion when any of their comrades get hurt. But the manga is not a simple good-versus-evil story, so characters who initially appear as enemies often end up becoming allies. As each characters background is depicted in detail, before you know it, they have become popular among fans.
I like the gap those characters show between their cruelty as villains and their meekness after becoming allies, Mashima said, adding, Its a challenge for me to draw a genuinely evil character.
Mashima, who aspired to become a mangaka even before he entered elementary school, made his debut at 20. His previous work, Rave, is also a fantasy that ran in the Shukan Shonen Magazine for six years.
The mangaka admits he is influenced by Dragon Quest, a video game about the adventures of a hero and his company. He describes the blockbuster game as a textbook of life for me.
In the world of fantasy, the imagination knows no bounds. In Fairy Tail, Mashima created a number of enemies, guilds and killer moves.
Ideas kept on coming to me one after another, making it hard for me to pick which ones to draw, he said.
Read also: Eiichiro Oda has prepared ending plot for One Piece manga: Report
In the work, an episode on Tenrojima island is Mashimas favorite. It features a shocking development in which the protagonist and his company disappear with the island, returning seven years later.
As the starting point for his ideas, Mashima said he aims to draw what makes readers surprised and what they want to read.
He is committed to creating fantasies for boys because he was fascinated by manga as a child.
I hope children feel the same excitement I felt at that time, the mangaka said. Its fun if you feel like fighting with the characters in a manga or becoming a friend with the lead character.
Eye on fans overseas
Fairy Tail is also popular outside Japan: As of July, the work was available in 20 countries and territories.
During the serialization of the manga, Mashima visited both France and the United States three times, in addition to going to Spain and Taiwan once.
During these travels, the mangaka felt huge respect directed toward him. As I draw fantasies, its also very stimulating for me to get firsthand experience of different cultures and environments from those in Japan, he said.
For his foreign fans, Mashima sticks to not using vertically long balloons that may give translators and foreign editors trouble. He also does not use jokes that can be understood only by Japanese readers.
As a side note, the city where the Fairy Tail guild is located is modeled after Paris.
Although the mangas serialization has come to an end, its 62nd volume went on sale on Sept. 15, and a new anime series is slated for broadcast next year.
It hasnt really sunk in that its over, Mashima said. Since I worked on the manga for 11 years, I feel really attached to it and feel a little bit of sadness. But I feel much more excited because now I can take on a new challenge.
The mangaka is already planning a new work.
Im thinking of something even more interesting than Fairy Tail. I hope readers will look forward to it, he said.
Topics :
This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin David Courbet (Agence France-Presse) Berlin Sun, October 1, 2017 17:03 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c6d52 2 Lifestyle Germany,gay-marriage,gay,LGBT Free
Germany celebrates its first gay marriages Sunday as same-sex unions become legal after decades of struggle, but campaigners say the battle for equal rights isn't over yet.
Wedding bells will ring out in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and other German cities where local authorities will exceptionally open their doors on a Sunday to allow gay couple to say "I do" on the day the law comes into effect.
Bodo Mende, 60, and his partner Karl Kreile, 59, who have been together since 1979, will be the first to tie the knot in the German capital.
"It will be an emotional but also very symbolic moment," Kreile told reporters on Friday. "This shows that the state now considers us the same as other couples."
The dash to exchange vows comes three months after lawmakers voted to give Germany's roughly 94,000 same-sex couples the right to marry, following a shift in position by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Berlin mayor Michael Mueller congratulated the happy couples and described the first gay nuptials as a "historic event".
"Marriage for all is a milestone on the path to full legal and social equality," he said in a statement Friday, praising the gay and lesbian community and all those "who fought for many years" to get to this day.
Germany becomes the 15th European nation to legalise gay marriage.
The Netherlands led the way in 2000, followed piecemeal by other European neighbours including Spain, Sweden, Britain and France.
Same-sex relationships have become so normalised that polls show around 75 percent of Germans are in favour of gay marriage.
Read also: Fashion world shaken by #nofreephotos row
Bode Mende (centre,R) and Karl Kreile (centre,L) take their vows watched by their witnesses Angelika Daser (R), Joerg Steinert (L) and guests as they became Germany's first gay couple to be legally married as they tied the knot at the Schoeneberg town hall in Berlin on October 1, 2017. Germany celebrates its first gay marriages as same-sex unions become legal after decades of struggle. Local authorities rushed to get weddings underway as soon as possible, after lawmakers voted on June 30th to give Germany's roughly 94,000 same-sex couples the right to marry. (AFP/Odd Andersen)
Merkel's change of heart
By extending existing law to same-sex pairs, Germany's gay couples automatically gain the same tax advantages and adoption rights as heterosexual families.
Along with Germany's Greens party, the gay and lesbian rights organisation LSVD began its battle for equal marriage rights around the year 1990.
But progress was slow and since 2001 gay couples have had to make do with a civil partnership law, broadened over the years to remove more and more gaps between gay and straight couples' rights.
The final breakthrough came quite suddenly in the end, sparked by Merkel's unexpected announcement in June that she would allow her conservative MPs to vote their conscience on the issue.
Merkel said her thinking changed after a "memorable experience" when she met a lesbian couple who lovingly care for eight foster children in her Baltic coast constituency.
Her surprise shift in position -- after 12 years of blockade by her Christian Democrats and their Bavarian allies -- was seen by some as a cynical ploy to rob her challengers of a popular cause ahead of this month's general election.
The chancellor herself voted against the bill, arguing that the German constitution still defines marriage as "the union of a man and a woman".
"I still think it was indecent to delay for so many years, and the fact that she voted no," lawmaker Johannes Kahrs, gay and lesbian affairs commissioner for the Social Democratic Party, told AFP.
June was a memorable month for gay rights in Germany, as MPs also voted to quash the convictions of thousands of men convicted under a Nazi-era law against same-sex relationships which had remained on the statute book until 1994.
But there are still an array of issues familiar across western democracies, like blood donations or access to reproductive medicine, where homosexuals can be treated differently.
And the constitution must still be amended to fully protect against discrimination over gender or sexual orientation, Kahrs insisted.
"These are all things that we'll tackle bit by bit," he said.
"The important thing is that we've pushed through the opening of marriage, and that's the signal everyone needed."
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Linkedin Mark Gurman and Mark Bergen (Bloomberg) Sun, October 1, 2017 11:07 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22bdf84 2 Science & Tech Google,security,hacking,cyberattacks Free
Google is preparing to upgrade its security tools for online accounts to better insulate users from cyberattacks and politically motivated hacks, according to two people familiar with the companys plan.
The Alphabet Inc. company next month will begin offering a service called the Advanced Protection Program that places a collection of features onto accounts such as email, including a new block on third-party applications from accessing data. The program would effectively replace the need to use two-factor authentication to protect accounts with a pair of physical security keys. The company plans to market the product to corporate executives, politicians and others with heightened security concerns, these people said.
The Gmail messages of John Podesta, Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign chairman, were famously hacked last year, along with the databases of the Democratic National Committee. Podesta met with the House Intelligence Committee in June to discuss the hack.
Google released software in 2014 for a USB Security Key, a device designed to improve existing security measures, like two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication involves using a second code or password, for example, to log onto email.
Read also: Microsoft to release Office 2019 next year
When plugged into computers, the key lets users create more robust security measures for accounts on Gmail and other Google sites. The new service will continue to require a physical USB key in addition to a second physical key for greater protection.
The new service will block all third-party programs from accessing a users emails or files stored on Google Drive, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the product isnt yet public. The program will be updated with new features to protect user data on an on-going basis.
A Google spokesman declined to comment.
Over the past year, Google has refurbished its account security systems several times. The upgrades come as the company pitches its Gmail and document apps to business clients. In February, Google added additional controls against phishing attacks for enterprise clients. Since 2012, Google has sent warnings to users when they are potentially targets of state-sponsored attacks. The company wrote a blog post on the topic earlier this year after a number of reporters received the warning.
Topics : Google security hacking cyberattacks
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, October 1, 2017 11:31 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22bebe3 1 Art & Culture Instagram,Instagram-Stories,social-media Free
Joining nine other countries on Instagram's positivity campaign, Indonesia has become the latest country to host one of the visual sharing platform's "Kind Comments" wall.
Located in Tribeca Park inside the Central Park Mall complex in West Jakarta, the wall was inaugurated on Wednesday and will be on display for the next two weeks.
It has a mural containing messages of kindness, with images created by local artists Diela Maharanie, Mikhaela Cherry Virginia Chanda and Yesseiow. In following the theme, Diela, a Jakarta-based illustrator, included the tag line we rise by lifting others in her mural design.
The three artists also designed stickers to spread kindness via Instagram's Story platform, all of which portray their own take on a heart.
Speaking at the event on Wednesday, Amanda Kelso, the community director at Instagram's headquarters in the United States, said the company is committed to making the platform a positive place. She said the wall aims to be a visual stimulus to spread kind comments online.
"When you walk past the mural, it's a call to action to share your kind comments with others. The idea is to encourage that behavior online as well," Kelso added.
Read also: How to make the most of your Instagram experience
Translated into Bahasa Indonesia, users can add #KomenBaik to their posts and join the campaign. The kind comments program started earlier this year, with the first wall launched in Los Angeles and other cities in the US, before it was eventually expanded globally.
"We felt it was a great way of creating a visual landscape where you can project a message of positivity," Kelso said.
She added that the company also focuses on creating engagement beyond the online platform, saying that twice a year it asked users across the globe to participate in worldwide Insta meets to celebrate photography.
The last event in Indonesia took place earlier this month, Kelso said, with 30 different groups across 15 cities. The country is home to 45 million active users a month, where on average twice as many stories are produced compared to anywhere else in the world.
Instagram is committed to making the platform a positive place, Kelso added, saying that the platform had recently introduced new safety features to maintain its objective.
The new tools allow users to control comments allowed on their account, which includes an automatic filter to hide offensive comments, as well as a manual method to allow keywords to be filtered. (asw)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, September 30 2017
Military personnel have confiscated a flag bearing the hammer and sickle logo, the symbol of communism, from a cafe in South Jakarta.
Nearby residents reported the flag to the authorities, South Jakarta 0504 Military District commander Let. Col. Inf. Ade Rony Wijaya said on Friday.
We took the flag away on Thursday. The logo was small and placed in red fabric, Ade said as quoted by kompas.com.
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Linkedin Gemma Holliani Cahya and Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, September 30 2017
Fears of communism spread following the kidnapping and eventual murder of six Indonesian Army generals on Sept. 30, 1965, in a coup detat that was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
The event, referred to as the Sept. 30 Movement (G30S), is used by authorities as an excuse to crackdown on suspected communist sympathizers.
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Callistasia Anggun Wijaya and Gemma Holliani Cahya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, September 30 2017
A banner bearing the words Demo Mulu, demo Lagi, bosen!!! Masyarakat sudah capek, Demo tidak produktif! (Always demonstration, demonstration again, were bored!!! People are tired, demonstrations are unproductive!) that was displayed on a pedestrian bridge in front of the House of Representatives building in Central Jakarta immediately disappeared once participants of the 299 rally arrived.
Fridays rally protested a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on mass organizations, which was used by the government to ban Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), an Islamist organization that sought to establish a caliphate; it also protested a revival of communism and the disbanded Indonesia Communist Party (PKI).
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Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) senior fellow Mari Elka Pangestu (third right) moderates a panel discussion on transportation on Friday in Jakarta. The talk included PT Terminal Borneo Indonesia president director Liana Trisnawati (left), PT Lorena Karina president director Eka Sari Soerbakti (second left), Blue Bird Group president director Noni Purnomo (third left), European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc (second right) and Bali International Flight Academy chief finance officer Irma Djohan, who shared their insight on womens role in the transportation sector. (JP/Bangkit Jaya Putra)(CSIS) senior fellow Mari Elka Pangestu (third right) moderates a panel discussion on transportation on Friday in Jakarta. The talk included PT Terminal Borneo Indonesia president director Liana Trisnawati (left), PT Lorena Karina president director Eka Sari Soerbakti (second left), Blue Bird Group president director Noni Purnomo (third left), European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc (second right) and Bali International Flight Academy chief finance officer Irma Djohan, who shared their insight on womens role in the transportation sector. (JP/Bangkit Jaya Putra)
Coasts are experiencing the adverse consequences of hazards related to climate and sea level.
That sentence is not about Hurricanes Harvey, Irma or Maria. It was written in 2007 as one of the conclusions reached by our leading climate scientists for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
IPCCs global assessment continued: Coasts are highly vulnerable to extreme events, such as storms, which impose substantial costs on coastal societies. Annually, about 120 million people are exposed to tropical cyclone hazards, which killed 250,000 people from 1980 to 2000.
Scientists in 2007 were already alarmed by a then all-time record of 383 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This past August it reached 405 ppm.
Scientists tell us that no single weather event can be attributed solely to human-driven climate change. They have told us that, with the continuing build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere, severe weather events will increase in frequency. The trapping of heat in a fossil fuel emissions-choked atmosphere inevitably will melt polar ice and raise sea levels.
Texas officials reported that Hurricane Harvey took the lives of 82 people. At least 42 deaths in Florida, and at least 38 in the Caribbean were caused by Hurricane Irma. As I write this, the Washington Post reported from Puerto Rico: Hurricane Maria delivered a destructive full-body blow to this U.S. territory on Wednesday, ripping off metal roofs, generating terrifying and potentially lethal flash floods, knocking out 100 percent of the islands electrical grid and decimating some communities.
The financial toll is also enormous. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott estimated that Harvey will cause $150 billion to $180 billion in damage. Using his lower figure, and distributing the total over the roughly 100 million taxpaying households in the United States, it comes to about $1,500 per family. And that is the cost for just one storm. Storms are coming with increased frequency. Houston alone, in the last three years, has experienced three 500-year floods.
It is deeply distressing that Congress has done nothing the past 10 years to reduce this ever-increasing danger. However, there is one bright spot deserving our attention and support. There is now a bipartisan movement in the U.S. House of Representatives to address climate change.
Called the Climate Solutions Caucus, it was started in February 2016 by Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., and Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla. Its not just by chance that the caucus is led by these two representatives from Florida. During the last decade, flooding during high tide in Miami Beach has become a regular occurrence.
Members of the House cannot enter this caucus as an individual, but only as a member of a Republican-Democratic pair. In the first year-and-a-half of the caucus, it has grown from two to 56 members, meaning that more than 10 percent of representatives in the House belong to this caucus.
Rep. Curbelo declared: The Climate Solutions Caucus is evidence that there is a growing, diverse and bipartisan coalition of members of Congress ready to put petty politics aside and find meaningful solutions to the challenges posed by sea-level rise and climate change. We have a responsibility to our constituents and future generations to have a productive fact-based dialogue about market-oriented solutions, investments and innovations that could mitigate the effects of climate change.
We cannot afford, in any sense of that word, for our elected officials to do nothing while the danger is steadily increasing. The solutions-focused caucus should include all members of Congress who recognize the severity of the risks that lie ahead. To date, only one of Wisconsins eight U.S. representatives Rep. Mark Gallagher, a Republican is a member. Wisconsins other seven elected representatives should be strongly encouraged to join.
A solution is possible. Citizens Climate Lobby is encouraging Congress to adopt carbon fee and dividend legislation. By taxing carbon at the source, and distributing the proceeds to American households, it would use a market-based approach to push forward wind and solar-power technologies, increasingly replacing fossil fuels. Alaska for decades has had an oil dividend program, which has been a boon for all the states residents.
The climate is not a red state/blue state issue. With irony, Andy Kowalczyk wrote in New Orleans The Lens: Waters in the Gulf of Mexico are not registered with the Democratic or Republican party, and will not be governed solely by the party in power. Lets move forward with climate change solutions so that we, our children and our grandchildren are not paying for our inaction with the loss of lives and financial resources.
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Linkedin Isabel Malsang (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Sun, October 1, 2017 15:59 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c6223 2 World aviation,Airbus,accident,Air-France Free
An Air France A380 superjumbo carrying more than 500 people made an emergency landing in Canada on Saturday after suffering "serious damage" to one of its engines, with passengers recounting hearing a loud bang followed by violent shaking.
Video and photos posted on social media showed extensive damage to the outer starboard engine, with part of its external cowling apparently sheered away.
Air France engine blown over the Atlantic Ocean. Trip was from Paris to USA. Emergency landing in Canada.#abc7eyewitness pic.twitter.com/73r5RRf7D0 Chris (@Bdaddy1391) September 30, 2017
The double-decker wide body aircraft carrying 496 passengers and 24 crew had taken off from Paris bound for Los Angeles and was several hours into the flight when the incident occurred.
Passenger Sarah Eamigh told Canadian broadcaster CBC News she heard a "boom" followed by a sudden drop in altitude.
"The cabin started vibrating. Someone screamed, and from there we knew something was wrong," she said.
"We saw the cabin crew walking through the aisles quickly, and we heard an announcement from the captain that said one of our engines had an explosion."
The plane was diverted as it passed over Greenland and landed safely at a military airport in Goose Bay, eastern Canada, at 1542 GMT, a spokesman for Air France said.
"All of the 520 people on board were evacuated with no injuries," the spokesman told AFP.
The cause of the problem was not immediately clear, but David Rehmar, a former aircraft mechanic who was on the flight, told the BBC that he thought a fan failure may have been to blame.
"You heard a loud 'boom', and it was the vibration alone that made me think the engine had failed," he said.
Rehmar said that for a few moments, he thought "we were going to go down."
'Enormous bang'
Another passenger, John Birkhead, told the New York Times that he and his wife had just stood up to stretch when they heard an explosion.
"We were just stretching and talking, and suddenly there was an enormous bang, and the whole plane shook," Birkhead, 59, said. "We were lucky we werent tossed to the ground."
Passenger Miguel Amador posted video footage apparently filmed from a window of the plane showing the damaged engine.
"Engine failure halfway over the Atlantic ocean," he wrote.
Passenger Pamela Adams said everything on the flight had been normal "and suddenly it felt like we had run into a jeep in the middle of 35,000 feet high", she told CBC News.
She said she was "jostled" and the plane dipped slightly "but the pilots recovered beautifully".
"There wasn't the panic that I would've expected," she said, praising the pilots for the way they handled the incident.
The airline said it would fly the affected passengers to Los Angeles aboard two planes on Sunday morning.
While Goose Bay is a military base operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force, it is also a designated standby airport for diverted transatlantic flights.
Air France operates 10 Airbus A380s, the largest passenger planes in the world.
Their version of the plane uses GP7200 engines, a giant turbofan built by General Electric and Pratt and Whitney of the US.
In 2010, a Qantas A380 was forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore when one of its Rolls-Royce engines failed, causing the airline to ground its fleet of the superjumbos for weeks.
Sales of the mammoth A380 have been sluggish and Airbus has said it will reduce production in 2019 to just eight of the planes.
In 2015 the company produced 27 of them.
Nonetheless, Airbus CEO Tom Enders recently voiced confidence in the future of the plane.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Marseille, France Sun, October 1, 2017 21:30 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22cd007 2 World terror-attack,France,jihadist,victims Free
A suspected terrorist killed at least two people at the main train station in the French Mediterranean port city of Marseille on Sunday before being shot and killed by soldiers patrolling there, local officials and police said.
"Two victims have been stabbed to death," regional police chief Olivier de Mazieres told AFP, referring to the attack which occurred at 1:45 pm (1145 GMT).
Local prosecutor Xavier Tarabeux said the knifeman had been killed by soldiers, while the Marseille police urged people in the city to avoid the area around Saint-Charles station in the bustling centre of the city.
The knifeman is believed to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) before assaulting passers-by, a source close to the investigation told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The deaths came with France still on high alert following a string of terror attacks since January 2015, when jihadist gunmen stormed the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, killing 12.
The government has since launched Operation Sentinelle, deploying about 7,000 troops across the country to guard high-risk areas such as transport hubs, tourist sites and religious buildings.
After the stabbings in Marseille, anti-terror prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into "killings linked to a terrorist organisation" and the "attempted killing of a public official".
Attacks by extremists since 2015 have left 239 people dead in France, according to an AFP count before Sunday's incident.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Barcelona, Spain Sun, October 1, 2017 21:04 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22cc69f 2 World catalan,referendum,Spain,vote,clash Free
At least 91 people were injured in Catalonia on Sunday as police and protesters clashed over a banned independence referendum in the wealthy northeastern region of Spain, the Catalan government said.
A total of 337 people visited hospitals and health centres, a spokeswoman for the Catalan government's health department said. So far 91 have been confirmed to be injured, one of them with a serious eye injury, she added.
Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets and forced their way into activist-held polling stations in Catalonia as thousands flooded the streets to vote in an independence referendum banned by Madrid.
At least 91 people were injured in clashes, emergency services said, as police cracked down down on what the Spanish central government has branded a "farce".
"Spanish democracy faces its greatest challenge," headlined top-selling El Pais daily just hours before police moved in en masse to seal off polling stations and seize ballot boxes, sparking scuffles as they sought to block the vote.
More than 5.3 million people have been called upon to have their say on independence from Spain in the wealthy northeastern region which has its own distinct language and culture.
The referendum poses the question: "Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?"
But it has been ruled unconstitutional by the central government and the courts, with judicial officials ordering police to seize ballot papers, detain key organisers and shut down websites promoting the vote.
Thousands of Spanish police fanned out across the region on Sunday, forcing their way into polling stations.
Topics : catalan referendum Spain vote clash
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Linkedin Stephanie Wong (Bloomberg) New York, United States Sun, October 1, 2017 20:34 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22cc533 2 Business car,automotive,Saudi-Arabia,women-empowerment Free
Car companies havent wasted any time courting the 9 million potential customers unlocked when Saudi Arabia lifted its ban on women drivers.
The decision has lit up social media, with both cheers and jeers for the ruling, which takes effect in June. Also joining the chorus are automakers looking to capitalize on the move, racing each other to get their first words out to woo prospective female drivers in the Middle Easts biggest economy.
In a Twitter post titled Welcome to the drivers seat, Ford Motor attached an image of a pair of womans eyes appearing in a rear-view mirror against a black background. In another tweet under the hashtag #SaudiWomenCanDrive, it offered a "dream car" to a womens rights campaigner by putting up a picture of a bright yellow Mustang racing in a tunnel.
Tata Motorss Land Rover and Jaguar brands posted an image of a handbag spilling out a car key, lipstick and a bottle of perfume among other items, with titles that say " Adventure awaits you and "The road is yours.
Volkswagen published a black picture, placing the words " My turn" between two henna-tattooed fists. BMWs Mini went further, attaching a 11-second film showing a chestnut Cooper driving off a parking space with words painted in white that say " Reserved for Women.
Diversify Economy
The move by King Salman bin Abdulaziz to issue drivers licenses to women is part of a larger effort to modernize and diversify the kingdoms economy and reduce its reliance on oil. The change may add about $90 billion to economic output by 2030, said Ziad Daoud, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence.
Increased mobility means more women will be able to seek work, which could boost discretionary income. Opening up the auto market in the nation of 32 million wont only boost demand for cars, but also for such related products as insurance, loans and billboard ads, which currently are barred from depicting women.
While sport utility vehicles have been a fixture on Saudi roadways, carmakers may need to make more smaller models for single working women and female students, analysts say. On the flip side, ride-hailing services like Uber could see decline drop as more women get behind the wheel.
For now, car companies are trying to capture the attention of their potential female drivers.
Japanese automaker Toyota Motor, whose vehicles made up 32 percent of all those sold in Saudi Arabia last year, tweeted a picture of a female driver standing next to a shiny blue car. Its high-end Lexus brand published an image of a womans finger on an ignition switch with its website and phone number underneath. Share your choice with us?" it asks in Arabic.
Nissan Motor, which is considering making cars in the kingdom like Toyota, published a number plate thats printed "2018" and "Girl" in Arabic, congratulating Saudi women who now have the "permission to drive.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, October 1, 2017 19:07 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22cb369 1 Politics Jokowi-administration,Jokowi,PKI,communism,Pancasila Free
After attending a public screening of the movie Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI (The Treachery of G30S/PKI) in Bogor, West Java, on Friday, President Joko Jokowi Widodo addressed the nation on Sunday, stating that his administration would never allow communism to flourish in the country.
Jokowi, who has been repeatedly accused of being a communist sympathizer by his opponents, said the 1966 Temporary People's Consultative Assembly Decree (TAP MPRS) on the disbandment of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) clearly stated that communism was banned in the country.
Our commitment, my commitment, the governments commitment is clear [] the PKI is banned, he told reporters after leading the ceremony commemorating Pancasila Sanctity Day in Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, on Sunday.
Jokowi called on the people to hold on to Pancasila to maintain unity. Dont let the PKI cruelty happen again. Don't give room to ideologies that contravene Pancasila. Don't give room to the PKI, he said.
An anticommunist frenzy has swept the country ahead of the annual commemoration of a failed coup attempt on Sept. 30 in 1965, which was blamed on the PKI and was then used as a pretext for the killings of about 500,000 people accused of being linked to the communist party.
Analysts have said certain parties might have deliberately stoked the anti-PKI sentiment to attack Jokowi and gain political support ahead of the 2019 presidential election. (ary)
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram Sun, October 1, 2017 13:52 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c3079 1 National #MtAgungVolcano,Mount-Agung,eruption,Volcano,volcanic-activity,bali,Lombok,evacuees,natural-disaster Free
Some 25 people from seven families of Tumbu village in Karangasem, Bali, have fled the island using a wooden boat to the neighboring island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), in fear of the imminent eruption of Mount Agung in Karangasem.
As of Sunday, a total of 315 people from 97 families have arrived in Lombok, according to the Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) NTB.
We had to flee using wooden boats because we couldnt afford to buy tickets, while the rumors of eruption were concerning us, said Muhidin, 42, a Karangasem resident who traveled to Lombok with his wife and three children.
Residents of Tumbu village in Karangasem, Bali, gather in Meninting village in Batulayar district, West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on Saturday. They fled their homes in Bali using wooden boats to the neighboring island of Lombok in fear of eruption of Mount Agung in Karangasem. (The Jakarta Post/Panca Nugraha)
The four-hour journey by sea was provided for free by the boats owner, according to another evacuee Siti Amanah.
Their boat reached the shore of Senggigi village in West Lombok on Friday. They sheltered at one of the evacuees relatives in Meninting village in Batulayar district, West Lombok.
Read also: Mt. Agung evacuees outside danger zone told to go home
Muhidin said they had previously been evacuated to the SDN 2 Tumbu elementary school since the alert status for Mount Agung was increased to the highest level last week.
There has been circulating information that we received on our cellphones. We became anxious and afraid. We fled just in case the eruption really happened, said Siti who traveled to Lombok with her two children.
BPBD NTB head Mohammad Rum said even though there were no official shelters in Lombok, authorities were still providing humanitarian assistance to them. (bbs)
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Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands Sun, October 1, 2017 18:26 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c830f 1 National migrant-workers,Batam,Riau-Islands,PJTKI Free
The Sekupang Police in Batam, Riau Islands have detained two suspects, identified as C and H, for allegedly running an illegal migrant worker agency.
The two suspects had allegedly used a fictitious migrant worker placement company (PJTKI) to attract and deceive residents eager to work overseas.
Some 140 people claiming to be its clients complained the company had not sent them for work overseas even though they had paid for the companys services
Read also: Solving social problems of migrant workers children with egrang
The police have also sealed a house at the Delta Villa residential complex in Batam where the suspects had allegedly run their business.
Sekupang Police chief Comr. Oji Fahrozi said the police began their investigation after receiving complaints from the suspects clients.
Hundreds of people went to Delta Villa on Sept. 29 to demand certainty as to whether they would be placed to work overseas in the near future.
Violence nearly erupted after they did not get a clear explanation from the company.
Read also: Women's group demands better protection of migrant workers
Kasino, 28, said he had paid Rp 2 million (US$150) more than two months ago after he was promised a housekeeping job in Singapore.
Others were promised to work as security officers and chefs, among others.
Sekupang District chief Arman said C and H had run a travel agency that was not authorized to recruit migrant workers. This is likely a scam, he said. (bbs)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Sun, October 1, 2017 17:49 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c7230 1 National Silangit-airport,Samosir-Island,North-Sumatra,tourism,aviation,air-travel Free
The Samosir administration in North Sumatra is providing free shuttle service for air travelers departing from and arriving at Silangit Airport in the neighboring North Tapanuli regency.
The buses will connect the airport and the Onan Baru Pangururan bus terminal in Samosir.
The service, however, will be only effective until December, after which passengers of the air conditioned buses will have to pay a fee.
Samosir Regent Rapidin Simbolon (left) inaugurates the operation of two airport buses at the Onan Baru Pangururan bus terminal in Samosir on Sunday. The regency will provide free shuttle service for Samosir air travelers departing from and arriving at Silangit Airport in North Tapanuli regency for three months, after which the bus passengers will be required to pay for the service. (The Jakarta Post/Apriadi Gunawan)
Samosir Regent Rapidin Simbolon said the regency's administration had allocated Rp 100 million (US$7,400) from the 2017 regional budget to support the operation of the buses.
"We are providing these buses for the interests of Samosir people and also to support Samosir as an international tourist destination," Rapidin said after the inauguration of the buses at the bus terminal.
In the future, he said, the regency's administration would establish a regency run enterprise (BUMD) to manage the buses.
Previously, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the airport would attain international status on Oct. 28 as part of efforts to support tourism in North Sumatra, especially Lake Toba and surrounding areas.
Read also: Tourism minister officiates new diving center in Tanjung Lesung
With a 2,650-meter runway, the airport is capable of accommodating mid-size jets such as Boeing B737 and Airbus A320.
Airlines that already fly to the airport include national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Sriwijaya Air and Wings Air.
Data from PT Angkasa Pura showed that the airport accommodated 300,000 passengers annually. (bbs)
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Linkedin Aman Rochman (The Jakarta Post) Malang, East Java Sun, October 1, 2017 13:10 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c1a7a 1 National communist,CommunistParty,PKI,G30S,communism Free
Students of elementary school SD 1 Dinoyo in Malang, East Java, on Friday acted in a drama that resembled the death of Ade Irma Suryani Nasution in a controversial coup attempt perpetrated by the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965.
Through the drama, the students were encouraged to learn about the historical event called the September 30 Movement (G30S) following the recent directive by Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy, who called on Indonesian students not to watch the Pemberontakan G30S/PKI (The Treachery of G30S/PKI) movie.
Teacher Joko Raharjo said the drama was part of the schools activities to introduce the history of the nation to their students.
We can understand Pak Muhadjirs suggestion, which may come from his concern that the movie is not suitable for children. We must find another way to teach our students about what happened in 1965. Thats why we asked our students to act in a drama, which portrays the death of Ade Irma Suryani Nasution, who was still five years old that year, said Joko.
He referred to the daughter of late Gen.Abdul Haris Nasution. The Army general survived after being abducted by members of the PKI on Sept. 30, 1965, but his daughter was shot and killed.
Joko further said the drama was created to respond to questions raised by the schools students on the 1965 event. They have often asked us who is Lt.Gen.MT Haryono, whose name is used on a street where our school is located, he said. The plot of the drama was developed as suitable for children. (ebf)
Fun learning: Students of elementary school SD 1 Dinoyo in Malang, East Java, on Friday act in a drama resembling the death of Ade Irma Suryani Nasution during the 1965 communist coup attempt. (JP/Aman Rochman)
Topics : communist CommunistParty PKI G30S communism
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, October 1, 2017 19:58 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22cb6e6 2 City air-pollution,waste-management,bogor Free
Seven people were found dead after allegedly inhaling Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) gas at a 16 square-meter pond containing egg carton waste at a factory in Parungpanjang, Bogor, on Saturday.
The poisonous gas reportedly came from the cartons material. Three of the victims were workers who were cleaning the 4-meter deep waste pond, while the remaining were residents who tried to save the poisoned workers.
Each person who went to the pond, fainted then died, Bogor Police Head Adj. Sr. Comr. Andi Muhammad Dicy said on Saturday as quoted by tempo.co.
The victims are identified as Mulyadi, 19; Joko, 30; Ade setiawan, 40; Iwan, 35; Into, 17; Dedi Junaedi, 45; and Samsuri, 45.
The victims were moved from the pond at 9.45 p.m. and taken to the police hospital in Kramat Jati for an autopsy, Andi said referring to the National Police hospital in East Jakarta.
Public Order Agency official Tajudin said the pond became toxic because it had not been cleaned for some time, adding that the waste has turned into mud, which gave off strong smell.
Chuck Grassley is consistently conservative something we appreciate.
The longtime Republican senator from Iowa doesnt seem to care whether its a Republican or a Democrat involved in fleecing the American people. When theres waste, fraud or abuse involved, Grassley demands answers.
Thats a far cry from the conservatives in the Trump administration who apparently thought chartering planes or flying on military jets at taxpayer expense is truly serving the public.
Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, is asking the Trump administration to ban such flights.
He wants to know what steps the administration has taken to ensure that cabinet secretaries use the most fiscally responsible travel in accordance with the public trust they hold and the spirit and the letter of all laws, regulations, and policies that apply.
And now Tom Prices belief that theres only one way to fly in style has cost him his job. President Donald Trumps health secretary resigned Friday, after his costly travel triggered investigations that overshadowed the administrations agenda and angered his boss. Prices regrets and partial repayment couldnt save his job.
Let that be a wake-up call to budget-cutting cabinet members who think its just fine to waste tens of thousands of dollars because theyd like to spend the night at home, take a trip to the Virgin Islands or have a private flight for a honeymoon citing the need for secure communications, no doubt.
According to Politico, Price had taken at least 26 charter flights many of them between big cities that were connected by dozens of low-cost commercial flights at a cost to taxpayers of more than $400,000. Thats nearly half a million dollars in just eight months. Price made a big show of reimbursing the federal taxpayers more than $51,000 for his seat on private jets. But what about the other seats for staff and for security?
And what did his spokesperson say about it?
This is Secretary Price, getting outside of D.C., making sure he is connected with the real American people, said Charmaine Yoest, his assistant secretary for public affairs.
Gosh, were honored that a cabinet secretary would go to such trouble to get outside of D.C. at an exorbitant cost to let us know how much he cares.
Government auditors are also looking at the travel charged to taxpayers by Steve Mnuchin, Ryan Zinke and Scott Pruitt.
With all the talk about cutting entitlements, we have cabinet members who believe theyre entitled to fly in style at a much higher cost to taxpayers.
Lets hope Grassleys continued attention can help end this wasteful practice. Soaking taxpayers in the name of public service is shameful.
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Sun, October 1, 2017 13:06 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c1137 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,MICE Free
The Tourism Ministry is set to attend the biggest business-to-business (B2B) MICE event in the United States, IMEX 2017.
Slated on Oct.10-12 at the Sand Expo in Las Vegas, the ministry is said to be bringing 10 MICE tourism practitioners to the event.
According to the ministry's deputy assistant for Europe, US, Middle East and Africa tourism promotion Nia Niscaya, MICE tourists are usually those who are professionals and have business or government backgrounds and usually conduct a MICE event during the low season.
Data from International Congress and Convention Association [ICCA]shows that they come in big groups with a total spending of up to seven times higher than regular tourists or also known as leisure travelers. MICE tourists can also become leisure tourists, told Nia.
Read also: How to handle unexpected emergencies while traveling
Moreover, MICE tourists are usually classified as quality tourists who tend to stay longer in one destination and spend more money. Nia said since most of them in general are company CEOs, they have a stronger influence in promoting a tourist destination.
Thats why we need to keep on promoting [MICE tourism], such as by participating in IMEX in Las Vegas and promoting the 10 Priority Destinations, added Nia.
The ministry is targeting for the MICE industry to grow by 10 percent in 2019. Based on the data from ICCA, in 2014 Indonesia took the 42nd spot in the global rank with 76 meetings, meanwhile fellow Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore took the 29th spot with 142 meetings, Malaysia was at the 30th spot with 133 meetings and Thailand took the 33rd spot with 118 meetings. (kes)
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Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, October 1, 2017 12:34 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c0167 1 Guide To Jakpost-guide-to,Monas,national-museum,jakarta,GPIB-Immanuel,National-Library-of-Indonesia,#JakpostGuideTo Free
The National Monument (Monas) lies at the center of Merdeka Square that is surrounded by four Medan Merdeka roads. Built in 1961 with the height of 132 meters tall, Monas becomes the symbol of Indonesians struggle against the Dutchs colonization.
Aside from Monas, there are also other places near the area that should not be missed.
How to get there
Monas is easy to reach as it is located almost at the heart of the city. However, due to the governments rule, motorcycles are not allowed to enter certain streets, such as Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat and Jl. M.H. Thamrin. Those who want to visit Monas should park their vehicle near the Lenggang Jakarta food court, or used to be known as IRTI Parking Area (Lapangan Parkir IRTI), that can be reached via Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan.
Furthermore, keep in mind that there is also odd-even license plate system that has been applied since August 2016. The system uses the days date as the reference for the plate numbers that will be allowed to enter certain streets, such as Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat and Jl. M.H. Thamrin. The restriction hours apply from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Monas also has its Transjakarta bus stop, therefore those who reside in Kemang should go to Blok M bus stop beforehand, while those who come from Menteng can just catch a bus via the Sarinah bus stop.
What to wear
It's acceptable to wear casual outfits, such as shorts and t-shirts if you want to visit Monas, and it's highly recommended that you wear a hat or bring an umbrella, especially if you choose to explore the place at day time.
Read also: Jakpost guide to Jl. Balai Pustaka, Rawamangun
What to do
Monas
In order to enter the Monas area, you need to walk pass through the Lenggang Jakarta food court. You will find a small bus stop for a free tourist train (kereta wisata) for people who want to directly visit the monument and vice versa.
Istiqlal Mosque (right) viewed from the peak of the National Monument (Monas) on Thursday, September 14, 2017. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)
There are two different types of entrance ticket depending on which part of the monument that you want to explore; cawan (grail) or puncak (top) with the price starts from Rp 2,000 (less than 1 US cent) for children and Rp 5,000 for adults. Also, those who are not Jakarta citizens and do not own Jakarta-One card will have to pay an additional fee of Rp 10,000.
Starting from the ticket counter, you can either visit Museum Sejarah (History Museum) in the basement level or climb up the stairs to Ruang Kemerdekaan (Independence Room). The History Museum is the place for dioramas that narrate the history of Indonesia starting from ancient times to the post-Independence period. Each of the dioramas has an explanation underneath, in both English and Indonesian.
One of the binoculars at the peak of the National Monument (Monas) on Thursday, September 14, 2017. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)
Meanwhile, the Independence Room is a place to listen to the speech of Indonesias founding father Soekarno when he read the proclamation text on Aug. 17, 1945. The text itself, which is kept inside a glass box, is also exhibited for the visitors. Both the speech and the text are showcased to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
In the same level as the Independence Room, there is an entrance to an elevator to reach the peak and the grail of Monas. However, as the place only has one elevator available, visitors must be patient enough to line up and wait for the elevator. It goes straight to the peak where visitors can explore the view of Jakarta skyscrapers from a different angle. The peak area also has binoculars in some corners and small footrests. After that, the lift goes down to the grail area and the visitors must use the stairs to return to the entrance.
Jelajahi Jakarta dengan bus wisata #JakartaExplorer! Perhatikan peta rute bus wisata #JakartaExplorer berikut. pic.twitter.com/nNTGUaaGM0 Pemprov DKI Jakarta (@DKIJakarta) September 24, 2017
From Monas, you can hop on Jakarta City Tour #JakartaExplorer bus that stops at the bus stop near the entry to Lenggang Jakarta. This free-of-charge, double-decker bus has five routes (BW1-BW5) with different theme. BW1, for instance, will take you to historical spots in Jakarta, such as the National Museum, the National Archive Building, Museum of Bank Indonesia and BNI 46. On the contrary, BW5 will bring you to Kalijodo park in North Jakarta.
Read also: Jakpost guide to Jl. Surabaya
National Museum of Indonesia
The park in the center of Building A at the National Museum. (-/Ni Nyoman Wira)
Located beside Monas in front of Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, the National Museum of Indonesia mostly focuses its more than 140,000 collections on Indonesian culture and history. You can find inscriptions, keris (traditional Javanese dagger), fabrics, jewelry and other ancient artifacts. The museum opens from Tuesday to Sunday with the entrance ticket priced at Rp 10,000 for foreign tourists. It is advised to visit the museums official Twitter page in order to be updated on its latest schedule.
GPIB Immanuel
Situated in Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur, GPIB Immanuel is one of the oldest churches in Jakarta as it was built in the 1830s. The church is known for its dome, which was used for sermons in the past, and historic pipe organ. It has services in three languages, such as Bahasa Indonesia (6 a.m., 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.), Dutch (10 a.m.) and English (5 p.m.).
Read also: Five places to go in Jakarta to observe religious diversity
National Library of Indonesia
A Librarian arranges and ancients the manuscripts at the National Library in Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, Monday, September 12, 2017. The newly constructed national library house more tha 2 million books and manuscripts and will be inaugurated on September 14, 2017. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
The new National Library of Indonesia is located in Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan and was established by President Joko Widodo on Sept. 14, as quoted by kompas.com. The building is named as one of the highest libraries in the world as it has 27 floors with the height of almost 127 meters. It has books for toddlers, children, teenagers, adults and elders. Moreover, it also has digital collections for old manuscripts, monographs and recorded voices about wayang (shadow puppet) performances.
Those who visit the librarys website may want to explore its Indonesiana page where you can find information about Indonesian-related contents, such as candi (temples) in Indonesia, history of Jakarta (Batavia), literature, film, pusaka (heritage), Presidents of Indonesia and virtual tour to Keraton (palace) Kasepuhan Cirebon as well as Taman Sari Yogyakarta.
If you want to enroll as one of the members of the library can read the requirements on its website.
What to shop
Lenggang Jakarta at the National Monument (Monas) on Thursday, September 14, 2017. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
After visiting Monas, take your time to explore Lenggang Jakarta. It consists of food stalls that sell traditional dishes and souvenirs. It is also suggested to pay a visit to Betawi Store that is located at the right side from the Lenggang Jakartas entry. Placed in a traditional Betawi house, it sells t-shirts, small pouch, snacks and traditional Betawi drink Bir Pletok (herbs and spices-based beverage) with the average price of Rp 20,000.
Read also: Free tour to Kota Tua launched for foreign tourists
What to eat
Having built since 1932, Ragusa Italian Ice Cream is one of the establishments that you cannot miss if you visit Monas. Located in Jl. Veteran, visitors can reach this place by hopping on Jakarta City Tour bus that will stop in Juanda or Istiqlal Mosque bus stop, after that they can walk a little bit to Ragusa.
Two of customers' favorites at the Ragusa Italian Ice Cream, Spaghetti Ice Cream and Banana Split, on Thursday, September 14, 2017. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)
Some of the customers favorites are Tutti Frutti, Spaghetti Ice Cream, Cassata Siciliana and Banana Split. Unlike other ice cream products that can be found in the market, Ragusa is said to use natural ingredients that make its ice cream tastes different. Customers will also receive a glass of cold water once they order an ice cream. The average price for the ice cream is Rp 25,000.
Right beside Ragusa, there is also an establishment that sells rujak juhi, a combination of vegetables and juhi (salted cuttlefish) with peanut sauce, and otak-otak (fish cake served with peanut sauce), priced at Rp 25,000 and Rp 30,000, respectively.
If you want to have another option in dining in Jl. Veteran, you may want to visit Dapur Babah Elite. Established under Tugu Hotels & Restaurant group, the restaurant is placed in old buildings from the 1940s. Richly decorated in Indonesian antiques with romantic atmosphere, it serves Peranakan cuisines with prices starting from Rp 100,000.
Dancing fountain at the National Monument (Monas) on Saturday, August 12, 2017. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
Tips
Monas is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Its peak is normally from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. with the maximum capacity of 500 people.
A dancing fountain attraction in one of Monas' pools is available every weekend from 7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. The dancing waters are accompanied by songs that are arranged by renowned composer Addie MS.
Those who want to visit the peak of Monas should come earlier as the queue is always longer in the afternoon.
Bring cash to shop at the Lenggang Jakarta, or get your e-money card ready.
Do not bring any beverages and food if you are at the peak of Monas.
Sometimes the schedule of Jakarta City Tour bus is not displayed in the bus stops, therefore you should check on the front side of the bus to see whether it is the right bus for you or not. Some of the buses also stop operating around 5 p.m., thus you should ask the driver whether they will return to the first stop or not.
At the National Museum of Indonesia, it is highly suggested to obey the rule that is being applied, one of them is the banning of camera usage at the fourth floor as it displays collections made from gold.
Presidential Palace Fun Facts
Do you know the Presidential Palace in Jakarta consists of two different buildings, serving different purposes?
Istana Merdeka (Merdeka Palace) is the one that faces the Monas area, particularly Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara. According to presidenri.go.id, the palace building process started in 1873 and was completed in 1879. During the Soekarno era, it became the living place for the President. Until this day, only three Indonesian presidents are known to have lived in Istana Merdeka; Soekarno, Abdurrahman Wahid and Joko Widodo.
Istana Merdeka also hosted other historical events, one of them, was the signing of Linggarjati Agreement on March 25, 1947. The ceremony commemorating the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence is also held annually in Istana Merdeka.
Meanwhile, the Istana Negara (State Palace) is said to be older than the Merdeka Palace as it was built in 1796. Standing back-to-back with Istana Merdeka overlooking Ciliwung river and Veteran street, it is the location state-related events such as state officials inauguration ceremonies, international and national congresses and state dinners. (asw)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Sun, October 1, 2017 15:05 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c3ba1 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Lampung,coffee Free
Thousands of people are celebrating International Coffee Day in Lampung that kicked off on Sept. 29 until Oct. 1.
This event aims to improve the consumption growth of Lampung coffee. We encourage the adults of Lampung to consume the many varieties of Lampung coffee, said Lampung Governor Muhammad Ridho Ficardo.
The festival also serves as one of the efforts to improve the coffee rehabilitation program established by the Vice President in 2014 and seeks to improve the production of Lampung coffee by one million ton per hectare.
We hope therell be a replacement for coffee plants that are above 30 years old, he added.
The three-day event is filled with plenty of activities involving local residents and coffee-lovers communities from 16 provinces outside Lampung.
Tourists from Europe, Asia and United States, ambassadors of Malaysia, Vietnam and Colombia, as well as local and international baristas are seen attending the event.
Read also: Lunch at oldest coffee roaster in Java
Farmers are given knowledge and technology needed for coffee cultivation, meanwhile tourists can view the process of coffee making including the famed Luwak coffee, said Lampung Tourism Agency head Budiharto.
Theres also a dance performance from West Lampung regency, the best producer of robusta coffee, added Budiharto.
On Sept. 30, the festival participants visited the coffee plantation owned by PT Nestle located in Peknon Negeri Agung, Talang Padang district, Tanggamus, where they were given an explanation about coffee cultivation that suits the international standard.
PT Nestle Indonesia then handed out 60,000 coffee seeds that could result in one-ton production per hectare. Visitors also saw the movie Filosofi Kopi (Coffee Philosophy) and the inauguration of Coffee Ambassador from five renowned universities in Lampung.
The ministry's archipelago tourism marketing development deputy Esthy Reko Astuti suggested Lampung to make coffee a primary commodity that can also serve as a tourist destination. For example, visitors can enjoy a cup of Lampung robusta while touring the plantation.
International Coffee Day is the first step; there's a huge potential in developing a coffee tour in Lampung to support the beautiful nature of the place, said Esthy. (kes)
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Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta Sun, October 1, 2017 14:10 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c3366 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,Tourism-Ministry,brand-image Free
The Tourism Ministry partners up with coconut-based beverage brand Hydro Coco for a Wonderful Indonesia co-branding deal.
This is a follow up on the Hydro Coco co-branding deal with the Tourism Ministry that has been signed by the CEO of PT Kalbe Farma and Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, said PT Kalbe Farma Tbks Kalbe beverages head of marketing, Arwin N. Hustasoit.
The company is the owner of Hydro Coco product and one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Southeast Asia.
Read also: Welcome to Sumatra, Indonesia's next-best surfing destination
We previously launched a special packaging themed Exotic Indonesia in August, but later changed it to Wonderful Indonesia following the co-branding deal, Arwin said.
We show tourist destinations such as Padar Island in Labuan Bajo, Broken Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, Raja Ampat in Papua and Atuh Beach in Nusa Penida in Bali on the Hydro Coco packaging, Arwin added.
Hydro Coco is the pioneer of packaged coconut water that uses Ultra High Temperature (UHT) technology and Tetraprism packaging. It is a natural isotonic that is low in carbohydrate and contains natural sweetener.
So far 42 brands have agreed to participate in the co-branding deal. The ministry itself is targeting to partner up with 100 companies. (kes)
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Linkedin News Desk (STAR2.COM/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) Sun, October 1, 2017 14:35 1870 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a22c353d 2 News Tibet,travel Free
Travel to Tibet will be closed for 10 days in October for foreign travelers.
Between Oct 18 and 28, foreign travellers will be barred from entering the country.
Though the Tibet Tourism Bureau has not released an official announcement, several local travel agencies report receiving the notice earlier this month.
The reason for the closure is due to the meeting of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in Beijing next month.
Read also: Tibet to open world's highest super-long tunnel
During the sensitive, high-level talks, Tibetan borders will be closed to foreigners, while visitors travelling the country during that period will likewise be required to leave by Oct 17.
Alternate arrangements should be made with local agencies. AFP Relaxnews
Topics : Tibet travel
Topics :
This article appeared on The Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
Nocturnes is an experimental work by imitating the dog, a theatre company that started in 1998 and has been praised by the likes of The Observer, and is touring the UK after a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival.
In their mission statement, the company state they are interested in the boundaries between film and theatre, stating they wish to explore what might be at stake when these forms of representing the world are directly placed in an antagonistic relationship. The hook of the piece is that the central narrative is projected onto a large screen in black and white, while three actors stand onstage and perform the films dialogue live.
The narrative itself is simple. Two spies Harry and Amy are in hiding in Berlin and, as their anxiety and boredom escalate, as does their romantic relationship. As we wait with them, we slowly come to grips with the nature of the staging; however, with the screen being so large, and the actors being placed awkwardly at either side, this doesnt make for compelling theatre. Its a messy composition and the audience doesnt quite know where to direct their eyes.
This isnt helped by poor performances from all three actors. The first 20 minutes are made up of stilted conversation and broad character building. Whats more, the central relationship between the two leads is tragically unconvincing. Youd find more chemistry between a pair of stagehands. Its tedious this, isnt it? sighs Harry as the couple anticipates more information. Undeniably, this is a play that wants you to be aware of its meta-theatricality but these words ring painfully true.
As the story moves into the final act, its thematic ambitions do become more obvious. Playfully exploiting the grey area between the two mediums of which they antagonise , for a brief few moments in which reality and fiction collide, interrupting the audio with static, and dramatically sending the narrative off its tight genre tracks Nocturnes does manage to be arresting. However, where it thinks its grabbing you by the throat, it feels more like it's pulling you by the leg.
Exploring entry level narratology, the structures spliced ending arrives at an obvious and unsatisfactory conclusion. As the tension heightens, as do the actors performances: accents wobble, lines are rushed, and one characters attempts to become the plays antagonist is as threatening as a villain from a discontinued Disney DVD.
Towards the end of the last act, the tension increases as the lines between the two fictions blur. The actors stand on stage begging for an ending and, no doubt, you will be too.
To find out more information, visit the imitating the dog website.
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As your local police chief, I am proud to support Marsys Law for Wisconsin. If passed, this legislation will provide equal rights to crime victims and will create safer communities.
Marsys Law for Wisconsin would place additional victims rights in the state Constitution and strengthen the rights that are already in it, so that victims rights are not automatically trumped in the courtroom by those of their attackers.
For example, Marsys Law for Wisconsin would expand on victims current constitutional right to be heard, making it clear that victims will have a voice not just at disposition, but also at additional proceedings like bail, plea and parole any time the attacker could be released.
Every day I vow to keep the La Crosse community safe. I recognize that supporting Marsys Law for Wisconsin is going to truly impact our communities and the state.
Please join me in the fight for equal rights for crime victims by calling Wisconsin's legislative hotline at 1-800-362-9472. Get connected with your state lawmakers and ask them to join the fight and support Marsy's Law for Wisconsin.
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The women in charge, Sarah Davis-Goff and Lisa Coen, describe themselves as dreaded women, and say they experience misogyny in lots of ways all the time at Tramp Press. They specifically detail multiple instances of being addressed as Dear Sirs, and receiving cover letters from authors who solely read male-authored books and list male-authored influences. The sexist submissions were previously tossed into the slush pile, lest we let any truly exciting piece of work pass us by, Davis-Goff and Coen wrote. It might not come as much of a surprise that nothing singularly exceptional was ever discovered out of these overtly sexist submissions, and Tramp Press never published any of them.The decision to totally ban sexist manuscripts came after Davis-Goffs quantitative examination of the cover letters Tramp Press received . Out of 100 submissions, 148 influences were referenced. A mere 33 of the 148 listed writers were female, meaning a whopping 115 inspirations were male. Davis-Goff says she read letter after letter from well-meaning, perfectly nice men and women who list reams of writers they admire, without apparently noticing [they] are all of one gender. Perhaps this is due to the overwhelming maleness and whiteness of the literary canon. The prevalence of male authors means that Shakespeare, Hemingway and Wordsworth might be the first authors to spring to mind when you think classic literature.Its Tramp Presss ambition to eradicate some of the prejudice evident in the publishing industry. The Press has been criticised for their decision to toss aside misogynistic entries without a second look, but Davis-Goff points out that words are so important - writers should know that better than anyone. She wants them to examine why Dear Sirs would be the default letter heading. Their shiny new submission guidelines welcome people who read women and dont assume that the only people qualified to read your work are men. Tramp Press is an independent publishing company launched in 2014. It has published authors of high esteem, such as Sara Baume - shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize - and Mike McCormack, who was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Their aim is to find, nurture and publish exceptional literary talent, and especially want to work with anyone from a group that has been under-represented in literature.
Whats the best way to bring more jobs to a city, to raise wages in a historically low-paid town or improve the quality of housing?
Questions like these are just a small sample of the kind of issues discussed by think tanks public policy research institutions.
The organisations work in every field imaginable, from economics, education, health and housing to social justice, migration, transport, farming, animal welfare, and more recently, Brexit.
Enter new player the Institute For Free Trade, which is being launched at an event in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hosted by Boris Johnson.
But what do think tanks really do?
There are more than 6,500 think tanks in the world, according to the University of Pennsylvania, which maintains a directory.
Once a think tank has a policy proposal it will want to share that message with decision makers in the hope it is taken up as local council or government policy.
But how it determines that policy depends on the individual think tank.
The Economist included an explainer of a think tank in its Go Figure segment, stating: A good think tank helps the policymaking process by publishing reports that are as rigorous as academic research and as accessible as journalism. (Bad ones have a knack of doing just the opposite.)
What does the mean in practice?
Brian Semple works as head of communications for the urban economic think tank Centre For Cities. It looks at factors that lead to economic prosperity in the hope of replicating similar success in other parts of the UK.
We are led by our research. Any time we have an idea or a solution we put that into a report then were sharing it, talking to local government, having meetings with civil servants in Treasury, in Department for Business.
New Case Studies Library: 150 examples of good practice from cities in the UK and across the world. Have a browse: https://t.co/NIliLW49o5 pic.twitter.com/xikS7Q9qiI Centre for Cities (@CentreforCities) September 20, 2017
Those relationships are really important to get our message across to people who will make decisions.
We want to get our idea and research out into the world because we want to change things for the better. We want to help communities and their economies.
At the Centre For Cities, 18 people are employed at offices in London. Their roles are split between research and communications.
Why do think tanks lean?
The Centre For Cities, which was set up in 2005, is non-partisan, it has no political affiliation, but others are often described in the press as left-leaning or right-wing.
It means the group has a broad political belief underpinning its policy endeavours, although a left-wing think tank wouldnt automatically be aligned with, for example, what the Labour Party wants to achieve.
Which is the oldest think tank?
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is a member of the Fabian Society (Stefan Roussea/PA)
The Fabian Society was founded in 1884 and describes itself as Britains oldest think tank, although it wouldnt have used the term when it was first set up.
London mayor Sadiq Khan is a member of the society as are several MPs including Yvette Cooper, Hilary Benn, Stella Creasy, Angela Eagle, Keir Starmer, Emily Thornberry and Chuka Umunna.
Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls was once the chairman, as was Khan.
How long have think tanks been a thing?
The term think tank emerged in the mid 20th century, says Clifford Sofield, a senior assistant editor at Oxford English Dictionary.
He said: The earliest evidence in the OED for think tank in this sense is a 1958 article which says that a specific institute (the Centre for Advanced Study in the Behavioural Sciences at Palo Alto) is known in some quarters as the Think Tank.
By the early 1960s the term was being used more generally of any similar institute or organisation. For example, in a 1967 diary entry Lady Bird Johnson refers to a certain environmental planning centre as a sort of a think tank for city-planning experts.
Are there any other type of tank?
In the US, the Pew Research Centre now describes itself as a fact tank rather than a think tank and has a Twitter handle to match.
More than eight-in-ten U.S. adults now get news on a mobile device (85%) https://t.co/m5NxRrCNun pic.twitter.com/5m2jeYdMhn PewResearch FactTank (@FactTank) September 25, 2017
The Sutton Trust, a think tank hoping to improve social mobility, also describes itself as a do-tank because it takes actions based on its research.
Swansea University will award former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton with an honorary doctorate in October 2017.
The university chose to award Clinton with the doctorate after her work supporting children and families rights across the globe, a cause that is also supported by Swansea Universitys Observatory on the Human Rights of Children and Young People.
Richard Davies, Swansea universitys Vice-chancellor, has stated We are honoured to present this award to Hilary Rodham Clinton, a figure of enormous international significance, and one synonymous with human rights.
It is tremendous that she has chosen Swansea University for her first public appearance on this visit to the UK. It shows that we are being noticed for our excellent research and teaching and for the impact that Swansea University is making in global challenge areas.
Clintons great-grandparents were both born in Wales, moving to Pennsylvania before giving birth to her grandmother.
This honour has come soon after the release of her third memoir What Happened, detailing her time as a candidate in the 2016 US Presidential election.
The ceremony will take place on Saturday 14th October at Swansea University.
In March last year the LSEs Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Division was asked to take measures in a complaint letter from the students.
The issue in question arose from a gala dinner event organized by the Islamic Society, in which the guests were required to buy tickets according to their brother or sister status, and were subsequently separated physically by a large screen in the middle of the room. The male and the female guests could not even look at each other, let along interact freely.
The active segregation of the students was perceived as discriminatory in the complaint letter, to which Carola Frenge (a representative of EDI) responded exclusively for The Independent. In her reply, Frenge recognized the students concern and the universitys lack of in-depth consideration of this problem, as well as promising to investigate the issue further.
However, according to the students, the university failed to take relevant actions in order to make sure that gender-based discrimination will not occur in the future.
Due to LSEs delayed response to the complaint, the students turned to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Students in Higher Education. The watchdog stated that the universitys delayed response and lack of evidence to support their position of having safeguards prior to the dinner event are unconvincing.
The students received an apology letter from LSE this September for delaying their response, and later on commented for The Independent on the gender-segregation concerns that: (the gender discrimination) did not comply with LSEs own guidelines on equity, diversity, and inclusion, and may have been unlawful
.
Stephen Evans, a representative of The National Secular Society (NSS), who supported the LSE students through their struggle, further commented: As a society, we are much slower to condemn discrimination when it comes cloaked in religion, and particularly Islam. But gender apartheid is an assault on womens rights and dignity, and should have no place on campuses.
Lead image courtesy of
As rapper B.o.B launches a fundraising campaign to check if the Earth if flat, there are some cost-effective ways to prove conventional science is right and save him the bother.
From looking to the Sun and stars, its possible to prove that the Earth is spherical without a crowdfunding campaigning.
1. Watch a lunar eclipse
Every once in a while, the Earth passes between the Moon and the Sun, creating a phenomenon known as the Lunar Eclipse.
The Earth casts a shadow on the Moon as it passes though so if you look closely enough (a decent telescope should do it), you might be able to see a shaded arc. Its always an arc and never a square or a rectangle.
2. Send a camera into space
We may not be able to head into space but our cameras certainly can. Companies like Sent Into Space have special balloon kits that allow you to send whatever you like into space and back.
A basic kit will set you back 194 but those amazing photos of the Earths curvature will be so worth it. Plus, it makes great evidence to show the Flat Earther next door how our planet is shaped.
3. Watch a sunset lying on the ground
This is probably one of the simplest methods of dealing with how to determine the Earths curvature.
If you watch the sunset lying on your back, youll find it disappears in the horizon. But if you stand up, you should still be able to see the sun as it sets in the distant horizon.
And if you happen to be at the ocean looking at ships, they will appear to emerge from the ocean in a bottom-up direction. This is possible only because the ocean follows the curvature of the Earth and gradually drops from our line of sight.
If the earth was flat the water would stay at the same level.
4. Look at the stars
This might require a bit of travelling but if you fancy journeying to a different part of the world, youll notice the constellations there are completely different.
A phenomenon first observed by Aristotle many, many years ago when he was returning from Egypt, the premise is the further you go away from the equator the further known constellations go towards the horizon.
This phenomenon can only be explained with a round surface.
Aristotle also concluded the Earth wasnt very large, because a small change in distance makes a huge difference in terms of what we see in the night sky.
5. Observe the time zones
Our planet is divided into 24 time zones, taking into account the position of the Sun. The Sun isnt visible to everyone at the same time.
But that wouldnt be the case if the Earth was flat. If the Sun shone directionally on a flat Earth, we would be able to see at all times.
So basically, the only way these timezones can happen is if the world is spherical.
And if everything else fails, take note of what former astronauts Buzz Aldrin (he went to the Moon, remember) and Terry Virts have to say.
I can save BoB a lot of money- The Earth is round. I flew around it. https://t.co/F7qAovPEng @bobatl @BBCWorld Terry Virts (@AstroTerry) September 27, 2017
I did too. It's called an orbit: the curved path of a celestial object around a star, planet, or moon. https://t.co/h8GQJadfxD Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) September 27, 2017
And look at these awesome photos from Nasa.
The Earth looks far from flat in this image taken by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument in one of NOAAs satellites (Nasa)
Also taken by VIIRS (Nasa)
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SPARTAAfter nearly a decade of planning, the Monroe County Justice Center is complete. A dedication ceremony was held Friday at the new facility.
It was a historic event that few will forget, said Monroe County administrator Jim Bialecki. He said the project means a lot to the county and those involved in its construction.
Keep in mind that it has been a long time getting here I believe the planning stages have taken in excess of 10 years, he said. There were a lot of pros, there were a lot of cons, but ... they found their way to mitigate through everything to bring us out to this stage. Whether there were good decisions made or bad decisions made, I do know that what these people have given to this facility was profound, and they did their best to bring us to this day. Everyone can enjoy this new facility.
J. David Rice, former Monroe County Circuit Court Judge and chairman of the building committee, said the Justice Center project has been through ups and downs, from being approved and dismantled in 2008 after a recall election to being restarted in 2009 after the new board was seated, choosing a new location via referendum, funding problems. Through it all, the result is a new facility for county law enforcement.
There have been many problems, there have been delays and there have been cost overruns along the way, but I can assure you that today, if you havent taken the tour, we have a well-constructed building, 180 jail beds, sheriffs offices, four new courtrooms and related offices for court staff, district attorneys office and other court services that will serve Monroe County far into the future, he said. Despite the problems, Im very happy to have been associated with this.
While many people made significant contributions, a few needed to be singled out and recognized, Rice said.
One group Rice recognized was the members of the Monroe County Board of Supervisors from the past 10 years.
Every board member represented and advocated a point of view, whether it was for or against the project. Their views were considered carefully by all board members, and in the end the board bit the bullet and voted to move forward, Rice said. There has never been a unanimous agreement on anything. Board members are always respectful, thoughtful and willing to make compromises.
Rice also recognized the former board chairs from the past 10 years Dennis Hubbard, who got the ball rolling; Rick Irwin, who kept the project moving after the recall election; Bruce Humphrey, who appointed Rice as chair of the building committee and worked full-time during the design phase; Jim Kuhn who favored the east side site but agreed to accept what the voters chose and worked daily to resolve construction problems; and Cedric Schnitzler, who brought the project to a conclusion.
He also thanked board vice chair Wally Habhegger, a former building inspector, for his insight into solving problems.
Project representative Kurt Marshaus was invaluable, Rice said; he doesnt know what the county would have done without him.
Each of these board chairs served practically full-time bringing this project to conclusion, he said. Their only compensation was the satisfaction of getting a job done that has needed doing for 30 years. There have been many former board members, state, county and city officials, staff members and members of the public who made valuable compensations to name them all in the time I have would be impossible. Suffice it to say their efforts are appreciated, and they will be remembered by me always.
Keynote speaker, Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack, said the facility is a modern marvel.
Its equipped with all the latest technologies, designed to improve the flow of workload, security for everyone and communications among all of those who play a part in administrating justice in Monroe County, she said. It makes a great deal of sense to bring all of those participants of the justice system of Monroe County into one building so they dont have to run around looking for each other; theyre readily available for consultation.
It was an expensive project, Roggensack said, but is shows the countys dedication to a fair and fully functioning justice system.
Also at the ceremony Roggensack presented Rice with a commendation from the Wisconsin Supreme Court for outstanding service.
County board chair Cedric Schnitzler is pleased to see the project complete.
Its awesome, its exciting, and its a relief and Im sure everybody will be happy that its finished and official, he said.
State Rep. Lee Nerison, R-Wesby, agrees.
Its nice to see it finally happen, he said. It has been a long time coming, they did a lot of starts and stops, and they finally got it through and got it together and got it done.
Former county board supervisor and chair Jim Kuhn said it feels good to see the project finally finished, a project he once doubted would ever get done.
If you would have asked me two years ago even, Id have said we may never make it, but its here, weve done it, he said.
State Rep. Nancy VanderMeer, R-Tomah, said the Justice Center will serve the county well.
I think its an excellent addition for our community, she said. Its something that, as we heard, it was a long time in coming. This is definitely a very special day because it really symbolizes how we can better serve the people in Monroe County, and this is one of the steps we can certainly take. I expect to see a lot of good things from the initiation of this marvelous project.
Milkshakes brand Keventers is looking at doubling its retail footprint to 300 outlets by end of this fiscal as it undergoes a rapid expansion in India and overseas.
The company, which runs over 150 Keventers outlets in India, recently forayed overseas with a store in Dubai.
We are looking at operating 300 outlets in India and abroad by the end of this financial year. UAE is our first international destination and we foresee great potential for a heritage brand such as Keventers. In the coming year, we look forward to expand exponentially, Keventers CEO and Director Sohrab Sitaram said.
The company has planned to enter several international markets such as Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Maldives, Sri Lanka and countries in Africa this fiscal and by mid of the next fiscal year.
The brands outlets in the country are a mix of company owned, franchised outlets and joint ventures. It plans to expand overseas through joint venture agreements.
Keventers, a privately held company was first established in 1922 by Edward Keventers. It was then acquired by Ram Krishna Dalmia in 1940. The brand was then revived in 2015 by Agastya Dalmia, Aman Arora and Sohrab Sitaram.
After reviving the brand in 2015, the real thrust on expansion came in the financial year 2015-16. In the last one and half years, we have opened over 150 outlets and 60 more are in the pipeline in this fiscal, he added.
When asked if the company is looking at raising funds in the near future to support its rapid expansion plans, Sitaram said: No, we are not looking at raising funds through equity dilution. So far we have been self funded and used internal accruals to expand. Going forward, if needed we may look at debt options.
Keventers is looking at closing the year with a revenue of Rs 60 crore.
The company has forayed into Dubai with 30 products in its menu.
Even as the DMRC defended another fare hike by saying its input costs had gone up, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged the Centre to direct Delhi Metro to withhold the unjustified proposed increase from October 10.
In a letter to Union Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Kejriwal urged him to direct the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to withhold the fare hike till the decision was jointly reviewed by the central and Delhi governments.
He also demanded that a DMRC board meeting be convened to put a stay on the fare hike as the corporation is jointly owned by the central and the Delhi governments.
The Aam Aadmi Party leader said Delhi residents were still reeling under the impact of the previous steep fare hike in May and said the proposed hike from October 10 will be simply unacceptable in this time of economic distress.
Kejriwal said while the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) had recommended a gap of one year between two fare hikes, the DMRC was going ahead with it in less than six months.
He said that put together, the two hikes accounted for over 80 per cent increase in one year alone even as the FFC recommended that from 2019 onwards, the annual hike should not exceed seven per cent.
There is no reason why the principles to be followed from 2019 onwards should be completely violated in 2017, Kejriwal wrote in his letter.
However, the DMRC justified its decision by citing increased input costs and that the increase was at par with those in other city Metro rails.
A comparison of Metro fares in other cities in India shows DMRCs maximum fare is either less or comparable to others despite higher per capita income in Delhi, the statement said.
Since 2009, there has been no fare increase whereas input cost for the DMRC has increased by over 105 per cent in energy, 139 per cent in staff cost and 213 per cent in repair and maintenance, a DMRC statement said.
In addition, the DMRC has taken a huge loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and a payment of Rs 26,760 crore is still to be paid back, it said.
It also said that once Metros third phase gets operational, commuters will have to travel shorter distances and hence pay lesser.
The DMRC said a long gap of over eight years in FFC formation led to fare hike in steps, which if seen on yearly basis is in the reasonable range of seven to eight per cent per annum, taking into account both the phases of the hike.
The statement said despite efficient operations, the DMRC was suffering a net loss of Rs 378 crore.
In order to continue providing world-class service, it is essential to operate as a healthy organisation, the corporation said.
Delhi Metro has been operating in the national capital since 2002, and carries around 27 lakh passengers every day.
While Kejriwal said in his letter that no DMRC initiatives were visible to improve efficiency so as to reduce costs, the Delhi Metro said it was constantly making efforts to reduce its operating cost by going for solar power projects and increasing energy efficiency at its stations, besides introducing new initiatives on property development and property business fronts.
The DMRC is consistently increasing the number of trains, AFC gates, lifts, escalators, and other passenger services, leading to increased input cost but are nevertheless essential for providing world-class service, the Metro statement said
Lt Governor Kiran Bedi appealed to all sections of people in the union territory to ensure that precautionary measures are taken against dengue fever.
Talking to reporters here after holding a meeting with officials of various departments including Health and Local Administration, she said that the medical reports said that there was a 700 per cent rise since last year in the incidence of dengue in Puducherry.
Hospitals including the Centrally administered JIPMER here are overflowing with patients.
The government hospitals here were running short of medicines.
Additional wards were opened to accommodate the people for treatment of fever cases.
Bedi said she had asked the Finance Secretary V Candavlou to sanction adequate funds to the government hospitals and also the requisite machinery so that nothing should be left wanting to carry out anti dengue measures.
Medical Superintendent of Indira Gandhi Government Hospital and Research Institute Mohan Kumar said of the 1200 cases of fever reported at the general hospital, 261 patients tested positive for dengue in August.
He said that during September out of 2000 patients who were diagnosed at the government hospital 367 patients tested positive for dengue.
He said that despite rise in number of patients the hospital authorities was addressing the cases.
There are many versions of the legendary first encounter between Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi and his spiritual mentor Shams of Tabriz. Most describe the moment as Rumi, the religious scholar, sitting by a pond, immersed in his scholarly reading, when Shams, a stranger to him, comes by and asks him what he is doing.
You will not understand, Rumi is reported to have replied, upon which Shams throws all of Rumis books in the pond. But the books spring back up dry, defying the laws of physics. At this point, Shams is reported to have said, But you do not understand. This was the moment, then, when Rumi began fathoming Allah not just with the mind but also with the heart. In a world of sharp binaries, Rumis admirers seem bent upon separating Rumi the man of knowledge, from Rumi the mystic poet. In reality, the two are not mutually exclusive; in reality, both are the same person.
As I recently travelled by bus in Turkey from Antalya to Konya, the city of the 13th-century Sufi scholar, its unusual and diverse landscape reminded me of his message that is so universally appealing to the rich and the poor, the pious and the sinner, the scholar and the unlettered. While the pluralism in his message is prominent, one thing becomes clearer than ever when you visit Konya that Rumi was not just a Sufi, he was also a Muslim scholar, and taking that away from Rumi is telling half the truth. Konya has distinct old-world charm.
The people are kind and the roses are abundant. But the highlight of a visit to Konya is the Mevlevi Sema, a mystic religious rite practiced by dervishes, who emulate the whirling of Rumi, lost in ecstasy. It is an enchanting experience, the kind that leaves you with goose bumps. In the courtyard of the Mevlana Museum that houses Rumis shrine, a common sight is a teacher with a flowing beard, a rosary in hand and a smile on his lips, sitting under the shade of a tree, surrounded by students learning about Islam.
Calligraphy from Quranic verses are put up alongside verses from his extensive, famous poem, Masnavi. The sound of the azaan is loud and clear in Konya. Imprints of traditional Islam in the district where Rumi rests do not seem to disagree with imprints of Sufism. There is an honorary grave of the Poet of the East, Allama Iqbal, near Rumis grave.
Iqbal is often called a spiritual protege of Rumi, and is reported to have had a metaphysical experience when he felt Rumis presence.
In his book Stray Reflections: The Private Notebook of Muhammad Iqbal, Allama Iqbal observes that To explain the deepest truths of life in the form of homely parables requires extraordinary genius. Shakespeare, Maulana Rum (Jalaluddin) and Jesus Christ are probably the only illustrations of this rare type of genius. The popular interpretation of Rumi does not do justice to where he came from. Rumi is a mystic all right, but he is more than just mystic pulp fiction, and the Masnavi is more than just couplets that can be used to soothe the after-effects of a lovers brawl.
Yet, few of those smitten by the universality of Rumis poetry recognise the visible imprints of verses of the Quran. The popular reductionist approach towards Rumi has reduced his poetry to memes, and selected couplets with aphorisms that are easy to quote.
Modernity has an allergy to religion. They have pushed religion into a private space, saying religion is just between man and God and not collective, says Abbas Husain, educationist and Islamic scholar known for teaching the nuances of Tasawwuf and Ishq.
In Husains opinion, a fine parallel can be drawn between Rumi and the likes of Socrates and Plato. The latter two were religious but have been reduced to being just philosophers. Rumi and his poetry have been exoticised, and there has been an erasure of the religious in him. There is religion and there is religion, he says, and to Husain, the distinction is clear. Religion puts before us deeper questions like why are you here, whereas religion also is focused more on rituals and minor details. We cant see the wood for the trees, he says. The pull of Rumi is that his words are relatable. He strikes a resonance with the inward level of man in any era, says Husain. Scholars have pondered on the various meanings of his work since long.
Rumi is not new; he has been around. The first translation of Rumis Masnavi came from R.A. Nicholson, between 1925 and 1940. But there is no denying that Rumi has been re-popularised. And his fandom is not limited to Muslims, because his message was and is universal. I love that Rumi sees Divine beauty in all aspects of creation and speaks to people of all cultural tastes and perspectives. I love that he uses bawdy tales in his poetry, says Laury Silvers, a lecturer at the University of Torontos Department for the Study of Religion. According to Silvers, Rumi explains the most difficult of concepts by translating them into easily understood simpler concepts that help everyone own him.
Early on when Rumi was translated into English, these parts were translated into Latin so that only the most elite, scholarly fellows could enjoy them exactly the opposite of Rumis intention in composing these verses, she says. Silvers further explains how these bawdy tales not only bring Divine truths to those who are best reached with rough and tumble talk. They teach all of us that God is fully present and calling to us in every moment and through all things, not just that which we deem socially acceptable or pretty.
For some today, their first exposure to Rumi has been through the Turkish writer Elif Shafaks book Forty Rules of Love. In a sense, Shafak did a service by producing an easy version of the often complex themes of Tasawwuf for her readers. Although Husain sees this as positive, he recommends graduating to books such as Me and Rumi: The Autobiography of Shams-i-Tabrizi by William C. Chittick for those interested in understanding Rumi better.
Whether represented in a complex or an easy manner, Rumi remains the bridge we need today he bridges the gaps polarisation has created. Those who cling to the more comfortable and less demanding interpretation of the spiritual path of love for God and those who hold on to the path of adherence to Islamic jurisprudence or Sharia as the road to Paradise both can find something to guide them.
In a world torn apart by extremes, Rumis message of love of God can be a meeting-point. Rumi invites us to become whole, says Husain. But to become whole, we would first have to accept that we are incomplete.
(Dawn/ ANN)
During the course of July and August this year, newspapers have regularly reported the chaotic flood situation in India due to heavy monsoon rains that have plunged vast segments of the country into the classic situation of water, water everywhere.
On 25 July, the Press Trust of India reported that the army and air force were pressed into relief and rescue operations in several districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan following floods caused by heavy rains that left thousands marooned while two women were killed when their jeep was washed away in normally thirsty Rajasthan.
The next day, a reputed Kolkata newspaper carried the large title: Flood threat looms over south Bengal and proceeded to discuss how the situation has assumed grim proportions in the various districts of south Bengal as the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) had released a huge amount of water from its dams and barrages inspite of objections from the West Bengal government. On 25 July alone, state irrigation minister Rajib Banerjee declared that the DVC had released 48,000 cusecs of water and the government requested the DVC and Jharkhand state government not to release water thereby flooding West Bengal.
Floods are inundating the countryside and damaging crops in rural Bengal. And in urban Bengal, the newspaper claimed, at least three people died by drowning and 30 houses collapsed in Asansol due to continuous heavy rainfall. At 5 p.m. on 25 July, the Durgapur barrage discharged 92,734 cusecs of water while the water level in Maithon and Panchet dams nearly reached flood level. Connectivity with Birbhum district was seriously affected while houses collapsed in urban and rural Burdwan and Bankura.
According to a research study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Indian summer monsoons have strengthened during the past fifteen years, reversing a 50 year dry spell during which northern and central India received scanty rainfall. Research scholars noted a brief dry spell in 2015, which caused widespread drought throughout the subcontinent, probably due to a severe El Nino season where ocean temperatures temporarily rise, leading to a shift in atmospheric circulation, leading to decreased rain in India. However, the situation this year is quite the reverse.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey of the worst-hit flooded parts of Gujarat and, on 31 July, visited Assam trying to find a permanent solution to the flood crisis. Newspaper reports indicated that over 90 animals, including rhinos in Assams famous Kaziranga National Park, have died in the floods while 25 lakh people were adversely affected in 29 districts of the state.
On 1 August, Prime Minister Modi announced a total package of Rs. 2350 crores for all the north-eastern states hit by floods and Rs. 2 lakhs each as compensation for victims of the tragedy.
This takes Modis financial aid to the region above Rs. 500 crores for immediate relief and rehabilitation. InWest Bengal, Mamata Banerjee resented the lack of interest shown by the Centre and her government has taken up a World Bank sponsored project amounting to Rs. 1800 crores to reconstruct the lower Damodar river basin, de-silt the rivers in the state and enhance their water-bearing capacity.
A comprehensive report on flood damage in West Bengal is under preparation. Meanwhile, the same newspaper produced news on 3 August that 50 people had lost their lives in the floods in the various districts of West Bengal. Hooghly District saw 16 deaths, while Bankura, West Midnapore, Burdwan East and Burdwan West witnessed five deaths each, four died in Purulia and North 24 Parganas and two each in Birbhum, South 24 Parganas, Jhargram, Murshidabad and Howrah. To quote the 3 August issue of the newspaper, (h)undreds of people are stranded in their houses completely depending on the flood relief commodities for their survival; deadly bites from snakes and insects are on the rise, residents of the affected villages are facing (a) shortage of drinking water, food and medicines.
Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. On 6 August and flood relief and rehabilitation work were being undertaken from the Rs.300 crores allotted by the Centre to the State Disaster Relief Fund. The following day brought fresh news of more problems to come when the Met Office predicted heavy rains and floods in north Bengal: Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar.
What of the state capital, Kolkata? On 11 August, Mayor Sovan Chatterjee is said to have pulled up municipal officials who had not done anything to tackle the serious waterlogging problems of the city streets. Many of the streets of North and South Kolkata continue to be waterlogged. Downpours occurring around 3 p.m. each afternoon meant this writer had to wade through mucky water in the erstwhile posh parts of former European Calcutta: Russel Street and Park Street in order to access banks, stores and offices. On 13 August, the newspaper reported that floods were wreaking havoc in north Bengal and disrupting train services.
The Himalayan rivers were heavily inundating vast tracts of land and most municipal wards in settlements in the area were seriously flooded. On 16 August, following Independence Day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs. 2 lakhs for the families of flood victims and the government will also rebuild housing. August 2017 has at last seen the DVC agree to the West Bengal governments request to them to conduct a survey of the existing capacity of its dams and barrages due to siltation since its inception. If the DVC had been constructed as its American technical concept, thought up by the avatars of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) so many years ago in the 1950s, conceptualised, things might have been very different.
So much for central and south Bengal: what of the northern part of the state, where heavy rains and floods are now burying people in landslides? Primary losses amount to Rs. 50 crores, National Highway 34 is inundated and the north Bengal tea plantations have incurred losses amounting to over Rs. 100 crores, according to news reports of 15 August.
What a way to ring in the 70th anniversary of Indian Independence. Rain, rain go away: come again another day but do not cause such chaos and devastation.
(The writer is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), London)
Sounding the poll bugle, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah on Sunday launched the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra by paying tribute to Sardar Valabhbhai Patel at his birthplace in Karamsad, Gujarat.
Before beginning Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, paid tributes to Sardar Patel, the symbol of Indias unity, tweeted Shah.
" " pic.twitter.com/md0nN1OuAr Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 1, 2017
Earlier in the day, Shah garlanded the statue of Patel in Karamsad.
In Karamsad, paid floral tribute to the statue of Mother Indias brave son and the iron man, Sardar Valabhbhai Patel, he tweeted.
BJPs Gujarat Gaurav Yatra ahead of the state assembly polls in December is aimed at highlighting the progress that the state has achieved under the BJP government in the last two decades, Shah said.
Through Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, BJP will promote the development revolution that has come about in the state in the last two decades, Shah tweeted.
- Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 1, 2017
This will be the second edition of Gujarat Gaurav Yatra,the first one being launched way back in 2002 by the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the state assembly elections.
Modi had undertaken the yatra after his government faced criticism at that time from various quarters for its handling of 2002 riots.
The Gaurav Yatra will conclude on 15 October. Phase one of the yatra has begun from Karamsad, birth place of Sardar Patel and will travel through districts of central and north Gujarat.
The second phase will start on 2 October from Porbandar, birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, and will pass through Saurashtra and south Gujarat.
Prime Minister Modi and Shah will remain present on the concluding ceremony of the yatra while central leaders including Gujarat elections in-charge Arun Jaitley will address rallies at different places.
The campaign rally will cover 149 of the 182 constituencies of the state and will travel 4,657 kms.
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(6) Aug 29 (5) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (7) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (5) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (7) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (8) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (2) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (8) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (2) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (1) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (2) May 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01 (1) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (1) Feb 25 (1) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (2) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (2) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (2) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (1) Feb 14 (1) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (2) Feb 11 (1) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (1) Feb 08 (1) Feb 07 (1) Feb 06 (1) Feb 05 (5) Feb 03 (1) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (1) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (3) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (1) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (6) Dec 14 (4) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (5) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (4) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (6) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (3) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (5) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (6) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (2) Aug 07 (2) Aug 06 (2) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (2) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (2) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (6) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (4) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (2) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (2) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (1) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (2) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (5) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (4) May 13 (9) May 12 (4) May 11 (5) May 10 (5) May 09 (4) May 08 (3) May 07 (5) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (1) May 02 (5) May 01 (7) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (3) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (3) Apr 14 (4) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (1) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (1) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (4) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (4) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (6) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (4) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (4) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (4) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (4) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (5) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (2) Dec 29 (2) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (2) Dec 11 (6) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (6) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (4) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (2) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (4) Nov 15 (6) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (2) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (2) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (4) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (7) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (7) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (2) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (2) Aug 16 (2) Aug 15 (5) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (5) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (7) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (2) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (6) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (6) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (8) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) 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(4) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (9) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (3) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (2) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (2) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (2) Jan 04 (2) Jan 03 (2) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (2) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (2) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (2) Nov 21 (2) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (2) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (2) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (2) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (2) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (2) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (2) Aug 25 (2) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (2) Aug 12 (2) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (2) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (2) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (2) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (2) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (2) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (2) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (2) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (2) Jul 03 (2) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (2) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (2) Jun 16 (2) Jun 15 (2) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 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The appointment of a forward looking woman (at least that is the image she has projected to the media) as the chief proctor of the shame-shocked Banaras Hindu University could be a desperate, perhaps belated, effort to dispel the ultra-conservative impression of those in authority, not just in the university but also of the political leadership in Lucknow and New Delhi.
It is not surprising that the Vice-Chancellor is now under a cloud, he has dug his heels in and said he will not quit before his stipulated term ends, and will resign if asked to proceed on leave, for finding a fall-guy is now typical of BJP-led administrations.
The official maintains his seemingly misogynistic attitude. So it could be a calculated move endorsed by HRD minister Smriti Irani to elevate Prof Royana Singh ~ she was not the next-in-line when the previous incumbent stepped aside after the unrest following the police conducting a cane-charge against women students protesting sexual harassment on the campus.
The Professor, who was born in France and headed the womens grievance cell in the university, seems to have ticked all the right boxes in her media interaction. She has promised a revamp of campus security with an emphasis on appointing women for the job, ruled out a dress code for women students, said they would not be subjected to a curfew and even indicated that as they were adults their consuming alcoholic beverages would not be taboo.
She had no objections to non-vegetarian food, but noted that since most students were vegetarian its preparation in the hostel kitchens could create some complications.
This is a truly welcome whiff of fresh air in an otherwise stifling environment. It would, however, be an oversimplification to assume that Prof. Singh will be given a free hand to usher in such changes ~ or whether the louts that hang around university/college campuses will allow her bold moves to succeed. And that is where the HRD minister has her part to play.
In her initial stint in that ministry she had seemed to take a traditional/conservative line, but on her return she redeemed her image by easing out the much-despised head of the Board of Film Certification.
Though she has the backing of the Prime Minister it will not be easy for her to have stereotyped notions cast asunder and get the politicians in UP to accept women students in BHU at par with their counterparts in Delhi or Mumbai.
A few political figures from UP have spoken in derogatory terms of modern women, the minister has personally faced them in Parliament, and she must be aware of what she is up against.
Yet the perception of her party needs an overhaul, particularly after its poor showing in recent elections to students unions. Irani has work cut out for herself.
The recent Cabinet reshuffle, third in as many years, had everyone immersed in a riveting, albeit watered down, desi version of the guessing Game of Thrones. Reportedly no one, except the Prime Minister and the BJP president, was in the know of its contours.
Even during the swearing -in ceremony, the Ministers, including four former bureaucrats (two from the IAS, one each from the IFS and the IPS), were not informed about their assigned portfolios. Before leaving for the BRICS conference in China the same day, the Prime Minister instructed officials that these Ministers, along with the others whose portfolios were changed, be intimated telephonically between 11-30 a.m. and 1 p.m. i.e. after the ceremony. The portfolio list was officially released only at 1.30 p.m.
The list put paid to many a fanciful dream and speculation. The hallmark of the entire exercise was confidentiality of a high order and meticulous planning, which some commentators applauded as being impressively corporate in spirit and a welcome break from the past. After the Presidential nominee startler of July, however, this should not have had a knock-out effect. More of the unexpected should have been expected.
Be that as it may, the overarching mantra in the reshuffle was projected as perform or perish. That it did not, in fact, quite explain the complete story and that, predictably enough, more conventional factors of caste and region did play their inevitable role, was conveniently glossed over. Not all performers were upgraded.
Neither were all non-performers shown the door to political oblivion. Some were utterly flummoxed by their new assignments! (For those who may be scratching their heads, this refers to Giriraj Singh, who took over from his senior, Kalraj Mishra. Evidently age, not non-performance played, spoilsport here). Typically, performance has always been an alien creature in our entitlement-addicted political mindsets and predominantly non-accountable governance styles. Bringing it centre-stage, therefore, was bound to resonate strongly.
Canny strategizing, in other words, if one were to act the unpopular sceptic. It was perceived to be in perfect sync with the Prime Ministers strong push for a New India by 2022. More than anything else, the embedded message was important. And doubting Ram-s and Rahim-s would perforce have to just shut up. The associated symbolism was taken to near dizzying heights with the elevation of Nirmala Sitharaman ~ a MOS with only a decade-plus association with the party ~ with not too many top-notch scores in an admittedly challenging sector to preen about ~ as the Raksha Mantri and a privileged member of the exclusive Cabinet Committee on Security Affairs, successfully smashing the tough proverbial glass ceiling, thus making it to the coveted league of fifteen countries worldwide. Narishakti at its spectacular best.
The Government had to be seen to be serious about enhancing its efforts to come good on many compelling electoral promises, which seemed at times to be merely sputtering along as empty rhetoric.
With preparations for the 2019 electoral slugfest having been taken in hand in real earnest by the BJP, the veritable winning machine, and sights set on 350-plus seats in the Lok Sabha, pushing the refresh button could not have been postponed indefinitely.
It is in the context of performance orientation that the induction of the bureaucrat quartet assumes special significance. The impression conveyed was that they were miles ahead in their capability to ace priority Governmental goals vis-a-vis many dyed in the wool politicos. Such a positive profiling was indeed unique. A few chosen former bureaucrats and box-wallahs had featured in Rajiv Gandhis inner circle back in the 80s but that had more to do with buddy / proximity -related reasons, less with performance expectations.
Understandably, this astute move met with immediate approbation, underscoring the abiding faith of the aam janata in the professional acumen of bureaucrats and their proven ability to deliver, provided the requisite autonomy and support to do so were guaranteed. It was also assessed as a manifestation of the Governments sankalp to turf out the self-serving and patently ineffective parasites shamelessly living off tax payers hard earned money.
The Prime Minister personally addressed the likely reaction ~ possibly from his colleagues, more than others ~ to babe- packing the Cabinet by highlighting their impeccable credentials. The PMO, it is understood, did a deep dive into the past and fished out many a gem for each of the quartet, some dating back decades to their student days and their remarkable careers. Clearly, they came out sparkling. Full credit to them. It has not mattered that two of them are not Members of Parliament, despite knowing that electioneering, even in safe, pocket seats takes its toll on governance. It has not mattered that they have been associated with the BJP for only a few years, relatively late entrants, so to say.
It has not mattered that one of them has swung from the left to the right for electoral considerations.
It has not mattered that one of them, the former Union Home Secretary, has gone on record, expressing his disgust at the partys corrupt practice of allegedly selling tickets during the 2015 Bihar elections and refusing to join the campaign. It has not mattered that one has served overseas for the better part of his career.
It has not mattered that there is lack of or inadequate domain expertise for the sectors they have been tasked to salvage in a time squeeze of less than two years. Quite idyllic, almost touching. Faith and hope have clearly trumped all else. They have expectedly made the right noises about doing justice to their responsibilities.
The jarring beef related non-quotable quotes by the Tourism Minister, who appears overly zealous to simultaneously morph into a bridge for the BJP with the Christian community and violence wracked Kerala, his home-state, may be ignored for now.
The jury is out and performance parameters are being watched closely. Highly ironically though, serving bureaucrats have ~ barring some exceptions ~ generally not been recipients of similar encomiums on the performance count from the highest levels of this Government.
They have had to be exhorted on innumerable occasions, from Secretary, Additional Secretary and Joint Secretary levels in the Central Government to DMs in the States, to give a far better account of themselves. If anything, they are trashed routinely ~ often unfairly so ~ and held responsible for many of the persisting dysfunctionalities debilitating development and growth programmers.
There is much hype about weeding out overflowing dead wood in the system and bringing in, through the controversial lateral-entry route, wizards from the highly prized corporate arena.
Niti Aayog is working overtime on its pet rejig-bureaucracy project, causing consternation, uncertainty and leading to slow morale sapping.
The apparent mismatch in the trust factor between former bureaucrats-turned Ministers and serving bureaucrats needs serious attention. If the twosome does not pirouette in harmony, performance is doomed to remain lackadaisical.
Surely the Government does not intend to merely carve out another attractive post-retirement aspiration for bureaucrats ~ that of plunging into enthralling politics! We know its damaging implications for governance.
(The writer is a retired IAS officer and comments on governance issues)
Even after the Supreme Court judgment in the Triple Talaaq case, inequality and discrimination again Muslim women are unliklely to disappear. The judgment had dealt with only one form of divorce, talaaq-i-biddat, which is only one of the forms of divorce obtainable . After the Supreme Court judgment on triple talaaq, the debate on personal laws and the need for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) have again occupied centrestage.
Under Islamic law, a husband may divorce his wife by merely pronouncing the word talaq. No reason needs to be stated, and the pronouncement alone is sufficient. Apart from talaaq, the other modes of divorce are ila and zihar which differ from talaaq only in form. A wife does not have the right to divorce her husband she can do so only when the husband has delegated such a right to her or under a mutual agreement, as in khula or mubarat.
The Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939 gave Muslim women the right to seek and get divorce legally on certain specified grounds like husbands inability to perform his marital obligations, imprisonment, adultery, impotency, cruelty etc. It is not known how many Muslim women have actually benefited from the provisions of this Act, but arguably, very few from the lower strata of Muslim society, over which the Mullahs exercise a vicelike grip, would be aware of the Act. Under Muslim law, a husband can divorce his wife through talaaq, ila, and zihar.
Talaaq literally means setting free, apparently from the bondage of marriage, but actually it pushes a woman into an existence of lifelong misery without justice. It was strange that in a modernising India, this abhorrent practice that gave absolute arbitrary power to a Muslim husband to divorce his wife literally at his whim was not only practiced, but enjoyed the unstinted support of Mullahs.
It came in two forms: talaaq-i-biddat and talaaq-i-sunnat, which again came in two forms: talaaq-i-ahasan and talaaq-i-hasan. The ahasan talaaq consists of a single pronouncement of talaq made during tuhr (period of purity between two menstruations), followed by abstinence during the iddat period of three months, before the expiry of which the divorce can be revoked.
In hasan talaaq, the husband is required to pronounce talaaq three times during three successive tuhrs. After the last pronouncement, talaaq becomes final and marriage is dissolved irrevocably. Besides talaaq, a Muslim husband can repudiate his marriage by two other modes, ila and zihar. In ila, the husband takes an oath not to have sexual intercourse with his wife and abstains from sexual intercourse for four months at the expiry of which the marriage dissolves irrevocably.
In zihar, the husband treats his wife like a woman with whom marriage is prohibited, like mother or sister and does not cohabit with her for a period of four months when the marriage stands dissolved. The divorce by wife under Muslim law can be obtained either through talaaq-i-tafweez, or legally through the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939.
In talaaq-itafweez, the husband can delegate this power (of pronouncing divorce) to his wife or any other person with or without conditions. This form of delegated divorce may be stipulated in prenuptial agreements. The last form of divorce under Muslim law is by mutual agreement, it takes three forms: khula, mubarat and lian. In both khula and mubarat, the wife has to part with her rights to husbands property. Here again the woman is at the receiving end, she has to seek freedom from by paying compensation to the husband out of her property, usually the mahr that was paid by the groom at the time of marriage.
In mubarat, either party may propose to give up all mutual rights and obligations, while in lian, if the husband levels charges of adultery against his wife without witness under oath to Allah, and the wife counters these allegations as false, also under similar oaths, then the marriage is dissolved by mutual consent.
Thus it is seen that except in case of divorce through mutual consent, Muslim personal law gives arbitrary power to men and discriminates against women. It is argued that once Muslim Personal Law is codified like Hindu personal law, much of this arbitrariness would disappear, and for this the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, a party to the triple talaaq case, had wanted codification of Muslim personal law.
Theological abstruseness has accumulated over centuries and needs clearing. But it needs to be understood that the majority religion is easier to reform anywhere, as governments would not like to be seen as imposing the majoritarian will on minorities in trying to reform their personal laws. Further law alone cannot bring in social change, it comes gradually and incrementally. Hindu personal law was codified in the 1950s by Parliament, but it could not erase the gender gap between Hindu men and women.
Hindu Succession Act was enacted by Parliament only in 2005 to regulate intestate or unwilled succession among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs and giving women equal rights to property as men. Christian divorce rights were made gender neutral only in 2001. But Muslim personal law has not been codified by Parliament, except through the Shariat Act of 1937 and the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Divorce) Act of 1986, enacted in the aftermath of Shah Bano judgment of the Supreme Court that is a blot on our democracy and a shameless example of kowtowing to the Mullahs. Judges still rely on Islamic jurisprudence for resolving disputes related to Islamic practices. The discrimination against women will not be removed only by codification, just as it has not been done so for Hindu women.
To remove gender discrimination and to bring in transparent justice with equality as promised in article 14, a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is imperative. In my article in these columns, Towards Liberation II, May 22, 2017, I had argued that only a uniform civil code, as mandated in article 44 of the Constitution under Directive Principles of State Policy, can resolve the contradictions that will otherwise arise from any system that derives its sanctity from religion.
In todays political climate, in which even national parties vie with each other to woo voters on the basis of religion and castes and indulge in selective secularism, consensus on UCC would be well-nigh impossible. It is imperative that a single-party majority Government must show the courage and conviction to carry it forward and not be swayed by vote bank politics.
That is the only way to truly unify India, and close the divides created by religion. In the Constituent Assembly debates, Dr. Ambedkar had forcefully argued for adoption of a Civil Code against those who stood for upholding personal laws of religion and Shariat: I personally do not understand why religion should be given this vast, expansive jurisdiction, so as to cover the whole of life and to prevent the legislature from encroaching upon that field.After all, what are we having this liberty for? We are having this liberty in order to reform our social system, which is so full of inequities, discriminations and other things, which conflict with our fundamental rights. However, in those uncertain strife-torn post-partition days, the Constituent Assembly did not force it. Instead, it included it as desirable under the Directive Principles, to be made mandatory once the time is ripe. Seven decades hence, has the time still not arrived to enact a UCC for the entire country, covering all religions and all communities uniformly and removing all traces of religion from our marriage, succession, inheritance and divorce in a fair and just way?
In all these seven decades, we have ignored and forgotten the individual citizen the fulcrum in a democracy that is built on the foundation of individual adult franchise and instead perfected the art of pampering to groups and subgroups on the basis of religion Hindus and Muslims, majority and minority, castes and sub-castes, while treating and cultivating them as vote banks. The demands of these groups have been given precedence over the rights of the individual.
That is why in the recent Supreme Court judgment, no judge talked about the abhorrence and unfairness of the practice to the individual woman and instead drew their arguments and conclusions from the personal laws of the minority group they belong to.
It is time to restore the forgotten dignity and rights of the individual through the UCC and abolish, once and for all, the intrusion of religion and the clergy into our personal lives to redeem the ideals of our founding fathers.
(The author is a commentator. Opinions expressed are personal.)
To the younger generation of today Besant might be just a name, but to my generation, and the one before that, she was a tremendous figure. Not only she played a conspicuous role in Indias fight for freedom, but she was one of those early persons who drew our attention to our own heritage, and made us feel proud of it.
These words were spoken by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in a tribute to Annie Besant in 1956, 22 years after her death in 1933. Earlier, in the Discovery of India, he had written: She was a powerful influence in adding to the confidence of the Hindu middle classes in their spiritual and national heritage.
There was a spiritual and religious element about all this, and yet there was a strong political background to it. Annie Besant became the first woman President of the Indian National Congress in 1917. For forty years from 1893, when she first arrived in India from England, till she died in 1933, besides politics she worked in other departments of human activity educational, religious and social displaying tremendous energy, enthusiasm and perseverance.
Leaving the comfortable environs of her English society, Annie Besant dedicated her life to the service of India and its people. This angel landed on Indian soil in December 1893 when the empire had tightened its grip over India and an average Indian had lost confidence in himself, his self respect and even his ancient cultural moorings.
Before coming to India she had visited the Chicago Parliament of Religions which has become a historic milestone because of Swami Vivekanandas famous address. As she was already a leading Member of the Theosophical Society in London, Annie Besant chose Madras for her residence as the headquarters of the society, propagating inter-faith harmony, was located in Adyar. She became President of the society in 1907 continuing in the post till her death.
To propagate her political and social views Mrs. Besant started a weekly paper Commonweal and later a daily, New India. Through the columns of these papers which became very popular, she forcefully advanced the cause of freedom for India: What does India want? She wants everything that any other nation may claim for itself. To be free in India as the Englishman is free in England. To be governed by her own free men, freely elected by herself justice must replace inequality. India can never nest till she is free.
In 1914 Besant attended the 29th session of INC in Madras as a delegate. Soon after she intensified her activities for Home Rule and established a Home Rule League in 1915. A few months apart, another Home Rule League was also set up by Lokmanaya Tilak in Poona. Both Leagues coordinated their efforts by confining their activities to their respective areas of influence. Home Rule became a live issue for the whole of India. Prominent Indians joined Besants Home Rule League: C.R. Das in Calcutta, Motilal Nehru in UP and M A Jinnah in Bombay.
The ever increasing activities of Mrs. Besant became a headache for the British authorities. In mid 1917 she and two of her colleagues were interned in Ooty. According to one of her biographers, Mrs. Besants internment sounded the death knell of the British Empire. Her detention achieved what she could not achieve for 20 years.
A few months later Mrs Besant was invited by the Congress to preside over the INC session at Calcutta in December 1917. In her presidential speech, she said that democracy is not foreign to India. Panchayats, the village republics had been the most stable institution of India, and only vanished during the last century under the pressure of the East India Companys domination. As a result of Annie Beasants campaign and pressure of public opinion the Montague-Chelmsford proposals on constitutional reforms were enacted by the British parliament. In 1920, when Mahatma Gandhi launched the non-cooperation movement Besant opposed the means adopted by the Mahatma even while agreeing with the objective of the movement.
This sharp difference of opinion had an adverse effect on her popularity and she gradually withdrew from the political field. However, by 1925, Besant prepared an Indian Commonwealth Bill which was presented to the British parliament.
The Bill, with its proposal of a constitution for India made by Indian themselves, couldnt be passed despite the support of all Labour and Liberal MPs.
Annie Besants work in the political and religious fields became well known. But her equally important contribution in the field of education is relatively little known. For example very few people may know that it was Besant who started the Central Hindu College at Varanasi which eventually grew as Benaras Hindu University (BHU) with the efforts of Madan Mohan Malaviya. She was not only a popular and versatile author but also a leader whose oratorical skills could be matched by only a few of her contemporaries.
Sarojini Naidu, who became the second woman President of INC in 1925 remarked: Had there been no Annie Besant there would have been no Mahatma Gandhi. Alongwith Dadabhai Naoroji, Tilak and Gokhale, Annie Besant must rank with the most popular and influential leaders of the pre-Gandhian era.
(The writer, an ex-Army officer is a former member of National Commission for Minorities and a political analyst.)
At least 28 civilians were killed in air strikes on Syrias planned safe zone in a bombing campaign against militants, a monitor said on Saturday.
Four children were among the dead in the overnight airstrikes on the town of Armanaz, in Idlib province near the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The airstrikes were triggered by an offensive by jihadist fighters led by Al-Qaidas former Syrian affiliate launched against government-held villages in neighbouring Hama province.
The jihadists control nearly all of Idlib province after driving out Islamist former allies earlier this year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on Thursday to step up efforts to establish a safe zone in Idlib as part of a wider agreement struck in May.
Three other safe zones have already been set up in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, parts of the south and some areas of the central province of Homs.
The de-escalation agreement excludes both the Islamic State group and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the alliance dominated by Al-Qaedas former Syrian affiliate.
The Islamic State group is under attack in its remaining strongholds in eastern Syria by both Russian-backed government forces and US-backed fighters.
remaining of
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Rainfall in Indias annual monsoon season was below average and less than forecast, with some crop-growing central and northern states receiving less rain than needed, the national weather office said on Saturday as the rainy season ended.
Indian monsoon rains were 95 per cent of the long-term average compared with the Indian meteorological department (IMD)s forecast of 98 per cent, marking the fourth straight year in which the IMD has overestimated likely rainfall.
The monsoon, which delivers about 70 per cent of Indias annual rainfall, is critical for the farm sector that accounts for about 15 per cent of Indias $2 trillion economy and employs more than half of the countrys 1.3 billion people.
Indias rainfall was below average mostly because of low rainfall in the oilseeds and pulses-growing central state of Madhya Pradesh and in the rice-growing northern states of Haryana and Punjab.
While rice output is expected to be down 2 per cent compared with last year due to better irrigation in the rain deficient northern states, soybean output could fall about 8 per cent, the government said this week.
The IMD for the first time adopted the so-called dynamic model, based on a US model tweaked for India, to improve the accuracy of its forecasts.
IMDs forecast for the 2017 monsoons was its most accurate since 2008, when there was a difference of only 1 percentage point between the forecast and the actual rainfall.
The weather office was similarly accurate in 2011, when the difference was 3 percentage points.
Uber Technologies Inc co-founder Travis Kalanick said he had appointed two new directors, a surprise move that publicly reignited a board battle over the role of the ousted former chief executive.
Kalanicks move on Friday sought to pre-empt a move by new chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi to restructure the board and gain greater control, a person familiar with the co-founders decision said.
Uber said in a statement on Friday the company was surprised by Kalanicks action.
Company investors are divided over whether Kalanick should remain on the board and whether he should be allowed to name two other directors.
Benchmark Capital, which had pressured Kalanick to resign as CEO in the wake of several governance scandals, did not respond to a request for comment.
Khosrowshahi is scrambling to portray Uber as a reformed company that is turning a page on concerns including sexual harassment claims and a US bribery probe. Investors have described diluting Kalanicks power as a necessary step on the path to making amends.
Kalanick, still one of the largest shareholders, said in a statement he had appointed former Xerox chief executive Ursula Burns and former Merrill Lynch chief executive John Thain as directors.
I am appointing these seats now in light of a recent board proposal to dramatically restructure the board and significantly alter the companys voting rights. It is therefore essential that the full board be in place for proper deliberation to occur, especially with such experienced board members as Ursula and John, he said. He did not specify the proposals he opposed.
Uber had nine directors before Kalanicks Friday appointments. The person familiar with the matter said that Kalanick acted after Khosrowshahi had outlined a plan to directors, which is scheduled to be voted on October 3, that would give him control of four board seats in addition to his own on a panel that now has 11 directors.
Khosrowshahis plan calls for transferring one of the two Kalanick-controlled positions to SoftBank Group Corp, which is considering an investment in Uber, the source said. Khosrowshahi effectively could put a person of his choosing in the other seat, as well as three other existing ones, according to the source. A third of directors also would be elected each year under the plan.
Uber did not respond on Saturday to a request to comment about the Khosrowshahi plan. But the company said earlier in a statement that Kalanicks appointments were a complete surprise to Uber and its board. That is precisely why we are working to put in place world-class governance to ensure that we are building a company every employee and shareholder can be proud of, the statement said.
Yucaipa Companies managing partner Ron Burkle, an investor who has supported Kalanick, praised Burns and Thain as smart, high-quality people.
Division among Uber investors exploded in public in August, when Benchmark Capital filed a lawsuit to force Kalanick off the board and rescind his ability to fill two other seats on the panel, accusing him of concealing a range of misdeeds. Yucaipa and other Uber investors defended Kalanick and asked Benchmark to divest its own shares and step down from the board.
A Delaware judge later that month stayed the Benchmark lawsuit and sent it to arbitration, pushing the dispute out of public view and delivering Kalanick a victory.
Kalanicks action on Friday could be subject to a new legal challenge. Benchmark or other Uber investors could attempt to block the appointments by asking the Delaware judge to issue a so-called status-quo order. The judge last month did not grant such a request.
Kalanicks lawyer at the time told the court that Kalanick had not rushed to fill the seats. The New York Times also quoted Kalanicks lawyer as telling the court Kalanick had the power to fill the seats under the pre-arbitration status quo.
The war of words between the BJP and Congress leaders will intensify in the coming days if the launch of the ruling dispensation's 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's home town Karamsad in central Gujarat, on Sunday, is any indication.
If Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the development under the BJP during his recently concluded first phase of Resurgence Gujarat Yatra, BJP national president Amit Shah hit out at Gandhi. Shah said that Rahul Gandhi was asking for an account of the development in Gujarat, whereas the BJP was asking about the injustice meted out by three generations of his party leaders to the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to arrive for the culmination of the yatra in mid-October.
Gujarat, with its 182-seat assembly, goes to polls by the end of the year.
Shah's speech, however, was marred by a group of protesters, who created a ruckus and shouted slogans jai sardar, jai patidar. They were picked up by the police. The protesters were reportedly from Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti that was spearheading the pro-reservation quota agitation for more than two years.
Only a few days ago, the state government announced several measures in a bid to pacify the Patidars ahead of elections. However, PAAS has said that their agitation for quota would continue.
Shah said that people of Gujarat would give a fitting reply to the Congress in the upcoming elections. He also accused the Congress of meting out injustice to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The national BJP president said that the Gaurav Yatra would fetch an overwhelming victory for the party. He said that Narendra Modi has given corruption-free governance and presented Gujarat model before the nation.
He also compared the funds received by Gujarat when UPA and NDA were at the Centre.
This is the second edition of the Gaurav Yatra. The first was taken out by Modi as the chief minister of Gujarat after post-Godhra riots and before the assembly elections in 2002, which the BJP won easily.
Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from the ISIS captivity, finally arrived in his hometown in Kerala on Sunday morning.
Upon his arrival, Father Tom thanked the almighty and expressed his happiness.
"How can one feel upon reaching home? I am happy. And thankful to the almighty. God bless all," he said.
Father Tom arrived in Bengaluru on September 29.
"I thank the Almighty. I thank everybody," Father Tom told the media.
Earlier, Father Tom, upon his return to New Delhi, informed that his captors did not harm him physically.
While addressing a press conference in the national capital, Father Tom had said, "God has a mission for all of us and my mission is to be present for the old and the dying. I have prayed for those who kept me (captive). They gave me food and didn't harm me physically. Initially they asked who'll help me out from this situationthe government or Church? After some time they stopped asking me."
Father Tom also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Father Uzhunnalil was rescued on September 12.
He was reportedly kidnapped on March 4, 2016 by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) in Yemen, when they attacked a retirement home in Aden run by the Missionaries of Charity, killing sixteen people, including four nuns.
India has opened two immigration check posts along the borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, a reflection of its growing closeness with the two eastern neighbours.
In a gazette notification, the home ministry said the Union government has designated Zorinpui land check post in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram as an authorised immigration check post for entry into or exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers to or from Myanmar.
In a separate notification, the ministry said the Central government designated Kawrpuichhuah land check post in Lunglei district of Mizoram as an authorised immigration check post for entry into or exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers to or from Bangladesh.
Zorinpui was selected for a new land custom station along the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram for the Kaladan multi-modal project.
The remote Zorinpui is 287km away from Sittwe Port in Myanmar. An agreement on Zorinpui was included in the joint statement issued during the visit of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh to Myanmar in May, 2012.
Kawarpuchiah is situated in Mizoram along a riverine border with Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Myanmar for two days from September 5, the first bilateral visit to the neighbouring country. India shares a 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar which touches Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
India enjoys close relations with Bangladesh and shares a 4,096-km-long border which touches Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and West Bengal.
Amid rising cybercrimes and malware attacks by third-party sources, US-based tech MNC Google has announced that it may replace its two-factor authentication tool in order to protect high-profile users from 'politically motivated' cyber attacks.
The new feature, reportedly termed as Advanced Protection Program, is scheduled for a launch in October.
It will replace the standard authentication process for services like Gmail and Google Drive with physical USB security keys.
The service would also restrict third-party apps and services that could connect to a user's Google account, the Verge quoted a Bloomberg report.
Targeted particularly at account owners with a political, corporate or executive background, Google aims to help protect these individuals from premeditated attacks.
The new physical security keys will require users to keep them plugged in to access the additional security controls, thereby making it more difficult to remotely gain control of someone's Gmail or Google Drive account.
China has stepped up security on its border with India, North Korea and Myanmar ahead of the key Communist Party Congress next month.
The once-in-a-five-year meet is China's most important political event. The authorities would not like to risk any event which disrupts the meeting where Chinese President Xi Jinping will get a second five-year term.
China's border police will maintain the highest security on the country's frontiers with North Korea, India and Myanmar as the Communist Party gears up for its all-important Congress, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning said in a report.
"(We will) stick to the highest standards, strictest requirements and strongest measures to ensure absolute border security for the party's 19th national Congress," the report quoted an official statement as saying.
China has a long-running border dispute with India. The two countries have 3,488 km of de facto boundary, most of which is disputed.
Beijing and New Delhi last month ended an over two month military stand-off in the Sikkim section along the Sino-India border.
China's northeast borders reclusive North Korea. The North Korean nuclear crisis has worried the world, especially its ally China.
Beijing fears an influx of refugees in case of a war between the US and the North.
China would not also want Myanmar's Rohingyas to cross over into Chinese border.
"The border forces under the People's Armed Police became the latest government agency to make a show of support for President Xi Jinping, saying officers would focus on the frontiers to ensure stability for the five-yearly gathering," the newspaper said.
They would also tighten monitoring of coastal areas and ramp up counter-terrorism work, the police were quoted as saying in a statement.
Security personnel have been out in force across the country to make sure the highly choreographed gathering is not disturbed by social unrest.
The United States delivered an ominous warning to Americans on Friday to stay away from Cuba and ordered home more than half the U.S. diplomatic corps, acknowledging neither the Cubans nor Americas FBI can figure out who or what is responsible for months of mysterious health ailments.
No longer tiptoeing around the issue, the Trump administration shifted to calling the episodes attacks rather than incidents.
The U.S. actions are sure to rattle already delicate ties between the longtime adversaries who only recently began putting their hostility behind them. The U.S. Embassy in Cuba will lose roughly 60 percent of its American staff and will stop processing visas for prospective Cuban travelers to the United States indefinitely, officials said. Roughly 50 Americans had been working at the embassy.
President Donald Trump said that in Cuba they did some very bad things that harmed U.S. diplomats, but he didnt say who he might mean by they.
Though officials initially suspected some futuristic sonic attack, the picture is muddy. The FBI and other agencies that searched homes and hotels where incidents occurred found no devices.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who reviewed options for a response with Trump, said, Until the government of Cuba can ensure the safety of our diplomats in Cuba, our embassy will be reduced to emergency personnel in order to minimize the number of diplomats at risk of exposure to harm.
In Fridays travel warning, the State Department confirmed earlier reporting by The Associated Press that U.S. personnel first encountered unexplained physical effects in Cuban hotels. While American tourists arent known to have been hurt, the agency said they could be exposed if they travel to the island a pronouncement that could hit a critical component of Cubas economy that has expanded in recent years as the U.S. has relaxed restrictions.
At least 21 diplomats and family members have been affected. The department said symptoms include hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues and difficulty sleeping. Until Friday, the U.S. had generally referred to incidents. Tillersons statement ended that practice, mentioning attacks seven times; the travel alert used the word five times.
Still, the administration has pointedly not blamed Cuba for perpetrating the attacks, and officials have spent weeks weighing how to minimize the risk for Americans in Cuba without unnecessarily harming relations or falling into an adversarys trap.
If the attacks have been committed by an outside power such as Russia or Venezuela to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Cuba, as some investigators have theorized, a U.S. pullout would end up rewarding the aggressor. On the other hand, officials have struggled with the moral dimensions of keeping diplomats in a place where the U.S. government cannot guarantee their safety.
The administration considered expelling Cuban diplomats from the U.S., officials said, but for now no such action has been ordered. That incensed several lawmakers who had urged the administration to kick out all of Cubans envoys.
Its an insult, said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a vocal critic of Cubas government, in an interview. The Cuban regime succeeded in forcing Americans to downscale a number of personnel in Cuba, yet it appears theyre going to basically keep all the people they want in America to travel freely and spread misinformation.
The U.S. travel warning said, Because our personnels safety is at risk, and we are unable to identify the source of the attacks, we believe U.S. citizens may also be at risk and warn them not to travel to Cuba.
Canada, which also has reported diplomats with unexplained health problems, said it had no plans to change its diplomatic posture in Cuba.
The U.S. moves deliver a significant setback to the delicate reconciliation between America and Cuba, countries that endured a half-century estrangement despite only 90 miles of separation. In 2015, President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro restored diplomatic ties, embassies were re-opened and travel and commerce restrictions were eased. Trump has reversed some changes but has broadly left the rapprochement in place.
After considering options that ranged all the way to a full embassy shutdown, Tillerson made the decision to reduce all nonessential personnel and all family members. Also included in the recall is Scott Hamilton, currently the highest-ranked diplomat at the mission. Staffing at the embassy in Havana was already lower than usual due to recent hurricanes that whipped through Cuba.
Cubans seeking visas to enter the U.S. may be able to apply through embassies in nearby countries, officials said. The U.S. will stop sending official delegations to Cuba, though diplomatic discussions will continue in Washington.
The United States notified Cuba early Friday via its embassy in Washington.
Cuba blasted the American move as hasty and lamented that it was being taken without conclusive investigation results. Still, Josefina Vidal, Cubas top diplomat for U.S. affairs, said her government was willing to continue cooperation with Washington to fully clarify these incidents. Her government took the rare step of the inviting the FBI to the island after being presented with the allegations earlier this year.
To medical investigators dismay, symptoms have varied widely. In addition to hearing loss and concussions, some people have experienced nausea, headaches and ear-ringing. The Associated Press has reported some now suffer from problems with concentration and common word recall.
Some U.S. diplomats reported hearing loud noises or feeling vibrations when the incidents occurred, but others heard and felt nothing yet reported symptoms later. In some cases, the effects were narrowly confined, with victims able to walk in and out of blaring noises audible in only certain rooms or parts of rooms, the AP has reported
Though the incidents stopped for a time, they recurred as recently as late August.
(AP)
NYS Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) says hes shocked that the Vermont State Police have found the terrifying arrest of Rabbi Berel Finks family in any way acceptable based on their report that showed no evidence of bias or profiling.
Who said this was a bias issue? asked Hikind. The police video makes it clear that this family was put through an ordeal that was terrifying beyond description. They were pulled over in the rain, reportedly for speeding, but were never issued a speeding ticket, which right away tells you something is odd. Its also obvious that Rabbi Fink was not trying to elude the policehe was just looking for a safe place to pull over in the rain, and within minutes he did so.
I watched the video in shock. I could only imagine what this family was going through. Rabbi Fink was clearly confused but he wasnt resisting the policenevertheless, he was treated like a terrorist, told to lie on his face on the street and handcuffed at gunpoint in front of his family. And then his son, who was a passenger, was treated the same way. And then his wife! You can hear her cryingshe is terrified. These people clearly posed no danger to anyone.
I object to these findings which exonerate this state trooper on the grounds that this was not a bias issue. Where was the sensitivity? The professionalism? Once this family was stopped, the trooper clearly saw what we all seea frightened family who did not understand why they were being arrested. Rabbi Fink didnt think he was speedingno one in their right mind speeds past a police car on purpose. Once the police had run the plates and saw who they were dealing with, there was no need to take the matter any further. I cant image this occurring in New York. Months later, this is an experience that has effected the lives on this family. It was just terrifying and so clearly unnecessary.
(YWN World Headquarters NYC)
Landlords with several properties are bracing themselves for changes to mortgage rules that will make it far more difficult for them to finance their investments.
The move comes after a testing couple of years for landlords, who have been hit with stamp duty and tax rises, and a plethora of new regulations. At the same time, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn promised last week to reintroduce rent controls if elected, after an absence of 30 years.
The new lending requirements set out by regulators mean that portfolio landlords those with four or more rental properties will face far more stringent affordability checks in future. Landlords who seek finance for a single property will from this month have their entire portfolio assessed.
New rules: Landlords with four or more rental properties will face far more stringent affordability checks in future
David Hollingworth, of mortgage broker London and Country, explains: Any landlord with four or more mortgaged buy-to-let properties will find that lenders will require details of all their properties, not just the one they are seeking to buy or refinance.
Landlords may find their choice of lender affected even if the new mortgage easily fits a lenders standalone criteria.
Exactly what information is required will vary, but it is likely to include the rental income and mortgage payments for each property, a business plan, cashflow forecasts, bank statements and tax returns.
At best, this will mean landlords will have to wade through a mountain of paperwork to be approved for a buy-to-let mortgage. At worst, some landlords could be turned down and end up mortgage prisoners on expensive variable rates with their current lender.
Karen Bennett, managing director at Shawbrook Commercial Mortgages, says: We have seen some lenders exit this market altogether, with others focusing on those landlords with three properties or fewer.
Santander, for example, is restricting its lending to like-for-like remortgages for portfolio landlords. This means anyone looking to add to their portfolio or raise capital from existing properties will be turned down by the bank.
The changes come as appetite in the once vibrant buy-to-let sector is starting to diminish. The Council of Mortgage Lenders says the number of properties bought by landlords has almost halved in the past year.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn promised last week to reintroduce rent controls if elected
DIMINISHING PERKS
Buy-to-let landlords can no longer deduct the full cost of their mortgage interest from their rental income when they calculate the profit on which to pay tax.
From April this year they have been able to offset just 75 per cent of mortgage interest. From April 2020 landlords will only be able to claim tax relief at the basic rate of 20 per cent.
In simple terms this means that a higher rate taxpayer will have their monthly returns nearly wiped out if mortgage interest represents 75 per cent or more of rental income.
Landlords must now also pay a stamp duty surcharge of 3 percentage points on purchases.
TIGHTER RULES
Property owners also face big penalties for breaking strict new regulations on tenancies. These include unlimited fines if they fail to licence properties as required, such as those used for multiple occupation.
Landlords also face penalties of up to 3,000 if they let to tenants without a legal right to live in the UK. The right to rent regulations put the onus on landlords to check tenants immigration status.
Looking ahead, new rules on energy efficiency mean that from April 2018 landlords must ensure all properties they let in England and Wales reach a rating of E on a scale of A to G, where A is the most energy efficient.
Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to 5,000.
ACTION ON AGENTS
New rules for letting agents will also have a knock-on effect on landlords. The Draft Tenants Fees Bill, due to come into force this year, will ban agents from charging would-be tenants for obtaining references, carrying out credit checks, signing contracts, and protecting deposits. As a result, letting agents are likely to increase the fees they charge landlords.
P.S. writes: I wish I had seen your excellent articles on Incrementum Funding and Paragon Time Trading earlier. My mother has dementia and my brother and I are investing the proceeds of selling her flat in order to help with care home fees.
In July, I was called by Incrementum and told that any capital invested was assured because shares in Paragon were backed by an equal value in luxury watches. We invested 40,000 but it gets worse.
When we returned from holiday in September, another Incrementum salesman called to say Paragon was in talks to be bought by a Dutch firm. We were offered a higher dividend, and we invested another 25,000. Now one Incrementum phone number is unavailable and the other is unanswered, and nobody answers the phone at Paragon either.
Share sale: Paragon rents out watches
It was only a matter of time before this dubious scheme to rent out luxury watches hit big trouble. I warned twice in August that IFRC Consultants Limited which calls itself Incrementum Funding was not licensed to sell shares to the public, and that serious unanswered questions hang over Paragon Time Trading itself.
Incrementum should be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority in order to market shares. But there is a legal exemption for firms that only deal with sophisticated investors, people who are experienced enough to judge the risks or well off enough to stand any losses.
As it happens, you and your brother are experienced investors, and fairly well off, so this is one legal trap that Incrementum has sidestepped this time. But none of this means you can be given false or misleading information to persuade you to invest.
Paragons owner, who stands to make a fortune if the company raises the 1.8million pricetag placed on its shares, is Richard Ludgate. But according to Ludgate, there is a second director, Samuel Tyler.
Paragon owner Richard Ludgate
The share prospectus says: Samuel is responsible for driving membership, affiliate partnership, and strategic partnership sales. He has, it claims, run a successful company within IT and marketing for the last six years.
Oddly though, Companies House has no record of Tyler as either a Paragon director or shareholder.
A letter issued to prospective investors over Ludgates name says: Due to my own previous client base and private networking, we have currently secured members for 60 per cent of our membership packages.
This is remarkably successful for a fledgling business. These packages are priced at between 2,500 and 275,100 a year, giving members access to top of the range watches for special events or just for everyday wear.
Yet you have told me that when you challenged Ludgate, he told you most of his companys business is short- term hiring to customers who want a posh watch for a one-off weekend event, with little by way of long-term membership.
You also have real doubts about Paragons marketing page on Facebook, which appears to have more than 2,600 people following it. Again, a remarkable success for a tiny new company.
Of course, Paragon did not sell its own shares. Sales were made by the separate Incrementum Funding, run by Timothy Sandhu. When I exposed one of its salesmen, Spencer George, as a previous pusher of dodgy carbon credit investments, Sandhu dumped him.
But this does not explain Incrementums illegal sales to unsuitable investors. Nor does it shed any light on talk of an offer from a Dutch firm to buy up the whole of Paragon, with a price of 85p a share quoted to you in the second sales call you received from Incrementum. With the shares on offer right now at 60p apiece, why on earth would Sandhu or Ludgate carry on selling them if they could rake in 85p just by holding back a while?
I put all these questions to Ludgate and Sandhu, but neither has offered any comment or explanation. You have told me that Ludgate agreed to repay you more than a week ago, but as The Mail on Sunday goes to press, no refund has arrived, and no dividend either.
The blunt fact is that Paragon shares have been sold illegally to unsuitable investors and with false claims. It is the job of the Financial Conduct Authority to investigate what it calls perimeter issues people acting as brokers, bankers and so on, without permission.
It is now a month and a half since The Mail on Sunday exposed Incrementums unlawful activity. The regulator told me: We will take action whenever there is sufficient evidence of misconduct.
But it refuses to say whether it considers the evidence published here is sufficient to justify an investigation. Yet what use is a watchdog that will not leave its cosy Canary Wharf kennel? It looks increasingly as though you and your brother will have to sue to recover your mothers money.
Ryanair chief executive Michael OLeary has clashed with rival Norwegian Air after the bombastic airline boss made unsubstantiated claims that the Scandinavian carrier may be financially vulnerable.
Norwegians chief executive Bjorn Kjos is understood to have been shocked after OLeary said the Scandinavian company was scrabbling around daily for cash and may not last another year.
Airline industry sources said OLearys remarks were motivated by sour grapes.
Kjos is reluctant to be drawn into an undignified spat with OLeary, but dismissed his remarks as nonsense.
Youre running out of cash, says Ryanairs OLeary. Dont be daft, Norwegians Kjos hits back
Theres nothing in these allegations, said Kjos. We are very happy with the financial situation we have. This is Michael OLearys style. He likes to project headlines.
Ryanair has been mired in a series of public relations scandals after cancelling flights and ruining the travel plans of 715,000 passengers.
Sources said OLeary was scaremongering and the outburst was triggered by his fury over the defection of scores of Ryanair pilots to his Scandinavian rival.
Norwegian, which owns a 300million stake in a bank, has been expanding rapidly and has been busily opening new routes including one from Gatwick to Singapore last week. Plans for the near future involve Argentina, Chicago and Austin in Texas.
Kjoss firm has recruited 400 pilots this year including 140 from Ryanair. Airline sources insist Norwegian has not been poaching and said market forces prompted the pilots to leave OLearys firm.
OLearys low-cost carrier, now Europes biggest airline, was last week locked in a showdown with the Civil Aviation Authority over the cancelled flights farce which Ryanair has blamed on botched holiday rotas. Analysts say the fiasco has wiped as much as 50million off Ryanairs profits.
The CAA had threatened legal action over the cancellation of 20,000 Ryanair flights. CAA chief executive Andrew Haines said last week he was furious that Ryanair had not complied with the law. He said the company should have offered passengers more money.
Take-off: Norwegian has been expanding rapidly and has been busily opening new routes
Ryanair said on Friday it had agreed to the CAAs demands to clarify the compensation packages being offered to passengers.
The airline also took a swipe at BA and complained that the CAA appeared to have taken no action when that airline suffered a computer meltdown in May.
Market analysts said Ryanairs expansion plans have been too ambitious and its stretched pilot rota has been put under more strain by the departure of the pilots.
Ryanair has launched roadshows from Brazil to Dubai in a recruitment drive, but sources said OLearys ridiculing of his own pilots was not helping.
The Irishman said ten days ago: I would challenge any pilot to explain how this is a difficult job or how it is they are overworked.
Pilots still working for OLeary are understood to be taking advice on the possibility of industrial action to force Ryanair to offer them better contracts. Daniel Roska, a broker at Sanford C Bernstein and also a former executive at Lufthansa, said: The likelihood is that they just dont have enough pilots to fly their planes.
Given their contract frameworks and working conditions, its a tough sell. Meanwhile, the US carriers are ramping up and are paying on a vastly different level.
The clan behind the River Island clothing business has paid itself a 90million dividend from its vast property and investment empire.
The Lewis family trust, which has property developments from London to the Caribbean, has divided the sum between about 40 shareholders and family members.
Documents show the bumper payout up from 30million last year represents by far the biggest annual dividend by the familys investment arm since it was split from the retail division at the end of 2014.
Family affair: River Island chief executive Ben Lewis
The River Island dynasty was created by Bernard Lewis, 91, and his brothers, who began running shops selling wool in 1948. The family changed the name of its Chelsea Girl retail chain to River Island in 1988.
The payment comes amid evidence that the River Island chain, run by Bernards nephew Ben Lewis, has defied the gloom that has struck many of its high street rivals.
Separate documents filed by the family show sales at the retail business rose 4 per cent to 971million in the year to December. Profit increased 1 per cent to 125million.
River Island has been enjoying popularity among fashion-conscious young shoppers and stylish mothers. Analysts say it has a knack of putting the right garments on the rails at the right time. Other brands such as Topshop have struggled to keep pace with online and discount rivals.
River Island has been enjoying popularity among fashion-conscious young shoppers
By the early 1980s, the Lewis family was investing the returns from their retail outlets into property and other assets.
UK & European Investments, the property arm of the family trust, has developed more than 1,000 residential units in Britain in the last ten years, including homes in trendy Shoreditch, East London. It also owns 50 retail properties with many in prime locations.
In addition it has invested in property developments on the Continent and in the US.
The Lewis family also owns City fund management firm Cavendish Asset Management, which had 1.4billion investments under management at the end of last year. That increased from 1.2billion in the previous year.
The family declined to comment.
Tangerine Confectionery makes Sherbet Fountains
Sherbet Fountains, Dip Dabs, Black Jacks and Refreshers might seem like a blast from the past but sweet manufacturer Tangerine Confectionery is still turning a profit from these childhood favourites.
But the Pontefract-based company, which is the UKs largest independent maker of sweets, said business has been badly hit recently as a result of the sugar debate.
The firm has also faced increased competition from European suppliers, along with the removal of sweets from the checkout areas in some shops as retailers respond to complaints from pestered parents.
Profits for the year to December 31, 2016 for the private equity-owned company were down from 9.4million to 3.3million. Sales during the same period fell from 152 million to 139million.
Chief executive Anthony Francheterre said the market is expected to be extremely competitive in 2017. He added: The growing debate on the cost of obesity will undoubtedly impact on the business.
However, he was confident Tangerine would still be able to maintain its market position.
In July Tangerine sold its Butterkist popcorn brand to KP Snacks for a sum thought to be in the tens of millions of pounds.
Lloyds Banking Group is mulling a legal action against the Lloyds Trade Union over the use of its name.
The lender is understood to feel it is inappropriate. It derecognised the LTU in 2015 and the union can play no part in formal negotiations over pay and conditions, but it can still represent individuals in a dispute.
The bank does recognise two other unions, Accord and Unite.
Name wars: Lloyds Banking Group is mulling a legal action against the Lloyds Trade Union
Separately, sources have raised concerns about links between the LTU and a firm called Plus Insurance Partners. Included in the typical LTU membership fee of around 14 a month are insurance policies, including income protection, personal accident and travel cover.
These are promoted on the LTU website as an insurance package given free of charge as part of the deal for members. The website indicates that the cover is offered through Plus Insurance.
Companies House records show Ian Partridge, a previous general secretary of the LTU, was a director of Plus Insurance before stepping down in 2010. Emma Stopford, his daughter, is a director and majority shareholder in Plus Insurance.
The company had net assets of more than 250,000 on August 31 last year, when its most recent accounts were filed. Stopford is listed as a contact on the unions annual return for last year, though she is not named as a senior official.
Do members know about this? asked one union source. There is a lack of transparency about the links between Plus Insurance and the union. People paying their subscriptions dont necessarily realise.
When Lloyds derecognised the LTU in 2015, union officials said it was revenge for standing up for members. Unusually, however, the bank won the support of Accord and Unite, which agreed to a new collaborative working relationship.
TUC boss Frances OGrady also welcomed the deal at the time.
The LTU, which is not affiliated to the TUC, started life decades ago as a staff association at Lloyds. In 2012 it changed its legal name to Affinity, though it still calls itself the Lloyds Trade Union in its dealings with the bank.
It is believed to have about 15,000 members at the bank, who provide it with an income of just under 2.8million, according to last years annual return. Its general secretary was paid more than 129,000.
Lloyds said: Since July 2015 the recognised unions of Lloyds Banking Group have been Accord and Unite. The role they play makes an important contribution to the future success of the group, as well as promoting the interests of colleagues. Since 2015, Affinity has had no relationship with the group.
The LTU did not respond to requests for comment.
FLOATING ALONG London was one of the busiest markets for floats over the previous quarter, the latest data has revealed.
On the main market, 14 floats raised 2 billion, while 16 admissions on AIM raised 916 million.
Scott McCubbin of Ernst & Young said: Activity in the third quarter saw a significant uptick.
London was one of the busiest markets for floats over the previous quarter, the latest data has revealed
LOOKING FORWARD Growth in the private sector cooled slightly in the three months to September, according to a survey by the Confederation of British Industry, although firms were mostly upbeat about future prospects.
SALES BONUS Nine directors at preppy clothing brand Boden have shared a 9.3 million payout as sales reached 308 million.
The label saw profits rise nearly 10 per cent to 26.2 million in 2017, boosted by growing sales in the US.
TAKING OFF The backlog of 13,425 commercial aircraft on global order books is worth an estimated 210 billion to the UK, according to industry body ADS, which says productivity must be raised to take advantage of strong aerospace demand.
BANK LOSS Digital lender Atom Banks losses reached 42 million last year as it invested heavily.
MOVING ON Arcadias property director Chris Harris is to leave the group for an equivalent role at John Lewis. The 49-year-old has run Arcadias portfolio of 3,000 shops for ten years and led its push into America.
DEEP TALKS Sirius Minerals, which wants to build a potash mine in Yorkshire, is reportedly in talks with the Treasury over guarantees for loans for the project.
Retailers could be exposed to British factories exploiting workers because many dont have a clue where their clothes are being made, an investigation by The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
British manufacturers are seeing an explosion in demand from high street and online retailers selling fast fashion, but there are fears that this has led to a growth in rogue operators as well as legitimate ones.
There are thought to be more than 100 clothes factories in Leicester, which has seen rapid growth in manufacturing. Many are stepping up production and opening new facilities.
Fashion manufacturing boom: First Jiam, a supplier to former Next boss George Daviess firm, has increased staff by 30 per cent
Online retailers such as boohoo, Missguided, Misspap and In The Style are soaking up demand. Some are sourcing more than half their clothes in Britain. High street giants are also desperate to access production.
But the rapid rise in demand, which means retailers can replenish fast-selling styles in days rather than weeks or months when buying from Asia, means shops are at risk of buying from unscrupulous factories.
Seven years ago this industry was dying. Workers were leaving the factories and getting jobs in warehouses, supermarkets or whatever they could find. But since then it has grown dramatically. The biggest worry now is the labour, said Steve Goodwin, managing director at FG4, the international clothing business owned by Next founder George Davies.
The shortage of staff is encouraging some firms to take on large numbers of inexperienced employees, then cutting corners to compete on sharp prices demanded by retailers. Asos and New Look recently warned in evidence to the Human Rights Select Committee of MPs that the renaissance of British clothing manufacture could be fatally derailed by rogue operators.
The need for speed is where this resurgence has come from, said Goodwin. Some factories wont have a problem because they pay their staff properly. But with others, its questions like: Are they going through the books? Is the building insured?
Online retailers such as boohoo are sourcing a large proportion of their wares in Britain
He said retailers using UK factories often use third-party agents to buy the clothes. In many cases, the retailers themselves never visit the factories. Ninety per cent of retailers dont have a clue who is stitching their clothes, he said.
Goodwins business, which directly employs experienced staff to monitor production, makes 25 per cent of its womenswear in British factories now compared with less than 5 per cent four years ago.
Most of the clothes are sold in FG4 by George Davies-branded stores in the Middle East. They are also in talks with possible Chinese partners.
Factory sources confirmed that Asos is taking action locally in Leicester to set benchmarks for standards. River Island too is going out of its way to make sure factories behave properly and sweatshops do not proliferate, said one.
Davies, who also set up George at Asda and built Marks & Spencers Per Una business, said he has always had a link to the town, where he used to come to visit factories as a buyer for Littlewoods stores in the 1960s.
Standards: George Daviess FG4 has staff to monitor production
Last week, he made a 5million donation to Glenfield vascular clinic after his mother developed circulatory problems and he regularly visits factories in the city, which is just an hour from his office in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.
He said: My business has always been hands on. We have quality people working for us, we know the factories, we know the fire regulations, all these things. As a retailer you also have to be vigilant, but my view is that its the same in Bangladesh or any place you are making clothes we should support these places and work closely with them.
Leicester manufacturers are benefiting from the boom. First Jiam, a Davies supplier, is a family-run warehouse about three miles from the city centre, where the owners recently upgraded to a larger 50,000 sq ft facility to cope with rising demand. Staff numbers have increased by about 30 per cent since the beginning of last year.
First Jiam's warehouse in Leicester
One supplier, who runs a business in Leicester with his brother, said of the city: There is a lot of expertise here and innovation. But until the stores commit and say, Come on, were going to support this, it isnt going to happen in the way it should.
Quick Choice, another supplier to FG4, recently acquired a large city centre warehouse from a rival. It makes fabrics and has increased its 20,000 knitting machines from 30 to 50 in the past two years.
Factory owners say many retailers used to the cheap labour at factories in Bangladesh struggle to stomach the cost of home production, despite the obvious benefits.
The supplier said retailers can also move to other supply sources at the drop of a hat, even when factories have invested tens of thousands to cope with new volumes and design requirements.
He added: I do hope it doesnt go away again for the industry because I dont know what half the people in Leicester would do if it did.
Stella McCartneys clothing range includes an 835 handbag lined with recycled plastic bottles, and she has pledged to reuse rubbish that had been dumped into the ocean.
But the designers eco-friendly and cruelty-free approach is paying off, as she appears to have earned more than 7.5 million last year as profits rose at her fashion empire.
The 46-year-old earned a dividend of around 4.4 million, according to latest accounts for the firm which takes her name, and is set to receive a further dividend of about 337,000.
Friends in high places: Stella McCartneys eco-friendly and cruelty-free approach is paying off, with profits at her fashion empire on the up
The firms highest-paid director unnamed in accounts but highly likely to be McCartney earned 3.1 million in salary and benefits.
It adds up to around 7.5 million for the daughter of Beatles legend Sir Paul.
The windfall came as the firm revealed that sales for 2016 grew 32 per cent in a year from 31 million to 41 million.
Profits rose 43 per cent from 6.6 million in 2015 to 9.5 million in 2016.
McCartney owns half of the company in a joint venture with luxury group Kering, whose other brands include Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.
Her collections are available in 48 stores around the world, with celebrity fans including Hollywood actresses Cameron Diaz and Julianne Moore.
The chief executive of supermarket chain Nisa has left suddenly during takeover talks.
Nisa said on Saturday that Nick Read had moved on after less than three years in the job, but did not give a reason.
The chain, which is owned by its independent retail members, is in takeover talks with the Co-operative Group.
The chief executive of supermarket chain Nisa has left suddenly during takeover talks
A source close to the negotiations said Reads sudden departure was not expected to impact the deal.
Read, 51, returned loss-making Nisa to a profit of 2.8 million during 2016/17 but had faced criticism from shopkeepers over pay for high-ranking bosses and plans to sell the chain to Sainsburys.
The grocery giant had entered bid talks with Nisa but shelved them saying it needed a clearer idea of the competition regulators attitude towards takeovers in the sector.
Britains biggest retailers have set their sights on the fast-growing convenience store sector after Tesco agreed to buy wholesaler Booker for 3.7 billion, in a deal now being probed by the Competition And Markets Authority.
MBANGWENI The 18 Degrees Celsius predicted for Hlatikhulu, which is the closest town to Mbangweni Royal Residence, did not deter the throngs of maidens who braved the cold yesterday and danced in front of their Majesties during the Shiselweni Reed Dance.
The maidens, who were in their traditional regalia, danced the afternoon away just after 3pm. They eventually started dancing inside the royal residence at about 4pm.
At about 4:20pm, Indvuna Yembali Nonduduzo Zubuko, who had been leading the Imbali regiment in song, was joined by members of the royal family and Liphovela LaMashwama. Leading the regiment was Inkhosatana Sikhanyiso.
After singing and dancing for a while, Liphovela LaMashwama and princesses who were leading Imbali in song were each handed a bundle of reed. They danced carrying the bundle before delivering it. Notably, while dancing, Liphovela LaMashwama was escorted by a female officer and a wardress from His Majestys Correctional Services.
Also, there was an aide making sure the Liphovela was comfortable with the bundle of the reed.
Thereafter, different members of the regiment danced before His Majesty the King while delivering the reed. Later on, the regiment went to the newly revamped arena where they danced until about 6pm. Just before the end of the dancing, the King danced in segments in front of the regiment.
He was accompanied by King Lokole Shungu Kavabioko from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with whom they danced around the arena (kudlalisela) in front of the maidens. This drew ululations and excitement from the regiment as they were happy to see the King.
According to figures given, there were over 5 000 regiment members from neighbouring countries while locals where estimated to be over 50 000.
Tomomi Hanamure, a Japanese citizen, hiked to Havasu Falls on the Havasupai Indian Reservation in the Grand Canyon May 8, 2006. She did this, as she had done for many years, as a birthday gift to herself, an exploration of the land and the culture she loved.
Five days later, people from Flagstaff to Tokyo would read of one of the most violent crimes committed in Grand Canyon history. On her birthday, Hanamure was stabbed 29 times and left in the turquoise water of Fifty Foot Falls deep beneath the towering walls of the canyon.
Annette McGivneys new book Pure Land revisits her 2007 award-winning article Freefall in which she investigates Hanamures death and exposes a deep-rooted crisis of lost culture within the Havasupai tribe. McGivney also explores how neglect and domestic abuse have shaped the lives of Hanamure and her killer, Randy Redtail Wescogame, as well as her own.
McGivneys book begins in 2010 at the Guidance Center in Flagstaff, where she faced a full-blown nervous breakdown. Years of investigating the murder of Hanamure, of retracing her steps from Yokohama, Japan, to the Wounded Knee memorial site in South Dakota, of learning about Wescogame and his troubled past, had triggered something within McGivney.
A couple of weeks before [the breakdown] I was having nightmares, and I thought I had gotten too close to the story, McGivney said. I found out I had PTSD and was acknowledging some things that happened in my childhood.
In these nightmares, McGivney would be haunted by a shadowy figure. She describes in the book that at first she thought it to be Wescogame or some other person with intent to harm or even kill her. Later, as Hanamures history of neglect and Wescogames history of abuse began to surface, McGivney realized that the figure was her father and that she had buried memories of domestic abuse.
What had initially begun as a story about an investigation into a murder had suddenly turned into an investigation into something larger: trauma, and how the effects of it can shape people into murderers, explorers and even hard-working journalists.
The lives of all three characters are tragic and the murder of Hanamure even more, so Pure Land, at its core, is a story about adversity.
It was this convergence of tragedy, the author said. All murders are tragic, but there was something about this that was just heart wrenching, to the point that it made the investigators not ever want to do another murder case again.
While Pure Land talks about murder, abuse, abandonment and violence, it uses what we find to be the worst behavior in humans to reveal how with love, nature and a little bit of guidance we can heal and become survivors of tragedy.
If people feel compassion for Randy or Tomomi or me, its not because Im trying to influence them through my book. Its because the facts, when you take it all in, including the Native American history of genocide, make you feel compassion.
In Pure Land, McGivney also discusses the healing power of nature. Her own experiences prompted her to co-found the Healing Lands Project, a non-profit public outreach campaign that provides guided river trips to child victims of domestic violence.
McGivney views the book as a two-part process. The writing is finished; now she intends to use her book and speaking engagements to raise awareness of abuse.
Im not looking to write another memoir. I thought if Im going to tell this story, its to try and help people realize their own history with trauma, she said.
McGivney will be reading from her book on Oct. 7 at Firecreek Coffee Co. during the Northern Arizona Book Festival. Pure Land,published by AUXmedia, will be available Oct. 2.
A Washington County man driving with a suspended license is accused of throwing a kitten out of his pickup truck's window on Route 22 in Washington County, State Police said Friday.
Witnesses brought the 4-week-old kitten to the Granville Small Animal Hospital where it was treated for minor injuries, troopers said.
Christopher J. Normile, 21, of the Town of Dresden was arrested after someone saw him toss the orange feline from his Chevrolet Silverado into the middle of the highway near Curtis Lumber on Sept. 26, troopers said.
Witnesses got description of the pickup and driver, relaying it to troopers.
On Sept. 29, troopers located Normile driving on North Road in Dresden and stopped him. He was charged under the state Agriculture and Markets Law with a misdemeanor and was ordered to Granville Town Court.
Normile is also facing a misdemeanor charge of aggravated unlicensed operation in Dresden Town Court since his driver's license was suspended at the time of the traffic stop on North Road, police said.
Similar case
It's the second highway pet abandonment case handled by a local police agency in the last week.
The Schoharie County Sheriff's Office said it is trying to track down two men who were seen abandoning a sick dog near the intersection of state routes 7 and 30 late Tuesday night.
Dispatchers got a call at 10:30 p.m. reporting that a small dog had been dropped off from a car near the intersection on Oak Hill. Sheriff's deputies responded and observed the dog running on Route 7 and then onto Route 30, but were unable to catch it, even after requesting assistance from state troopers in Cobleskill and Princetown, and sheriff's deputies from Schenectady County.
The witness said the dog -- now called Milly -- was dropped from a white Honda Accord, possibly a 2000, occupied by two white men, one of whom was wearing an orange and white shirt. The vehicle made a U turn after leaving the dog, and headed east on Route 7.
Note: An earlier version of this story gave the wrong county of residence for Normile.
ALBANY Havidan Rodriguez was many things before he was president of the University at Albany.
Convinced he ought to take up a trade out of high school, he became an auto mechanic, fixing cars in his hometown of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. With hopes of doing more, he went off to college and decided to be a doctor. When his money ran out, he left college and joined the Air Force, where he worked as a medical technician and quickly realized medicine wasn't for him.
From there, his aspirations took him to Maryland, where he got a degree in psychology, then Wisconsin where he got a doctorate, then Puerto Rico, where he helped build research infrastructure and programs. In Delaware he became renowned in disaster research and in Texas, led a difficult consolidation of two universities and helped launched a new medical school.
It was not long ago that he looked up, and with guidance from his longtime mentor, realized that leading a university was not so far out of reach.
"If you would have asked me a year ago, I would tell you I had no intentions of leaving Texas," he said, referring to his most recent stint as founding provost at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
"We were doing great initiatives, great projects, really transformative things," Rodriguez recalled. "I loved my team. I loved my boss, who is my greatest supporter. There was no need to leave. But he said to me one day, you know, you are already doing the job of president. You are ready for this."
The 58-year-old Puerto Rican native made headlines when he was named the 20th president of the University at Albany in June and the first Hispanic president of a four-year State University of New York campus.
That distinction meant a great deal, of course, to the state's Hispanic population, which has long been underrepresented in academic leadership roles. But for Rodriguez, his rise to the position was less about his Latin American roots than it was the work that led him there.
Indeed, the words of SUNY's board of trustees chairman, H. Carl McCall, immediately after his appointment, haven't left his head since: "With experience and expertise in areas that directly parallel the University at Albany's own strengths and focus, it seems as though Dr. Rodriguez's esteemed career has been pointing him in SUNY's direction all along."
"The more I thought about this, and I kept thinking and thinking about this, because I thought it was a really profound statement, I came to the realization that he was right," Rodriguez said in an interview with the Times Union. "I think he was really right."
Rodriguez arrives in Albany at what many see as a turning point for the university. After suffering a long slog of declining enrollment, the university this year saw a record applicant pool and freshman class, and an unprecedented spike in transfer students the likely result of popular new programs in engineering and emergency preparedness, and free tuition made possible by a new state program aimed at the middle class.
Before he started the job, Rodriguez met with students, faculty, staff, administrators and community leaders and quickly learned that the university's goals to build its graduate programs and research infrastructure, strengthen niches in areas like atmospheric sciences and emergency preparedness, and boost community outreach were a near perfect match for his own expertise.
From 2003 to 2006, he led the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, studying the socioeconomic impact of disasters and their impact on minority populations. Afterward, as a deputy provost and vice provost, he spent time building up the university's academic and international programs before taking on a similar role at the University of Texas-Pan American.
In 2014, he led the university's merger into the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border, where he served as founding provost until his appointment at UAlbany.
"I'm not this person that's coming in as a knight in shining armor to save the university," he said.
"The university doesn't need to be saved. The university is already strong. But my focus will be on working collaboratively with the community government officials, community leaders, stakeholders, because this is our university right? to ensure the university continues to move forward."
He's also not blind to the university community's desire for stability and identity after years of presidential turnover. In the past decade, the university has churned through four different presidents, including Robert Jones, who left last fall to head the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
"There's this desire, obviously, for stability at the university," he said. "And, you know, we do need to have stable leadership and come together to establish a voice and identity as a university. I think the university has to be seen as a key partner in the growth and development of not only the city of Albany, but the region and state as well."
Out of SUNY's 64 campuses, UAlbany remains one of the most racially diverse: 42 percent of its freshman class this year identify as white, 19 percent identify as black, 19 percent identify as Hispanic/latino, 10 percent identify as other and 9 percent identify as Asian.
Roughly 30 percent of the freshman class are the first in their family to attend college, and nearly 10 percent come from another state or country. Overall enrollment was expected to hit 17,700 students this fall, up about 400 from last year.
Maintaining the university's role as a diverse institution, racially and otherwise, will be a major focus of the new president as well.
"My focus will be on diversity and excellence, not because I'm a Latino but because that is the right thing to do," he said. "Just look at the changing demographics of the country. But when it comes to pulling this university together, we're all in this together regardless of our color, beliefs or background."
MALTA -- Thanks to tips from the public, Saratoga County deputies said Saturday they have identified the man using a stolen debit card at town establishments.
Joseph J. Bishop, 25, of Longmeadow Court, Mechanicville, is charged with felony criminal possession of stolen property. More charges are expected, deputies said.
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Branchburg, N.J.
The ouster of Tom Price as President Donald Trump's health secretary is yet another self-inflicted blow for Republicans wishing to put their own stamp on health care and the latest distraction for a White House struggling to advance its agenda after months of turmoil.
Price resigned Friday amid investigations into his use of costly charter flights for official travel at taxpayer expense. His exit makes it even more unlikely that Republicans will be able to deliver on their promise to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's law, even though they control the White House and both chambers of Congress.
"I think health care is a dead letter through the next election," Joe Antos, a policy expert with the business-oriented American Enterprise Institute, said Saturday.
The health secretary's exit capped a week in which a last-ditch GOP health care bill failed to advance in the Senate. Regaining momentum will be more difficult now that the White House also has to find a replacement for Price. That makes it harder to visualize how the administration and congressional Republicans can fulfill their goal of remaking the health care system along conservative lines.
Price had been on the rocks with the president since before the travel flap. A former Republican congressman from Georgia, he proved less helpful than expected on the health care fight.
The health secretary's departure is also unlikely to end what has been a steady drip of revelations about potentially inappropriate travel on the part of Cabinet members.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has come under fire for requesting a government aircraft to use on his honeymoon, while Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he'd taken three charter flights while in office, including a $12,375 late-night trip from Las Vegas to his home state of Montana in June. The Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general has opened an inquiry into Administrator Scott Pruitt's frequent taxpayer-funded travel on commercial planes.
Troy
Christopher J. Meyer was thrilled.
On Aug. 2, the longtime deputy to outgoing Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino learned a judge would not allow Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, his opponent in a Republican primary to succeed Jimino, to run on the Independence party line, which belonged to Meyer.
"I'm proud to have the support of the local Independence Party," Meyer said at the time. "One of my goals is to make sure the local Independence Party members' who live and work in Rensselaer County voices are heard, not the party bosses from New York City and Albany."
A little more than six weeks later, though, McLaughlin, who defeated Meyer in a heated GOP primary, secured the minor-party line when Meyer entered the race for a judgeship.
McLaughlin's Democratic opponent, Andrea Smyth, condemned the backroom maneuvering that she said involved McLaughlin's campaign supporters and effectively overturned the will of Independence voters.
"Now Meyers is a judicial candidate and McLaughlin has additional party lines he did not win," Smyth said in statement last week. "I condemn this disenfranchisement of Rensselaer County voters and call on Mr. McLaughlin to do the same. No one in favor of an open and honest electoral process can support these actions."
For McLaughlin, the removal of Meyers' name from the Independence ballot helped assure that voters would not still cast votes for Meyers even though he suspended his campaign for county executive. While controversial, such sudden judicial nominations are often used to get the names of candidates removed from ballots, usually only after they have lost a primary for a mainstream ballot line. The tactic is one of only three ways Meyers' name could get pulled from the ballot: The others were moving to another state or dying.
Rensselaer County political observers cannot recall if the tactic was ever used before in that county, but it's certainly been used across the state to influence votes in both state and local elections.
Last week on Long Island, state Sen. Phil Boyle, who sought the Republican nod for Suffolk County sheriff, announced he would seek the Independence line for a state Supreme Court seat to allow his name to be removed from the Independence line after he lost the GOP primary. Unlike Meyer, who seeks to become a town justice in his hometown of Grafton, Boyle is unlikely to win the state judgeship and accepted the nomination to make sure voters wouldn't still vote for him in the sheriff's race.
In 2010, when Carl Paladino beat Rick Lazio in the Republican gubernatorial primary, party bosses engineered a plan to get Lazio's name off the Conservative line. Lazio ran for a Bronx state Supreme Court judgeship on the Conservative line. Lazio, of course, did not win the judicial position. Despite the maneuvering, then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who himself held three ballot lines, cruised to victory of Paladino.
"This is something that we see from time to time all too often," said Alex Camarda, senior policy consultant for Reinvent Albany, a government watchdog organization. "It's just another example of how the party bosses undercut democracy by cutting backroom deals," he added, noting the practice has been invoked by both Democrats and Republicans.
Jonathan Lippman, the state's chief judge from 2009 to 2015, said he was unaware of the specifics of the Rensselaer County case. But he is well aware of the practice.
"From a generic perspective, we would hope that the judiciary would not be used as a pawn in the political process," Lippman said. "We want the best qualified people for the bench, and that is why there are many who feel that judges should not be elected in partisan political contests. I personally support our present system, which is a mixture of elected and appointed judges, but we have to be very careful to keep judicial races on the highest possible level and divorced as much as possible from political considerations."
Meyer, who is not an attorney and has not endorsed or otherwise supported McLaughlin's campaign, told the Times Union he agreed to the plan because he didn't want to "be a spoiler" and stay in a race he could not win.
"I wanted to become county executive, and when that became impossible, that's when I sought to remove myself from consideration," Meyer said. "I suspended my campaign and now I'm removing myself from consideration."
On Monday, the executive committee of Rensselaer County's Republican Party certified Meyer's nomination to run for a $6,800-a-year town judgeship in Grafton after a sitting town judge, Pierce Hoyt, who is also a county employee, suddenly decided to retire from his justice position but will remain on the county payroll.
Smyth, McLaughlin's rival, has also questioned the propriety of the deal given that Hoyt has a job in the government agency that she and McLaughlin are vying to run.
McLaughlin, meanwhile, has repeatedly said that he and his campaign had nothing to do with the political jockeying. But his campaign director, Richard W. Crist, was appointed to the three-member committee to fill the vacancy for the Grafton justice position, according to nominating documents filed with the county's Board of Elections.
"It appears that the complex deal to vacate a political party ballot line in the general election, is backroom political dealing at best, indicates coercion of a county employee, and may rise to the level of judicial impropriety and the need for a complaint to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct," Smyth said.
Meyer, who said he intends to leave county government, plans to undergo judicial training and preside over cases in Grafton once elected in the unopposed race for Hoyt's vacated post.
"The dynamics changed dramatically when I lost on primary day and my chances of becoming county executive ended, bluntly," Meyer said. "So that's when I made the determination to suspend my campaign and (am) now looking to further remove myself from consideration for that office of county executive as I cannot win."
McLaughlin declined to be interviewed about the deal that benefited him politically. He referred questions to his spokesman, Crist, who said in a statement: "We are not directly involved, so it would be difficult for us to comment on the situation."
Hoyt could not be reached for comment.
Larry Bugbee, the Republican elections commissioner in Rensselaer County credited with masterminding the deal, said Meyer made a move that happens all the time.
"It's a common practice for a judgeship to be kept ready in case there's a primary," he said during an interview at his office. "In this case here I'm only going to comment on what happened Pierce is a great guy and he's been talking about retiring for a while."
Bugbee said he is also expecting to retire within five months.
"Whether I retire in December or whether I retire in March, does it really make a difference?" Bugbee said. "And so Pierce was ready to retire. He's ready to go anyway. He might have waited until next year. Maybe one more year? But he was ready to retire.
"What I can tell you is, it is difficult to get off a line. It was just fortunate for the Republican Party that a lot of things fell in place and there happened to be an opening and Chris decided that he would like being a judge and continue on with public service a little bit and he happened to live in Grafton and it just worked out well."
Bugbee scoffed at the criticism from Democrats and said they have engaged in the same type of moves.
"They're not complaining because the Independence Party is being disenfranchised," he said. "They're complaining because they are mad that the Republicans are united behind Steve McLaughlin. And we are and that's the way it is."
Staff writer Matthew Hamilton contributed.
The president of Emily's List rose to the podium at a recent New York fundraiser to make a proud announcement: More than 18,000 women had contacted the group since Election Day, looking to explore running for office "an explosion," she called it.
Of course, they're all Democrats. On the Republican side, there's been no such explosion. While a tide of anti-Trump activism has led thousands of Democratic women to consider runs for office, their Republican counterparts are where they were before the 2016 election with little chance of improving their representation.
"Republican women look very much the same now as they did pre-Trump," says Jennifer Lawless, professor at American University and co-author of a recent report that examined the persistent gender gap in political ambition, on both sides of the aisle. "They're generally not interested in running for office, the overwhelming majority has not been recruited to run, they don't think they're qualified to run, and their levels of political activity and enthusiasm are the same as they have always been."
Lawless' report, called "The Trump Effect," also throws some cold water on the expectation that Democrats will see a seismic shift in numbers of women running; re-energized political activism doesn't necessarily translate into candidacies. But the new enthusiasm has been almost entirely on the left side of the spectrum, and some groups are trying to address that.
Erin Loos Cutraro, CEO of She Should Run, a nonpartisan group, says while the overall pace of adding women to elected office is too slow women, after all, comprise just under 20 percent of Congress it's clearly happening faster for Democrats.
Part of the problem: uneven institutional resources and support. "Feeling that you're not going at it alone makes a big difference," Cutraro says, "and it can feel really isolating for Republican women. They don't have the same networks, just in sheer numbers ... or the same level of institutional support. If you're a Democratic pro-choice woman, and you have Emily's List there to support you, that can be incredibly powerful. Republican women don't have anything that plays at the same level."
While a group like Emily's List lends concrete support to get a candidate over the finish line, She Should Run serves women seeking that first step. "'I don't even know where to start' is something we hear over and over," says Cutraro.
Rebecca Love is one of those women.
A longtime Republican she was even president of the Republican club in high school Love, 38, woke up at home in San Diego the morning after Election Day wanting to get involved, somehow.
"I felt that my values as a Republican woman were not represented by the candidate who was elected," says Love, who has a young daughter and works in health care consulting. "I felt Republicans were better than this. It was a wakeup call."
So Love began Googling programs for women interested in politics. Most, she found, were for Democrats and her experience had been that even groups calling themselves nonpartisan were populated mostly by Democrats, some not eager to engage with Republicans. Finally, Love, who identifies as a pro-abortion rights, moderate Republican, started working with She Should Run.
She's learning the political landscape of her community, and expects to pursue a city council seat or something similar.
By now, Love says, she feels confident enough that she doesn't need to be "asked" to run. But she meets women who do: "I say to them, 'You should think about running,' and they say, 'Me?'"
Virtually any advocate working to get women into politics will say the same thing: Much more than men, women of any party need to be asked to run.
Julie Conway of VIEW PAC, which works to get Republican women elected to federal office, puts it this way: "You have to tell women, 'Hey, you'd be great,' and not only that, but you'd be the best, and now I'm going to have 10 other people tell you you're the best. Guys just say, 'Hey, I could do this.'"
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Route 22, a state road that stretches from the Bronx nearly to the Canadian border, is, for most of its distance, the quintessential rural highway.
And that makes it a perfect place for a fall foliage outing.
Related: Fun fall activities in the Capital Region
You'll pass through small towns in Dutchess and Columbia counties and rolling farmland for much of the way.
By the time you get to northern Rensselaer County, you're in Grandma Moses country, and that's where we started a recent Sunday afternoon drive.
There's a lot of history here. The Bennington Battlefield is a short distance east of Route 22 on Route 67 in Walloomsac. It is here that a British force in 1777 was defeated by militias from New York and New England in a battle that helped turn the tide for the Continental Army.
Heading north into Washington County are the towns of Cambridge and Salem. Watch for the turnoff to Shushan, where you'll find a small village as well as the Shushan covered bridge. Like the Rexleigh covered bridge farther north in Salem, this bridge crosses the Batten Kill, a popular river with anglers, kayakers and tubers.
The Fort Salem Theater in the warmer months offers an assortment of plays, cabaret and other performances in a brick church building on Broadway less than a half block east of Route 22. A series of farm-to-table dinner and theater packages are offered through the summer. The last of these will be Sept. 16. Details: fortsalemtheater.com
While agriculture dominates the economy along Route 22, Granville has a mix of quarries and manufacturers, including a major furniture company, Telescope Casual Furniture.
Patio Essentials, which calls itself Telescope's largest domestic distributor, operates a retail store adjacent to the factory that's open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
Granville also is home to the Pember Museum and Library, and to the Slate Valley Museum, with its exhibits depicting what the production of slate tiles entails. The Pember Museum, meanwhile, features natural history displays. Both museums are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
A former rail station down the street has been converted to a bed and breakfast. The rails, too, are gone, replaced by the Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail.
While more than a dozen slate quarries operate around Granville, another major employer lies a short distance out of town, in Comstock.
The Great Meadow Correctional Facility, ensconced in barbed wire and surrounded by concrete walls and watch towers, looms over the surrounding countryside. Despite the sunny afternoon, we saw not a single person, just a tasteful sign decorated with flowers seemingly inviting us to stop in.
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Instead, we continued to Whitehall.
The town, which claims to be the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, has a few gems, among them a downtown park and, partway up the side of a steep hill, Skene Manor, the 19th-century home of New York state Supreme Court Judge Joseph H. Potter.
Volunteers have worked to restore the Gothic stone building, after rescuing it from a plan by an out-of-state buyer to move it to his home state. Whitehall Skene Manor Preservation raises funds and volunteers provide tours. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until December they serve a modestly priced lunch to visitors.
After a lunch of corn chowder, grilled cheese on whole wheat and a broiled chicken salad, we were on our way once again to our final destination of the day, Fort Ticonderoga.
The fort, which played critical roles in the French and Indian and in the Revolutionary wars, is open for self-guided tours. Admission, $23 for adults through Sept. 17 and $21 from Sept. 18 through Oct. 29, also admits visitors to nearby Mount Defiance, which provides a bird's-eye view of the fort.
A ticket only for Mount Defiance is $10 per car. A $40 adult ticket ($25 for children ages 5 to 12) also includes a 90-minute boat tour aboard the Carillon, described as a replica 1920s tour boat, on Lake Champlain. Boat tours continue through Oct. 9.
Fort Ticonderoga President and CEO Beth Hill said that the fort is also open for special events from November through April. For details, visit fortticoneroga.org.
[September 30, 2017] PT Expo China 2017 closes with 59,600 unique attendees recorded
BEIJING, Oct. 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- China's major ICT event PT Expo China 2017, held from Sep 27-30, came to a close today at the China National Convention Center (CNCC), Beijing. 59,600 unique attendees, including those from More than 400 exhibitors and 470 media, gathered during the four days. Chinese vice premier Ma Kai also visited the show. 5G and NB-IoT highlight the Event 5G telecom-controlled driving presented a high performance with extremely low latency. As commercial 5G approaches, 5G applications are flourishing at PT Expo China 2017. In addition to the result of China's 2nd phase 5G Trial released by the IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, the event was truly a "5G battle". NB-IoT was another pillar that ignited all attendees' enthusiasm. The first ever Smart City Zone incredibly demonstrated real NB-IoT practices and solutions. Through Yingtan City and other companies' immensely howcasing, visitors witnessed how NB-IoT empowered various sectors such as transport, agriculture, medicine, sharing bikes, street lamps, and even luggages.
Conference Shapes the Industry Future ICT China High Level Forum continues to hold the conference program of PT Expo China 2017. More than 320 speakers delivered their speeches to 4827 audiences, sharing fresh ideas of ICTs and vertical markets in the field of 5G, NB-IoT, ICT and Future Cities, SDN/NFV, Data Center, MEC, Smart Life, Emergency Communications, Optical Communications, Big Data and Cloud Computing, and Digital Health.
A bridge serving the Industry and the Government, China and the Globe As hosted by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the event has been serving as a bridge in all aspects. PT Expo China 2017 welcomed vice Premier Ma Kai, nine minister-level officials and more than 30 local government groups. Embassies and trading organizations passionately participated in "The Belt and Road Initiative" Trading Fair, a new series activity during the event that connects entities from outside China with Chinese companies for international business promoting. People & Technology: A new Brand Positioning "Bonding people & people, technologies & technologies, people & technologies", the 27-year-old PT Expo China proposes its new brand positioning this year. The letters P & T originally stand for "posts & telecoms", which reflected the main exhibiting contents when the event was firstly held. A new interpretation was given now: people & technology, aiming to embrace the ongoing tech convergence. SOURCE China National Postal and Telecommunications Appliances Corp.
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The framework for a federal tax overhaul announced this past week is similar in many ways to the tax plan that Gov. Sam Brownback championed at the state level in 2012. All six members of the all-Republican delegation from Kansas are backing the idea.
Protesters return to Galleria mall a week after mass arrests to make determined statement A week after St. Louis County police arrested 22 people following a peaceful demonstration at the Galleria mall, protesters returned to the shopping center in a short and tightly executed display of resistance they vowed to continue. Dozens of protesters went to the mall at about 6 p.m.
A mostly white and middle-class crowd on the other side of the stateover the deadly police shooting of a suspected heroin dealer. This rowdy mall crowdis their latest demonstration:
Sunday, October 1, 2017
ACLU Blog (Sept. 29, 2017): Medicaid Will Now Cover Abortion for Low Income Women Illinois. Take That, Hyde!, by Lorie Chaiten:
Last week, Bruce Rauner, the Republican governor of Illinois signed a bill that will allow abortion coverage for low-income women enrolled in Medicaid. With the signing of the law, Illinois became they first state to lift restrictions on Medicaid coverage in decades. The law also removes restrictions on coverage for state employees who are covered under state health care plans.
Rauner's signature comes after many months of speculation about whether or not he would sign the bill. At a news conference prior to signing, he stated that he personally supports abortion rights and decided to act consistent with his views. He also recognized that the current restrictions on Medicaid coverage unfairly takes away the right of poor women to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy.
"The passions, the emotions, the sentiments on both sides of these issues are very powerful. I respect them very much," Rauner said. "I believe that a woman living with limited financial means should not be put in a position where she has to choose something different than a woman of higher income would be able to choose."
In celebrating the victory, Lorie Chaiten, Director of the ACLU-Illinois' Women and Reproductive Rights Project stated:
This bill backs up our states values by ending political interference with insurance coverage for abortion and ensuring that a woman isnt treated differently just because of her income or where she gets her insurance. It is simply common sense: When health programs for women with low incomes cover birth control and abortion not just childbirth its good for them and its good for society as a whole.
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/reproductive_rights/2017/10/illinois-becomes-first-state-in-decades-to-lift-restrictions-on-medicaid-coverage-for-abortions.html
Kansas City Faith Community Collabo
Catholics and Protestants to commemorate Reformation's 500th anniversary Breaking News In downtown Kansas City Friday night Lutherans and Catholics worship together to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The works of German clergyman Martin Luther created a split from the Roman Catholic Church which spread throughout Christendom, and spiritually divided Europe.
Rolling Danger On Local Streets
Pedestrian in stable condition after being struck by vehicle Posted: Saturday, September 30, 2017 11:13 PM EDT Updated: Saturday, September 30, 2017 11:13 PM EDT KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - A pedestrian was transported to the hospital in stable condition after being struck by a vehicle Saturday afternoon. At about 6:12 p.m., police were called to the 2900 block of Benton Plaza on the report of a pedestrian struck.
Teaching Moment In The Suburbs
Lee's Summit North HS students create memorial for classmate LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. - Students at Lee's Summit North High School gathered Saturday to create a memorial for their classmate who took her own life Friday morning. The high school was dismissed early Friday after police say a student attempted to harm herself on the second floor.
The Juice Is Loose
O.J. Simpson released from prison "O.J. Simpson is out, he is a free man," Nevada Department of Corrections spokeswoman Brooke Keast said. Simpson was freed early Sunday and was picked up by a friend, according to Keast. Simpson, 70, served nine years of a 33-year sentence for kidnapping and armed robbery after a raid on memorabilia dealers in a Las Vegas Hotel room.
Kansas City Already Playing Hurt
Chiefs injuries are mounting as Washington comes to town It's being reported by Matt Derrick of Chiefsdigest.com that Eric Fisher, Dee Ford and Mitch Morse were not at practice on Saturday. Needless to say this is a major concern on both sides of the ball for the Chiefs.
inspires this quick look at some of the top stories for today.Checkit:
AS THE KANSAS CITY HOMICIDE COUNT STANDS AT 111, JACKSON COUNTY PROSECUTOR MEAN JEAN PETERS BAKER OFFERS UNPRECEDENTED PERSPECTIVE ON THE TOUGHEST PART OF HER JOB!!!
"There is no training for this in law school. Its a part of the criminal justice system that is seldom seen or even portrayed in pop culture. But like a doctor who must inform a patient of some terrible illness, a prosecutor like me often has to deliver tough news to victims, or when a victim has died to their families."
Here's the most amazing piece of Kansas City journalism out there right now.Suggested by one of the best and brightest TKC readers . . .Check it:While the elected leader has her critics, this kind of insight into her work might help to create more understanding about the people who enforce laws amid the current crime wave.You decide . . .
The most likely date for the meeting at the White House is October 17, however the official date will be announced by the U.S. government
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will pay a visit to the United States in the second half of October for a meeting U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, following an official invitation, government sources said on Friday.
The Greek premier has accepted the invitation. The most likely date for the meeting at the White House is October 17, however the official date will be announced by the U.S. government.
Read more here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Matti License: CC-BY-SA
Source: ANA-MPA
If you love direct contact with nature and are looking for a destination off the beaten path, the uplands of the region of Nafpaktia will charm you. The Ano Chora is the most developed village in the area in terms of tourist infrastructures. It is built amphitheatrically on a slope of Vardousia Mountains. From its stone-paved center with the agora and the cathedral of Aghia Paraskevi, you can stare out over the mountain peaks from an altitude of 1,030 meters.
Kato Chora is a neighborhood of Ano Chora and is surrounded by mountains and is full of greenery and running waters. In Limnitsa, a walk in the beautiful square of the village, with the stone fountain and the agelong plane tree is worthwhile; in Terpsithea, the amphitheatrically built stone houses overlook Mt. Panachaiko in the Peloponnese and the Corinthian Gulf.
Be sure to visit the villages of Elatou, which is nestled among the fir-trees, Kryoneria with the panoramic views, and Ampelakiotissa, located between the mountains Tsekoura and Ai-Lias. This season is ideal for a trip to the region because many chestnut festivals take place in numerous mountain villages in October.
As always, the Crystal Mountain, the good hotel of the Uplands of Nafpaktos, leads the way with various weekend events that range from chestnut picking in the forest of the hotel to tsipouro drinking to horse riding for younger visitors and much more. The Omalia Village in Kryoneria is another noticeable accommodation option in the area. Built on a slope on the edge of a cliff, this complex consists of 18 apartments that share 9 stone-built houses and are all fully equipped and have a kitchen.
In the taverns of the Uplands of Nafpaktia, traditional Greek tastes take center stage. In the village of Perdikovrisi, look for the Taverna tis Marias and try the braized rooster, the goat kid in lemon sauce, the homemade sausage and the goat cheese.
In the village of Limnitsa near the town of Nafpaktos, which will be the starting point of your climb to the slopes of the Uplands of Nafpaktia, youll find the tavern To Tzaki. Try the stews and casseroles, the pies, and the grilled meats.
Read more here.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: visitgreece.gr
Source: visitgreece.gr
UAE-based global marine terminal operator DP World is set to start construction on its integrated port, logistics and economic zone in Dakar, Senegal, by the end of 2018, said a top official.
The new Port Du Futur is aimed at providing seamless movement of cargo to neighbouring countries and over 200 million people in 16 landlocked African nations, said a statement from DP World.
Port de Futur will be a multi-purpose port with an economic zone and logistics zone adjacent to new Blaise Diagne International Airport.
It allows for the creation of cargo, free movement of goods to support the countrys economic diversification, boosting non-resource exports.
On completion, it will be one of the most advanced and well organised free zones in Africa and globally using the latest state-of-the-art equipment and technology, remarked DP World Group chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem after his meeting with Senegalese President Macky Sall.
The DP World chief is in Senegal as part of a tour of West and North Africa to confirm development of infrastructure projects in the country. The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Mohammed Dionne and senior government officials.
The company will soon reach an agreement on land allocation for the associated freezone. It will also provide a master plan for redevelopment of the old port of Dakar, he noted.
Bin Sulayem said African nations are determined to develop their infrastructure to encourage trade and the growth of their economies.
The region has major trade potential, especially for landlocked nations seeking gateways to the sea and connectivity between them will be key, he pointed out.
"The size of the region and their populations reinforces the need for multi-modal transport, logistics and customs capabilities across borders and as our business moves the world across 40 countries we have the know-how to help in that mission. In addition, we are already part of Africas future sharing our experience on cargo movement across the continents supply chain and have the experience to deliver major projects there," noted the DP World chief.
Across Africa, DP World has operations in Senegal, Egypt, Mozambique, Djibouti, Algeria and Somaliland where it is developing a multi-purpose port project at Berbera.
It also secured a 25-year concession to develop and operate a new logistics centre in Kigali, Rwanda at the beginning of 2016, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The UAE and South Africa are seeking to strengthen their existing partnership, with the UAE currently being the 24th largest market for South African products.
In this regard, Brand South Africa and the South African Business Council UAE hosted an event on September 28 at the Southern Sun Abu Dhabi under the theme The Role of SA Business in Promoting the Nation Brand.
This meeting was attended by Ambassador Mpetjane Lekgoro, the South African Ambassador in the UAE and senior South African business executives of industries based in the UAE. The leading professionals from firms across various industries shared their views on investing in emerging markets, addressing opportunities and challenges, and the role governments play to facilitate such trade flows.
The South African Embassy, together with the dti, partnered with Lulus supermarket group, to showcase uniquely South African products and brands at its shop in Mushriff shopping mall in Abu Dhabi. As part South African heritage day celebrations, the promotion campaign ran from September 27 to September 30.
Speaking at Lulus, Ambassador Lekgoro noted: I hope that this food festival will contribute to an increase in agricultural exports from South Africa to the UAE and in so doing, strengthen economic ties between the two countries. In this regard, the embassy stands ready to provide assistance to UAE companies interested in doing business in and with South Africa.
Commenting at the business breakfast, Dr. Judy Smith-Hohn, general manager, for Global Markets at Brand South Africa, said: The UAE remains South Africas largest trade partner in the region. Fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs) to the UAE dominate South Africas exports, and we are seeing a particular increase in machinery and metal related products exports to this region. Given the fact that there are more than 100 South African companies that have representative offices in the UAE, Brand South Africa is committed to working with companies and investors to understand their businesses, assist them in their further expansion, in order to enhance South Africas reputation in the UAE
Sithembile Ntombela, general manager of Marketing for Brand South Africa, said: The UAE has become one of South Africas main, if not the, main importing partner within the GCC, and several South African companies have benefited from opportunities that this has created across various sectors. Diaspora communities play an important role in positively shaping the image of the nation brand and are key advocates for our country internationally. Hence, Brand South Africas partnership with the South African Business Council in the UAE aims to work with the South African diaspora to further develop business links between the two countries. - TradeArabia News Service
On Nov. 1, Linn Benton Food Shares warehouse in Tangent received two truckloads of food and household supplies arranged by the local branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
BJP hasnt kept promises made to Dalits: Tanwar
Tribune News Service
Panipat, October 1
State Congress chief Ashok Tanwar said here today that the BJP government had failed to fulfil the promises made to the Dalit community prior to the 2014 elections.
Interacting with mediapersons with CLP leader kiran Choudhry here, Tanwar said: Social boycott of the BJP-led government has started .
He criticising the BJP government for GST and demonetisation. Asking the government to revoke its decision on the Dadupur Nalvi canal, the Congress leader said water should be released in the canal as crores were spent on its construction.
CLP leader Kiran Chaudhary said law and order had collapsed in the state. Mentioning the Panchkula violence and the ministers visit to Dera Sacha Sauda, she said the government had failed on all fronts in the state.
London, October 1
Bed bugs are attracted to dirty laundry, say scientists who warn that leaving worn clothes exposed in sleeping areas especially while staying in hotels can facilitate the spread of the pests.
Bed bugs have recently undergone a global resurgence, which has been partly attributed to an increase in low cost international travel in the tourism industry.
One possible mechanism facilitating the global spread of bed bugs is that the insects find their way into clothing and luggage.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK conducted experiments in two identical, temperature-controlled rooms in which four tote bags of clothes were placed two containing soiled clothes, two with clean clothes in the presence of bed bugs.
In each run of the experiment, one room received an increase in concentration of carbon dioxide to simulate human breathing.
The scientists found that in the absence of a human host, bed bugs were twice as likely to aggregate on bags containing soiled clothes compared to bags containing clean clothes.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also found that in the room with increased concentrations of carbon dioxide, bed bugs were more likely to leave their refuge and initiate host-seeking behaviour.
Results from the research suggest that residual human odour on soiled clothes acts as an elicitor of host-seeking behaviour in bed bugs.
Consequently, dirty laundry left in an open suitcase, or left on the floor of an infested room may attract bed bugs.
Bed bugs are a huge problem for hotel and homeowners, particularly in some of the worlds biggest and busiest cities, said William Hentley from the University of Sheffield.
Once a room is infested with bed bugs, they can be very difficult to get rid of, which can result in people having to dispose of clothes and furniture that can be really costly, said Hentley.
Our study suggests that keeping dirty laundry in a sealed bag, particularly when staying in a hotel, could reduce the chances of people taking bed bugs home with them, which may reduce the spread of infestations, said Hentley. PTI
Our Correspondent
Chamba, October 1
Twenty octogenarians were honoured at a function organised by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment to mark International Day for Senior Citizens at Bachat Bhawan here today. Deputy Commissioner Sudesh Mokhta honoured octogenarians with a Himachali shawl and a cap. Around one hundred senior citizens who attended the function were also honoured by the DC.
Earlier, PC Oberoi, president, District Senior Citizens Welfare Society, briefed about the guidelines issued by the Centre and the state for the wellbeing of elderly. He also demanded that preference should be given to the ailing senior citizens in hospitals.
Oberoi said seminars should be organised in schools to inculcate feelings of love and care amongst students towards the elderly.
The International Day for Senior Citizens is an opportunity to highlight the important contributions that older people make to society, Mokhta stated.
Shimla, October 1
On account of its annual financial performance for 2016-17, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) has paid a dividend of Rs 733.32 crore to the Government of India, which holds 64.5 per cent equity in the company.
The SJVN had declared a total dividend of Rs 1,137.57 crore for 2016-17, which is the highest paid so far. An amount of Rs 599.99 crore has already been paid to the Centre as interim dividend and the cheque of remaining amount of Rs 133.33 crore as final dividend has been released. Last year, the SJVNL paid a total dividend of Rs 455.03 crore.
The dividend cheque was handed over to Minister for Power, New and Renewable Energy RK Singh by RN Misra, Chief Managing Director, AS Bindra Director (Finance) and NL Sharma Director (Personnel) at New Delhi.
Misra told the minister that against the MoU target of generation of 8,700 million units of electricity from its power stations, the SJVNL has generated 9,045 million units during the financial year 2016-17. Misra said hydropower was the core strength of the SJVNL and the company had the distinction of implementing Indias largest 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station in Himachal. TNS
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 1
In a significant signal, India and China will not be holding their ceremonial border personnel meeting (BPM) to mark Chinas National Day on Sunday, October 1.
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The annual ceremonial meeting was to be hosted by China and conducted at the five designated BPM points across the breadth of the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) the de facto boundary between the two countries along the Himalayan ridgeline.
China has not sent an invite for the BPM on October 1, a senior functionary confirmed. At the last such scheduled ceremonial BPM on August 15 at the peak of a stand-off between the two countries at Bhutans Doklam troops on both sides exchanged sweets.
Beijings move comes just four weeks after the two neighbours ended the 73-day military stand-off. It will be keenly analysed in South Block the seat of power in New Delhi. Security and strategic affairs mandarins in capitals like Tokyo, Islamabad, Washington DC and Moscow will also be watching the move.
At ceremonial BPMs, Brigadier-level officers from both sides lead the delegations. The meetings are different from flag-meetings conducted to lodge protests of transgressions.
Ceremonial meetings are events for armed troops of either side to know each other socially. Normally, there is a lunch hosted and a cultural show. Mostly, the spouses and children of top officers also join in.
There are five such meeting points along the LAC and ceremonial meetings are hosted at all these points, Depsang in sub-sector north and Sappangur Gap (both on eastern Ladakh), Nathu La in Sikkim and Bumla and Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh.
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 1
In an unexplained move, China has backed off from hosting the annual ceremonial border personnel meeting (BPM) with India.
The meeting is conducted on October 1 to mark Chinas annual day, the anniversary of the formation of Peoples Republic of China. It was to be hosted by the Peoples Liberation Army at five designated BPM points across the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control , the de facto boundary between the two countries along the Himalayan ridgeline.
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Beijings move comes four weeks after the two neighbours ended their 73-day military standoff at Doklam. This is contrary to Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohuis statement yesterday that the time was right for both countries to turn a new chapter and dance together. In an indirect reference to the Doklam standoff, Ambassador Zhaohui had called for renewing India-China ties, saying both India and China should make one-plus-one eleven.
Notably, the May 2015 joint statement issued after a meeting between PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping spoke of increased military interaction. It said: The two sides will carry out annual visits and exchanges between the two military headquarters and neighbouring military commands, expand exchanges between border commanders and establish border personnel meeting points in all sectors along the India-China border.
New road near Arunachal
Beijing: China on Sunday opened a 409-km new expressway costing about USD 5.8 billion linking Tibets provincial capital Lhasa with Nyingchi, which is close to the Arunachal Pradesh border. The toll-free expressway links the two major cities that are also tourist attractions in Tibet, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The expressway cuts Lhasa-Nyingchi travel time from eight to five hours at a speed limit of 80 km per hour.
Ambala base to be Rafale-ready
The Indian Air Force has initiated major infrastructure upgrade at its frontline base in Ambala for deployment of the first squadron of the Rafale jets, which will give India greater potency over Pakistan as these will be capable of carrying N-weapons and other missiles. The IAF is also carrying out infrastructure upgrade at its Hasimara base in West Bengal, which will house the second squadron of the Rafale jets.
Kanpur, October 1
Tension gripped Parampurva area in Kanpur district today after six persons were injured in a clash during a Muharram procession that saw members of two communities hurling bricks at each other and setting vehicles on fire, the police said.
The incident occurred when the procession deviated from its route and members of another community started throwing stones, Inspector General of Police (Kanpur zone) Alok Singh said. Two cars and four motorcycles were set ablaze. The police resorted to a baton-charge.
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Four companies (400 personnel) of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and a company of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed in the area. A senior official in Lucknow said the situation was being closely monitored. TNS
Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Bahadurgarh, October 1
An attack on a Dalit basti in Jhajjars Naya Gaon village late last night left five persons injured. They were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Bahadurgarh. Twelve persons belonging to an upper caste have been booked under Sections 148-149 (rioting), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, the Arms Act and the SC/ST Act.
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The situation in the village is tense. Police personnel have been deployed in strength to prevent further trouble, even as efforts are afoot to resolve the issue with the help of village elders, said sources.
In his complaint to the police, Krishan, a sanitary worker, alleged that he was attacked by two brothers who demanded that he demolished a room that he had built on a plot allotted to him under a government scheme 26 years ago.
Mukesh and Naresh, along with others, attacked our community members. Hurling casteist remarks, one of them opened fire. we fled, he told the police.
Mumbai, October 1
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane, who had recently resigned from the Congress, on Sunday announced the launch of a new party called Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksh.
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I have just launched the party. I am waiting for some people to join, then I will decide the future course (of action), the 65-year-old Konkan strongman said at a press conference here.
Ranes move comes after days of speculation that he may join the BJP. Last week, Rane had also met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi.
Rane had resigned from the Congress last month while accusing the party of reneging on the promise of making him the chief minister when he had joined the party 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena.
He had also resigned as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
A prominent leader from the influential Maratha community, Rane was the chief minister in 1999 while in the Shiv Sena. PTI
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, October 1
The Maharashtra Government has decided to speed up construction of Metro lines across Mumbai following the stampede at the Elphinstone Road railway station on Friday that claimed 23 lives.
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At a meeting held with various officials on Saturday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked them to fast-track construction of eight major Metro lines that will link downtown Mumbai to the distant suburbs.
The original deadline for completing three metro lines is the last quarter of 2019 while the rest are to be completed over the next few years. But after Friday's incident construction would be speeded up on all of them, a state government official said.
Unlike railway infrastructure, the Metro lines are being constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which has tied up with private contractors and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to carry out the civil engineering work. Officials said the contractors who have been roped into carry out the construction
work would be incentivised for completing the projects ahead of the deadline. However officials refused to divulge details of the incentives that would be paid to the contractors.
Mumbai presently has just a single 11.40 km Metro line in operation that runs in the East-West direction connecting Versova and Andheri in the Western suburbs with Ghatkopar. Two lines connecting Dahisar East and West in the distant suburbs are being connected with Andheri and D NNagar respectively. The line terminating at DN Nagar is sought to be extended to Mankhurd across the sea. However, say officials, the extension line would take at least 3-4 years and the 2020 deadline is unlikely to be met.
The 2019 deadline has been set for the underground metro connecting Colaba in downtown Mumbai to Santa Cruz in the suburbs, touching the city airport as well. Several tunnel boring machines have been lowered underground with the contractors telling reporters that the tunnels would be completed in a year.
With commuters living in the extended suburbs of Thane and Navi Mumbai complaining of crowded 'local' trains, the government has agreed to construct metro lines in Thane city and link them to parts of South Central Mumbai. Sources say, Fadnavis wants work on these lines to be speeded up as well.
In all, some 216 km of Metro lines costing more than Rs 1 lakh crore have been announced. Just last fortnight, the Japanese government agreed to provide Rs 30,000 crore at 0.5 interest for 30 years for the Metro projects.
Officials say the Metro lines would collectively handle 9 million passengers daily.
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 1
Criticism is mounting against the BJP-led Centre Governments economic moves. Those criticising the government include the Swadeshi Jagran ManchRSS economic policy think tank. The manch maintains the Modi government launched some very good welfare schemes, but it followed previous governments GDP growth-centric philosophy.
In other words, the BJP-led NDA also followed the corporate-driven, FDI-driven pathway for development, instead of antodaya formula prescribed by the Sanghs forefathers.
Meanwhile, corrections seem to be underway. Apart from the constitution of PMs Economic Advisory Council and Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys hint about revision of GST slabs, a new refurbished NITI Aayog also appears to be working on resolving the issuecreation of jobs and holistic development.
As per national co-convener of the manch Ashwani Mahajan, the mindset has to change as development is not what we think is development. The (NDA) government is working honestly and hard, but it continued with the development philosophy followed by previous governments. However, what we need is the Indian philosophy, directed at generation of jobs and equal distribution of opportunities, what the RSS has been advocating for decades.
Notably, criticism by the SJM over governments functioning is believed to be a reason behind resignation by Arvind Panagariya from the Niti Aayogthe governments main policy think tank.
We have made some suggestions to the new vice-chairman of the Niti Aayog (Rajiv Kumar), says Mahajan, also disassociating from former Finance Minister Yaswant Sinhas embarrassing public musings on Modi government economic moves.
Dattopant Bapurao Thengadi (trade unionist and founder of RSS affiliates like Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and Bharatiya Kisan Sangh) had protested against his (Yashwant Sinha) decisions while he was the FM, he said.
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, October 1
The Maharashtra government has decided to speed up the construction of Metro lines across Mumbai following the stampede at Elphinstone Road railway station on Friday which claimed 23 lives.
At a meeting held with officials on Saturday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked them to fast-track the construction of eight major Metro lines that will link downtown Mumbai to the distant suburbs.
The original deadline for completing three Metro lines is the last quarter of 2019 while the rest are to be completed over the next few years. But after Fridays incident, the construction would be speeded up on all of them, a state government official said.
Unlike railway infrastructure, the Metro lines are being constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which has tied up with private contractors and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to carry out the civil engineering work. Officials said the contractors who have been roped into carry out the construction work will be incentivized for completing the projects ahead of the deadline. However, officials refused to divulge details of the incentives that would be paid to the contractors.
Mumbai presently has just a single 11.40 km Metro line in operation which runs in the east-west direction connecting Versova and Andheri in the western suburbs with Ghatkopar. Two lines connecting Dahisar
East and West in the distant suburbs are being connected with Andheri and DN Nagar, respectively. The line terminating at DN Nagar is sought to be extended to Mankhurd across the sea. However, officials say the extension line would take at least three to four years and the 2020 deadline is unlikely to be met.
The 2019 deadline has been set for the underground Metro connecting Colaba in downtown Mumbai to Santa Cruz in the suburbs which would touch the city airport as well. Several tunnel boring machines have been lowered underground with the contractors telling reporters that the tunnels would be completed in a years time.
With commuters living in the suburbs of Thane and Navi Mumbai complaining of crowded local trains, the government has agreed to construct Metro lines in Thane city and link them to parts of South Central Mumbai.
New Delhi, October 1
Rahul Gandhi might take over as the Congress president shortly after Diwali, Rajasthan leader Sachin Pilot said today, stressing that the time had come for the party vice-president to lead from the front.
He also said the last names of leaders should not be treated as a disqualification in politics. It was the performance of a leader that ultimately decided his worth, as a surname could only take him so far, he said. Pilot added that Rahuls elevation had been in the pipeline for long.
Organisational elections of the Congress are underway and the new president could take over shortly after Diwali. It is something that has been in the pipeline for a long time, Pilot told a news agency in an interview.
The Congress leader said the general sentiment in the party was that the time had come for Rahul to take charge and lead from the front, while favouring a balanced approach of a mix of the young and the old in the party.
To my mind, there is a general sentiment in the party that he should take over as the party president, Pilot said.
He pointed out that Rahul had been handling a lot of work as the vice-president, but the party believed this (Rahuls elevation) should happen in due course and the time has come for it to happen.
Asked if Rahuls sister Priyanka Vadra should also enter active politics, the former minister said, Though she belongs to the Congress, whether she should join active politics or not is her personal decision. PTI
LeaderSpeak
On Priyanka joining active politics
Though she (Priyanka Vadra) belongs to the Congress, whether she should join active politics or not is her personal decision.
On dynastic politics
Belonging to a family that has been in politics should not be treated as a disqualification Many in BJP are also from political families.
Guwahati, October 1
An Assam-based retired defence personnel has claimed that the Foreigners Tribunal has sent him a notice asking him to prove that he was not an illegal Bangladeshi migrant, but an Indian citizen.
Mohd Azmal Hoque, Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) who retired from the service on September 30, 2016, told the media yesterday that he had received a notice placing him in the doubtful-voter category.
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It also charged him with having entered India in 1971 without proper documents, he said. I have served the Army for 30 years, Hoque said adding that he had received the notice asking him to appear before a local tribunal on October 13 with relevant documents to prove his Indian citizenship.
The retired JCO said he had missed the first date of appearing before the tribunal on September 11 as he received the notice after that date. He said he would appear before the tribunal on October 13.
In 2012 also, I had received a notice saying I was a doubtful voter, but I submitted all documents in the tribunal court and it declared me an Indian citizen, he said.
He said he was not the first member of his family to have been served with such a notice. In 2012, his wife was also summoned by the tribunal to prove her citizenship.
The issue was brought to the attention of the Army by a twitter post of lawyer Aman Wadud. Replying to Waduds tweet, Major DP Singh notified the Eastern Command that said necessary assistance will be provided to the veteran. PTI
Placed in doubtful-voter category
Manas Dasgupta
Ahmedabad, October 1
The BJP national president Amit Shah today flagged off the partys Gaurav Yatra giving a new slogan to party workers: I am Gujarat, I am Development. The aim is to counter the Congress anti-campaign Modis development has gone mad.
Even Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, during his election campaign in the Saurashtra region last week, picked the development gone mad catchline doing rounds in the social media, causing discomfort to the BJP.
Countering Rahuls questions on development in Gujarat, Shah said the people of the state were seeking an account from the Congress on the series of injustices caused them by three generations of the Gandhi family.
Charging the Congress of refusing to install a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Parliament complex and not giving the Iron Man of India the Bharat Ratna, Shah said in the second generation India Gandhi did injustice to another son of Gujarat, former Prime Minister Morarji Desai while the Congress third generation (Rajiv Gandhi-Sonia Gandhi) did injustice to Narendra Modi.
The first phase of the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra was flagged off from Karamsad, the birth place of Sardar Patel in central Gujarat, while the second phase would be flagged off by Shah from Porbandar, the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, tomorrow.
The yatras after passing through 149 of the 182 Assembly constituencies in the state would converge on one place for the concluding address by PM Modi on October 15. However, the venue for the concluding event was yet to be finalised. While Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel would lead the first phase of the yatra, state party president Jitu Vaghani would head the second phase highlighting achievements of the BJP governments in the state and at the Centre. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani would alternately attend the two yatras.
Responding to Rahuls pun on development, Shah said Gujarat and development had become synonymous since the Modi administration in the state and that only the blind Congressmen did not see development in Gujarat. The people in the country have accepted the corruption-free Modi model of development, but the Congress could not understand.
Expressing confidence over the partys thumping victory, he said development would remain priority for the BJP during the election campaign.
Kochi, October 1
Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was freed after being kept in captivity suspectedly by Islamic militants for 18 months in Yemen, on Sunday, said he would go to the strife-torn country again for service, if God wishes him to do so.
Certainly I will go there if God wishes me to do so. I am sure he (Jesus) would clear the way for me to do so, the priest told reporters here in response to a question.
Uzhunnalil said he still had no idea about the militant outfit which abducted him from the charity home run by the Missionaries of Charity in Yemen in 2016.
I dont know whether they belong to ISIS or any other group. They did not harm me in captivity or pointed guns at me. They gave me food. They gave me medicines when I fell sick, he said.
Earlier, Uzhunnalil arrived here from Bengaluru and met Church leaders, priests and his relatives.
In the evening, he met priests and church goers at the Bishops house at Pala in Kottayam district before proceeding to Ramapuram to meet his neighbours and brothers.
The 59-year-old Catholic priest had returned to Delhi on September 28 after rest and recuperation in Vatican City.
Upon his arrival in the national capital, Uzhunnalil had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and thanked them for their support.
Uzhunnalil belongs to the Congregation of Salesians of Don Bosco and was abducted reportedly during a terrorist attack in Aden and taken to an undisclosed place.
On his arrival at the airport here, he was welcomed by Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala and several priests, besides Christian leaders.
Uzhunnalil reached Yemen in 2010 and was serving the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity of St Mother Teresa and the Catholic population there. PTI
Nikhil Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana September 30
The CIA II wing of Ludhiana Commissionerate in a joint operation with the Counter Intelligence wing has nabbed seven members of the banned militant group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). No member has a criminal history.
Those arrested include a 16-year-old boy. Others are in the age group of 20-30. The accused have been identified as Kuldeep Singh alias Rimpy of Subash Nagar, Jasvir Singh alias Jassa of Tarn Taran, Amanpreet Singh alias Amna of Bhogpur, Manpreet Singh of Smalke village (Moga), Onkar Singh of Sultanwind (Amritsar), Jugraj Sigh of Khilchia (Amritsar) and a minor boy of Amritsar.
The police have recovered a pistol of .32 bore with 20 cartridges and two pistols of .315 bore with 13 cartridges from their possession.
Police Commissioner RN Dhoke, along with DCP Gaganajit Singh, ADCP (Crime) Satnam Singh, ADCP Sandeep Garg and chief of CIA II Prem Singh addressed a press conference here today.
Dhoke said all seven had also received funds from key BKI member Surinder Singh Babbar from England through hawala. Babbar had also been arranging weapons for the members in Punjab to revive terrorism in the state.
People who were spreading anti-Khalistan campaign on social media or other platforms were on their target, Dhoke said, while refusing to name such persons.
The officer said Amanpreet was the leader of the group in Punjab. They also held several meetings in the state to chalk out the strategy to orchestrate killings. They also did a survey of some places. We have got a seven-day remand of the accused to probe their network, he added.
ADCP (Crime) Satnam Singh said BKI key member Surinder Singh had been using several Facebook and WhatsApp groups to approach youth inclined towards the Khalistani ideology. We have nabbed seven of them. It is possible that more youths might have been recruited, he added.
Dhoke said although the police were verifying the role of nabbed BKI members in the high-profile killings of Hindu leaders such as Amit Sharma and Jagdish Gagneja and other religious leaders such as pastor Sultan and followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, but so far there was no evidence in this regard.
Rana Preet Gill
Water is the most perfect traveller because when it travels it becomes the path itself.
Mehmet Murat ildan, Turkish playwright
Uganda was once described as the Pearl of Africa by Winston Churchill. A country, which has long been in turmoil, is slowly on the path to recovery. National parks form an inherent part of its economy and survival. Home to mountain gorillas, it has some of the best safari destinations in Africa.
One of these is the Murchison Falls National Park, the largest national park of the African continent, located in the north-western Uganda. The Murchison Falls, also known as Kabalega Falls, are the worlds most powerful and among the most dangerous waterfalls.
The Nile river, with a stretch of 4,200 miles, flows through a small cliff, squeezing itself through a narrow width of 7 m wide fissure to a fall of 43 m. The sheer impact of water forcing its way through a narrow gorge creates a magnanimous effect and the grandeur of the spectacle is well culminated by the fact that the end of the cascading waterfall is never visible. The Murchison Falls are said to be the best thing that has ever happened to Nile. The turbulent waterfall gives way to a placid Nile that serenely travels on its way to the Mediterranean. The majestic falls can be viewed from the top as well as bottom. To view the falls from the top, a relatively easy trek has to be undertaken amid the forest that leads to the origin of the waterfall. The raw, untamed power of the river can be experienced since no barricades have been installed around the gushing river.
To view waterfalls from the below, one of the safari cruises can be undertaken. Such is the momentum of the gushing water that beyond a limit it is impossible to cruise. One can spot herds of hippopotamus, sometimes hundreds of them, around one bend while the Nile crocodiles can be seen lazing on the sunny banks. The Murchison Falls National Park is home to a diverse flora and fauna. The park is dominated by rivers, woodland, savanna wetlands and tropical forest habitats, which are home to 76 different mammal species and 450 different bird species. Most commonly spotted besides the crocodiles are the Cape buffalo, African elephant, lions, Uganda knobs, spotted hyenas, giraffes and shoebill storks.
Apart from viewing the falls, bird watching, game driving and spot fishing are other activities one can indulge in. An exclusive chimpanzee tracking safari can be undertaken in the nearby forest reserve. The park boasts of one of the only inclusive habitats of chimpanzees where they can be found in their natural surroundings. Africa is home to some of the worlds famous national parks but the Murchison Falls is the one not to be missed.
Fact file
Dehradun: A French team on Saturday visited Auli in Joshimath to examine a snow-making machine that had developed technical snag. The repair work is being done ahead of the international ski event to be held in January next year. The snow-making machine was purchased for Rs 6 crore from Austria during the South Asian Federation Games held in 2011 at Auli. However, the machine was not used because it snowed adequately. Since then machine, which consists of 21 snow guns and four snow mobiles, has neither been used nor maintained. TNS
Paris, October 1
An Air France A380 superjumbo carrying more than 500 persons made an emergency landing in Canada after suffering serious damage to one of its engines, with passengers recounting hearing a loud bang followed by violent shaking. A team of investigators and engineers headed to Canada to inspect the superjumbo.
Video and photos posted on social media showed extensive damage to the outer starboard engine, with part of its external cowling apparently sheered away.
The double-decker wide body aircraft carrying 496 passengers and 24 crew had taken off from Paris bound for Los Angeles and was several hours into the flight when the incident occurred.
Passenger Sarah Eamigh told CBC News she heard a boom followed by a sudden drop in altitude. The cabin started vibrating. Someone screamed, and from there we knew something was wrong, she said.
We saw the cabin crew walking through the aisles quickly, and we heard an announcement from the captain that said one of our engines had an explosion.
The plane was diverted as it passed over Greenland and landed safely at a military airport in Goose Bay, eastern Canada, at 1542 GMT, a Air France spokesman said.
All of the 520 people on board were evacuated with no injuries, the spokesman said. David Rehmar, a former aircraft mechanic who was on the flight, told the BBC that he thought a fan failure may have been to blame. AFP
Beirut, October 1
Syrias war killed at least 3,000 persons, including 955 civilians in September, the deadliest month of the conflict this year, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said today.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed and millions displaced since the war erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
It has since spiralled into a complex conflict involving world powers, with Russia-backed regime forces and a US- supported alliance separately battling the Islamic State in the country.
The 955 civilians killed in September included 207 children, said the Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria for its information.
More than 70% of the civilians were killed in regime and Russian air strikes, or in air raids of the international coalition fighting IS, the monitors head Rami Abdel Rahman said. AFP
Washington, September 30
The White House said, on Saturday it had ordered that Iran, Venezuela and four African nations be added to a US list of countries accused of failing to crack down on human trafficking, a step that further isolates them from the United States.
The White House said it also was increasing restrictions on North Korea, Eritrea, Russia and Syria, which already were on the list, by constraining them from engaging in educational or cultural exchange programs with the United States.
In addition, President Donald Trumps administration instructed the US executive director of the International Monetary Fund and US executive directors at other multilateral development banks to vote against extending loans or other funds to North Korea, Russia and Iran for fiscal year 2018, which begins on Sunday.
Under a 2000 US law called the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the United States does not provide non-humanitarian, non-trade-related foreign assistance to any country that fails to comply with minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and is not making efforts to do so.
The White House said in a notice that Iran, Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, South Sudan and Sudan had been added to the list of countries subject to these restrictions for the new fiscal year.
The move came six days after Trump included Venezuela and Iran on a list of eight countries targeted for travel restrictions to the United States.
The restrictions on Venezuela focused on government officials who the Trump administration blamed for the countrys slide into economic disarray. The travel ban on Iranians was broader.
That travel ban list lifted previous restrictions on citizens from Sudan. Reuters
Aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (South China Sea), October 1
ABOARD THE USS RONALD REAGAN: As the commanders of the largest US warship in Asia seek to maintain operational readiness amid protracted tensions over North Korea, they find themselves keeping one eye on China, too.
(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)
On Saturday, as F-18 Super Hornet jet fighters roared from the decks of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier during routine drills deep in the South China Sea, two Chinese frigates maintained a constant line-of-sight vigil.
Officers on the Japanese-based Reagan described frequent close quarter surveillance from the ships of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy in international waters.
Sometimes, they said, Chinese vessels steam in to check out the carrier en route to other destinations. Other times, Chinese frigates linger for days within the screen of US ships and planes that protect the Reagan Washingtons only carrier based outside America.
At times, the carrier crew, to ensure safe passage, will alert their uninvited Chinese escorts, should the Reagan sharply alter course, officers said.
Weve had no issues. Theyve been very professional, said Rear Admiral Marc Dalton, commander of the Reagans strike group, as well as the larger battle forces of the US Seventh Fleet. We see them on a regular basis, he said.
Deployment strains
As Dalton spoke, the midnight blue waters beyond the flight decks made for a crowded scene, with a US and an allied Japanese destroyer also visible as the Reagan manouvered some 400 nautical miles (748 kilometres) from the Chinese coast.
It provided a window into the strains of increased deployments and exercises by regional militaries, in part as they respond to the threat posed by Pyongyangs pursuit of nuclear and missile programmes.
North Korea has staged an apparent hydrogen bomb test and fired two ballistic missiles over Japan in recent weeks.
The situation has unfolded as US naval chiefs review operations to draw lessons from four significant accidents within the US Pacific Fleet this year.
A report this month by the US Government Accountability Office highlighted a host of training and maintenance problems as the navy strove to expand overseas deployments and improve operational readiness.
Dalton will soon lead the carrier to a port call in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong the first such visit in three years after a stop by another carrier was denied in 2016.
China, which claims much of the disputed South China Sea, has long objected to U.S. military operations off its coasts, even in areas Washington insists are free to international passage.
Dominant presence
Routinely carrying between 60-70 aircraft on board, the carrier sends between 80-100 sorties daily the core of a dominant US military presence in Asia that analysts believe China could still take years to supplant.
In recent months, the 100,000-ton Reagan has exercised with allied Australian ships as well as Japanese forces.
The South Korean Defence Ministry has announced it will exercise with the Reagan strike group in October.
Rear Admiral Dalton acknowledged the challenges and top-level reviews but insisted the task force was long used to keeping itself in full readiness.
As a forward deployed force. . . we are already where we need to be to execute our missions all the time, he said.
He did not detail any specific North Korean contingencies but described Pyongyangs missile tests and nuclear programme as a growing and concerning danger.
The US has been very clear about leveraging all options in order to get North Korea to change its path, he said. Reuters
Beijing, October 1
United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that America has direct lines of communication to North Korea, and that his immediate goal is to calm things down in the international standoff over the countrys nuclear weapons programme.
We are probing, so stay tuned. We ask, Would you like to talk? We have lines of communications to Pyongyang. Were not in a dark situation or a blackout. We have a couple of direct channels to Pyongyang. We can talk to them. We do talk to them. Directly, through our own channels, the CNN quoted Tillerson, as responding to a question at a news conference in Beijing about whether the North Koreans actually want to talk before completing their weapons development programme.
Tillerson also said the administrations goal with respect to North Korea is peace and stability. Weve made it clear that we hope to resolve this through talks, The principal objective is a peaceful resolution, he said.
I think the most immediate action that we need is to calm things down. Theyre a little overheated right now, and I think we need to calm them down first, Tillerson added.
Tillerson defended President Donald Trumps fiery rhetoric about Pyongyang and said, I think the whole situation is a bit overheated right now. I think everyone would like for it to calm down. Obviously, it would help if North Korea would stop firing off missiles. That would calm things down a lot, he added.
Tillerson is in Beijing, where he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss North Korea and other issues. The visit shall lay the groundwork for Trumps planned visit to China in early November. ANI
A jockey was seriously injured Saturday when he was thrown from his horse during a race at a Claremore racetrack.
The horse ran into railing at the the Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs track during the third race of the day, prompting officials to cancel the rest of the days races, said Amanda Clinton, the Cherokee Nations communications director.
The man was taken from the scene by air ambulance to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa.
As of just before 8 p.m., the mans condition was unknown, Clinton said.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe took to the Senate floor last week to talk about his old friend and foe, University of Oklahoma President David Boren, who has announced his retirement.
Inhofe and Boren were elected to the state House of Representatives in 1966 and shared a desk as first-year lawmakers. In 1974, Boren defeated Inhofe to become governor of Oklahoma.
In 1994, Inhofe succeeded Boren in the U.S. Senate when Boren left to become president of OU.
I dont think there has been a man who loved Oklahoma more and served our state more faithfully than David Boren, Inhofe said. God bless you, David Boren. Enjoy your retirement.
HOF: Civil rights activist Anita Hill and former state auditor and inspector Tom Daxon were both inducted into the Oklahoma State University College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame last month.
Active in conservative politics, Daxon was elected state auditor and inspector in 1978 at the age of 30. He later served in Gov. Frank Keatings administration and was a state party leader.
Hill also came from conservative roots, but became associated with more liberal causes after her testimony in Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas 1991 Senate confirmation hearings.
Norwegian telecommunications executive Gaute Vik was also inducted.
Candidates and elections: Republican gubernatorial candidate Gary Richardson announced hes putting $1 million of his own money into his campaign.
Former state Sen. Leo Kingston, who served three years in prison during the 1990s, has registered a campaign committee for state labor commissioner with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.
Kingston was convicted in 1990 of defrauding the federal government through some real estate transactions. In recent years he has operated the companies 1-800-2sellhomes and webuyfast.com.
Kingston is a Republican.
Meetings and events: University of Tulsa Young Democrats will host gubernatorial candidate Drew Edmondson at 7 p.m. Oct. 10 in Tyrrell Hall.
An early forum for Democratic gubernatorial candidates is scheduled for Nov. 2 at the Will Rogers Theater in Oklahoma City. The event is sponsored by the Oklahoma Progressive Network, a left-leaning organization formed earlier this year.
Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World
The last edition of the Tulsa Tribune began rolling off the press at 1:08 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 1992.
Tulsans lined up on the sidewalk outside the newspaper building at 315 S. Boulder Ave. to buy copies at the regular 35-cent price. The headline Goodbye, Tulsa was emblazoned on the front page.
The circulation department had planned to print about 15,000 extra papers, but due to high demand, increased the press run by 30,000 copies.
The Tribune and the Tulsa World had shared delivery, business and mechanical operations since 1941, while the two newsrooms remained independent and fiercely competitive. The Tribune was known for its unflinching journalism, award-winning coverage and highly regarded editorial pages.
It was one of a handful of remaining metropolitan afternoon daily papers in the Midwest. Afternoon papers had been declining for decades due to the changing public taste and competition from television.
Like losing a good friend
Still, newspaper employees and devoted readers were shocked and saddened when the Tribune announced on July 31, 1992, that the joint-operating agreement between the two papers was being terminated for economic reasons.
The loss of The Tribune is one of the saddest events in the history of Tulsa, wrote one subscriber in a letter to the editor. Its like losing a good friend, one you know you will never see again.
Jenk Jones Jr., editor and publisher of the Tribune, echoed that sentiment.
We are deeply saddened for the sake of our remarkably talented staff and for the impact upon the city, he said.
Robert E. Lorton, president of the World Publishing Co., said, This is not a day of celebration. All of us at the World join in mourning the loss of the news and editorial voice of The Tulsa Tribune. We at the Tulsa World are mindful of the increased responsibility this puts on us to continue to provide the high quality of journalism and the diversity of thought that both the World and Tribune have brought to Tulsa.
The World honored all Tribune subscriptions after Sept. 30, and Lorton said the morning paper would print the best features and columns of both papers to do everything possible to welcome Tribune readers to the World.
The World also continued the Salvation Army Neediest Families campaign started by the Tribune in 1928 which has raised more than $6.5 million since 1993.
Hank Williams tunes
Tribune reporters, editors and other staffers tried to maintain their composure as they put the final edition to bed. They had spent the last few days cleaning out their desks and saying goodbyes.
Well have no champagne. Well have no cake, said Tribune Publisher Emeritus Jenkin Lloyd Jones Sr., who had called his staff together one last time. I didnt think the demise of an enterprise that so many of us have loved so long called for anything that looks like a celebration.
Three young Trib reporters went to the top of the nine-story building and tossed their remaining business cards now obsolete off the side.
We want the city of Tulsa to remember us beyond today, one said.
Windsor Ridenour, executive editor and a 28-year veteran, gave each female staff member a bouquet of flowers. Asked about his future, Ridenour spoke of a piece of land he owned in Osage County.
I have a few old cows and a trailer there and an old record player that will only play Hank Williams songs, he said, his feet propped on his desk. At the moment, I dont want to think about the future.
Editors managed to joke about what the last headline should say.
I wanted to put Just Kidding, and see what kind of reaction we got, said Mary Hargrove, managing editor for special projects.
Copy editor Jerry Pogue drew laughs when he showed up for work wearing shorts, an oversize green tie and a white formal tailcoat. Jenk Jones Jr. wore a red Tribune T-shirt and red cap instead of his trademark bolo tie.
It was hard to get depressed, said fine arts critic and feature writer James D. Watts Jr. We still had a paper to put out.
Later that day, a mock funeral was held at the Tulsa Press Club. A pianist played Irish wake music while teary-eyed staffers and friends hugged and chatted or just stared into their drinks.
A final edition copy of the Tribune rested in an open casket.
Ridenours words may be the most fitting epitaph:
Its a kick-ass little afternoon newspaper and were proud of that reputation.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt spent $14,434 in taxpayer funds to fly from Tulsa to the Panhandle and Oklahoma City one day in July, sparking the latest controversy concerning the former Oklahoma attorney generals travel.
Pruitts frequent trips this summer to Oklahoma have spurred speculation he will run for office here and are currently being investigated by the EPAs inspector general. EPA documents provided to a congressional oversight committee were recently obtained by several news outlets, including The Oklahoman.
Those documents show Pruitts deputy chief of staff requested permission from an EPA attorney to use charter aircraft on July 27. The request was approved a day before the trip, allowing Pruitt to use a Department of Interior plane to fly from Tulsa to Guymon and from Guymon to Oklahoma City.
Traveling with Pruitt were seven EPA staff members and one member of the media. An EPA official said Thursday that the government plane was chosen due to Pruitts tight schedule. The EPA attorney who approved its use, Elise Packard, wrote there are no commercial aircraft that offer flights to Guymon.
Charlotte found herself in a hospital bed with bruises around her neck broken blood vessels courtesy of a violent choking from her boyfriend.
The injuries werent his initial act of physical abuse, just the first to hospitalize her.
She was freshly discharged when Charlotte filed for an emergency protective order. But because she didnt show up for the required court date two weeks later, the matter was dropped. Why did she stay? For a mother, its not easy to leave an abusive relationship for more reasons than wanting to keep her family intact.
Charlotte was mired in a home life that put her at the highest level of risk for death, according to her lethality assessment, the documented measure of how dangerous a domestic violence situation is. But she realized that shaking the cycle of violence, a huge challenge itself, is just one of a myriad of impediments to obtaining a final protective order.
Data suggest recent improvements to Tulsa Countys civil protective order process may be helping others like Charlotte enter and navigate a complex system that often is intimidating, particularly while enduring abuse. The number of final protective orders filed in Tulsa County doubled from 2015 to 2016. The 2017 rate is on pace through August to nearly double again.
Emergency protective orders, the first step toward obtaining a final protective order, arent included in the data. Emergency orders must be renewed every two weeks until the defendant can be served, making it clear that the permanence of a final protective order is worth the effort it takes.
The number of final protective orders spiked only two months after a comprehensive assessment of the countys protective order mechanisms was published in August 2016. That spike perhaps is evidence that immediate reforms led to an easier and more efficient path for victims to pursue permanent protection.
Suzanne Stewart, executive director of the Family Safety Center, compiled the protective order process assessment. A particularly heinous Tulsa case illustrating the systems failures prompted a family court judge to ask for the review and recommendations how agencies could improve the process.
Stewart credits the sharp rise in final protective orders to better tracking of domestic cases through the system and working with litigants, attorneys, judges and law enforcement because of gaps identified by the report.
Specifically, Stewart noted an emphasis in FSC advocates helping victims properly fill out requests for a protective order in a detailed manner to have the best shot at garnering a judges approval.
FSC is housed within the same building as the Tulsa Police Department headquarters. Both are adjacent to the courthouse.
I think that has helped us all across the way, Stewart said.
Theres still nightmares
Charlotte, 30, chose an alias during her recent interview with the Tulsa World to shield herself from an ex-boyfriend who she says still violates her final protective order.
Once she decided to obtain a protective order and keep it, she said it took 11 violations before a warrant was issued for her ex-boyfriends arrest. He ultimately was prosecuted for disturbing the peace and received probation.
Theres still nightmares and weird feelings and a lot of fear, Charlotte said. We still have to have a safety plan even though its been a few years.
You dont get to just let your guard down. My kids have to know you cant just run up to your dad. Its not safe.
Charlotte described the difficulties in extricating herself and her children from the blurred lines of an abusive relationship that most certainly didnt begin that way.
The downward spiral began with mean words. One day, after a year or so together, he pushed her down. He cried and promised it would never happen again.
I definitely did not, the first that it ever happened, I did not anticipate it ever ending up as bad as it did, she said. He was very sorry and everything.
Charlotte described feeling as if officers viewed her as a disgruntled ex-girlfriend. There were instances of abuse she didnt report or try to press charges on for lack of faith in the system.
She said officers would tell her, Well, if we take him to jail now it will ruin his life. Or when she defended herself from attacks she would be labeled a mutual combatant and told, If I take him to jail, I have to take you to jail, too.
Protective orders
In Tulsa, the number of felony and misdemeanor cases filed for violations of final protective orders is on pace to be the most since 2012.
A protective order doesnt just create a paper trail detailing domestic violence. Its a court document thats enforceable by officers. It also can bring with it some level of peace of mind or comfort for a victim.
But it isnt a force field or shield.
Tulsa County Deputy Jay Estes said protective orders do deter a good number of people, but victims shouldnt become complacent.
Law-abiding citizens get a protective order (against them), and they follow it they dont want to get in trouble, said Estes, a supervisor of the Sheriffs Office civil service unit. Its the ones that dont have respect for anybody or law enforcement. Theyre the ones who could care less if they have a piece of paper served on them or not.
Even if many defendants abide by protective orders, investigating those who do violate them can be a frustrating exercise and an emotional weight.
So many allegations are put on Tulsa Police Cpl. Heather Weakleys desk each day that her Family Violence Unit has no choice but to prioritize them like triage in an emergency room.
For example, there is a lone report of a violation via a text message that reads, Im sorry. That case will be suspended, Weakley said.
Yes, no doubt its a violation. But unless the victim really pursues the allegation, the claim likely wont make it to prosecutors, she said.
Its hard because we have that pressure on our shoulders if we decide, No, were not going to work this case; were going to suspend it, and then something happens. Anytime theres a homicide ... and its domestic-related, thats the first thing we do when we come in: Do we have any open cases with the victim? Has the victim been over here? Has the victim ever filed a protective order against the suspect?
We follow up on that because thats a heavy burden to bear on our shoulders. But we have to decide which cases take precedence and which dont.
For cases that are investigated, corroborating evidence is key. Is there an independent witness to the violation? Is it enshrined in a text or voice message? Does video of it exist?
Sometimes many violations pile up over time as investigators work with prosecutors to try and prove a case.
Kenneth Elmore, a Tulsa County prosecutor, said social media and burner phones allow abusers to harass or stalk their victims in ways that are difficult to track. Elmore, director of the Special Victims Unit, pointed to a case of a woman who repeatedly sent threatening and disturbing text messages to her ex-boyfriend and his new significant other from random phone numbers.
After months, detectives were able to accurately ping the location of her latest cellphone and caught her in the bushes spying, with a pair of binoculars in her car. She tried to bury the phone in the mulch she was crouched upon.
Because her victims kept diligent records of the protective order violations and reported the details, investigators could work backward and establish ties to all of the violations.
This took a minute, but we got it, Elmore said. We carried the ball across the line.
Desperate situations
Megan Martin, an attorney with Domestic Violence Intervention Services, said the Tulsa Police Department added a lethality assessment to its arsenal a few years ago that helps victims like Charlotte. Her situation was assessed at the Family Safety Center through a DVIS employee.
Lethality assessment protocol, approved by the Legislature in 2014, was designed to help officers determine the level of danger that victims might be facing and require officers to contact a victim advocacy organization. Its goal is to reduce the number of domestic violence cases that turn into homicides in Oklahoma, which consistently ranks in the top 10 for the number of women killed by men.
Martin said officers have better training and tools to assess domestic violence danger on the spot, which includes asking a series of standard questions to ascertain if a person needs help through advocates or a shelter.
In many instances violations arent apparent to an outsider, she said. For example, a couple who has been together for a while knows each others patterns, actions, reactions and how to mess with them.
Martin said she recalls hearing a womans story in which her abuser would violate a protective order by taking a stick and randomly placing it in different parts of her yard. She grew frustrated at how difficult the violations were to prove and installed a security system to catch him on video.
Dont be so quick to dismiss whats happening, Martin said.
Weakley said officers are doing a better job doing just that. Police hand out informational pamphlets and offer to make the phone call for help.
Weakley said detectives in the Family Violence Unit will follow up with victims in case they were initially too dazed to soak up the information in the distressing moment. Maybe they need time to self-reflect and realize they need help.
Its just trying to get out that information no matter how desperate your situation, weve got services that can help make it better, Weakley said.
Not simple black and white
Protective orders arent necessarily for every victim. The legal document could escalate a volatile situation into an outright deadly atmosphere. Or a judge may decline to grant one for lack of evidence or another reason. Or perhaps the victim isnt ready to file for one yet.
If youve never had any training, if youve never experienced this, if youve never had a sister go through it, you cant understand the mindset because its just different, Charlotte said. A normal person can say, Well if its so bad, you would have left.
Yeah, well, its really not that easy whenever you have kids and bills and car payments and things like that. Its not simple black and white like people expect for things to be.
Experts with Domestic Violence Intervention Services and Family Safety Center both emphasize the importance for all victims to have a safety plan just like Charlotte did and still does through DVIS.
Safety planning includes developing a course of action for when its time to leave an abusive situation what should you have pre-packed, what do you take with you, where will you stay, etc.
Some victims are in such dire situations they need to develop a safety plan first and then go to a friends or family members home, or even a shelter, before filing for a protective order, Stewart said.
Stewart said Tulsa has had a tremendous number of domestic- or family violence-related homicides in recent years. Tulsa Police Department data lists nine in 2015, 16 in 2016 and nine this year through Monday.
None of the people whove been killed ever accessed any services here, Stewart said. So theres a segment of the population that doesnt know we exist, and even if they did know we exist are not likely to reach out and ask for help.
Our challenge is to reach those people and say, Were here maybe you want a protective order or not. Were not going to judge you, but we do want to help keep you safe.
Although theres been a drastic increase in the number of Arizonans statewide overdosing on prescription opioids and heroin, health experts in Coconino County and the Arizona Department of Health Services say thats not the case locally.
But recovering opioid addicts and former drug dealers insist that the numbers dont represent the real story. Nonfatal overdoses are occurring every day, they contend, but are just not being reported to police or resulting in visits to emergency rooms.
When Gov. Doug Ducey declared the opioid epidemic in Arizona a public health emergency on June 5, it was because 790 Arizona residents died from opioid overdoses in 2016.
However, Coconino County has been spared the brunt of the epidemic, according to data from the Coconino County Public Health Services District. Only six people in Coconino County died from opioid overdoses in 2016, a far cry from the hundreds dead in Maricopa County. And the number of possible overdoses from June 15 to September 21 was significantly lower, with only one fatal overdose occurring in Coconino County.
An overdose is when a person takes a dangerous amount of a drug, leading to someone losing control of their breathing and heartrate. An individual does not have to die to suffer from an overdose.
In fact, eight of the nine overdoses in Coconino County were non-fatal.
But between 2010 and 2016, Coconino County saw a 285 percent increase in emergency room visits related to opioid use. Coconino County hospitals saw 339 opioid emergency room visits in 2016 and 264 inpatient visits.
Opiates are drugs derived from opium. The term opioid is used for the entire family of opiates, including natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic.
The opioid epidemic in Arizona is being measured from two angles. One is through the justice system, where police and courts keep track of drug related arrest and charges. The other angle is medical, where hospitals keep track of the number of opioid overdoses treated in emergency rooms and opioid-related inpatient care.
The main problem, according to former addicts, is that many suffering from opioid addiction are never arrested for drug charges or visit a hospital.
A COLD SHOWER
Recovering addict Casey Dennison, 32, of Page, was hooked on opioids by 19-years-old after her doctor prescribed her six months of morphine and Percocet for acute pain from a cyst on her right wrist that needed surgery. When her doctor stopped prescribing painkillers she began to buy them on the street, but pills were expensive and she eventually learned that heroin was a cheaper option.
The pills were expensive. I would use them all too quick and I would get sick, Dennison said. You learn pretty quickly that you can buy a tenth of a gram of heroin for $20. which is equal to five pain pills.
Dennisons path from prescription pain killers to heroin is a common one. According to data from Department of Health Services, three out of four new heroin users became addicted to opioids through prescription medication, and heroin overdoses account for almost half of all opioid deaths in Arizona.
My friends and I experimented with prescription medication from an early age, Dennison said. Heroin has such a stigma that you think you will never do it, but addiction can put you in such a desperate mindset that opinions about heroin change very quickly.
The community of Page does not have an opioid problem, according to Health Services data. While thousands of people overdosed on opioids in Maricopa County from June to September, Page did not record a single opioid-related overdose during that time.
However, Dennison, who now lives in Flagstaff, said she is terrified to go back home because of the prevalence of heroin in Page and believes that the city has no recorded overdoses because people are not going to the hospital.
Dennison has overdosed on heroin three times -- two of those times she was admitted to the hospital after her family found her. The other time she was saved from a fatal overdose when other heroin users gave her a dose of methamphetamine and a cold shower.
When you overdose around other junkies you are not going to go the hospital because we are all terrified of getting arrested, Dennison said. I overdosed and didnt go to the hospital because other users got me through the overdose. I remember waking up in a cold shower, kicking and screaming because they ruined my high.
Recording the number of people who do not go to the hospital during an overdose is impossible to track, but several recovering addicts living in Coconino County say that most overdoses do not result in a visit to the emergency room.
Recovering addict Jesse Heath-Dixon, 30, of Flagstaff, overdosed multiple times during the peak of his heroin addiction. He never went to the emergency room.
Samuel Hankins, 23, of Flagstaff, said he has only gone to the hospital during an overdose because a random stranger found me dying in the street.
Robin Herbert, 36, of Flagstaff, has never gone to the hospital after an overdose and remembers other users shooting her up with water.
Every recovering addict who spoke to the Daily Sun said that health experts are missing a majority of overdoses in Coconino County.
Overdoses are a common occurrence for heroin addicts, Hebert said. I couldnt tell you how many times I shot up hoping to die.
Heath-Dixon said the situation is dire in Flagstaff, with more and more locals abusing opioids each day.
I know a lot of locals are shooting up heroin, Heath-Dixon said. It is like there is this curtain over Flagstaff that no one wants to talk about, but it is a serious problem in Flagstaff that has gotten worse.
Hankins said the number of overdoses are underreported due to the nature of opiate addiction that causes people to tread a fine line between an overdose and the perfect high.
A lot of us overdose on our first use because we dont have the tolerance, but take a large amount to feel numb, Hankins said. I used to shoot every three or four hours so I could maintain some kind of comfort.
Heath-Dixon also questioned the low official numbers due to the likelihood of opiate addicts overdosing after a relapse.
The thing about heroin addiction is that if I relapse I am dead, because I am not going back to the beginning. I am going to go back to my worst spot and I will die because I will not be able to handle it, Heath-Dixon said.
Accurately tracking the number of overdoses in Coconino County is made even more complicated by the size and widely scattered population of the county.
Dennison said that she and her friends used to frequently travel to secluded spots on the Navajo Nation to abuse opioids, effectively taking them out of Coconino Countys jurisdiction.
Valarie Hannemann, who runs the Coconino County Jails substance abuse program, Exodus, said that even in densely populated areas like Flagstaff you can find privacy from law enforcement and the public.
We are a huge county, so maybe if you are in Flagstaff someone will take them to FMC or a police officer will find someone nodding out, Hannemann said. But it does not take much to move into a remote area where an overdose is not going to be reported.
MANY FACES OF ADDICTION
What does an opioid addict look like? Is it the stereotypical image of a person strung out on a dirty mattress? Or is it something more complex?
Hankins spent most of his childhood navigating through the legal system before becoming addicted to opioids, and Herbert, a mother of four, grew up a child of alcoholism and mental illness.
Heath-Dixon was raised with her two siblings by a single mother who was working as a nurse. We never lacked love and support, Heath-Dixon said.
Dennison also grew up in a supportive home with a mother who worked for the Page School District and a father who was a disabled Vietnam veteran.
According to the Coconino County Health Services District, men ages 20 to 39 are most at risk for opioid addiction, with 40-to-59-year-old men not far behind.
Between 2011 and 2015, Coconino County hospitals saw a 147 percent increase in hospital visits from white males and a 187 percent increase in hospital visits from white females regarding opioids.
The numbers are even higher for Native Americans, with a 316 percent increase for females and a 653 percent increase for males.
This epidemic doesnt stereotype, Heath-Dixon said. Rich, poor, male, female, opioid addiction is affecting everyone.
Dennison said she has dealt and used heroin with people from all backgrounds.
I used to sell heroin at trailer parks and sell heroin to cops kids and judges kids, Dennison said. Opioids dont care where you are from.
Hebert expressed the same sentiment.
When I was using I remember seeing a lot of people that made me say, What are you doing here? Hebert said. A cancer survivor got me started on heroin after he got addicted through pills.
Hankins and Hebert both said they consistently sold heroin and prescription opioids to college students.
I used to hang out with kids at NAU and a lot of them would get addicted to heroin, and once they started buying it I would have a constant supply, Hankins said. A lot of students are addicted to opioids, and it is easy to get students to start smoking heroin. Dealing drugs is a business and when students come back business booms.
Chateau Nightclub & Rooftop at Paris Las Vegas will celebrate Halloweekend with a three-day bash, featuring Halloween parties on Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28 followed by a Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) after-party on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
The rooftop nightclub will kick off the weekend on Friday, Oct. 27 with a Golden Ticket party. Upon entry, guests will receive a dark chocolate bar from HEXX Chocolate + Confexxions, which may contain a golden ticket. The lucky guest with the winning golden ticket will receive a specialty engraved, six-liter bottle of Moet Champagne, valued at $5,000. Chateau will offer additional prizes for the second and third place.
Chateau will bring the heat to their Halloween party on Saturday, Oct. 28, hosted by the women of Wicked Pictures, featuring servers and guests in their spookiest, and sexiest, costumes.
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, Chateau invites SEMA attendees to an after-party sponsored by Lexani, a producer of luxury custom wheels and performance tires, hosted by rapper E-40. Best known for songs like Tell Me When to Go and Function, E-40 will perform his hit songs for a packed crowd.
Lutheran Social Services of Nevada recently hosted the Tea & Fashion Show to benefit the Opening New Doors campaign. The event was hosted by Rachelle Crupi, President of Bank of Nevada at Nieman Marcus Mariposa Restaurant in the Fashion Show Mall.
Guests enjoyed viewing the latest fashions while sipping on tea. The new building is expected to open in 2018 and will include much needed services including Mental Health, Nutrition, Employment, Housing and other critical services.
The City of Henderson is looking for entrepreneurs with the next great business idea to take the jump into the citys Shark Tank-style pitch competition. Along with expert advice, contestants will have the chance to win cash and prizes.
Entrepreneurs entering the Start Tank competition will have their businesses or concepts reviewed by a panel of experts who have helped launch dozens of successful ventures. The panel will select the contestants who will move forward to the competition, which will be held in the College of Southern Nevada, Henderson Campus auditorium on Oct. 21. The event is open to the public. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 10 for review.
Henderson is filled with innovative thinkers and were sure someone out there has the next great idea, said Barbra Coffee, the City of Hendersons Director of Economic Development and Tourism. We wanted to give these new businesses a stage to perfect their pitch, along with access to experts who can evaluate their businesses and help them grow.
Contestants will compete for a share of $4,000 in cash and prizes, plus increased exposure for their business or concept.
Applicants for the citys Start Tank competition must create a 2-minute video posted to YouTube and complete the online application at hendersonmeansbusiness.com/start-tank. The submissions chosen for a pitch at the event will be announced on Oct. 16.
The city is partnering with University of Nevada Las Vegas Office of Economic Development, Parallel Innovations Lab, Bank of Nevada, TSK Architects and the College of Southern Nevada for the competition.
Ferragamo and Tods try to balance showing clothing and footwear from the bottom up
Integrating the legacy of footwear into clothing at Salvatore Ferragamo (left) and Tod's
InDigital.TV
Starting with shoes and bags and then rising high in ready-to-wear is a well-trodden path in Italian fashion history. Gucci and Prada set a standard in the 1990s that still resonates today. But how do accessories fare when the company tries to put clothes, as well as feet, first?
Tods
Diego Della Valle, President and CEO of Tods, has been there, done that. The company is no longer hiring a fashion designer to rev up its clothing collection. Instead, the wardrobe for the show, called The Italian Dream, absorbed the spirit of the accessories, using sporty tops and leather or python to compliment the bags and shoes.
The only fashion item making its own statement took that from another accessory: the silk scarf. A top with a picture of sea and shore was inspired by The Talented Mr Ripley, which was playing on screen at the shows entrance to put the audience in the mood for a sun-kissed vacation.
The Italian holiday theme, which these days would probably include owning a boat as well as visiting the beach, started with easy loafers and snakeskin bags, all with a sandy beige as their background shade.
The feeling of walking along a coastline was intensified by a focus entirely on flats and even one funky version draped with fringe. That Moroccan addition was more convincing as accessories than for the clothes.
The colours moved slowly from sand to the yellow of the rising sun, sky blue and the white of the ocean waves. Only at the end of the show did Tods bring in black and white for an urban alternative But the main story was in the accessories, a smart casual look that never goes out of style and Italians do it best.
Ferragamo
On the grass, but trapped under a transparent runway, were daisies. Above them clacked shoes with raised soles and thick heels that drew the attention downwards from the clothes to footwear.
Indigital
So it should be! For Salvatore Ferragamos influence on stars of the past, from Greta Garbo to Marilyn Monroe, made him the first celebrity shoemaker in the world. Paul Andrew, a British shoe designer based in America, has been tasked with remodelling Ferragamo footwear to make it more sporty and ergonomic, using digital techniques that have come into the equation nearly a century after the original designers revolutionary work.
Indigital
Yet there seemed to be a clash of cultures or of style in this Ferragamo collection, held in the piazza outside the noble Palazzo Mezzanotte, where the company usually holds its shows. The reason for grassing over the classic Milanese square and projecting images on the facade of the building was love Ama the name of Ferragamos new fragrance. Yet there was not much to love in the clothes in lively colours by Fulvio Rigoni, Design Director of Womenswear.
Indigital
He said all the right things about celebrating womens individuality and style. But the transparent canopy of the tent seemed all too much like a glass ceiling. Feminists might stride out in a python-patterned dress, tightly belted. But a lilac top and purple shorts seemed an unlikely companion to the sturdy heeled sandal and blush-pink bag.
Indigital
Colours were nicely handled, with scarlet and turquoise facing off pink or faded purple.
But where was the coherence or the message about where Ferragamo hopes to position itself not only in the fashion arena but with the high-tech shoes? The colours just seemed like brush strokes of sensationalism, especially for evening outfits flowing in vivid shades of chiffon.
Indigital
With such a wide international following, especially in Japan and the Far East, Ferragamo needs to find a way to balance the modernised shoes against the unexceptional clothes.
Monty Hall. Photo: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Monty Hall, the co-creator and host of the iconic game show Lets Make a Deal died on Saturday. He was 96. Born as Monte Halparin in Canada in 1921, Hall broke into American television in the mid-1950s with hosting gigs on several game shows. He developed Lets Make a Deal with Stefan Hatos in 1963. The series, which gives contestants a chance to trade in prizes for better winnings by risking losing it all, lived on for decades with Hall as the presenter on various networks and different time slots, including stints on prime-time. Each episode concluded with Hall asking a contestant to pick one of three doors which each held a different grand prize a formula that inspired the Monty Hall problem, a probability puzzle based on the likelihood that a contestant would receive a valuable prize as opposed to a zonk. CBS revived the show in 2009 with Wayne Brady as the host. Hall and Hatos produced and created several other gameshows in the 70s and 80s. Hall is survived by his three children.
The Twin Falls County Sheriffs Office is asking that anyone having information, please call 735-1911 or Crime Stoppers at 732-5387 where you can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Aaron Wilson, senior developer at Cypress Creek Renewables, will be the guest speaker for Waco Rotary Clubs meeting at noon Monday at the Waco Lions Den, 1716 N. 42nd St.
Cypress Creek is in the process of developing two solar farms in McLennan County. The meeting costs $10.
For more information, call 776-2115.
Quilt Guild
The Bosque Arts Center Quilt Guild will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Bosque Arts Center in Clifton.
Refreshments and social time start at 6:30 p.m. Guest speaker Sherry Worley will present a program on hand-dyed fabric.
Gathering Place
The Gathering Place will meet Tuesday at Austin Avenue Methodist Church, 1300 Austin Ave.
Contact Sandi Snowden at 713-682-5998 for more information.
The Gathering Place ministry is for people living with memory loss and for people who care for them at home.
Pruitt Symposium
Baylor Universitys annual Pruitt Symposium will start Thursday at the Truett Theological Seminary and the Armstrong Browning Library. Registration is $60 and includes meals. The sessions are free without meals.
The symposium presents perspectives of the Christian intellectual tradition on contemporary issues of common concern.
For more information, call 710-6675.
Confessions of an Entrepreneur
Baylor Universitys Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise will present Confessions of an Entrepreneur with Summer Shine of Luna Juice at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the Hankamer School of Business, 1621 S. Third St.
The Confessions of an Entrepreneur speaker series features conversation with local entrepreneurs who have taken nontraditional roads to achieve success.
For more information, call 710-1694.
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 trying to persuade.
The Citizens Against the Highway 84 Landfill campaign has won endorsements from local and state groups and has amassed a $60,000 war chest for advertising and potential litigation. Direct mail and paid social media ads have warned that a 270-acre landfill off Old Lorena Road would foul drinking water, decrease property values and endanger local airports. And the groups Facebook page has regularly blasted Wacos mayor and city staff for refusing to take the site off the table.
1,900 members strong! a recent post boasted. Weve got 1 month to pull everyone together. Remember there has never been a city election where 1,900 people voted. United, we are unstoppable. We have the numbers, the power, the money, and the facts on our side.
But some council members say the group has adopted overly aggressive tactics and too often doesnt have the facts on its side.
In terms of rhetoric and the way they have gone about voicing their opposition, Id say if there was really much based in fact to their argument it would have an impact, District 3 Councilman John Kinnaird said. Most of it is misinformation and fearmongering, especially the attacks on city staff and council and particularly the mayor.
I think it makes this whole process and our ability to have a respectful, reasonable dialogue more difficult. Those who want to have that dialogue just get overshadowed and shouted down by those providing more attacks and fearmongering tactics.
Citizens Against the Highway 84 Landfill leader Bradford Holland said its the city using scare tactics and misinformation in stacking the deck against alternatives to the Old Lorena Road site. But he said he has never attacked the character of the mayor or staff, only their judgment and their refusal to take that site off the table.
I do think this is a leadership issue for the mayor, said Holland, a physician and longtime political activist who until recently headed the Texas Medical Associations political arm.
He needs to set the agenda. Right now he just accepts what they give him. If he would say, We can do better, and set the vision and plan, I think the city would rise to that. He has not, and I think thats to his detriment. You never win by throwing your district under the bus.
Before he was elected mayor in 2016, Kyle Deaver represented District 5, which encompasses the existing Waco Regional landfill, the proposed site next to it, and the booming Highway 84 residential area. Holland said the group is prepared to run candidates against any city council member who supports the Old Lorena Road site.
The group is also prepared to sue the city if a lawsuit by neighbor Wanda Glaze doesnt succeed. At issue in her lawsuit is whether a newly permitted landfill next to old one counts as an expansion, which is prohibited under a 1992 agreement between the city and Glaze.
Its ludicrous for them to say theyre not expanding the landfill, Holland said. That doesnt pass the common sense test. If that fails, were prepared to go to court on multiple different grounds.
Deaver said he is not intimidated by the groups threats to run candidates against him.
I cant be concerned if they want to target me in a future election, Deaver said. I have to make the best decision I can for all citizens in Waco, and part of that is trying to find a solution that controls costs for all citizens in Waco.
The council on Tuesday will continue discussing in executive session four possible landfill sites, including the Old Lorena Road site, that have been identified by SCS Engineers.
Deaver said some of the other sites appear to have potential, and the council will study questions of feasibility and costs before making a decision in the next couple of months.
Deaver echoed Kinnaird in accusing the opponents of making baseless allegations, particularly in a recent mass mailing prepared by the Texas Association of Realtors, an ally of the Highway 84 group.
This is new to me, people being so willing to make statements that are factually incorrect, to throw things to the wall and see if they stick, he said.
Deaver cited a direct mail ad issued in late September by the Texas Association of Realtors Issues Mobilization PAC. The mailout claimed that expanding the Waco landfill would:
Threaten Wacos water supply
Cause a 12 percent decline in property values
Pose a safety risk to McGregor and Waco airports
Negatively impact neighbors, including 1,500 homes, two public schools and five churches, all within a mile of the landfill.
Kinnaird and Deaver contested each of those statements.
That thing is so replete with misinformation, Deaver said.
Deaver said he was especially irked by the 12-percent property devaluation claim, which is attributed in the flyer to a McLennan County Appraisal District estimate.
Not appraisal factor
MCAD assistant chief appraiser Joe Bobbitt said appraisers do not consider landfill proximity as a factor in home appraisals.
Thats not an adjustment we make, Bobbitt said.
He said the 12 percent number came from the case of a Highway 84 homeowner who appeared before the Appraisal Review Board this summer, complained about the landfill within view of his house, and got his appraisal reduced by 12 percent.
How much of that was based on the landfill being there, they didnt really clarify at the time, he said.
Deaver said the 12 percent claim is irresponsible.
Thats just amazing to me, he said. This is the kind of thing thats counterproductive. Its an attempt to capture attention and spread fear.
He also questioned the statement that 1,500 homes are within a mile radius of the Old Lorena Road site.
I think theyre only off by about 1,200 homes, Deaver said.
A Google Maps search indicates that about 100 homes in the Twin Rivers subdivision are within a mile of the closest corner of the Old Lorena Road landfill site, but no other major subdivisions are. Within a mile radius there are no schools, and there is one church, First United Methodist of Woodway, which is next to the existing landfill.
In an email response, Holland said he didnt see the Texas Association of Realtors mailer until it was sent out, but he stands by its claims.
Is Mayor Deaver actually questioning the veracity and integrity of the Waco Realtors? he wrote. I am absolutely shocked that he would even suggest impropriety on the part of our Realtors, who are such a vitally important and beloved part of our Waco community.
Holland said its true that the 12 percent devaluation number is based on the protest results for a single property owner, but he said that decision is a precedent that will allow other owners to seek the same reduction.
Regarding questions about the homes, schools and churches in a one-mile area, Holland insisted that the Twin Rivers and SunWest subdivisions are less than a mile from the landfill.
In fact, no houses in SunWest are closer than 1.5 miles, a Google Maps search shows.
City officials also disagree on the risk landfill-associated bird strikes would create for the nearby McGregor Executive Airport and the more distant Waco Regional Airport.
Hollands group cites a local pilots group that is opposing the expansion on those safety grounds. City officials said they will follow Federal Aviation Administration rules on landfill siting, and say that McGregor officials have not raised concerns.
FAA records show that the McGregor airport has reported one bird strike over the last decade. In September 2015, an unknown bird hit an ascending jet at 8,000 feet and caused about $8,000 in exterior damage.
Anatomy of a landfill Some might imagine a landfill as a hole in the ground filled with junk. But a modern landfill is more like a series of bowls filled with sealed bags and a straw at the bottom to suck the juices out. Federal Subtitle D rules in 1992 created stringent standards that shut down most town dumps in Texas. Now landfills have to be lined with thick plastic and ultimately sealed up, with any leaking fluids pumped out and treated and methane gas captured or flared off. The Waco Regional Landfill consists of a series of independent cells that are sealed and reclaimed as they fill. And a new landfill, wherever it is sited, will follow the same model. Heres a bottom-up view of how those cells are constructed. The cell is dug out of a geological formation that consists of several hundred feet of impermeable blue shale, which engineers say prevents any groundwater contamination.
A layer of clay is rolled over the bottom and sides of the pit.
A 60-millimeter high-density polyethylene liner covers the bottom and sides.
A piping system is laid in a French drain on the bottom, with a system that will pump leachate from the bottom into the city sewer system.
A layer of lightweight trash is laid first to protect the liner and leachate system.
Each day, after solid waste is laid down and compacted, a layer of dirt covers the exposed trash.
Once it is full, more liner is laid atop the pile and sealed onto the existing liner, creating a dry tomb that is then covered over with dirt and grass.
A collection system captures the flammable methane that is created when organic waste rots.
In an interview early this past week, Holland focused largely on the water contamination threat he sees at the proposed landfill site, which is about a mile south of Lake Waco.
Everybody in Texas knows that you dont drink downstream from the herd, he said. You should not put waste immediately upstream from the drinking water source. We know theyve been cited for runoff contamination. People are human, and these liners leak. I just dont believe this belongs this close to the lake.
Holland was referring to incidents in 2001 and 2003 in which the city was fined by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for regulatory violations, including runoff from areas that were not part of the trash burial cells themselves.
Holland repeated past assertions that Lake Waco could back up into the landfill during an extreme flood event, noting that a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flooding easement at the 503-foot elevation extends into the edge of the landfill. City officials said they will not build a landfill over that easement, but Holland said the lake could go significantly higher.
Heath McLane, the Corps lake manager for Lake Waco, said he considers 503 the maximum elevation for Lake Waco, even in the most catastrophic flood.
In a follow-up email, Holland said he believes that a significant washout of contaminants into the reservoir has a fair likelihood of happening.
All of which points to the fact that a landfill site with a 503 easement on the permitted area is unsuitable for solid waste, he wrote. Any moderately educated person would agree with that.
Transfer station
Holland said he would prefer to see the city haul trash out of the immediate urban area using a transfer station and 18-wheelers. He said the city too quickly dismissed that idea in June, when staff estimated that it would raise residential garbage rates by $11, or 84 percent. Holland called that estimate a scare tactic meant to turn the public against alternatives to the Old Lorena Road landfill.
Deavers successor in the District 5 area, Councilman Jim Holmes, said he came to oppose the Old Lorena Road site based not on lobbying by opponents but his own research.
Holmes said he is glad opponents are participating in the democratic process but thinks some of the rhetoric has been unproductive.
The whole siting issue has evoked an emotional response, he said. For people to cast personal aspersions on the staff and council, that part I dont agree on. I have a lot of respect for Mayor Deaver. I want to remind people he was the one who got us to look at alternative sites. Thats why the disparaging remarks bother me.
Holmes said its valid to raise environmental concerns about any landfill location, though he said he is confident the permitting process would ensure that any new landfill is not a threat to water, air or airports.
But he said his main concern is the economic impact to future development on Wacos far west edge.
Holmes remains hopeful that one of the three other possible sites will be acceptable to the city council, and that it can be developed without a major increase in rates.
If there is another location that is more rural, has the same basic cost structure to run and the same basic hydrology, why would you prefer to put it in the middle of a growing area? he said.
City disputes claims of potential landfill threat to Lake Waco A neighborhood advocacy group alleges that building a new city landfill off Highway 84 could put Lake Waco at risk. But city officials say tho
Hurricane Harvey could redefine risk models for extreme floods in Waco area 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 Ai
Few people know the power and fury of an M109 howitzer firing its rounds. But China Spring resident Will Haning, 69, does. He was the machine gunner on a .50-caliber weapon on a howitzer during the Vietnam War, where he served 11 months and nine days.
For a young adult fresh from his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, Haning got quite the experience from his brief time in the military. He was raised in a family of all girls and admits to being a bit spoiled because he was the only boy. I was still a snot-nosed kid, he said. I had never been out of Iowa.
Haning attended a technical high school, where he took, among other things, drafting. After graduating, he went to work for a time as a surveyor, then as a draftsman. But soon, Uncle Sam came calling in late 1968 and Haning was drafted into the U.S. Army.
Haning traveled to Fort Polk, Louisiana, where he received his basic training in the artillery division, followed by advanced training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he learned to aim, load, shoot and maintain a howitzer. In April 1969, he was sent to Vietnam.
He arrived in Long Binh, which was at the time the U.S. Armys largest base in South Vietnam, reports say. It was located outside the city of Bien Hoa, roughly 20 miles north of Saigon. He was issued his OD Greens (olive drab green) jungle fatigues. Everything you had was green, he said.
Sleeping in the open field
From there, Haning was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Artillery, Battery C. They did not stay in Long Binh. Instead, they were assigned to shoot for many different units, which meant spending most of his time out in the field. Sometimes they slept out in the open, sometimes on another base. They also slept in 2x2 corrugated metal pipes that looked much like mini Quonset huts. Each could hold two cots in each.
Hanings memory of where he served has now faded, and he has trouble pinning down locations. He knows he was in the small town of Xuan Loc (pronounced Swan Lock), and military records show the 2nd Battalion, 35th Artillery served from mid-1966 to April 1970 at Black Horse Base Camp, a U.S. Army camp.
The M109 crew of six (sometimes five) included the driver, gunner and assistant gunner, as well as ammunition handlers. While Haning operated the .50-caliber gun, he also had duties on the M109, including inserting the powder and projectiles, which weighed about 100 pounds.
The .50-caliber Browning heavy machine gun he manned was detachable, and they would put it in the bunker when they settled in for the night. It was nearly as tall as Haning, and the gun and the tripod it sat on weighed a combine 128 pounds.
The M109 self-propelled howitzer fires a variety of 98-pound 155 mm munitions, including high-explosive, illuminating, smoke and rocket assisted. They would work with different forward observers, who would give coordinates of where to fire. We never did see where we shot, he said. That because the firing range of the howitzer was miles away.
Although they never were directly involved in battle, their job was an important one that helped keep the enemy at bay and provided additional support for ground soldiers.
An argument can get you killed
There were some frightening moments, such as the time a soldier and sergeant got into an argument. The soldier was so upset, he pulled out a grenade, released the pin and dropped it between the two men. Everyone, including Haning, hit the dirt. The sergeant, however, pushed the soldier away, grabbed the grenade and tossed it to the nearest berm all within seconds. Because of his actions, no one was hurt.
Haning later drew an interesting assignment when Charley Company was sent to provide firepower to the allied Australians, who had their own compound in Vietnam. Haning, however, worked on special projects. While assigned to build a meeting center for the local Vietnamese, he also built a bar for the NCO club out of junk wood.
Australians are different, said Haning. Theyre super people.
Although he was only there about 30 days, it made quite an impression.
Shortly thereafter, Hanings time was up and he returned to the States in March 1970. He was assigned to Fort Hood and liked Texas so much, he decided to stay. He was honorably discharged in June 1970.
Haning moved to Temple and took a job surveying before landing a civilian position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He retired in 2011 after 34 years of federal service. In 1997, he made a second go of marriage and wed Brenda Slayton; theyve been married for 20 years. Today, Haning keeps busy with volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity.
The amount of Australian farm land owned by Chinese interests has surged tenfold in the past year, climbing above 14 million hectares or 2.5 per cent of all agricultural land.
The findings from the Australian Tax Office's Agricultural Land Register, released this week, show the UK and China are the largest owners of foreign-held land in Australia, owning 27 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.
Foreigners now own up to a quarter of all agricultural land in the Northern Territory and Tasmania, and 14 per cent of all farms across the country.
In NSW and Victoria, foreign interests own more than 3 million hectares. In Queensland it is six times that, with more than 17 million hectares in the state now owned by other countries through cattle stations, crops and abattoirs.
Police used capsicum spray on rowdy Richmond fans on Saturday night after the Tiger Army celebrated into the early hours following their historic premiership win with footage on social media showing fans jumping on cars, burning Crows' scarves and climbing buildings.
The Tigers ended a 37-year premiership drought on Saturday afternoon with a thumping win over Adelaide at the MCG and police were initially full of praise for crowd behaviour on Saturday night.
Shortly before 9.30pm they said of the more than 100,000 people in the stadium, police evicted 20, arrested five people for offences including assault, drunk and disorderly behaviour and shop stealing.
But as the evening wore on, some long-suffering fans began to run amok.
Clairissa Granquist
City of residence: Shoshone
Children in daycare: Nora, 2 years old
Clairissa Granquist relies on a state subsidy through the Idaho Child Care Program to help her pay for daycare.
After getting divorced, she found out about the benefit while applying for other assistance.
Granquist works full time cleaning houses. Without Idaho Child Care Program, she said day care costs would pretty much negate what she was making.
It covers quite a bit for me, the Shoshone resident said, and shes thankful for that.
Her 2-year-old daughter, Nora, is currently in daycare. Her 5-year-old used to be, but is now in school. And Granquist is pregnant with her third child, a boy due Nov. 2.
Full-time day care costs about $400 per month for Nora, and state assistance based on her income covers about three-fourths of it.
For nearly a year, Granquists daughter has attended a certified child care center in Jerome. Granquists new job is also in Jerome, which works out well for her child care needs. Before that, she would often drop off her daughter in Jerome, then drive back to Shoshone for work.
Granquist said Nora is her difficult child, but Nora loves day care and asks when she can go back.
Shes not old enough yet for preschools, but she does some lessons like learning colors with the older children.
Amy Schutte
City: Kimberly
Children: Hudson, 14 months old
After seeing her former day care centers ratio of one adult to as many as six babies, Amy Schutte decided she wanted to leave her full-time job to spend more time with her son.
Schutte, who worked an office job at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, left her position in July. Now, shes doing freelance marketing and writing. She wanted a flexible schedule and a chance to chase her own dreams.
St. Lukes has an onsite day care center, and Schutte was at first stoked about that news when she was pregnant. After her son, Hudson, was born, she returned to work.
For me, it was awesome, she said. I could continue breastfeeding my son when I went back to work. I could pop over and see him, which was great.
But Schutte found it stressful to leave her son at day care for nine hours each workday.
St. Lukes does a good job with day care, she said, and noted that they have skilled professionals who are knowledgeable and up-to-date with safety certifications. As far as day cares go, its great. Its just really that ratio that kept breaking my heart.
St. Lukes day care opened in the 1980s at the Twin Falls County-owned Magic Valley Regional Medical Center.
Now, the day care which accepts children of up to 18 months is at the new hospital on Pole Line Road and is open to community members. But parents who are involved in the local medical community, particularly ones who are employees of St. Lukes, get first priority for enrollment.
As of September, nearly all of the 26 babies are children of hospital employees.
Its not too uncommon for large employers to have this type of benefit, said Samantha Lopez, human resources manager at St. Lukes Magic Valley, who oversees the infant daycare. Its just a great support to the employees to have their infants close, particularly for nursing moms.
The day care is open from 6 a.m.-5 p.m., depending on parents schedules. The cost of full-time care is $500 per month for employees and $590 for everyone else.
Schutte said she feels there needs to be more value placed on the profession particularly, lower ratios of providers to children, and better pay for providers so theyll stick around and invest in children.
St. Lukes aims for an adult-to-child ratio of 1-to-4, but that can vary.
Seeing one provider for as many as six babies was heartbreaking for Schutte as a new mother, especially knowing a provider may not be able to get to all of the babies crying at once.
It didnt feel like there was enough hands to hold all of the babies, Schutte said.
She wanted her son to be more mobile and to be on the floor exploring, but he wasnt doing that at day care. He wasnt napping much either.
Schutte said shed rather pay more for daycare in order to have a lower adult-to-child ratio, but shes been on the waiting list for more than a year at a couple of other local day cares.
David Palmer
City: Twin Falls
Children in daycare: 6-month-old daughter
David Palmer and his wife, Alyssa, are adapting to life as new parents and recently. They recently went through the stressful experience of attempting to find a day care for their 6-month-old daughter.
Palmer is a sixth-grade reading and study skills teacher, and hes the activities director at South Hills Middle School in Twin Falls. His wife is a social worker.
They talked with friends and coworkers, seeking recommendations for a quality day care center.
For every five people we asked, we ended up with seven different places, Palmer said.
They both took a day off and dropped in on daycare centers.
We found what we thought was a fantastic place, he said. We understand that nobody is ever going to give care to our kid as well as we feel we could. We wanted to find a place that didnt add to our stress.
In August, they enrolled their daughter in day care. But the center they chose ended up not being as advertised, Palmer said. Though he said his daughters safety was never in question, it became clear that the day care was not a good fit. They pulled their daughter out after a day and a half.
The Palmers found help from a babysitter to watch their daughter for the rest of the workweek. They enrolled her at Twin Falls Reformed Churchs Kids Zone the following Monday.
It was a night and day difference, Palmer said. We just felt good about it. We jelled with the staff. They were honest, communicative and all of that. It really helped us to trust someone else to watch our kid for a while.
He said he has been impressed with the quality of the staff and their professionalism.
It has been fantastic every step along the way, Palmer said.
One of the factors that was important for the Palmers was a low adult-to-child ratio, particularly for infants like their daughter.
They also discovered day care centers recognized by IdahoSTARS, a project that provides resources for parents, kept coming to the top of their list of daycare options.
He said he and his wife were thorough with asking for child care recommendations, whether in-home or out-of-home.
We thought we had it all figured out, Palmer said.
Madison Brubaker
City: Buhl
Children in daycare: 2-year-old son and 10-month-old daughter
Madison Brubaker has two children enrolled at Twin Falls Reformed Churchs Kids Zone. Shes the purchasing and marketing manager for Gem State Paper and Supply, and her husband is a farmer.
They heard about the day care because they attend the church.
I knew the facility prior to having kids, she said. We put ourselves on the waiting list right away.
Brubaker got on the waiting list when she was 12 weeks pregnant with her son. He didnt get in until he was 10 months old.
Before that, her son went to Binky to Backpack daycare until he was 4 months old. Then, he stayed with a family friend during the day.
With Twin Falls Reformed Church, Brubaker said the most exciting thing is its a safe, secured facility, and a warm, inviting environment.
She said she loves the classroom structure even when children are infants so its not just playtime.
Its one of the more expensive local day cares, but she said its worth it knowing her children are safe. Also, from attending church, she already knew some of the teachers there.
Brubaker said the communication there is good, and she likes how everything is documented during the day such as naptime and diaper changes so she knows how each day went. Her kids, especially her son, love the day care too.
Half the time, she said, he doesnt want to leave.
by Robert Myers
What the heck is the government worrying about Spy Bills for when acts such as FOIA, fiscal responsibility, state sectors act and others that will change the irresponsible and unaccountable way we have been governed for decades have not been presented to the people or HoA! Why have these acts not been written, vetted, enacted and budgeted for? The government promised to focus on the people's rule over the government and not the governments rule over the people. Is it the "the peoples time" or not?
There are significant governance problems to address that are seriously impacting the socioeconomic health and survival of the nation and its people. If it's "the peoples time" then make these austerity and accountability acts the priority!
The greatest threat to the Bahamas, in the last 40 years, has come from unaccountable and irresponsible governance and not from citizens whose rights to privacy are to be violated by an over reaching government and its law enforcement. These bills are a violation of every citizens rights to privacy under the PLP and and they remain that way under the FNM.
Read the news article here
The New York Times published a comprehensive story today in its Sunday magazine about Twin Falls and the debate over refugee resettlement, the Fawnbrook incident and fake news.
The piece is excellent, although it offers few surprises for Magic Valley residents whove lived through the turmoil. Rather, we hope the story is widely read by Americans outside the Magic Valley, who can learn from what happened here.
What are the lessons?
Our spirit of community was strong enough to overcome attempts to divide us. As we know now but didnt then, even Russian operatives were helping sow discord online in Twin Falls. They were aided by American media outlets like Breitbart, which published outlandish conspiracy theories about Muslims taking over Twin Falls, an apparent warning to Americans everywhere that disaster was just around the corner. It isnt and never was.
Our institutions are much stronger than populists would lead you to believe. In Twin Falls, police, prosecutors and elected officials handled themselves with grace and professionalism, ensuring justice was served for the perpetrators in the Fawnbrook case. The College of Southern Idaho never wavered in its support for the Refugee Resettlement Center.
And neither did community support for the center wane. In fact, donations and offers for volunteers flooded in. If anything, the refugee center came out of the crisis for the better, with a heightened community awareness of the plight of refugees, and a better understanding about how theyre vetted, the limited benefits they receive and how the vast majority of refugees strive to assimilate and become productive members of our community.
Residents here also learned that local reporters, trained journalists with a stake in their community who still play by a long-established set of rules built on commitments to truth, fairness and responsibility, can be counted on to deliver unvarnished news. Before anyone ever heard the term fake news, reporters here were exposing it and debunking falsehoods.
Despite our reporting, some Magic Valley residents fell for the propaganda. But most did not. We should be proud of that.
Our only quibble about the Times story is with an online headline: How Fake News Turned a Small Town Upside Down.
Were we really ever upside down?
Charlottesville was upside down. Ferguson was upside down. Despite the efforts of Russians, racists and xenophobes, there were no riots. There were no beatings. There werent even really protests outside of a few dozen people anyone hardly noticed.
We dont mean to dismiss the ugliness that descended on Twin Falls. That was very real.
But we never let it turn us upside down. Instead, we faced it head-on, as Idahoans do, and overcame the challenges dropped in our laps.
Now, we can only hope other Americans learn from our experience.
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The American Red Cross urges eligible donors of all races and ethnicities to give blood to help ensure a diverse blood supply for patients in need.
Some blood types are unique to certain racial and ethnic groups, so a diverse blood supply is important to meeting the medical needs of an increasingly diverse patient population.
Patients who need repeated transfusions, like 11-year-old Tymia McCullough who has sickle cell disease, must have blood that is matched very closely. Patients are less likely to have complications from blood donated by someone with a similar ethnicity.
Donors of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as all blood types, are needed to help patients fight sickle cell disease, alpha thalassemia and other illnesses. Make an appointment to give blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To help reduce wait times, donors are encouraged to make appointments and complete the RapidPass online health history questionnaire at redcrossblood.org/RapidPass.
Blood drives also will be hosted at the following locations in Winona:
Noon to 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2: American Legion Post No. 9, 302 E. Sarnia St.
Noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5: Express Suites Riverport Inn, 900 Bruski Dr.
Noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5: Hy-Vee, 1475 Service Rd.
11 a.m to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10: Michael Toner Student Center, 700 Terrace Heights on the Saint Marys University campus
11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 111: Michael Toner Student Center, 700 Terrace Heights on the Saint Marys University campus
In Altura:
1 to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9: Our Savior Moravian Church, 37 Chapel Drive NW
WAPS leaders are asking voters to support a $82.4 million facilities referendum. With interest, this will cost $145 million over 25 years.
Aside from the annual price tag of $5.8 million, a deeper problem is that two of the three elementary schools in Winona are set to close. If this passes, students living near Jefferson and Madison elementary schools will suffer longer bus rides to attend larger consolidated schools exactly the same type of warehousing educational environments that families are trying to escape in several Twin-Cities suburban communities (Star Tribune 9-24-17)
Did anyone measure the impact of larger busing contracts and more unhealthy time for students in transit to W-K and Goodview? Did anyone measure the cost of eliminating WAPS pre-school programming in Winona due to the closures? Did anyone consider teacher and staff layoffs under this consolidation as something besides mere salary savings? Has anyone considered the educational impact of doubling the number of students at Goodview and W-K and the impact of potentially larger class sizes? Did anyone ever really look at the effect of school closures on property values and community development?
Did anyone ever consider a facilities plan that maintained existing structures to enhance learning opportunities for all area families? I could support that type of facilities plan. I cannot support an unpredictable shell game of closing schools and building new spaces that sends a message of district instability to potential families and students.
Someday, the new superintendent and the school board should try to understand why they are failing to attract and retain young families in Winona. Maybe they will honestly address why enrollment in charter and private schools is on the rise. I am ever hopeful that WAPS will learn that spending more money and closing schools is not a path to a better education.
Darrell Downs, Winona
WASHINGTON So the systematic confirmation of toxic GOP stereotypes continues. Nativism? Build that wall. Misogyny? Grab that ... woman. Racial bias? Equivocate about white supremacists. Religious intolerance? Enter Roy Moore, likely to be the next senator from Alabama.
Moores victory against a more mainstream candidate in Alabamas Senate primary has far-reaching political implications. It demonstrates that anti-establishment populism is still on an upswing among GOP primary voters (at least in the most conservative places). Even President Trump could not channel it to his favored candidate, incumbent Sen. Luther Strange. And this is likely to intimidate gutless Republicans everywhere.
But Moore represents a peculiar challenge to the GOP future. He holds to a particularly rigorous vision of a Christian America, ultimately ruled and legitimated by biblical law. In his conception, the freedom of religion in the First Amendment is limited to the Christian (and presumably Jewish) version of the creator God. So the protections of the Constitution do not extend to, say, Buddhism and Islam. Buddha didnt create us, explains Moore. Muhammad didnt create us. Its the God of the Holy Scriptures.
The absurdity of this claim is just stunning. Moore is contending that when the First Amendment says, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, the document was actually intending to establish a religion. This indicates a type of zealotry willing to call night day and day night.
Moores conception of the supreme law of the universe seems particularly focused on the sex lives of American citizens. Rather than motivating a passion for racial justice, or a mission of prison reform, or a fight against global poverty, Moores law would punish homosexuality and defy the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage. His enthusiasm for imposing his conception of Christian law is only matched by his fear that Shariah law is being imposed in Illinois, Indiana up there. I dont know.
Some of the arguments against Moores view of a Christian America are prudential. Over time at least since Calvins Geneva and Cromwells England Christians have learned that too close a relationship between church and state is highly damaging to both. Associating the reputation of the Christian gospel with the fortunes of any politician or movement is bound to dishonor sacred things. Associating the Christian gospel with the political priorities of Roy Moore would be foolishness compounded by heresy.
Disestablishment, pluralism and democracy are good for religious believers and, not incidentally, for everyone else. I am a democrat, said C.S. Lewis, because I believe that no man or group of men is good enough to be trusted with uncontrolled power over others. And the higher the pretentions of such power, the more dangerous I think it both to the rulers and to the subjects. Hence theocracy is the worst of all governments. If we must have a tyrant, a robber baron is far better than an inquisitor. The barons cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity at some point may be sated; and since he dimly knows he is doing wrong he may possibly repent. But the inquisitor who mistakes his own cruelty and lust of power and fear for the voice of heaven will torment us infinitely because he torments us with the approval of his own conscience.
It is easy to imagine Moore sleeplessly considering American decadence, since his version of biblical law is ceaselessly violated. It is worth asking: What is his limiting principle in enforcing the voice of heaven? The Ten Commandments set aside the Sabbath for rest. Should that be mandated? How about Old Testament recommendations of the death penalty for adulterers, apostates, blasphemers and incorrigible children? Why not enforce the Apostle Pauls admonition against foolish talk? But that would leave Moore speechless.
No, Moore is not really a theonomist. The boundaries of his worldview, it turns out, almost exactly coincide with those of the Breitbart agenda. Moores study of divine law has led him, in the end, to the shabby, third-rate gospel of Steve Bannon.
The strongest objection to Moores hardness and harshness is theological. On the consistent evidence of Jesus ministry, what public attitude did he condemn the most? He stood against people who talked constantly of the law, who thought they were especially virtuous, who enjoyed scolding people, who judged others without tenderness and understanding. He was at constant war with the self-righteous and took the side of the social outcasts they condemned.
Now we see the return of the Pharisee.
State Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Daniel Zimmerman wrote a letter to the editor of his hometown newspaper defending Confederate statues.
In the letter, published Aug. 31 in the Ripon Commonwealth Press, Zimmerman chastised black-hooded, bandana-clad thugs who call themselves anti-fascists for trying to sanitize our history by calling for the removal of monuments and statues of Confederate figures.
Blacks and whites who were never slaves are fighting whites and others who were never Nazis over statues, monuments and places honoring prominent American historical figures that have been around for two centuries with little concern, Zimmerman wrote.
DVA spokeswoman Carla Vigue confirmed that Zimmerman wrote the letter and said, His message was intended to encourage us to reject hateful ideologies and find commonalities that unite us all.
Zimmerman was appointed by Gov. Scott Walker Feb. 2. He is a retired Army officer and was the leader of an effort to build a National Republican Party History Museum in Ripon, which is known as the birthplace of the Republican party.
The letter was printed about three weeks after the protests and counter-protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, of the citys plan to remove a statue of Confederate Army Gen. Robert E. Lee. One person died and more than a dozen were injured when the driver of a car deliberately plowed into counter-protesters.
The protests gained national attention amid activists calls around the country for the removal of Confederate statues and monuments.
Many of the monuments were erected decades after the Civil War, from 1900 and well into the 1920s, while racist policies made segregation the law, or in the 1950s and 1960s, during the civil rights movement, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Zimmerman quoted Harvard College philosopher George Santayana, who said: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
Zimmerman said the phrase, which is inscribed at the Auschwitz death camp from the Holocaust, would be too controversial at an American site.
As Americans, we need to etch those words in our psyches because if we dare place such common sense on a monument as a reminder, surely someone will find it offensive, Zimmerman wrote.
Zimmerman wrote that social justice warriors are intimidating others to impose their ideology on America.
He also wrote that Civil War monuments are symbols that remind us of the past perils caused by indoctrination and intimidation.
Scot Ross, executive director of liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, called Zimmermans views indefensible and said he should be removed from office.
Ross criticized a culture of intolerance in Gov. Scott Walkers administration, pointing to Walkers response to President Donald Trumps claim that blame lay with multiple sides at the Charlottesville protests.
Gov. Walker refused point blank to condemn Donald Trumps many sides declaration after Charlottesville when asked by the Wisconsin media and in doing so provided an apparent safe space for members of his team to publicly declare similar abhorrent views, Ross said.
Walkers office did not respond to requests for comment Saturday.
In the weeks after the Charlottesville protest, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin ordered the removal of a Confederate monument at the Forest Hill Cemeterys Confederate Rest section that described the 140 people buried there as valiant Confederate soldiers and unsung heroes. The fate of another monument is being decided by the City Council.
The monument that was removed was installed in 1981, and the other was placed around 1931.
Soglin called the older memorial a historical lie.
The Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery died at Camp Randall as prisoners of war.
Zimmerman replaced former-Secretary John Scocos, who resigned in January after months of controversy surrounding the care for residents at the veterans nursing home in King.
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Woman walking alone at lake (illustration)
By: William Martin WorldWideWeirdNews.com
A young woman who visited a state fair, was brutally assaulted and raped by a group of asylum seekers, according to police in Germany.
Muhlhausen police said that they have arrested 23-year-old Isaak N., 29-year-old Medhanie A., and 22-year-old David T., all from Ethiopia, after being accused of raping 28-year-old Laura G. from Hungary.
In court, Isaak admitted to having sex with the woman, but claimed it was consensual.
The other two denied the allegations, saying that they were home and sleeping at the time of the attack.
The suspects were all charged with rape, assault and theft.
The court was told that the three suspects came from Ethiopia and applied for asylum.
The woman came to Muhlhausen, to visit the state fair.
When Laura started making her way to her apartment, she was approached by one of the men.
The man told her that they are going to have sex in the street.
Laura tried to run away, but she was slammed to the ground by the two other suspects.
The three suspects beat her and covered her mouth with tape.
They took away her phone, which they used to record the attacks.
They then took chances raping her.
Laura told the court that she was raped a total of 9 times, according to the Thueringer Allgemeine.
Police told the court that DNA found on Laura matched two of the suspects.
A man robbed dozens of supermarkets by threatening employees with a dirty hypodermic needle, according to police in the United Kingdom.
Grimsby police said that they have arrested 26-year-old Josh Musson, after being accused of stealing items from Farm Foods, Heron, and Iceland.
Musson was charged with robbery, attempted robbery, theft, making threats, possession of a bladed article in a public place and disturbing public order.
He pleaded guilty to robbery, making threats and theft at the Grimsby Crown Court, as part of a plea bargain agreement with prosecutors.
Mussons defense attorney pleaded for leniency, claiming that his client was addicted to drugs.
Musson was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months in prison.
According to the police investigation, over a period of many months, Musson terrorized many supermarkets on Freeman Street.
During each robbery, when employees tried to stop Musson from leaving the stores without payment, he pulled out a dirty hypodermic needle and threatened to stab anyone standing in his way.
The employees backed off as they feared for their safety, and Musson was allowed to leave with the stolen items.
Over time, Musson became known in the area as the needle guy.
Musson mainly targeted shops in Freeman Street, including Farm Foods, Boyes, Heron, Harrison News, and Iceland.
In addition to being jailed, the judge banned him from entering these shops in the future.
Steve Harrison, who is the owner of Harrison News, said that he was happy that Musson was taken off the street and will no longer terrorize the area, but he believes that the 3 year sentence is too lenient.
Boys choir prepares for Belgium trip to mark 100th anniversary iconic Welsh poets death
This article is old - Published: Sunday, Oct 1st, 2017
A boys choir will be performing at a moving ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of iconic Welsh poet Hedd Wyn with the help of cash seized from criminals.
Only Boys Aloud, a 60-strong choir run by the Aloud charity, will take to the stage at the Menin Gate in Ypres in Belgium in November.
The organisation runs four choirs in North Wales in Holyhead, Caernarfon, Rhyl and Wrexham.
Hedd Wyn was the bardic name of Ellis Evans, from Trawsfynydd, who was killed on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele during World War 1.
He was posthumously awarded the bards chair at the 1917 National Eisteddfod in Birkenhead just a few weeks after he died on the front line.
The trip to Belgium will be the choirs first ever performance on foreign soil.
They were awarded a 5,000 grant from the Your Community Your Choice fund set up jointly by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, North Wales Police and the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT).
Much of the money was recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act with the rest coming from the Police and Crime Commissioners own funds.
Commissioner Arfon Jones dropped in a rehearsal at Rhyls Pavilion Theatre to see for himself the difference the grant is making.
Speaking after his visit, Mr Jones praised the unique project thats helping and benefitting a great many teenage boys from some of North Wales most deprived areas.
He continued: Im delighted the funding we have been able to award Only Boys Aloud is being used to help these committed young people realise their potential. Its fantastic that they are off in November to Belgium and will perform at the Menin Gate and at the grave of Hedd Wyn.
The choir really is a credit to North Wales, their parents and the communities from which choir members are drawn. Im really impressed by the fact these boys turn up week in and week out to rehearse.
According to Eleri Watkins, the project manager for Only Boys Aloud in North Wales, the Your Community Your Choice grant was vital to pay for the weekly rehearsals.
She said: Only Boys Aloud is a project that was started by Tim Rhys-Evans MBE in South Wales six years ago. The choir had amazing success finishing third in Britains Got Talent in 2012. There is no audition and no charge to all members.
It was then decided to start choirs in North Wales and two-and-a-half years ago the four choirs, in Rhyl, Wrexham, Holyhead and Caernarfon, were formed. We have gone from strength to strength.
We have a real mix of members from varied backgrounds. Some boys come to us suffering anxiety, depression and facing all sorts of problems both at home and at school.
But they get on and its really become a big family. These boys come every week to rehearse. They want to be involved and its not just about singing, they learn life skills and have some amazing experiences.
She added: Its going to be a very emotional and touching experience visiting and singing at the Menin Gate in Ypres and we are also going to sing at Hedd Wyns grave.
Its a costly endeavour and we have been fundraising hard so we can fund the trip to Belgium. Thats why grants such as the money from the Police Commissioner and PACT are so important.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - A former Florida prison guard has been found guilty of assaulting and inmate and then planting evidence in a failed attempt to claim self-defense.
Willie Walker is facing up to 10 years in prison after being convicted Friday in federal court of violating the inmate's rights.
The Panama City News-Herald reports that in March 2015 the 58-year-old Walker sprayed a Gulf Correctional Institution inmate with a chemical agent and then struck him repeatedly, fracturing his nose and causing a head wound that required stapling. Officials say he then planted a homemade knife.
Walker is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
Workers prepare apples for shipment during their shifts at CPC International Apple Company in Tieton, Wash., Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017. The company has benefitted from the current trade rules under the North American Free Trade Agreement, but says maintaining open trade with both Canada and Mexico is important to being a top exporter for Washington State apples. (SHAWN GUST/Yakima Herald-Republic)
YAKIMA, Wash. -- Members of the agricultural community locally and statewide reacted positively to a new trade agreement between the U.S., Mex
MK Abd Al Hakeem Haj Yahya of the Joint List attended a party last week celebrating the release from prison of a terror accomplice who aided a Hamas terror cell, yet he finds nothing wrong with his conduct.
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"He paid his debt to society," Haj Yahya said in his defense.
In 2004, Mohammed Khalf, a carpenter in the Arab local council of Jatt in the Triangle area, hired Wael Zakala, a Palestinian from Tulkarm, to work in his carpentry shop.
MK Abd Al Hakeem Haj Yahya, second from the right, sits next to terror accomplice Mohammed Khalf, second from the left.
Zakala introduced his Israeli employer to the members of the terror cell when the latter visited him in Tulkarm.
From that point onward, Khalf became more and more involved in the cell's operations, aiding it in various way. Among other things, Khalf tried to help the cell members purchase weapons.
In early 2005, Zakala, who had a hard time obtaining chemical materials for his IEDs in the Samaria region, asked Khalf to use his access to such materials as an Israeli citizen.
In March 2005, Khalf purchased chemicals used in the production of explosives, including potassium nitrate and sulfur. He hid them in paper bags and traveled to Tulkarm to deliver them to Zakala.
Zakala's terror cell was able to produce at least nine IEDs from the chemicals provided by Khalf, hurling one of these explosives at an IDF force they were ambushing.
Khalf then agreed to continue providing the Tulkarm Hamas cell with chemicals and other materials. He received a shopping list from Zakala that included, in addition to potassium nitrate and sulfur, gunpowder, fuses and light bulbs.
Zakala was then arrested in a Shin Bet operation, and during his interrogation he gave up his Israeli boss, leading to Khalf's arrest as well.
Mohammed Khalf upon his arrest in 2005 (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
At first, Khalf denied any connection to terror activities, and claimed he didn't know Zakala. But Zakala's testimony combined with other evidenceincluding recordings of the two coordinating the purchaseswere enough to convict him of aiding an enemy in wartime, having contact with a foreign agent, and illegally possessing weapons, among other things.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was released last week.
His release caused a lot of excitement in the Triangle area, with several local media bodies broadcasting the event live. The convicted accomplice was welcomed by many dignitaries when he returned to his home in Jatt, including the aforementioned MK Abd Al Hakeem Haj Yahya, who got to sit next to the released prisoner.
The MK even posted some photos from the event to his Facebook page, writing that he was happy after visiting Khalf.
"Someone who was convicted of an offense, after he finished serving his time, you can't keep him locked up," Haj Yahya told Yedioth Ahronoth. "I don't even know what he did and what he was in prison for, and I won't be another judge to punish him after he had paid his debt to society."
This isn't the first time members of the Joint List meet with terrorists and their families.
The most notable such incident was when former MK Basel Ghattas met with Palestinian prisoners and tried to smuggle cellphones into the prison for them. Ghattas resigned from the Knesset as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to two years in prison , which he is currently serving
Police arrested a man on suspicion of assaulting a nurse in Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on Saturday after receiving was he claims was improper treatment.
On Yom Kippur, the man arrived at the hospital for medical treatment after he was involved in a car accident. During the course of the treatment, the suspect spit on the nurse and pushed him because he claims that the treatment was poor.
Police officers arrived at the scene and arrested the suspect.
This took place just two days after several men attacked the security guards at the same hospital.
Rabbi Chezky Lifshitz, the Chabad emissary in Nepal's capital of Kathmandu, set off on the night of Yom Kippur to aid an Israeli hiker who was seriously injured during a hike in Namche Bazaar, a village serving as a stop-off point for hikers and climbers heading for Mount Everest.
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The hiker, an Israeli in his 50s, was walking with his son in an organized group when he slipped and fell, breaking his hand and both his legs and started bleeding profusely.
Lifshitz contacted Israeli doctors who were in the village and asked them to take care of the injured hiker at a nearby guest house, where they somewhat managed to stabilize his condition.
On the left, Rabbi Chezky Lifshitz, during a previous rescue mission (Photo: Kathmandu Chabad house)
When the weather stabilized, Rabbi Lifshitz found a local rescue team, which, together with the rescue center of MAGNUS International Search & Rescue, evacuated the injured man on a stretcher and then by helicopter to Kathmandu.
The weather conditions near the Chabad house in Nepal on the day of the incident (Photo: Kathmandu Chabad house)
The man will undergo surgery on Monday.
"Pikuach nefesh (the Jewish principle of preservation of human life) takes precedence over Shabbat and holidays," Lifshitz said after the rescue.
As Jews across the country began their fast on Yom Kippur on Friday evening, arson attacks and shootings took place over the weekend in several Arab towns, causing property damage and widespread panic.
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On Friday evening, a restaurant on a main street in Qalansawe caught fire in what was a suspected arson.
Violence and shooting in Arab sector
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Another incident took place at the same time in Fureidis, as a masked man was recorded on camera entering a residential neighborhood in the city and firing several shots at a private car before being attacked by the owner of the vehicle.
Following a brief scuffle, the vandal managed to escape.
Gunshots were also fired in an Arab settlement in the southern part of the Triangle.
Meanwhile, in Tayibe, on Friday morning unknown assailants opened fire on a house and vehicles while children were playing in the yard. On Friday night, unknown assailants shot at another house and set ablaze a nearby car.
The aftermath of the arson in Qalansawe
The municipality of Tayibe called on the public to take part in a demonstration in the city on Monday in protest of the murder of DJ Nazeh Masarwe, who was killed a few days ago after finishing work at a wedding. The demonstration is also taking place against the backdrop of a recent surge in violence and crime, calling for those responsible to be detained.
Violent incidents have been plaguing the Arab sector in recent years, with bystanderssometimes children getting caught in the crossfire, as extortion, gang and honor-based crimes continue to disrupt the lives of the Arab citizens.
The ISIS terror group claimed responsibility for a stabbing attack Sunday in which two women were stabbed to death in what police sources have described as a "terror attack" at Marseille's main train station in southern France.
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A French soldier shot and killed the attacker. One police source said the man had cried out "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great in Arabic) before attacking the two people with a knife.
People fleeing the scene of the attack (:@Behind__News)
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The man suspected of carrying out the attack was known to authorities for common law crimes, said a French police source
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his outrage at the attack on his Twitter account, and praised the reaction of the security services, including the Operation Sentinelle soldiers set up to deal with such threats.
Photo: AP
France's counter-terrorism prosecutor has opened an investigation into the attack, a judicial source said. No further details were immediately available.
Photo: AP
A witness told Reuters she saw a man take out a knife from his sleeve and then stab a young girl and then a second woman, shouting what could have been "Allahu Akbar". She added that she saw soldiers from France's Sentinelle force who were patrolling in the area arrive on the public square at the Gare Saint-Charles station.
Photo: AP
Police had cordoned off the area and an operation was underway. French interior minister Gerard Collomb said on Twitter he was heading to Marseilles "after the attack perpetrated near Saint Charles train station."
The Saint Charles train station in Marseille (Photo: AFP)
France has been in a state of emergency following a spate of attacks by Islamist militants over the last two years, including attacks in Paris in November 2015 which killed 130 people.
A gunman drove a heavy truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the city of Nice last year, killing 86 people and injuring scores more.
Hamas freed five prisoners belonging to the rival Fatah party on Sunday and Egypt sent a delegation to the Gaza Strip to oversee the Islamist group's planned handover of administrative control of the Palestinian enclave to a unity government.
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The West Bank-based Palestinian prime minister, Rami al-Hamdallah, and other officials of the government formed in 2014 are due in Gaza on Monday to run ministries and hold a cabinet meeting the next day.
Hamas opted for reconciliation with Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah because it is short of funds and friends a decade after violently seizing the enclave in a brief civil war.
"We are determined to ... bury the chapter of division so that the homeland can be reunited," Hamdallah said in public remarks in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
One of the prisoners released, Taher Abu Armana (Photo: AFP)
One cabinet member, Culture Minister Ehab Bseisso, arrived in Gaza on Sunday and held a meeting with deputies and employees after taking up his post.
Hamas made its dramatic turn towards reconciliation on September 17 after Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates imposed an economic boycott on the movement's main donor, Qatar, over alleged support of terrorists.
Abbas, whose popularity ratings are low, has been facing public pressure to patch up differences with Hamas.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: AP)
Hamas's armed wing still remains the dominant power in the territory of 2 million people partially blockaded by Israel and Egypt, which cite security concerns for border restrictions.
On the eve of the handover, Hamas released five Fatah security men it jailed two years ago for what an Interior Ministry spokesman described as "actions harmful to internal security". Their sentences ranged from seven to 15 years.
Speaking to reporters, one of the freed inmates, Taher Abu Armana, thanked Hamas Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief in the enclave, for his release.
Dahlan, based since 2011 in the United Arab Emirates, is behind an influx of cash to prop up Gaza and detente between Hamas and Arab states including Egypt, which hosted reconciliation talks.
Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh (Photo: AP)
"We urge President (Mahmoud Abbas) to order the release of all political prisoners in the West Bank," Abu Armana said, a reference to members of Hamas, a group considered by Western countries that back Abbas to be a terrorist organization.
An official of the Palestinian Authority, the self-rule body headed by Abbas in the West Bank, said an Egyptian delegation comprised of two generals and Cairo's ambassador to Israel, arrived in Gaza to oversee reconciliation efforts.
It was the first official Egyptian delegation to travel to Gaza since 2012. Egypt suspended its diplomatic mission in Gaza in 2007 after the Hamas takeover.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he told the top US diplomat not to waste his time trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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"I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Kim.
Trump's comment came the day after Tillerson disclosed that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue.
President Trump and Kim Jong Un (Photo: AFP, Reuters)
Tillerson said during a trip to China on Saturday that the United States was probing North Korea to see whether it is interested in dialogue and that it had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang.
This was the first time the Trump administration acknowledged it was in direct communication with Pyongyang.
Rex Tillerson (Photo: AP)
The disclosure came as Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland.
"We are probing, so stay tuned," Tillerson told a small group of reporters during a trip to China. "We ask: 'Would you like to talk?'" He said the United States had "a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang."
Trump has vacillated between direct personal attacks on the North Korean leader and a willingness to negotiate. After announcing new US sanctions last month on North Korea, he also acknowledged diplomacy was still possible, asking: "Why not?"
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit rejected the appeal made by the family of Yosef Salamsa against the decision made by the police's internal affairs department not to indict the cops who arrested Salamsa.
The young Ethiopian's family claimed their son suffered abuse during a March 2014 investigation. Salamsa was found dead four months later and his family pointed at said abuse as cause for his death.
The department for internal affairs closed the case against the arresting officers 18 months ago.
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan An airstrike by the Afghan Air Force on a checkpoint in Gereshk district in the southern province of Helmand on Sunday killed around 10 members of the security forces and wounded nine others, officials said.
The strike hit members of a special militia unit known as Sangoryan, who wear local clothes to blend into areas where the Taliban are active. Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, confirmed the incident but gave no details.
The incident is the latest in a series of so-called "friendly fire" accidents in Helmand, the most recent in July when a U.S. airstrike killed a number of local police members during an operation in Gereshk district.
Judges in Spain's region of Catalonia will investigate the Catalan regional police for allegedly disobeying court orders to stop Sunday's referendum on independence.
The highest court in the region says six different courts have said they will investigate different cases of the regional police not acting to stop the vote that had been suspended by Spain's Constitutional Court.
Agents from Spain's two national police forces, the Civil Guard and the National Police, carried out raids to confiscate ballot boxes and close some polling stations. Authorities say 844 people and 11 police were hurt Sunday in those police raids.
The Catalan police were seen limiting their participation to warning voters that they needed to leave the school polling stations that they were occupying overnight.
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Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - The Pearl Harbor submarine community welcomed the crew and families of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Chicago (SSN 721) to Hawaii following a homeport change from Guam, September 28.
"The crew and I were sad to leave Guam, but at the same time we're excited to see our new home and start the next chapter for Chicago," said Cmdr. Brian Turney, commanding officer of the submarine. "We are very happy to finally be in Hawaii and reunited with our families."
Shifting a boat from one port to another can be a complicated task involving, families, Sailors and many civilian and military organizations working together, and Chicago was no different.
"It took a lot of planning and communication across many organizations to accomplish this change of home port," said Turney.
Turney thanked the Chicago's ombudsman Kalyn Kasten for her hard work ensuring families were taken care of during the transition.
"I just wanted to make sure all the families were squared away," said Kasten. "That meant ensuring things like their pay was up to date, and they were met at the airport by someone."
Kasten also said that while she loved Guam, she was excited to be in Hawaii and try new activities.
Chicago is scheduled for a maintenance period at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Once complete, the boat will return to the fleet ready to support the nation as one of the most advanced submarines in the world.
Turney noted how effective the Chicago has been in recent operations while maintaining a robust schedule.
"Since 2012, Chicago served as the tip of the spear in Guam," said Turney. "She steamed hundreds of thousands of nautical miles in support of national and Pacific Fleet objectives, and participated in numerous national and international exercises."
Now that the boat has arrived in Pearl Harbor and the focus of the crew will shift to work in port and capitalizing on local training opportunities.
Chicago was commissioned Sept. 27, 1986, and is the Navy's 34th Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine. Measuring 360 feet long and displacing more than 6,900 tons, Chicago has a crew of approximately 140 Sailors. Chicago is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
The submarine is now assigned to Submarine Squadron 7 headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam.
Arizona News
Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey today announced the appointments of Jennifer Perkins and James Morse to the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One.
Jennifer Perkins is an Assistant Solicitor General in the Arizona Attorney Generals Office. Her responsibilities include serving as trial and appellate counsel on litigation matters involving the State of Arizona. She manages the drafting, editing and issuance of formal Attorney General advisory opinions on legal issues of first impression relating to the operation of state government. She also serves as ethics counsel to Attorney General Mark Brnovich and his staff of approximately 400 attorneys.
Jennifer began her legal career at the New Mexico firm of Browning & Peifer and as a law clerk for the Honorable James O. Browning in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. After relocating to Arizona, Jennifer worked at the Arizona Chapter of the Institute for Justice where she handled litigation involving property rights, First Amendment issues and economic liberties. Jennifer later served as disciplinary counsel at the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct and was of counsel with Mandel Young PLC, an appellate specialty firm in Phoenix.
Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University in 1999 and her law degree from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, graduating in 2002.
Jennifer has devoted her professional career to defending constitutional principles and upholding the highest standards of ethics in the legal community. Jennifer will be a fantastic judge on the Court of Appeals, said Governor Ducey.
James (Jim) Morse is an Assistant United States Attorney at the U.S. Attorneys Office and has substantial experience in federal criminal investigations and prosecutions. Jim is currently the Section Chief of the Southwest Border Crimes Section. He has also worked in the offices Organized Crime and Drug Prosecutions Unit.
Jim began his legal career in private practice at Baker & Botts in Dallas, Texas. After returning to Phoenix in 1999, he joined Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. While in private practice, Jim practiced in the area of employee benefits, federal income and excise tax, employment and executive compensation law. He drafted pension, stock option, deferred compensation and welfare benefit plans for employers.
Jim served as a law clerk for Judge James Teilborg of the U.S. District Court, District of Arizona in 2003. He began his career in law enforcement in 2004 at the Maricopa County Attorneys Office, where he prosecuted special crimes, probation violations and preliminary hearings and was later promoted to Assistant Bureau Chief for the Drug Enforcement Bureau.
Jim is a native Arizonan, who attended elementary school on Mt. Lemmon and high school in St. Johns, Arizona. He is a 1991 graduate, magna cum laude, of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a 1995 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law.
Jim has demonstrated a commitment to pursuing justice and upholding the rule of law, said Governor Ducey. I am pleased to appoint Jim to the Arizona Court of Appeals.
The appointments of Jennifer Perkins and Jim Morse were made to fill the vacancies created by the retirement of Judges Donn Kessler and Patricia K. Norris.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-09-30 18:29:04|Editor: Lu Hui
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FAIZABAD, Afghanistan, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban local commander along with his three fighters was killed, following Afghan forces onslaught in northeastern province of Badakhshan on Saturday.
Twelve villages were also cleared from insurgents during the raid, an official said.
"A cleanup operation was launched in Yaftal-e-Payan district of Badakhshan province, where insurgents have been driven out of 12 villages after leaving their commander, Maulawi Ekram and three more fighters dead," police spokesman Ghulam Hazrat Karimi, told reporters here.
Taliban militants have not made comment on the report.
Islamabad: Ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif will be present during his indictment proceedings in the accountability court here on Monday in three corruption and money laundering cases involving his family's offshore properties, his party said today.
"Mr Sharif is not leaving for London and he will attend indictment proceedings of accountability court in Islamabad on Monday (tomorrow) against him. However, his children will not appear before the court," the ruling PML-N said.
"Nawaz Sharif has decided to appear before the court in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references in order to expose the targeted trial," Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said and added justice is being "compromised" in the case.
The minister also said Sharif's children - Hassan, Hussain and Maryam and son-in-law Safdar will not come from London to appear in the court to face the graft cases.
"Since Mr Sharif's children are busy looking after their mother (Kulsoom Nawaz) they are unlikely to appear in the accountability court on Monday (tomorrow)," the minister said, adding the court should have given more time for indictment.
The court has already issued bailable warrants for Hassan, Hussain, Maryam, and Safdar. The accountability court may issue non-bailable arrest warrants for the suspects for skipping the proceedings for the third consecutive time.
During his first appearance in the accountability court on September 26 in connection with three corruption references filed by the NAB against him and his family members, it declined Sharif's request for exemption from personal attendance.
The Supreme Court had disqualified Sharif, 67, as prime minister on July 28 in the Panama Papers case and ordered the NAB to file corruption and money laundering references against the Sharif family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the light of the Joint Investigation Team's report.
Dar has already been indicted in the reference against him for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income.
Sharif's wife Kulsoom has undergone three successful surgeries for throat cancer in London and her condition is stated to be stable.
Sharif is likely to leave for London to be with his wife on October 5.
For 30 years he served the Indian Army. A year after his retirement, he is being asked to prove that he is an Indian. Kalahikash resident Mohd Azmal Hoque was recently served a notice by the Foreigner's Tribunal which placed him in the 'doubtful-voter' category. He has been asked to appear in the local tribunal on October 13 and provide documents to prove that he is an Indian citizen.
Hoque joined the Indian Army as a mechanical engineer in September 1986 and held the position of a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) when he retired in September 2016.
He said that he served the Army in the technical department from various places. "I was at the LoC in Punjab's Khemkaran Sector and Kalaigaon, at Tawang on the Indo-China border, at Lucknow, at Kota. I also had a stint at the College of Defence Management at Secunderabad," said Hoque.
Not just him, his wife Mamataj Begum, was also served a notice by the Tribunal in 2012 to prove her citizenship. Ironically, the affidavit that she then submitted specified Hoque as her husband.
Haque says that the notice sent to him states that he had come to India after 1971 without any documents. He, however, claims that his father Maqbool Ali's name is in the 1966 voter's list, as well as in the village surveys in 1961, 1962. He also said that his mother Rahimon Nesa's name is also mentioned in the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC).
One of his sons is also studying at the Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehradun.
Pained by the notices, he asks "Why is the government trying to harass us on communal grounds."
The tribunal is sending notices as per a directive from the Supreme Court which states that Assam needs to upgrade its National Register of Citizens by December 31, 2017.
Reacting to the report, Assam DGP said that he is looking into why the notice was served.
New Delhi: Did the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), an intelligence agency of the United States during World War II and a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), try to protect Mahatma Gandhi?
This question is one among many raised before the Supreme Court in a petition which has sought the re-opening of investigation into Mahatma Gandhi's murder, suggesting whether it was one of the biggest cover-ups in history.
In his written submission, Dr Pankaj Phadnis, a researcher and a trustee of Abhinav Bharat, Mumbai, who has filed the petition, said telegrams were sent from the US Embassy here to Washington on January 30, 1948 after the assassination of Gandhi and one of the reports relating to it still remains classified.
He has put on record one of the telegrams "obtained officially" by him during his recent visit to the National Archives and Research Administration, Maryland in the USA, during a visit in May this year.
Phadnis maintained that as per the "restricted" telegram of January 30, 1948 sent from the US Embassy at 8 pm, Herbert Tom Reiner, Disburing Officer, was within five feet of Gandhi when he was shot, and with the aid of Indian guards, he had apprehended the assassin.
"The said Reiner filed a report on reaching the Embassy later in the evening. However, after 70 years, the said report remains classified. The petitioner (Phadnis himself) has filed an application under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA of USA) for declassification of the said report," he said in his written submission in support of the petition, which is listed for hearing on October 6 in the apex court.
Phadnis has informed the apex court about his communication with the US authorities in which he has mentioned the third telegram sent later the same evening, apparently after the debriefing of Reiner. It has been marked 'confidential'.
"The third telegram is the subject matter of my FOIA request and has not been supplied to me," he has told the US authorities, adding he has filed an appeal in this regard.
Phadnis, who has also sought a probe to ascertain whether there was a second assassin of Gandhi besides Nathuram Godse, said he was trying hard to get the US documents declassified to know whether there was a "foreign hand".
The petitioner, who has been conducting research on the issue since 1996, will be launching an online petition with the White House on October 2 to demand declassification of the third telegram sent by Reiner.
In the petition, Phadnis has also questioned the 'three bullet theory' relied upon by various courts of law to hold the conviction of accused -- Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte who were hanged to death on November 15, 1949, and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who was given the benefit of doubt due to lack of evidence.
He has claimed that the Justice J L Kapur Commission of Inquiry set up in 1966 was not able to unearth the entire conspiracy that had led to the killing of Gandhi.
Inspired by Savarkar, Abinav Bharat, Mumbai, was set up in 2001 and it claims to work for socially and economically weaker sections with a focus on bridging the digital divide.
Phadnis has challenged the decision of the Bombay High Court which on June 6, 2016 had dismissed his PIL on two grounds -- firstly, that the findings of fact have been recorded by the competent court and confirmed right up to the apex court, and secondly, the Kapur Commission has submitted its report and made the observations in 1969, while the present petition has been filed 46 years later.
The petitioner said the case is one which concerns the truth behind the real hands or culprits who had performed the dastardly act of assassinating Gandhi and also their hidden agenda of derailing the 'Gandhi-Jinnah People-to-People Contact' programme that the Mahatma had planned to embark upon.
This plan was derailed because of his assassination, the consequences of which are being felt even now, he contended.
Mumbai: Even though the non-life insurance industry has breached the magical figure of 1 per cent penetration in terms of GDP in FY2017, the industry believes there is tremendous potential to double the figure in the next five years, say insurers.
After hovering around 0.7-0.8 per cent for several years, the penetration ratio of non-life insurance industry has moved up to 1.04 per cent in March 2017, based on the revised GDP figure.
This took the industry size to Rs 1.27 trillion, as per data collated by the industry body General Insurance Council, and was driven mainly by around the Rs 21,000 crore premium coming in from Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme.
As per the Central Statistical Office, real GDP grew to Rs 121.9 trillion in FY17, a growth of 7.1 per cent over Rs 113.81 trillion in FY16.
When it comes to the general insurance industry, its business grew 33 per cent to Rs 1.27 trillion in FY2017 from Rs 96,000 crore in FY2016, or in terms of penetration at 1.04 per cent from 0.85 per cent in FY2016.
There are 28 non-life insurers which include four state-owned players, two specialised insurers, and six stand- alone health insurers.
Chennai-based United India Insurance, which may also launch an IPO next fiscal, is focusing on strengthening its agency channel to increase its business.
Still, the industry feels that as a market it is still highly underpenetrated market.
"Various government schemes like RSBY, crop insurance scheme, and PMSBY helped the sector cross the 1 per cent-mark penetration mark. Still I do believe there is scope to double this to 2 per cent over the next five years but that will be possible only if the government support continues," United India chairman M Nagaraja Sarma told PTI.
"We are having the largest agency force with 65,000 agents at present which include around 50,000 active agents. We plan to add 10,000 more agents this year," he added.
Breaching the 1 per cent milestone sets the stage for interesting times, Sanath Kumar, chairman and managing director National Insurance which is gearing up for an IPO this fiscal year, has also been indexing steady growth of double-digit for the past year.
"While the growth opportunities are plenty, we have been calibrating business growth with our capital/solvency ratios and this has been a limiting factor," Kumar said.
While the company has come out of the bad times, he said they have to shore up the capital base and the forthcoming IPO and the number of strategies it has adopted will it improve the capital base.
ICICI Lombard chief executive Bhargav Dasgupta said crossing the 1 percentage penetration may be a big news now but we have miles to go as we are still far behind the global average of 3 per cent.
The General Insurance Council believes that the industry may cross the business at Rs 1.5 trillion by March. "Based on revised GDP figures, the industry has become a significant contributor to both, financial services sector and overall GDP growth," R Chandrasekaran, secretary general of the Council said.
"We are confident if the untapped potential is tapped, the industry's contribution to the economy will further increase," he said and hoped that the industry will cross the Rs 1.5-trillion mark this fiscal-end driven by segments like crop insurance and personal lines of business like motor and health.
England: Under pressure over Brexit and her own leadership, British Prime Minister Theresa May sought to regain the initiative on Sunday by unveiling new policies to woo young voters at her Conservative party`s annual conference.
Four months after a humiliating election in which the party lost its parliamentary majority, May admitted "we need to listen to voters".
Her plans to cap university fees and increase help for young people to buy a home are also intended to show she has more to offer than leading Britain out of the European Union.
May`s authority was severely weakened by the June vote and her cabinet remains divided over Brexit, even as negotiations in Brussels move slowly forward.
In an interview marking the start of the four-day Conservative conference in Manchester, north-west England, May insisted her government was behind her.
"What I have is a cabinet that are united in the mission of this government, and that is what you will see this week," she told the BBC.
The popular leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, later called for an end to the "Tory psychodrama", saying it was time to "unite behind our leader".
But commentators will be watching for signs of rebellion, with all eyes on Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
His decision last month to set out his own vision of a clean break with the EU, just days before May made a big Brexit speech in Italy, was viewed as direct challenge.
"May needs to get through (the) conference without further damage to her position," said Simon Usherwood, a politics expert at the University of Surrey.May`s promise on university fees is a response to the main opposition Labour party, which is enjoying a resurgence under leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn and which wants to scrap them altogether.
Outside the conference venue in Manchester, Corbyn`s name was chanted by thousands of protesters who gathered to show their opposition to May`s government and to Brexit.
Anti-austerity protesters held up banners saying "Tories Out" and demanding an end to a cap on public sector pay, while across town, pro-Europeans waved banners demanding an "Exit from Brexit".
May used her Florence speech to offer a number of concessions to Brussels in a bid to unlock the Brexit talks.
But her call for a two-year transition period, in which Britain will continue paying into the EU budget, failed to quell the in-fighting among her own cabinet.
It sparked a fresh war of words in the newspapers between allies of Johnson and finance minister Philip Hammond, who fears the economic damage of a sharp withdrawal.Johnson stepped up the pressure again this weekend with an interview elaborating on his "red lines" for Brexit -- notably that the transition period must be kept short.
"Most people can`t understand what this conversation is all about. We left. We voted for that last year -- so let`s get on with it," he told mass-selling tabloid The Sun.
May dismissed reports she felt threatened by her foreign minister, saying on Sunday: "Boris is absolutely behind the Florence speech."
The prime minister had called the snap election in a bid to boost the Tories` majority, but actually lost seats, leaving them dependent on a small Northern Irish party to stay in government.
As the weeks passed without a leadership challenge, her confidence has grown, and she now says she wants to fight the 2022 election as prime minister.
A YouGov survey of party members for The Times newspaper this week found 71 percent thought she was doing well -- although only 29 percent believe she should stay on that long.
In May`s favour so far has been the lack of a clear successor.
Johnson`s Brexit intervention appears to have done him no harm, however.
In the YouGov poll he came top of the list of possible successors to May, with 23 percent, while 56 percent described him as a good leader.
Ahmedabad: BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday held a meeting with Union minister and BJP poll in-charge for Gujarat Arun Jaitley and other top party leaders to discuss the issues related to the state assembly polls due later this year.
The meeting, at the state party headquarters 'Kamalam' in Gandhinagar this evening, was also attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Gujarat BJP in-charge Bhupender Yadav, party sources said.
Tomorrow, Jaitley would guide the panelists designated by the state BJP unit for television debates, the sources said.
Shah, who has been camped in Gujarat since September 26, arrived in Gandhinagar this evening after flagging off the party's 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra' at Karamsad in Anand district earlier today.
During his stay, Shah has chaired several meetings with the party's office-bearers of different cells, departments and leaders involved in the election management, including its social media team.
New Delhi: The Indian Air Force is planning to celebrate the legacy of the late IAF Marshal Arjan Singh to inspire the youth to emulate the qualities of the iconic aviator, a top officer has said.
Singh, the only officer of the IAF to be promoted to five-star rank, equivalent to a Field Marshal in the Army, died last month aged 98.
"He was an icon, widely admired, not just for his great professional achievements but also for his human qualities. He was a towering figure and his life will continue to inspire us all," Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal SB Deo said.
At the '14th Subroto Mukherjee Seminar' held at the IAF Auditorium in Delhi on Friday, a moment of silence was observed in honour of the hero of 1965 India-Pakistan war. "Yes, we are planning to celebrate his legacy. He was a hero and still remains so," Deo said on the sidelines of the event. However, he did not divulge details about the plans.
When asked what qualities of Singh the youth should learn from, he said, "Fitness, that's the first thing that comes to my mind. He was inching towards 100 but still remained a young man at heart forever. And, his courage and commitment are qualities that are worthy of emulation."
The vice chief of air staff said, the IAF celebrated him while he was still alive, and the Air Force Station, Panagarh in West Bengal, was renamed as Air Force Station Arjan Singh in 2016.
Air Marshal (retd) Vinod Patney, Director General of the CAPS (Centre for Air Power Studies), which organised the seminar, in his opening remarks said, "We recently lost a hero (Singh) and he leaves behind an unfillable void."
"This auditorium is located in the area (Subroto Park) named after Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, another of our icons, who was the first Chief of Air Staff of the IAF. And, now late IAF Marshal Arjan Singh will join the league of extraordinary men, who have left us, but continue to inspire us," he said.
A senior official of the IAF said plans were afoot to pay tribute to Singh on the Indian Air Force Day (October 8) in a befitting way. "We are planning to put up a huge image of him on a celebratory banner alongside the pictures of aircraft. His legacy is unmatchable," he said.
Singh was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the IAF when he was only 44 years old, a task he carried out with elan. He was the chief of the IAF when it found itself at the forefront of the 1965 conflict.
Born on April 15, 1919 in Lyallpur in Punjab in undivided India, he had flown more than 60 different types of aircraft, and had played a major role in transforming the IAF into one of the most potent air forces globally and the fourth biggest in the world.
A man of few words, he was not only a fearless fighter pilot but had profound knowledge about air power which he applied in a wide spectrum of air operations. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour, in 1965.
AMBALA: The Indian Air Force airbase here, one of IAF`s oldest, is getting a slew of upgrades, including new hangars, tarmac and simulator for flight training, as it prepares to welcome the country`s newest fighters, the French Rafale -- the first new combat jet to be inducted in close to 20 years.
A French team has already visited the airbase and a preliminary study has been completed. While some of the existing infrastructure will be used for the new Rafale squadron, additional infrastructure in the form of at least 14 new shelters, new hangars, new operating surfaces, a de-briefing room and a facility for simulator training will be created, for which Rs 227 crore ($35 million) has been sanctioned.
"The construction work for the new infrastructure will start in January or February 2018. The French team has given its requirements and the preliminary work has been completed," the Commanding Officer of the Ambala airbase, Air Commodore L.K. Chawla, told IANS, adding that the upgraded infrastructure is expected to last at least 40 to 50 years.
The French team has promised a 70 percent serviceability factor for the Rafales and there is also a long-term contract for the supply of spares.
Golden Arrows, 17 Squadron, will initially comprise four Rafales that are likely to arrive in September 2019, with the number being gradually ramped up to a full-strength of 18 by 2022. The squadron had seen action during the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan when it flew MiG-21s under the command of the present Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, then a Wing Commander.
The frontline Ambala airbase, under the Western Air Command, is the principal guardian of the airspace over the national capital, a five minute flying distance away. The Pakistan border is just over 200 km away.
Currently two squadrons of Jaguar fighter jets, and one squadron of MiG-21 Bisons are based in Ambala. The MiG-21s will be shifted to the Nal airbase in Rajasthan before the Rafales arrive.
The second squadron of Rafales will begin arriving once Ambala is at full strength and these aircraft will be stationed at Hashimara in the east, close to the China border.
India and France signed a 7.8 billion euros (Rs 59,000 crore/$8.7 billion) inter-government agreement for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighters, off the shelf, on September 23 last year. This was after prolonged negotiations over the price and other aspects of the deal, which was agreed upon during Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit to France in April 2015.
The deal includes an offset clause of 50 percent of the value of the aircraft and its weapons package will be discharged by the manufacturer through purchase from Indian firms.
New Delhi: India has opened two immigration check posts along the borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, a reflection of its growing closeness with the two eastern neighbours.
In a gazette notification, the home ministry said the central government has designated Zorinpui land check post in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram as an authorised immigration check post for entry into or exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers to or from Myanmar.
In a separate notification, the ministry said the central government designated Kawrpuichhuah land check post in Lunglei district of Mizoram as an authorised immigration check post for entry into or exit from India with valid travel documents for all classes of passengers to or from Bangladesh.
Zorinpui was selected for a new land custom station along the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram for the Kaladan multi-modal project.
The remote Zorinpui is 287 km away from Sittwe Port in Myanmar. An agreement on Zorinpui was included in the joint statement issued during the visit of the then prime minister Manmohan Singh to Myanmar in May, 2012.
Kawarpuchiah is situated in Mizoram along a riverine border with Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Myanmar for two days from September 5, the first bilateral visit to the neighbouring country. India shares a 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar which touches Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
India enjoys close relations with Bangladesh and shares a 4,096-km-long border which touches Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and West Bengal.
New Delhi: Worried over Indian surveillance, Pakistan is planning to lay a 135-km-long cross-border fibre optic cable to China as part of the ambitious CPEC project, a Pakistani daily said on Sunday.
The project is estimated to cost about 44 million dollars.
Pakistan is concerned that India may snoop into phone and e-mail chats as the existing service provider also has Indian firms as partners or shareholders.
The issue was flagged by Maj Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa, Pakistan army communication head, in January this year at a parliamentary committee meeting.
He reportedly informed that some incoming and outbound internet traffic landed in India before being routed to its destination, posing a security risk.
Islamabad, hence, wants to rout the internet traffic through China to minimise that risk, the Dawn reported.
The new direct line to China will provide a reliable and secure communication which is now being routed through Europe, the United States or India, it said.
It is also expected to boost internet penetration and speed, particularly in the Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan regions where the connectivity is poor.
Also, it will help reduce Pakistans dependence on undersea cables that proved to be costly, the report said, citing the Long Term Plan (LTP) government document prepared for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The 21-page document gives a detailed outline of the plan to be executed by 2030, the report added.
Mumbai: The much-awaited airport at Shirdi will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind today. This after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued license to the Shirdi airport on September 21.
Developed by Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) at village Kakadi in Ahmednagar district. The airport will have daytime operations with night operations too beginning in subsequent months. Travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi is expected to be cut to 45 minutes. Currently, it takes approximately nine hours by train and ten hours by road for a distance of about 240 kilometers.
The runway at the airport is reportedly long enough to allow for Airbus A-320 and Boeing 737 aircrafts while it is learnt that a number of operators have already expressed interest in beginning their operations here.
Sanctioned in 2010, the airport is expected to cater to a large number of devotees who reach Shirdi each year.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday made a fervent appeal to the public to help locate the parents of Geeta, a deaf and mute 25-year-old Indian woman who was brought back two years ago after having inadvertently crossed over to Pakistan over a decade ago.
Holding Geeta in her arms in a video, Sushma Swaraj appealed to Geeta`s parents to come and accept her and gave the assurance that she would not be a burden to anyone.
Geeta was about 11 years of age when she inadvertently crossed the border into Pakistan in 2003.
She was spotted by the Pakistan Rangers in Lahore, and was handed over to the Edhi Foundation, a social welfare organisation that had looked after her since then.
Bilquis Edhi, who runs the Edhi Foundation, named her Geeta.
In October 2015, she was brought back to India accompanied by a lawyer of the Edhi Foundation.
Thereafter Geeta was taken by an NGO in Indore where she learned sewing and using the computer.
Sushma Swaraj said that Geeta was desperate to meet her parents and complains about this whenever the two of them meet.
"Come and accept your daughter," Sushma Swaraj appealed to Geeta`s parents in the video. "I assure we will take full responsibility of her studies and marriage."
New Delhi: Having assailed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over the "mess" in the economy, BJP veteran leader Yashwant Sinha attacked the government on the Kashmir imbroglio, insisting "India has lost people of the valley emotionally".
Sinha, in comments that would not go down well with the BJP leadership, said Pakistan was "a necessary third party" in the dispute plaguing the restive state which cannot be wished away.
In an interview to 'The Wire' recorded on Friday, the former Union minister answered questions from journalist Karan Thapar on him being criticised for an article he wrote in a leading English daily on the state of economy that left the BJP embarrassed.
Sinha termed as "exaggerated claims" the success of the various reforms and schemes undertaken by the government like the Mudra Bank.
"I am looking at the alienation of the masses of people in Jammu and Kashmir. That is something which bothers me the most? We have lost the people emotionally? You just have to visit the valley to realise that they have lost faith in us," Sinha said.
Sinha leads a civil society organisation--Concerned Citizens Group (CCG)-- which has visited the troubled Valley several times and interacted with various stakeholders to explore the possibility of finding a lasting solution to the seven-decades-old problem.
The group comprises eminent people from different walks of life like Justice (retd) A P Shah, former Mumbai police commissioner J F Ribeira, Wajahat Habibullah, A S Dulat, Aruna Roy and Ramchandra Guha.
"....At the same time I will say that Pakistan is, unfortunately, a necessary third party in Jammu and Kashmir? And therefore, if you want a final resolution then we?ll have to involve with Pakistan at some point of time? Yes, you can?t carry on with this forever," he said.
The BJP veteran also called for a stop to the killing of people at the Line of Control (LoC) as nobody was winning a war there.
"This killing on the LoC has to stop ? nobody is winning a war on the LoC ? the LoC is very well defined ? and it was proved in Kargil that the world was with us rather than with Pakistan on this ? you cannot alter the LoC, so let?s have peace on the LoC and it is possible to have peace on the LoC despite all our differences with Pakistan," Sinha said.
Sinha claimed he has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue 10 months ago and was "hurt" as it did not materialise.
"I am hurt. I am absolutely hurt. That you ask for time, ten months has gone by?Let me tell you, ever since I have been in public life, no prime minister of India, starting with Rajiv Gandhi, has ever said no to a meeting I have sought? no prime minister has said to Yashwant Sinha, ?I don?t have time for you.?
"And this is my own prime minister who has treated me like this. So if somebody rings me and says please come talk to me?sorry, the time has passed? I have been treated shabbily," he said.
Sinha also took on Jaitley for suggesting that his shifting from the finance to external affairs ministry when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister was a "demotion".
"How can [Jaitley] say that shifting from the ministry of finance to external affairs was a demotion for me? ? If Mr. Jaitley with the same stroke wants to say that Sushma Swaraj, the external affairs minister of today, is handling a totally insignificant portfolio, nobody is going to believe it."
He debunked claims by several BJP leaders and ministers, including his own son Jayant, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, that the government has made massive structural changes which will help the economy in the long run.
Sinha claimed Mudra scheme set up to provide funding to non-corporate, non-farm sector income generating activities of micro and small enterprises, was another name for the Pradhan Mantri Swarozgar Yojana launched by the Vajpayee government. He said the average loan in these accounts was a meagre Rs 11,000.
"And you tell me, in today?s day and age, what kind of business can be set up with Rs 25,000 rupees, Rs 50,000. The party president said that all these 80 million people today are self-employed which means we have created 80 million job opportunities. This is absolutely untenable," he said.
Bengaluru: A one-year-old baby from Karnataka was reportedly wrapped in banana leaves and made to lie down on a bed of hot coals.
The incident took place at Karnataka's Kundgol town near Hubli. The act is believed to be part of Muharram rituals.
In yet another shocking incident, several girls dressed up like goddesses were made to participate bare-chested at a festival in Tamil Nadu's Vellalur.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Karnataka cabinet decided to ban various superstitious rituals such as women parading naked, people rolling over leftover food in Hindu temples and human or animal sacrifices across the state.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said that his government was committed to bringing a law against superstitious acts. He is confident that the law will be passed in the ensuing assembly session.
The state government has been under pressure from civil society groups to amend the anti-superstition law after the murder of rationalist M M Kalburgi in August 2016.
Pune: Advocating the need for reservation for Dalits in the defence forces, Union minister Ramdas Athawale quipped today that instead of consuming country-made liquor the youth from the community should join the Army, where "rum" is available.
Athawale, the Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment, was addressing a press conference here.
"We have been demanding reservations for the Dalit youth in Army, Navy and Air Force because the community is a fighter and ready to make the supreme sacrifice for the nation," he said.
The Republican Party of India (RPI-A) leader, however, said that not all those who join the military get martyred.
"In fact, more people lose their lives in road accidents and due to heart attack, so the Dalit youth should not think that going to the Army is equal to getting martyred," he said.
In the same breath, Athawale quipped: "Instead of consuming country-made liquor, the Dalit youth should join the Army where rum is available and they will also get good food to eat."
Athawale said the demand for the reservation for Dalits has been his party's demand for a long time and he would soon speak to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about it.
"I feel that maximum number of youth from the Dalit community should join the forces," he said.
Speaking about the stampede at Elphinstone railway station in Mumbai in which 23 people died, Athawale sought action against the guilty railway officials.
Former Congress leader Narayan Rane on Sunday announced that he will form a new political party which will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh. Rane who is a key leader in Maharashtra had quit the Congress on September 21, this year.
"The motto of the MSP shall be fulfilling all our commitments and work for the interests of the people of the state. After setting up the party organization, we shall decide on our future course including allying with the NDA," Rane said.
After announcing his exit from the party, he had said that in the 12 years that he was with the Congress, the high command did not make use of his capabilities. "I went to a national party with great hopes...yet, during all my 12 years with the Congress, they never made use of my capacity. Instead, I was insulted," he had claimed.
On Sunday, Rane also hit out at Shiv Sena for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a liar. Targeting Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, he said: "Dont you want development? Balasaheb Thackeray said a Marathi manoos should be rich at heart. But Uddhav's heart is rotten. He played the role of Raavan yesterday when he called PM Modi a liar. I didnt like it," Rane was quoted as saying at the press conference.
He also accused Shiv Sena of selling party tickets. "No one in Shiv Sena gets a ticket without paying crores. If you are in power, you have to give suggestions. Are you helpless in power, Uddhav," he asked. He added that Sena will not leave the government, but will be "kicked out".
Rane was the Chief Minister for nearly one year (1999) in the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance which ruled the state between 1995-1999, later he served as Opposition Leader before quitting the party to join the Congress in 2005 which he left last month.
The birth of the MSP marking his third political inning was welcomed with the bursting of firecrackers, beating of drums and processions in his home district Sindhudurg and other parts.
Since past few months, speculation was rife that Rane was planning to switch over to the BJP and had even met BJP President Amit Shah, state BJP chief Raosaheb Patil-Danve and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on several occasions.
With the MSP entering the fray, the Maharashtra political landscape vying for the Maharashtrian votes became further crowded with the BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Republican Party of India, several local and state-level parties, besides other national parties having their state units here.
Mumbai: Two of the accused, who allegedly attacked the forensic head of the King Edward Memorial Hospital, Dr Harish Pathak, and tried to scribble a number on his forehead, have been arrested by the Bhoiwada Police.
An FIR was registered on a complaint of Dr Harish Pathak under sections 353, 145, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The accused that attacked the forensic head were agitated by the hospital`s decision to identify the victims of the stampede at Mumbai`s Elphinstone station by marking a number on their foreheads.
23 people were killed and over 39 got critically injured in a rush-hour stampede at Mumbai`s Elphinstone railway station`s foot-over bridge.Meanwhile, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said 20 new foot-over bridges have been approved in the Central Railways and 10 new foot-over bridges in the Western Railways.
Apart from this, 13 foot-over bridges have been approved for widening.
He said the 40 maintenance yards across the country will be upgraded and will be laced with modern technology for maintenance for wards, locomotive in a better way.
"I have sanctioned 15 car platforms for extension in the Western Railways, which will be beneficial for speeding up the process in the slow corridor," he said.
Earlier in the day, Goyal empowered the Railways` General Managers to spend whatever is necessary on safety.
Goyal took this decision, while chairing a meeting with the senior officers of the Railway Board at Western Railways headquarters at Churchgate.
Various major decisions were taken in the meeting, wherein passenger safety has been accorded the highest priority.For next 18 months, General Managers of Railway Zones have been delegated powers without limit for safety-related issues.
They shall intimate the Financial Commissioner (FC) within a week of sanction for provision, and the FC shall confirm the same within 15 days. In case of disagreement, the matter shall be put up to the Railway Board for final decision within the same 15 days.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had expressed sadness over the Mumbai stampede, assuring that a strict action will be taken against the culprits.
Imphal: The Dalai Lama is to visit Imphal, the capital of Manipur, on October 17 to participate in an international peace conference.
This was disclosed on Saturday by Yumnam Khemchand, the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly during a brief public function.
Khemchand said that the Tibetan spiritual leader will grace a peace conference on October 18 which will be attended by religious leaders from some countries.
The Speaker said that during his last meeting with the Dalai Lama in the national capital sometime ago he had requested him to visit Manipur, which was readily accepted.
Khemchand made the momentous announcement on the sidelines of launching an e-bicycle in Imphal. He said this bicycle will help in protecting the environment.
When the Dalai Lama visited Arunachal Pradesh some months back in the northeast there were serious objections from the Chinese leaders who termed it as a provocation.
Highly placed sources told IANS that this time India is not anticipating this kind of provocative statements from the Chinese leaders since there is no territorial claim over Manipur.
Officials said that a large number of Buddhist monks from Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries are likely to visit Manipur on the occasion.
There is no travel restriction between Manipur and these countries. Traders and business people have been participating all these years in the government-sponsored fairs and other functions in Manipur. Police said that security measures will be beefed up ahead of the visit of the Dalai Lama.
Moscow: Veteran actress and politician Hema Malini, who is here to receive an award for her contribution to cinema, is overwhelmed with the love she has received in Russia. She says people want to see her in part two of her memorable film Seeta Aur Geeta.
Hema, 68, is here to attend the 4th Indian Film Festival of Russia (IFFR), which is honouring her and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar.
Sharing glimpses from her trip and the event, Hema tweeted on Sunday: "In Moscow to receive an award for my contribution to Indian cinema and popularising it in Russia and the world. The way Russians are crazy about me is unbelievable.
"Especially 'Seeta Aur Geeta'. They are ready to see part 2 if I'm going to act in it even now 40 years later!"
Looking radiant in a red traditional sari, Bollywood's 'dreamgirl' also shared some images with the Indian Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran, and his wife. She also posed with a fan, apart from doing some touristy things.
"This morning walked around the famous Red Square," she tweeted along with a photograph in which she is seen dressed in casuals.
The event left her overwhelmed.
"Such a proud moment! My popular songs from Hindi films were performed beautifully amidst loud applause from the huge audience gathered," Hema wrote.
New Delhi: Giving birth is a magical moment in the life of a woman who welcomes a new life into her family. However, this magical moment turned out to be "bittersweet" for actress Celina Jaitley.
The actress, who is already the mother of twin boys Winston & Viraaj with husband Peter Haag, gave birth to her second set of twins Arthur Jaitly Haag and Shamsher Jaitly Haag. But, due to a serious heart condition, their son Shamsher Jaitly Haag passed away.
Celina shared this part of her life on her Facebook page where she described this announcement as "bittersweet".
She began by saying, "Announcing the Bittersweet arrival of our second set of twins. When it rains look for rainbows when it's dark look for stars. My dearest friends, beloved fans and followers. On the auspicious occasion of Dusshera, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you all the following bittersweet news."
Adding, "The Gods above have blessed us yet again with another set of very handsome twin boys 'Arthur Jaitly Haag' and 'Shamsher Jaitly Haag' in Dubai on 10th September 2017. However, life is not always how we plan it to be. Our son 'Shamsher Jaitly Haag' succumbed to a serious heart condition and could not continue his journey in this world."
The actress continued the post by sharing that a part of her son Shamsher will always live through her son Arthur.
"Heartbreaking as that is we are very fortunate that a part of him still lives with us through Arthur, whose face will always remind us that an angel who looks exactly like him looks upon us from the arms of his grandfather, my father, in the heavens above, whom we also lost two months ago," added Jaitley.
The actress had recently lost her father in July 2017 and described the last two months of her life as "tumultuous".
She concluded the post by writing, "The last two months have been a tumultuous journey for us from losing my beloved father and now baby Shamsher, however, there is always a light at the end of a tunnel, and that light for us is our handsome son 'Arthur Jaitly Haag' who seeks your blessings and love in his journey that he commences in this world. We thank you all in advance for your love and continued support."
The actress and her hotelier husband Peter Haag have been living in Dubai with their 5-year-old twins.
New Delhi: Ever since its smooth transit from Earth into its destined orbit around Jupiter, NASA's Juno spacecraft has been beaming back some amazing data on the planet as well as giving space enthusiasts spectacular visual treats from time to time.
With many turning points marking its one-year-long journey in Jupiter's orbit, Juno has revolutionised the world's perception and understanding of the gas giant.
While the spacecraft keeps making important manoeuveres time and again, not many are aware that once every 53 days, it swings extremely close to Jupiter, speeding over its clouds.
In just two hours, the spacecraft travels from a perch over Jupiters north pole through its closest approach (perijove), then passes over the south pole on its way back out.
On September 1, 2017 (Perijove 8), Juno made one of these close approaches and obtained a number of images, which show how quickly the viewing geometry changes for Juno as it swoops by Jupiter.
NASA released 11 colour-enhanced images of the giant planet with the south pole on the left (11th image in the sequence) and the north pole on the right (first image in the sequence).
According to NASA, the first image on the right shows a half-lit globe of Jupiter, with the north pole approximately at the upper center of the image close to the terminator the dividing line between night and day. As the spacecraft gets closer to Jupiter, the horizon moves in and the range of visible latitudes shrinks.
The second and third images in this sequence show the north polar region rotating away from the spacecraft's field of view while the first of Jupiter's lighter-colored bands comes into view.
The fourth through the eighth images display a blue-colored vortex in the mid-southern latitudes near Points of Interest "Collision of Colours," "Sharp Edge," "Caltech, by Halka," and "Structure01."
The Points of Interest are locations in Jupiters atmosphere that were identified and named by members of the general public. Additionally, a darker, dynamic band can be seen just south of the vortex. In the ninth and tenth images, the south polar region rotates into view.
The final image on the left displays Jupiter's south pole in the center.
From the start of this sequence of images to the end, roughly 1 hour and 35 minutes elapsed, NASA said.
Check out the sequence of images captured by JunoCam below:
(Image courtesy: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill)
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday submitted in the Madras High Court that a detailed report would be submitted to it after investigations into some job rackets that sent call letters for interview to several people, including a judge.
Five call letters for interview to different posts in various companies were received at the residential address of Justice S Vaidyanathan of the high court from some manpower recruitment agencies on different dates last month.
The judge took up the matter with high court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and got permission for a special suo motu hearing today.
The call letters he received at his residential address were from Reliance Industrial Recruitment, Air Tech Solutions HRD, Renald Industrial Recruitment, Volvo Industrial and Diamond Industrial Recruitment.
These agencies also sought for fees as registration charges.
A bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice S Vaidyanathan in their order said the agencies are "so powerful and capable" of sending call letters for interview to even a sitting high court judge.
Stating that the agencies were trying to play fraud on the job aspirants, the bench said, "We are surprised as to how the address of one of us (Justice Vaidyanathan) is made available to these persons.
"Prima facie it is evident that it is only a fake interview and it is made to appear as one of us applied for the post, based on which the interview card has been sent."
Public prosecutor Raja Rathinam, who appeared on behalf of the state government, submitted that a probe would be conducted into the fake manpower recruitment agencies to ascertain how they were able to get the address and from whom they got it.
The court posted the matter for further hearing to October 13.
Shenzhen: Indian mobile phone manufacturer Lava International plans to target the sub-10k market segment while also investing in research and development (R&D) of new and unique designs and features for its phones to take on its competitors.
According to Lava`s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Sunil Raina, the company, perhaps the only one from India to design and manufacture mobile phones in China, invested in an R&D centre in Shenzhen quite early on in its journey to ensure it does not disappear from the scene in a few years but "establishes itself as one of the leading global players in the technology space".
The 700-strong team of engineers -- mostly Chinese, but a fair number of them Indians -- in the facility here focuses on undertaking key design processes, including hardware design and engineering, mechanical design, industrial design as well as software development for its Android-based smartphones and feature phones.
"Opportunities come to countries, companies and people. Now the opportunity is travelling to India, which will also create opportunities for businesses and brands to become global players," Raina told this visiting IANS correspondent.
He added that at a certain point of time, opportunities come for global brands to emerge from a country -- as it happened with Google and Facebook in the US, Sony in Japan, Samsung and LG in South Korea, and Huawei and Oppo in China.
"If and when that happens, we are doing everything possible to make sure we are one of them" by focusing on product experience, purchase experience, communication experience and after-sales service experience, he said.
Lava`s current products sell in India and in Southeast Asian and African countries.
Raina said its new products from this China facility will be able to give fair competition to global brands.
Interestingly, Chinese players have been rapidly increasing their market share in the Indian market, with local players Micromax Informatics, Lava International and Karbonn Mobiles losing their place among the top-five mobile brands to Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo. In the first quarter of 2017, the market share of Chinese mobile phone manufacturers was about 51 per cent.
Raina said that Lava sees an opportunity in the sub-Rs 10,000 segment of the market, where it currently has an 11 per cent market share.
"We want to dominate the sub-10k segment by acquiring over 50 per cent of the market share and that is why you would see most of our upcoming new phones targeted at this segment," he said, adding that these phones would offer features of high-end mobile phones at a lower price point.
Deepak Mahajan, Vice President-Product at Lava International, said in the current scenario, at least one Indian company had the possibility of becoming a truly multinational giant in the mobile phone space and his company hoped to occupy that slot.
"We have a very large domestic market; we have a strong leadership focused on bringing design, R&D and manufacturing to India; and the costs of manufacturing in China are now getting higher compared to India. It is only a matter of time," Mahajan explained.
"The fact that, unlike our competitors, we are designing our phones from scratch -- and that we have our own hardware designs -- gives us an edge," he added.
On an average, Lava develops about eight smartphones and three feature phones per year at its China facility, said Gaurav Nigam, Senior Vice President and Head of Product.
While the company has set up its R&D facility in China, its India-based Design Centre has also kicked off operations and will start rolling out its products by the end of this year, Nigam said.
New Delhi: Reliance Jio's festive season offer for the sale of 4G wi-fi device JioFi will be extended further, informed the company on Sunday.
The official Twitter handle of the company confirmed the same through a tweet saying, The festive celebration continues! Get your JioFi for a reduced price of Rs.999. Buy now- http://bit.ly/__offer,
Originally, the device was available at Rs 1,999. The sale of JioFi started September 20 and was scheduled to end on 30th September.
The festive celebration continues! Get your JioFi for a reduced price of Rs.999. Buy now- https://t.co/ao0uVuzO0g pic.twitter.com/jg3PHkJy8P Reliance Jio (@reliancejio) October 1, 2017
JioFi device allows multiple users and mobile devices to access Jio's 4G high-speed internet connectivity and create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot. The LYF -powered JioFi device can connect a minimum of 10 devices + 1 USB connection, with some models having the ability to support many more connections.
With the purchase of a JioFi device, you are eligible for Jio Welcome Offer. As part of the Offer, you will get unlimited high-speed data, HD voice, SMS and a host of Jio Premium apps. These benefits are valid till 31st December 2016. You can select between a Prepaid and Postpaid SIM as per your requirement.
How to get Jio Welcome Offer with JioFi device?
You can buy the LYF powered JioFi device at Reliance Digital or DxMini Stores. You need to submit documents and fill up a CAF to get a Jio SIM.
What documents are required?
To avail a Prepaid or a Postpaid Jio SIM for your JioFi device, visit your nearest Reliance Digital/Dx Mini store with original and a copy of valid Proof of Address (POA), Proof of Identity (POI) documents and a passport size photograph.
How much time does it require for activation?
Once the Customer Acquisition Form and Proof of Address, Proof of Identity and photograph have been submitted, your Jio SIM should be ready for tele-verification within the next 4 hours. You will receive an SMS on your registered mobile number informing you that your Jio SIM is ready for televerification. Your SIM should be activated and ready for use within 1 hour of successful tele-verification.
Rampur: In a shocking incident, a drunk sub-inspector allegedly raped a seven-year-old girl inside the police quarters in the district, police said on Sunday.
The incident happened last night at Bhanwarka near Kemri town in Rampur district, when an inebriated Tejveer Singh caught hold of the minor, who was playing outside the police outpost, and allegedly raped her inside the quarters, an official said.
According to eye witnesses, a constable raised an alarm over the incident. The incident enraged the locals, who gheraoed the police outpost and tried to vandalise it.
Superintendent of police Vipin Tada reached the spot and pacified the angry mob by arresting the accused and suspending him.
A case has been filed against the sub-inspector, Tada said.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday concluded his four-day visit to Uttarakhand.
During his visit, he visited Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) camp at Gauchar and participated in `Swachhata Hi Seva` campaign. Apart from the Kedarnath temple, he also visited the ITBP`s Lapthal and Rimkhim Border out Posts and inaugurated the Civic Action Programme and Blood Donation Camp at Joshimath.
The Home Minister also addressed Officers Trainees of 92nd Foundation Course at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie.
Beirut: Syria`s war killed at least 3,000 people including 955 civilians in September, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said Sunday, in the deadliest month of the conflict this year.
"More than 70 percent of the civilians were killed in regime and Russian air strikes, or in air raids of the international coalition" fighting the Islamic State group, the Britain-based monitor`s head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Abroad the USS Ronald Regan, South China Sea: As the commanders of the largest US warship in Asia seek to maintain operational readiness amid protracted tensions over North Korea, they find themselves keeping one eye on China, too.
On Saturday, as F-18 Super Hornet jet fighters roared from the decks of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier during routine drills deep in the South China Sea, two Chinese frigates maintained a constant line-of-sight vigil.
Officers on the Japanese-based Reagan described frequent close quarter surveillance from the ships of the People`s Liberation Army Navy in international waters.
Sometimes, they said, Chinese vessels steam in to check out the carrier en route to other destinations. Other times, Chinese frigates linger for days within the screen of US ships and planes that protect the Reagan - Washington`s only carrier based outside America.
At times, the carrier crew, to ensure safe passage, will alert their uninvited Chinese escorts, should the Reagan sharply alter course, officers said.
"Weve had no issues. They`ve been very professional," said Rear Admiral Marc Dalton, commander of the Reagan`s strike group, as well as the larger battle forces of the US Seventh Fleet. "We see them on a regular basis," he said.
As Dalton spoke, the midnight blue waters beyond the flight decks made for a crowded scene, with a U.S. and an allied Japanese destroyer also visible as the Reagan manouvered some 400 nautical miles (748 kilometres) from the Chinese coast.
It provided a window into the strains of increased deployments and exercises by regional militaries, in part as they respond to the threat posed by Pyongyang`s pursuit of nuclear and missile programmes.
North Korea has staged an apparent hydrogen bomb test and fired two ballistic missiles over Japan in recent weeks.
The situation has unfolded as US naval chiefs review operations to draw lessons from four significant accidents within the U.S. Pacific Fleet this year.
A report this month by the US government Accountability Office highlighted a host of training and maintenance problems as the navy strove to expand overseas deployments and improve operational readiness.
Dalton will soon lead the carrier to a port call in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong - the first such visit in three years after a stop by another carrier was denied in 2016.
China, which claims much of the disputed South China Sea, has long objected to U.S. military operations off its coasts, even in areas Washington insists are free to international passage.
Routinely carrying between 60-70 aircraft on board, the carrier sends between 80-100 sorties daily - the core of a dominant US military presence in Asia that analysts believe China could still take years to supplant.
In recent months, the 100,000-ton Reagan has exercised with allied Australian ships as well as Japanese forces.
The South Korean defence ministry has announced it will exercise with the Reagan strike group in October.
Rear Admiral Dalton acknowledged the challenges and top-level reviews but insisted the task force was long used to keeping itself in full readiness.
"As a forward deployed force. . . we are already where we need to be to execute our missions all the time," he said.
He did not detail any specific North Korean contingencies but described Pyongyang`s missile tests and nuclear programme as a "growing and concerning danger".
"The U.S. has been very clear about leveraging all options in order to get North Korea to change its path," he said.
Gottingen: The Free Balochistan Movement, headed by Baloch national leader Hyrbyair Marri, staged a demonstration in Germany's Gottingen city on Saturday against China and Pakistan's collaboration over the ongoing Baloch genocide.
Activists of other pro-freedom political parties, the Baloch Republican Party and the Baloch National Movement, also took part in the protest to express their collective anger against the human rights violations.
Several local German activists also joined the protesters to show their support for Balochistan. Two local journalists were present to observe the FBM demonstration.
The protesters chanted slogans and displayed placards inscribed with various slogans about Pakistan's atrocities against Baloch people.
The protest also involved a brief drama, in which one Baloch activist wore the blood-stained shirt as a victim of the state brutalities and the notorious 'kill and dump policy' of Pakistan's security agencies, while another activist played the role of the United Nations looking away from it.
The demonstrators also put on display blood stained child dolls in their efforts to show that Pakistan has been killing innocent children during its indiscriminate attacks on Baloch villages.
Many commuters stopped by to express their sympathy and support to Baloch freedom movement and their hatred toward what Pakistan is doing in Balochistan.
The Baloch activists explained to the bypassers that Pakistan has illegally and forcibly occupied the sovereign Baloch state in 1948 and currently Balochistan is already one of the most militarized regions in the world.
Moreover, China and Pakistan have now joined hands in repressing the legitimate democratic struggle of the Baloch nation to regain its freedom and independence.
Many activists expressed their views during the protest.
Kurdish activist Aaqi Kurd said that both Iran and Pakistan are oppressive states that are committing crimes against Baloch and Kurdish people.
He further said that the world must take notice of the crimes of these states. Other speakers included Sameer Baloch, Fateh Jan Baloch.
The FBM activists noted that the Baloch nation on the ground are strongly resisting against China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) because they believe that Pakistani and the Chinese governments' deals in respect of Baloch resources and ports in Balochistan are completely illegal. The Baloch people have not taken part in these deals and have never accepted them and will never consider them as legitimate.
"The only beneficiary parties in exploiting the resources in the region, so far have been the rulers of Pakistan and China. Baloch people have every right to use all legal and moral means and routes to stop such exploitation of their natural resources and their land by any colonial power. Above all, we have every right to be free and independent," the speakers said.
The activists continued that the Baloch people are secular and very conscientious. Balochistan is a rich land but the colonial rulers have reduced the nation to most deprive in the world. With these deals and projects the Chinese government has collaborated with a Pakistani theocratic state in augmenting further miseries on the people and has further exacerbated the systematic genocide in Balochistan.
The FBM activists have also requested the people of Germany, including German media, students, intellectuals and human rights activists, to help raise voice against Baloch genocide before it is too late and Balochistan is turned to another Rwanda.
Donald Trump will soon visit Asia for the first time as the US President. The 5-nation tour does not include India, but there is a possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila.
While India and the US have time and again spoken of the close ties that they share, an editorial in a Chinese daily Global Times has questioned this relationship. The editorial claims that all talks of defence cooperation between the two countries are 'much cry and little wool'.
Noting the thaws in the Indo-US ties, Chinese media asserts that America's closeness with Pakistan must make India sceptical. The article states how despite Pakistan's declining position in America's regional and global strategies, US can never let go of it due to the geopolitical importance that it holds.
It also speaks of how India is not happy with its ties with the US since despite the latter's strong hold on Pakistan, it has not done anything to keep them in check over fighting proxy wars and terrorism. It claims that US has even helped India achieve a permanent member seat at the UN Security Council.
American ties with China too may also make India sceptical due to the various conflicts that the two neighbours have.
India also, it claims, cannot depend on a 'wholehearted' partnership with the US as if it depends on America too much, it will not be able to become a global power itself. US, on the other hand, the editorial claims will never be 'satisfied with India until it decides to be its pawn'.
The article also states how 'conflicts' in defence technology cooperation between the US and India may also prevent their collaboration from going deeper. "The US seeks to influence arms buyers through training, maintenance and even control of core defense technologies whereas India aims for a transfer of military technology," it states.
San Juan: United States President Donald Trump continued his Twitter rampage against the "fake media," on Saturday.
Trump resorted to late-in-the-day Twitter diplomacy and asked people to "not believe the fake news."
"Fake news critics are working overtime, but we`re getting great marks from the people that truly matter!" he tweeted.
The President also hashtagged his tweets with #PRStrong and a Puerto Rican.
"We must all be united in offering assistance to everyone suffering in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the wake of this terrible disaster."
He further said that the results of recovery efforts would speak much louder than complaints by San Juan Mayor.
Earlier, Trump lambasted San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz for "poor leadership" and being "nasty" over her remarks that the White House isn`t doing enough to support Puerto Ricans in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
"The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump," he tweeted.
"Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job (sic)," Trump added in a series of tweets.
The president also thanked Congresswoman Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon and US Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp "who stated that #FEMA and Military are doing a GREAT job!"
The afternoon tweets follow a day of intense criticism directed towards the American President.
However, Puerto Rico is still facing a humanitarian crisis, and many of its people remain without power and water.
Mayor Cruz said her goal was to save lives without getting distracted by anything else.
At least 16 people on the island have been reported killed and there was widespread damage to homes, roads and infrastructure.
Trump is scheduled to visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday along with First Lady Melania Trump.
Berlin: Germany celebrates its first gay marriages Sunday as same-sex unions become legal after decades of struggle, but campaigners say the battle for equal rights isn`t over yet.
Wedding bells will ring out in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and other German cities where local authorities will exceptionally open their doors on a Sunday to allow gay couple to say "I do" on the day the law comes into effect.
Bodo Mende, 60, and his partner Karl Kreile, 59, who have been together since 1979, will be the first to tie the knot in the German capital.
"It will be an emotional but also very symbolic moment," Kreile told reporters on Friday. "This shows that the state now considers us the same as other couples."
The dash to exchange vows comes three months after lawmakers voted to give Germany`s roughly 94,000 same-sex couples the right to marry, following a shift in position by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Berlin mayor Michael Mueller congratulated the happy couples and described the first gay nuptials as a "historic event".
"Marriage for all is a milestone on the path to full legal and social equality," he said in a statement Friday, praising the gay and lesbian community and all those "who fought for many years" to get to this day.
Germany becomes the 15th European nation to legalise gay marriage.
The Netherlands led the way in 2000, followed piecemeal by other European neighbours including Spain, Sweden, Britain and France.
Same-sex relationships have become so normalised that polls show around 75 percent of Germans are in favour of gay marriage.By extending existing law to same-sex pairs, Germany`s gay couples automatically gain the same tax advantages and adoption rights as heterosexual families.
Along with Germany`s Greens party, the gay and lesbian rights organisation LSVD began its battle for equal marriage rights around the year 1990.
But progress was slow and since 2001 gay couples have had to make do with a civil partnership law, broadened over the years to remove more and more gaps between gay and straight couples` rights.
The final breakthrough came quite suddenly in the end, sparked by Merkel`s unexpected announcement in June that she would allow her conservative MPs to vote their conscience on the issue.
Merkel said her thinking changed after a "memorable experience" when she met a lesbian couple who lovingly care for eight foster children in her Baltic coast constituency.
Her surprise shift in position -- after 12 years of blockade by her Christian Democrats and their Bavarian allies -- was seen by some as a cynical ploy to rob her challengers of a popular cause ahead of this month`s general election.
The chancellor herself voted against the bill, arguing that the German constitution still defines marriage as "the union of a man and a woman".
"I still think it was indecent to delay for so many years, and the fact that she voted no," lawmaker Johannes Kahrs, gay and lesbian affairs commissioner for the Social Democratic Party, told AFP.
June was a memorable month for gay rights in Germany, as MPs also voted to quash the convictions of thousands of men convicted under a Nazi-era law against same-sex relationships which had remained on the statute book until 1994.
But there are still an array of issues familiar across western democracies, like blood donations or access to reproductive medicine, where homosexuals can be treated differently.
And the constitution must still be amended to fully protect against discrimination over gender or sexual orientation, Kahrs insisted.
"These are all things that we`ll tackle bit by bit," he said.
"The important thing is that we`ve pushed through the opening of marriage, and that`s the signal everyone needed."
Tehran: Iran has warned that the only way to stop its nuclear deal from collapsing is for Europe to defy any US reimposition of sanctions, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran would develop much more advanced nuclear technology -- though not for weapons purposes -- if Europe followed the United States in returning to a sanctions regime, Xinhua reports.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for verifying that Iran meets the terms of the agreement.
The US President Donald Trump has attacked the deal on numerous occasions, vowing to tear it up.
On October 15, Trump is due to testify to Congress whether Tehran is complying with the deal and whether it remains in the United States` interests to stick by it.
If he decides it is not, it could open the way for the US lawmakers to reimpose sanctions, leading to the potential collapse of the agreement.
Sexual promiscuity on the rise among grandparents: STDs and HIV cases increasing among divorcees over 50
An increase in the number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases among people over the age of 50 has led researchers to believe that this could be because of the surging sexual proclivity among the silver splitters.
In a recent study that was conducted by researchers from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and that was published in the medical journal Lancet HIV on Tuesday, September 26, the diagnosis rate among older British had increased by an average annual rate of 3.6 percent from 2004 to 2015, as compared with the yearly decline of four percent among younger people during the same time period.
The study was done by keeping tabs of HIV diagnoses in 31 European countries which was reported to the European Surveillance System between January 2004 and December 2015. Around 54,102 people over the age of 50 equivalent to 2.6 in every 100,000 received a HIV diagnosis during the study period. The number of new HIV cases rose by 2.1 percent each year between 2004 and 2015 among people over the age of 50, with people in this age bracket accounting for 17.3 percent of the new HIV diagnoses in Europe in the year 2015.
This number is lower than the figure calculated for younger people (aged 15 to 49) 11.4 cases per 100,000 but while diagnosis rates for younger people has dropped, the figure for older Europeans has soared. For instance, in 2004, the United Kingdom listed around 3.1 new HIV cases per 100,000 people over the age of 50. This number had increased to 4.3 per 100,000 by the end of the study.
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The HIV diagnosis rate among people over 50 rose in 16 countries which included Belgium, Germany, and Ireland. Estonia, Latvia, Malta, and Portugal were among the countries with the highest diagnosis rates, where more than seven new cases of HIV were diagnosed per 100,000 older people by 2015.
Over 36 million people were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) globally in 2015. (Related: HIV transmission MYTH totally blown away by science: Unprotected sex with HIV-infected partners produces almost ZERO new infections.)
Our findings suggest a new direction in which the HIV epidemic is evolving. We see a steady increase in the number of new HIV diagnoses among older adults in the region, said Dr. Lara Tavoschi, a scientific officer at the ECDC and lead author of the study.
Dr. Tavoschi confirmed that the manner of transmission was mostly through heterosexual sex, noting, We need to increase awareness campaigns among older age groups.
According to the research, the increase in HIV cases is due to the increase of middle aged to older people suddenly finding themselves single again after a divorce and once again being active in the dating world, engaging in casual sex along the way.
People are coming out of long-term relationships and thinking that condoms are only for contraception. Many people arent aware HIV is still an issue, they think it has gone away, so they can be quite blase about protection, HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) support charity The Crescent Chief Executive Iain Murtagh said.
These days, one in six new HIV cases in Europe involves a person over their 50s. Dr. Tavoschi suggested subjecting older people to routine physical checkups when they visit their general practitioners to police this occurrence.
Too little, too late
People over 50 were also more likely to be diagnosed with advanced HIV disease, meaning they had been already sick for a long time without them knowing about it, the study showed.
Researchers at the ECDC analyzed levels of CD4 immune cells the cells damaged by HIV of over 60 percent of the individuals who were diagnosed in 2015 to find the proportion of people who were diagnosed during an advanced stage of their disease. Forty-seven percent of people among all age groups were diagnosed late. However, when divided by age, 63 percent of people older than 50 were diagnosed late as compared with 43 percent of people in the younger age bracket who also got a late diagnosis.
Being HIV-positive and not knowing may endanger other people by transmitting the disease unknowingly, said Dr. Tavoschi.
For her part, Professor Janet Steeley of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said: Many older people are sexually active and their sexual health and behavior affect HIV transmission. Yet older adults have been largely neglected by the prevention community.
The U.K. is taking steps to address this matter. It has a nationwide HIV prevention program, which utilizes local government measures and social media marketing to hold national HIV testing weeks and a campaign called It Starts With Me to encourage condom usage and HIV checkups, reduce stigma about the matter, and inform people about sexually-transmitted diseases and safe sex practices.
Sources include:
DailyMail.co.uk
TheGuardian.com
Berlin: Germany welcomed U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's announcement that he was "probing" opportunities for dialogue with North Korea about its nuclear weapons programme and called for Washington to take a similar step with Iran.
German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel also warned in a statement that going back on a nuclear deal with Iran signed by former U.S. President Barack Obama would risk undermining Washington`s credibility in negotiating with North Korea.
In 2015, Tehran agreed to restrict its nuclear programme in return for the loosening of economic sanctions that had crippled its economy. But U.S. President Donald Trump has called the deal "an embarrassment" and Washington said last month it was weighing whether to pull out of it.
Germany, one of the few Western countries with a permanent embassy in Pyongyang, has advocated peaceful approaches to de-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula and criticised some of Trump`s more bellicose rhetoric regarding the potential nuclear flashpoint.
"This is exactly the right direction. North Korea would be well advised to take this offer of talks seriously." Gabriel said on Sunday of Tillerson`s announcement.
He added: "I would like to see a similar offer for Iran. If the U.S. cancelled its nuclear deal with Iran, that would undermine the credibility of its offer to North Korea."
New Delhi: Efforts to convince North Korea's 'little rocket man' to stop his nuclear weapons programme is a waste of time, President Donald Trump said on Sunday.
Trump has nicknamed North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as 'little rocket man'.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is wasting his time with North Korea negotiations, the New York Daily quoted Trump as saying.
The remark comes just a day after Tillerson said he was working to seal a deal.
I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man, Trump tweeted.
Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done! he said.
It was not immediately clear why Trump has contradicted Tillerson's diplomatic efforts.
Tillerson had said on Saturday that the US was directly in touch with Pyongyang and probing the possibility of a peace deal.
I think the most immediate action that we need is to calm things down, Tillerson told reporters in Beijing.
Theyre a little overheated right now. And I think we need to calm them down first. This was his second visit to Beijing after he took charge.
Beijing: North Korea`s nuclear antics have rattled its alliance with China to the point that Beijing is allowing the previously unthinkable to be discussed: Is it time to prepare for the renegade regime`s collapse?
While China`s official goal is to bring Washington and Pyongyang to the negotiating table, it is also permitting once taboo debate on contingencies in case war breaks out in the isolated nation across its northeast border.
Observers say the public debate might be a tactic to try and coerce Pyongyang into cooling its weapons programme, with its nuclear and missile tests visibly angering Beijing, which has backed tough new United Nations sanctions on the country.
But it may also indicate growing calls to overhaul its relationship with the North, a longterm ally that it defended during the 1950-53 Korean War and has a mutual defence pact with.
Jia Qingguo, dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University, raised eyebrows earlier in September when he published an article entitled: "Time to prepare for the worst in North Korea".
The paper was published in English in East Asia Forum, a website of the Australian National University, but it is unlikely that he could have released it without the approval of Chinese authorities.
Jia urged Beijing to start discussing contingency plans with the United States and South Korea -- talks that the two nations have sought in the past but China has resisted for fear of upsetting Pyongyang.
"When war becomes a real possibility, China must be prepared. And, with this in mind, China must be more willing to consider talks with concerned countries on contingency plans," Jia wrote.
Beijing, he said, could discuss who would control North Korea`s nuclear arsenal -- either the United States or China.
To prevent a massive flow of refugees across the border, China could send its army to North Korea to create a "safety zone", Jia said.
Another touchy issue would be who would "restore domestic order in North Korea in the event of a crisis". China, he said, would object to letting US soldiers cross the 38th parallel into North Korea.
An August editorial in state-run nationalist tabloid Global Times said China should remain neutral if North Korea launches missiles against the US and Washington retaliated, and only intervene if the US and South Korea tried to overthrow the Pyongyang regime. Discussions about the end of the North`s regime could be aimed at scaring Kim Jong-Un and pleasing Trump before the US leader`s trip to Beijing in November, a Western diplomat said.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met President Xi Jinping and top Chinese diplomats in Beijing on Saturday to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis.
"If the international community can unite and pretend there`s going to be a real war, there is a chance that North Korea will freeze its nuclear tests," Wang Peng, research fellow at Fudan University in Shanghai, told AFP.
But there are also signs of a genuine shift in perceptions over how China should handle North Korea.
David Kelly, director of research at Beijing-based consultancy China Policy, said the thinking among Chinese academics was: "We could do better without them, a unified Korea would be incredibly good for China, the northeast would boom".
China has long supported North Korea because it serves as a buffer from US troops stationed in South Korea, but Barthelemy Courmont, a China specialist at the Institute of Strategic and International Relations in Paris, said Pyongyang`s downfall could be good for Beijing, especially economically.
"China now believes that a collapse of North Korea would not necessarily be to its disadvantage," Courmont said.
"If North Korea were to fall in a peaceful way, China would be best positioned for its reconstruction. China is the only country capable of overseeing the reconstruction of North Korea," he said.Such talk was not always permitted.
Deng Yuwen was suspended from his job as editor of the journal of the Communist Party`s Central Party School in 2013 after writing an article saying China should abandon North Korea.
But this year he wrote unimpeded about post-conflict planning.
"If the two Koreas reunified, there would no longer be the needs for the presence of US troops in South Korea and the South Korean people would not let them stay," Deng said in April in an article published by the Charhar Institute think tank.
Moreover, he said, South Korea would no longer need to host the US THAAD missile defence system.
Its deployment has infuriated Beijing because it fears that its powerful radars could peer deep into China and destabilise the region.
But dropping Pyongyang is not that simple, Kelly said.
"The problem is: how do you cut the cord, because nobody knows what North Korea will do," he said.
Marseille: French soldiers shot and a killed a man on Sunday after he stabbed to death two women at Marseille`s main train station, the French interior ministry said, in what police sources called a "likely terrorist act".
Three police sources said the suspect had shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) as he carried out his attack. No further details were immediately available.
Police cordoned off the area and told people to stay away.
A witness told Reuters she saw a man take out a knife from his sleeve and then stab a young girl and then a second woman, shouting what could have been "Allahu Akbar". She added that she saw soldiers from France`s Sentinelle force who were patrolling in the area arrive on the public square at the Gare Saint-Charles station.
"After the attack carried out next to Marseille Saint-Charles, I am immediately going to the site of the attack," French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Twitter.
France has been in a state of emergency following a spate of attacks by Islamist militants over the last two years, including attacks in Paris in November 2015 which killed 130 people.
A gunman drove a heavy truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the city of Nice last year, killing 86 people and injuring scores more.
It is very rare for a federal agency to admit having made a mistake and rarer still for the secretary of a cabinet department to announce a U-turn in policy in a heavily publicized speech. But that is exactly what Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos did on September 7.Speaking at George Mason University, Secretary DeVos went straight after the most contentious element of the Obama Administration's higher education policy, namely its interpretation of Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972 . The language of the statute was twisted by bureaucratic fiat (a "Dear Colleague" letter) from prohibiting discrimination based on sex into a crusade against any conduct by a school, a student, or a faculty member that might be deemed sexual harassment.Under the Obama administration's "guidance" (which was of very doubtful legality since requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) were ignored), colleges and universities were expected to adopt highly one-sided procedures for handling all allegations of sexual misconduct-procedures that were designed to produce the largest number of accusations and punishments possible.In Secretary DeVos' words , the Education Department "weaponized" Title IX and compliant college bureaucracies against anyone who was accused of anything from rape to merely speaking impolitely to women, as Professor J. Martin Rochester discussed in last week's Martin Center Clarion Call . To comply with the Department's orders, schools large and small hired many Title IX administrators who knew that they might be replaced if they didn't get results, which is to say, finding male students guilty and seeing them punished.In its politically motivated zeal to deal with the alleged "campus rape culture," the Department went far beyond law and reason and Secretary DeVos is determined to restore fairness and the rule of law.The procedures mandated by the Department's "guidance" are so slanted that when members of Harvard's law faculty got hold of them, they issued a letter that criticized them as "overwhelmingly stacked against the accused." And when a judge looked at the procedures in a case where an expelled student sued, he sarcastically asked the lawyers defending the school, "When I finished reading all the briefs in this case, my comment was, 'Where's the kangaroo?'" (That case and many others are recounted in Professor KC Johnson's recent article in Commentary.)Among the disturbing features of the Department's policies were: a very low standard for guilt (a mere "preponderance of the evidence"), a bar against allowing the accused to have legal representation, a mandate to investigate off-campus incidents rather than leaving them to police (which former Education Department lawyer Hans Bader points out here , was a reversal of prior policy and therefore required public notice and comment before changing), "training" for campus officials to ensure that they adopt a "believe the accuser" mindset, and rules against cross-examination of witnesses.Procedures that our courts of law insist on to avoid prejudice and minimize the probability of finding innocent individuals guilty were tossed aside in a mere letter written by a political appointee.Secretary DeVos was mindful of the purpose behind the OCR's rules-to punish sexual predators on campus-but made the crucial point that the desire to punish the guilty does not justify using unfair and slipshod procedures that are apt to lead to punishing the innocent.she said.That's exactly right. No doubt there are some sexual predators loose on our college campuses and they should be removed from school and punished. But it does not help to tamper with the scales of justice so that falsely accused individuals will be punished too. As Robert Shibley, Executive Director of FIRE, stated , the Education DepartmentNevertheless, critics immediately pounced, claiming that if the Department changes its policies, the result will be to retreat in the face of the supposed epidemic of sexual assault. For example, former Vice President Joe Biden opposed the Secretary's initiative, declaring Of course, that's political hyperbole. The laws against rape and assault remain in place and will be enforced as strongly as ever, just not with ludicrously unbalanced procedures pursued by school administrators with a stake in the outcome.By itself, Secretary DeVos' criticism does not, however, bring about legal change. Some commentators noticed that her speech didn't explicitly declare that the Department was rescinding the April, 2011 "guidance" letter that is the center of this tumor. Could that mean that she was merely throwing a rhetorical bone to the opponents of the "weaponizing" of Title IX?Apparently not. As Frederick Hess and Grant Addison of the American Enterprise Institute wrote a day after the speech,DeVos made it clear that she intends to follow the law instead of continuing the Obama administration's method of, as she put it, "rule by letter." In other words, the Education Department will abide by the APA and allow public comment before implementing new rules. But what should those new rules look like?Ideally, the new rules would remove support for much of what now occurs under the Obama Title IX regime. First, they should make it clear that Title IX is not about speech and that enforcement actions against students or professors for saying or writing things that bother feminist militants is not sanctioned by federal regulation.Second, they should specify the minimum in acceptable procedures if and when schools decide to investigate allegations of sexual assault themselves. In that regard, it is especially important to require that the accused be accorded the rights to representation, to know of the precise charges and evidence against him, and to cross-examine witnesses. Furthermore, the school administrators involved in decision-making should be neutral, not people who have been trained to believe that the accused are presumptively guilty.And the Department should indicate that if schools retain the current, biased procedures that many of them adopted (often justified by the claim that the Department required them), they will find themselves facing federal scrutiny and possible sanctions. It will require such counter-pressure to roll back the growth of aggressive Title IX bureaucracies staffed with people who are itching to foment complaints and decree punishments.That's what the National Association of Scholars was driving at in its response to the DeVos speech:Schools won't root them out unless officials fear that their continuance will bring down the wrath of federal officials, just as fear of federal officials under the Obama administration induced them to set up their kangaroo courts in the first place.Not since Bill Bennett explained that increased federal subsidies led to tuition increases has a secretary of education said something as sensible as Betsy DeVos did last week.
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.
Early this year, the Internet Archive put out a call for a distributed web. We heard them loud and clear.
Today Im making an announcement that begins our long journey to the future of the web. A web that is faster, more secure, more robust, and more permanent.
Neocities has collaborated with Protocol Labs to become the first major site to implement IPFS in production. Starting today, all Neocities web sites are available for viewing, archiving, and hosting by any IPFS node in the world. When another IPFS node chooses to host a site from Neocities, that version of the site will continue to be available, even if Neocities shuts down or stops hosting it. The more IPFS nodes seed Neocities sites, the more available (and redundant) Neocities sites become. And the less centrally dependent the sites are on us to continue existing.
What is IPFS? From their README:
IPFS is a distributed file system that seeks to connect all computing devices with the same system of files. In some ways, this is similar to the original aims of the Web, but IPFS is actually more similar to a single bittorrent swarm exchanging git objects. IPFS could become a new major subsystem of the internet. If built right, it could complement or replace HTTP. It could complement or replace even more. It sounds crazy. It is crazy.
IPFS is still in the alpha stages of development, so were calling this an experiment for now. It hasnt replaced our existing site storage (yet). Like with any complex new technology, theres a lot of improvements to make. But IPFS isnt vaporware, it works right now. You can try it out on your own computer, and already can use it to help us serve and persist Neocities sites.
The message I want to send couldnt possibly be more audacious: I strongly believe IPFS is the replacement to HTTP (and many other things), and nows the time to start trying it out. Replacing HTTP sounds crazy. It is crazy! But HTTP is broken, and the craziest thing we could possibly do is continue to use it forever. We need to apply state-of-the-art computer science to the distribution problem, and design a better protocol for the web.
Part 1: Whats wrong with HTTP?
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) has unified the entire world into a single global information protocol, standardizing how we distribute and present information to eachother.
It is inconceivable for me to even think about what life would be like without it. HTTP dropped the cost of publishing content to almost nothing, an innovation that took a sledgehammer to the top-down economic, political, and cultural control over distribution of information (music, ideas, video, news, games, everything). As a result of liquifying information and making it the publication of it more egalitarian and accessible, HTTP has made almost everything about our culture better.
I love HTTP, and I always will. It truly stands among the greatest and most important inventions of all time.
But while HTTP has achieved many things, its usefulness as a foundation for the distribution and persistence of the sum of human knowledge isnt just showing some cracks, its crumbling to pieces right in front of us. The way HTTP distributes content is fundamentally flawed, and no amount of performance tuneups or forcing broken CA SSL or whatever are going to fix that. HTTP/2 is a welcome improvement, but its a conservative update to a technology thats beginning to show its age. To have a better future for the web, we need more than a spiced up version of HTTP, we need a new foundation. And per the governance model of cyberspace, that means we need a new protocol. IPFS, Im strongly hoping, becomes that new protocol.
HTTP is brittle
This is a picture of the first HTTP web server in the world. It was Tim Berners-Lees NeXT computer at CERN.
Pasted on the machine is an ominous sticker: This machine is a server, do not power it down!!.
The reason it couldnt be powered down is that web sites on other servers were starting to link to it. Once they linked to it, they then depended on that machine continuing to exist. If the machine was powered down, the links stopped working. If the machine failed or was no longer accessible at the same location, a far worse thing happened: the chain between sites becomes permanently broken, and the ability to access that content is lost forever. That sticker perfectly highlights the biggest problem with HTTP: it erodes.
Tims NeXT cube is now a museum piece. The first of millions of future dead web servers.
Youve seen the result:
Even if youve never read the HTTP spec, you probably know what 404 means. Its the error code used by HTTP to indicate that the site is no longer on the server at that location. Usually youre not even that lucky. More often, there isnt even a server there anymore to tell you that the content youre looking for is gone, and it has no way to help you find it. And unless the Internet Archive backed it up, youll never find it again. It becomes lost, forever.
The older a web page is, the more likely it is youll see 404 pages. Theyre the cold-hearted digital tombstones of a dying web, betraying nothing about what knowledge, beauty, or irreverent stupidity may have once resided there.
One of my favorite sites from the 90s web was Mosh to Yanni, and viewing the site today gives a very strong example of how inadequate HTTP is for maintaining links between sites. All the static content stored with the site still loads, and my modern browser still renders the page (HTML, unlike HTTP, has excellent lasting power). But any links offsite or to dynamically served content are dead. For every weird example like this, there are countless examples of incredibly useful content that have also long since vanished. Whether eroding content is questionable crap or timelessly useful, its still our history, and were losing it fast.
The reason this happens is simple: centrally managed web servers inevitably shut down. The domain changes ownership, or the company that ran it goes out of business. Or the computer crashes, without having a backup to restore the content with. Having everyone run their own personal HTTP server doesnt solve this. If anything, it probably makes it worse.
HTTP encourages hypercentralization
The result of this erosion of data has been further dependence on larger, more organized centralized services. Their short-term availability tends to be (mostly) good due to redundant backups. But this still doesnt address long-term availability, and creates a whole new set of problems.
Weve come a long way since John Perry Barlows A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. As our electronic country becomes more influential and facilitates the world with more information, governments and corporations alike have started to pry into HTTPs flaws, using them to spy on us, monetize us, and block our access to any content that represents a threat to them, legitimate or otherwise.
The web we were intended to have was decentralized, but the web we have today is very quickly becoming centralized, as billions of users become dependent on a small handful of services.
Regardless of whether you think this is a legitimate tradeoff, this was not how HTTP was intended to be used. Organizations like the NSA (and our future robot overlords) now only have to intercept our communications at a few sources to spy on us. It makes it easy for governments to censor content at their borders by blocking the ability for sites to access these highly centralized resources. It also puts our communications at risk of being interrupted by DDoS attacks.
Distributing the web would make it less malleable by a small handful of powerful organizations, and that improves both our freedom and our independence. It also reduces the risk of the one giant shutdown that takes a massive amount of data with it.
HTTP is inefficient
As of this writing, Gangnam Style now has over 2,344,327,696 views. Go ahead, watch it again. Ill wait for you.
Lets make some assumptions. The video clocks in at 117 Megabytes. That means (at most) 274,286,340,432 Megabytes, or 274.3 Petabytes of data for the video file alone has been sent since this was published. If we assume a total expense of 1 cent per gigabyte (this would include bandwidth and all of the server costs), $2,742,860 has been spent on distributing this one file so far.
Thats not too bad if youre Google. But if youre a smaller site, the cost to serve this much data would be astronomical, especially when bandwidth rates for small players start around $0.12 per gigabyte and go as high a $0.20 in Asia. Ive spent the better part of my work at Neocities battling expensive bandwidth to ensure we can keep running our infrastructure at low cost.
HTTP lowered the price of publishing, but it still costs money, and these costs can really add up. Distributing this much data from central datacenters is potentially very expensive if not done at economies of scale.
What if, instead of always serving this content from datacenters, we could turn every computer on an ISPs network into a streaming CDN? With a video as popular as Gangnam Style, it could even be completely downloaded from within an ISPs network, not requiring numerous hops over the internet backbone. This is one of the many things IPFS is capable of improving (well discuss this in a bit).
HTTP creates overdependence on the Internet backbone
When content is hypercentralized, it makes us highly dependent on the internet backbones to the datacenters functioning. Aside from making it easy for governments to block and censor content, there are also reliability problems. Even with redundancies, major backbones sometimes get damaged, or routing tables go haywire, and the consequences can be drastic.
I got a weird taste of that a few months ago, when Neocities slowed down after a car crashed into a fiber uplink we use in Canada (no suspects yet, but a few promising leads). Ive also heard stories where hunters have shot at the fiber cables connecting the eastern Oregon datacenters (the enormous ones that store a lot of data), requiring engineers to show up on snowmobiles with cross country skis to repair the fiber lines. Since I wrote this post, details have emerged on a sophisticated attack on fiber lines happening in the Bay Area. The point is, the internet backbone isnt perfect, its easy to attack it, and its easy for service to get affected by a few important fiber lines getting cut.
Part 2: How IPFS solves these problems
Weve discussed HTTPs problems (and the problems of hypercentralization). Now lets talk about how IPFS, and how it can help improve the web.
IPFS fundamentally changes the way we look for things, and this is its key feature. With HTTP, you search for locations. With IPFS, you search for content.
Let me show you an example. This is a file on a server I run: https://neocities.org/img/neocitieslogo.svg. Your browser first finds the location (IP address) of the server, then asks my server for the file using the path name. With that design, only the owner (me) can determine that this is the file youre looking for, and you are forced to trust that I dont change it on you by moving the file, or shutting the server down.
Instead of looking for a centrally-controlled location and asking it what it thinks /img/neocitieslogo.svg is, what if we instead asked a distributed network of millions of computers not for the name of a file, but for the content that is supposed to be in the file?
This is precisely what IPFS does.
When neocitieslogo.svg is added to my IPFS node, it gets a new name: QmXGTaGWTT1uUtfSb2sBAvArMEVLK4rQEcQg5bv7wwdzwU. That name is actually a cryptographic hash, which has been computed from the contents of that file. That hash is guaranteed by cryptography to always only represent the contents of that file. If I change that file by even one bit, the hash will become something completely different.
When I ask the IPFS distributed network for that hash, it efficiently (20 hops for a network of 10,000,000) finds the nodes that have the data using a Distributed Hash Table, retrieves it, and verifies using the hash that its the correct data. Early DHT designs had issues with Sybil attacks, but we have new ways to address them, and Im very confident this is a solvable problem (unlike the problems with HTTP, which are just going to be broken forever).
IPFS is general purpose, and has little in the way of storage limitations. It can serve files that are large or small. It automatically breaks up larger files into smaller chunks, allowing IPFS nodes to download (or stream) files from not just one server like with HTTP, but hundreds of them simultaneously. The IPFS network becomes a finely-grained, trustless, distributed, easily federated Content Delivery Network (CDN). This is useful for pretty much everything involving data: images, video streaming, distributed databases, entire operating systems, blockchains, backups of 8 inch floppy disks, and most important for us, static web sites.
IPFS files can also be special IPFS directory objects, which allow you to use human readable filenames (which transparently link to other IPFS hashes). You can load the directorys index.html by default, the same way a standard HTTP server does. Using directory objects, IPFS allows you to make static web sites exactly the same way you make them today. Its a single command to add your web site to an IPFS node: ipfs add -r yoursitedirectory . After that, its available from any IPFS node without requiring you to link to any hashes in the HTML (example, and example with index.html renamed).
Federating data with IPFS
IPFS doesnt require every node to store all of the content that has ever been published to IPFS. Instead, you choose what data you want to help persist. Think of it like bookmarks, except instead of bookmarking a link to a site that will eventually fail, you back up the entire site for yourself, and volunteer to help to serve the content to others that want to look at it.
If a lot of nodes host a little bit, these little bits quickly add up to more space, bandwidth and availablity than any centralized HTTP service could ever possibly provide. The distributed web will quickly become the fastest, most available, and largest store of data on the planet earth. And nobody will have the power to burn books by turning it all off. This Library of Alexandria is never going to burn down.
Copying, storing and helping serve web sites from other IPFS nodes is easy. It just takes a single command and the hash of the site: ipfs pin add -r QmcKi2ae3uGb1kBg1yBpsuwoVqfmcByNdMiZ2pukxyLWD8 . IPFS takes care of the rest.
IPNS
IPFS hashes represent immutable data, which means they cannot be changed without the hash being different. This is a good thing because it encourages data persistence, but we still need a way to find the latest IPFS hash representing your site. IPFS accomplishes this using a special feature called IPNS.
IPNS allows you to use a private key to sign a reference to the IPFS hash representing the latest version of your site using a public key hash (pubkeyhash for short). If youve used Bitcoin before, youre familiar with this - a Bitcoin address is also a pubkeyhash. With our Neocities IPFS node, I signed the image of Penelope (our site mascot) and you can load it using our IPNS pubkeyhash for that node: QmTodvhq9CUS9hH8rirt4YmihxJKZ5tYez8PtDmpWrVMKP.
IPNS isnt done yet, so if that link doesnt work, dont fret. Just know that I will be able to change what that pubkeyhash points to, but the pubkeyhash will always remain the same. When its done, it will solve the site updating problem.
Now we just need to make the location of these sites human-readable, and weve got all the pieces we need.
Human-readable mutable addressing
IPFS/IPNS hashes are big, ugly strings that arent easy to memorize. So IPFS allows you to use the existing Domain Name System (DNS) to provide human-readable links to IPFS/IPNS content. It does this by allowing you to insert the hash into a TXT record on your nameserver (if you have a command line handy, run this: dig TXT ipfs.git.sexy ). You can see this in action by visiting http://ipfs.io/ipns/ipfs.git.sexy/.
Going forward, IPFS has plans to also support Namecoin, which could theoretically be used to create a completely decentralized, distributed web that has no requirements for a central authority in the entire chain. No ICANN, no central servers, no politics, no expensive certificate authorities, and no choke points. It sounds crazy. It is crazy. And yet, its completely possible with todays technology!
IPFS HTTP gateway: The bridge between the old web and the new
The IPFS implementation ships with an HTTP gateway Ive been using to show examples, allowing current web browsers to access IPFS until the browsers implement IPFS directly (too early? I dont care). With the IPFS HTTP gateway (and a little nginx shoe polish), we dont have to wait. We can soon start switching over to IPFS for storing, distributing, and serving web sites.
How were using IPFS now
Our initial implementation of IPFS is experimental and modest, for now. Neocities will be publishing an IPFS hash once per day when sites are updated, accessible from every site profile. This hash will point to the latest version of the site, and be accessible via our IPFS HTTP gateway. Because the IPFS hash changes for each update, this also enables us to provide an archive history for all the sites, something we automagically just get from the way that IPFS works anyways.
How well use IPNS in the future
Long-term, if things go well, we want to use IPFS for storing all of our sites, and issue IPNS keys for each site. This would enable users to publish content to their site independently of us. If we do it right, even if Neocities doesnt exist anymore, our users can still update their sites. We effectively take our users central dependence on our servers and smash it to pieces, permanently ruining our plans for centralized world domination forever. It sounds awesome. It is awesome!
Its still early, and theres much work to do before IPFS can replace HTTP without needing to describe the idea as crazy. But theres no time like the present to plan for the future. Its time for us to get to work. Accept the Internet Archives challenge: distribute the web.
Kyle
Equifax sources say that the massive breach of 140,000,000 Americans' personal information was the result of state-sponsored hackers, likely from China, but attribution is hard and inexact.
One thing we can attribute the breach to, though, is bungling. Equifax and Mandiant its independent security contractor got into "a squabble" just as the hackers were breaking into Equifax's systems, and by the time everything had been smoothed over, the attackers had installed 30 web-shells in Equifax's systems, any one of which would allow attackers to have free run of Equifax's data.
In the years preceding the breach, then-Equifax CEO Richard Smith (who quit last week, pocketing $90,000,000 on his way out the door) went on an acquisition spree in a bid to rapidly grow the company's bottom line. He purchased "two dozen companies that have given Equifax new ways to package and sell data, while expanding operations to 25 countries and 10,000 employees," and quadrupled the company's share price.
At the same time, the company's ability to manage the unimaginable mountains of compromising personally identifying information it had coerced, for free, from the American public was in crisis. Employees routinely mishandled sensitive information, and the security team at Equifax was sidelined as the company struggled with the IT challenges of integrating dozens of data-mining acquisitions who demanded unfettered access to the company's databases.
Although the hackers inside Equifax were able to evade detection for months, once the hack was discovered on July 29, investigators quickly reconstructed their movements down to the individual commands they used. The company's suite of tools included Moloch, which works much like a black box after an airliner crash by keeping a record of a network's internal communications and data traffic. Using Moloch, investigators reconstructed every step. Once the hackers found the vulnerability Zheng reported, they installed a simple backdoor known as a web shell. It didn't matter if Equifax fixed the vulnerability after that. The hackers had an invisible portal into the company's network. The Moloch data suggests the initial group of hackers struggled to jump through internal roadblocks like firewalls and security policies, but that changed once the advanced team took over. Those intruders used special tunneling tools to slide around firewalls, analyzing and cracking one database after the nextwhile stockpiling data on the company's own storage systems. Besides amassing data on nearly every American adult, the hackers also sought information on specific people. It's not clear exactly why, but there are at least two possibilities: They were looking for high-net-worth individuals to defraud, or they wanted the financial details of people with potential intelligence value.
The Equifax Hack Has the Hallmarks of State-Sponsored Pros
[Michael Riley, Jordan Robertson and Anita Sharpe/Bloomberg]
(via /.)
The Catalonian referendum on independence from Spain went ahead today, using the backup ballot boxes the opposition had secretly procured in anticipation of the brutal crackdown on the independence movement by the central government in Madrid, which included snatching elected officials and seizing ballot boxes.
Catalonians go to the polls today in the face of great impediments. The .cat top-level domain was seized, Google was ordered to remove the app that told people where their polling stations were, and those polling stations were surrounded by thousands of armed national guard troops who beat people attempting to vote, eventually firing into the crowds with rubber bullets. The Catalan government says it has verified 465 injuries at this time.
Catalan government: '465 injured by Spanish police violence' during referendum live
[Patrick Greenfield/The Guardian]
A strange quiet has settled in at the White House.
President Donald Trump greeted Robert Muellers appointment as special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation with a steady stream of diatribes, including some 40 bilious tweets. He challenged Muellers impartiality and called the investigation a witch hunt. But for nearly two months, Trump has restrained himself on the subject. His lawyers, meanwhile, have treated Mueller with customary deference.
The lawyers have accomplished what 16 Republican candidates, beauty pageant contestants, military heroes and a federal judge could not: They have muzzled Donald Trump.
How long can it last?
The presidents newfound reserve is certainly a smarter policy, and the one that white-collar lawyers routinely order their clients to follow. Its not just a matter of avoiding antagonizing the prosecutor who holds the power to bring charges against you; every tweet can come back to bite you at trial, where skillful prosecutors can mine small inconsistencies.
But theres no doubt that the Mueller investigation continues to rankle. Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon argued in a recent 60 Minutes interview that the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, which resulted in Muellers appointment, was one of the worst mistakes in modern political history. I dont think theres any doubt that if James Comey had not been fired, Bannon opined (w)e would not have the Mueller investigation and the breadth that clearly Mr. Mueller is going for.
The recent report that Trump savaged Attorney General Jeff Sessions when he learned of Muellers appointment calling him an idiot and telling him he should resign brings home the presidents extreme fear and loathing of the Russia investigation.
Which spurs three questions: 1) Will Trump one day try to oust Mueller? 2) If he does, will he get away with it? and 3) What consequences would that have for our political culture?
Heres predicting flat out that yes, at some point Trump will try to oust Mueller.
As the probe advances, the likelihood increases that Mueller will uncover evidence of a serious offense by Trump. With the recent search of former campaign manager Paul Manaforts home, Mueller has shown his willingness to follow the money trail aggressively. (The latest reports suggest that Muellers team is planning to indict Manafort for possible tax and financial crimes.) And Mueller has begun to negotiate interviews with up to a dozen White House aides as well as former White House officials. Trump likely fears that Mueller will zero in on something sleazy or criminal whose revelation could cripple his presidency. Each turn of the screw of the Mueller investigation and there will be many increases the pressure on Trump to act preemptively.
The odds also seem great that the erratic, power-consumed and thin-skinned Trump, who every week launches a new Twitter attack on a real or imagined enemy, will be unable to stay his hand month after month as the Mueller investigation unfolds. Like the fabled scorpion who stings the frog even though it dooms him, Trump, being Trump, wont be able to endure domination by Mueller over the long term. Of course, Trump likely fails to appreciate that it is not Mueller personally, but the law, that is asserting its dominance.
Lets say Trump snaps.
To fire Mueller, Trump would need to order Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to remove him. But Rosenstein, a career prosecutor with a strong dedication to the values of the Department of Justice, would likely resign his office rather than comply with the order, as would the departments third-ranking official, Rachel Brand.
Eventually Trump, moving down the hierarchy, would find someone willing to fire Mueller (as Nixon found Robert Bork, the then-solicitor general, to fire Archibald Cox).
From there, Mueller could launch a legal challenge to the ouster (potentially with the support of the Department of Justice). Its by no means clear that Mueller, an ex-Marine of legendary rectitude, would choose to sue. Assuming he did, though, he would need to overcome a series of constitutional arguments by the presidents lawyers that any restrictions on the presidents ability to terminate him would impinge on presidential power under Article II.
In any event, any pushback from the courts would likely be procedural and incremental. Only Congress is positioned to pass broad judgment on Trump. But a congressional response for example, a statute to create an independent counsel would be tempered by political compromise, and would have to withstand a presidential veto. In particular, its hard to envision a scenario in which Congress successfully forced Trump to reinstate Mueller.
As for a more definitive rebuke such as impeachment, for now it is a barely conceivable fantasy. Even if Democrats were to gain control of the House in the 2018 elections, chances are remote that Democrats in the Senate would be able to muster the 67 votes needed to convict and remove. The trial would be a sort of opera bouffe with Trump at the center at his most melodramatic. And when Trump is acquitted, he will find a cheap salesmans way to declare victory, to the exasperation of his critics.
Impeachment without removal, then, looks to be the worst-case scenario for Trump. Hell still get away with firing Mueller, but expect him not to run for a second term. Expect him also to be a fixture on, and probably atop, lists of the nations worst presidents.
Still, once Trump is out of office, and assuming he hasnt left visible wreckage beyond an ousted independent counsel, can we then count ourselves lucky and move on from the misadventure?
Hardly. The difference between robust societies such as the U.S. and United Kingdom and autocratic ones such as Turkey and Russia is not the degree of formal constitutional protections. Russias Constitution purports to protect and empower its citizens every bit as much as ours. But weary experience leads Russian citizens to doubt that the law applies equally to all persons, or that political institutions are strong enough to prevent despotism. The result is a deep social and political cynicism.
In the scenario outlined above, in which Trump faces, at the very worst, impeachment without removal, he wont have completely undone the norms, but he will have eroded them. His tenure will have moved the line of the conceivable.
We think that autocratic interludes are impossible here; they will seem a bit less so after Trump. After Trump, it will seem to many a little less certain that the rule of law will win out even against the rich and powerful; that government is transparent; that the free press can hold elected officials accountable; and that leaders cannot profit from government service. Restoring these assumptions to their pre-Trump levels will take time and good fortune.
Where To Go When Your Local Emergency Room Goes Bankrupt?" During the past ten years 84 California hospitals have declared bankruptcy and closed their Emergency Rooms forever. Financially crippled by legislative and judicial mandates to treat illegal aliens have bankrupted hospitals! In 2010, in Los Angeles County alone, over 2 million illegal aliens recorded visits to county emergency rooms for both routine and emergency care. The cost is $1,000 dollars for every taxpayer. VIVA LA RAZA?
An Air France plane en route to Los Angeles from Paris made an emergency landing Saturday in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., after one of its engines blew out over the Atlantic Ocean.
Passengers on the Airbus A380, the largest passenger plane in the world, tweeted pictures of the damaged engine. The plane had left Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris Saturday morning.
Just received this video from Kate Heath of Air France emergency landing in Goose Bay. #yyr#cbcnlpic.twitter.com/uVOl0wRmRs Jacob Barker (@JacobBarkerCBC) September 30, 2017
According to transmissions from air traffic control, the plane landed safely in Goose Bay Airport at around 1:40 p.m. local time with part of the engine cowling missing, scattering debris across the runway.
Passenger Pamela Adams said things were going "as normal" for the first six and a half hours of the flight.
"I was doing some yoga stretches and suddenly it felt like we had run into a jeep in the middle of 35,000 feet high," she told CBC News. "It did not sound like an explosion as much as it sounded like an engine malfunction."
She said she was "jostled" and the plane dipped slightly "but the pilots recovered beautifully." Then an announcement was made saying the plane would be diverted to Goose Bay, where it landed about an hour and a half later.
"There wasn't the panic that I would've expected," she said, adding that the competency of the pilots may have helped keep people calm.
Passenger Sarah Eamigh told CBC News she was terrified after hearing a "boom" and then feeling the plane descend quickly.
Story continues
"The cabin started vibrating. Someone screamed, and from there we knew something was wrong," she said, adding that the trembling stopped about 10 minutes later. "We saw the cabin crew walking through the aisles quickly, and we heard an announcement from the captain that said one of our engines had an explosion."
She said it wasn't an extreme panic on board, but passengers were "white-knuckling" after the drop. Like Adams, she said the crew kept everyone on board calm.
After touching down, the plane was met by fire crews on the tarmac in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, but they weren't needed. The debris had to be cleaned up before Runway 26 could be reopened.
DIVERSION
Mayday declared...
Air France #AF66
Paris to Los Angeles
Diverting to Goose Bay with mechanical issues.https://t.co/3UXZPhI3Typic.twitter.com/z9O6Zdbvfb Tom Podolec (@TomPodolec) September 30, 2017
Adams said passengers sat on the plane on the tarmac for two hours before receiving a meal, and were getting anxious without official word on what they would be doing, and when. Eamigh said they were told Air France was working on sending another plane for them, but weren't told when, and would be remaining on the plane for the near future.
"It looks beautiful outside, just seems that the airport wasn't ready or equipped for this kind of landing or this large of an aircraft, for sure," she said, chuckling.
George Takei, Lady Gaga and Lin-Manuel Miranda are among those in Hollywood hitting back at Donald Trump after his latest tweets directed at Puerto Rico's "poor leadership." And they're not mincing words.
"You're going straight to hell," Miranda, who created and starred in the musical Hamilton and is of Puerto Rican descent, tweeted to the U.S. president Saturday. "No long lines for you."
The online attack came after Trump posted a series of tweets denigrating Puerto Rican mayor, Carmen Yulin Cruz, after she begged for more efficient Hurricane Maria relief efforts.
"Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help," Trump posted early Saturday. "They ... want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort."
The September storm ravaged the U.S. territory, killing more than a dozen people and damaging roads and infrastructure.
"I this it's clear where the 'poor leadership' lies," Lady Gaga posted in a response to Trump. "Puerto Rico is part of the United States. This is our responsibility."
The president's latest social media outburst has re-ignited a bitter battle with Hollywood's elite, most of whom are democrats.
Star Trek star and activist George Takei, who has openly criticized the Trump administration on many issues including LGBT rights, weighed in as well.
"'Give Trump a chance!' they said," Takei posted on Twitter. "Well, Maria was his chance, to help millions of our citizens. Instead, he tweeted and sneered. Disgusted."
Actor Kal Penn, who resigned from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities along with other members in August, and filmmaker Jon Favreau tweeted information to guide individuals on how to help Puerto Ricans.
"Don't just get mad at our President's refusal to help," Penn wrote. "Each of us can help right now."
Trump said he will tour Puerto Rico with his wife, Melania, on Tuesday.
By Greg Torode ABOARD THE USS RONALD REAGAN, South China Sea (Reuters) - As the commanders of the largest U.S. warship in Asia seek to maintain operational readiness amid protracted tensions over North Korea, they find themselves keeping one eye on China, too. On Saturday, as F-18 Super Hornet jet fighters roared from the decks of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier during routine drills deep in the South China Sea, two Chinese frigates maintained a constant line-of-sight vigil. Officers on the Japanese-based Reagan described frequent close quarter surveillance from the ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy in international waters. Sometimes, they said, Chinese vessels steam in to check out the carrier en route to other destinations. Other times, Chinese frigates linger for days within the screen of U.S. ships and planes that protect the Reagan - Washington's only carrier based outside America. At times, the carrier crew, to ensure safe passage, will alert their uninvited Chinese escorts, should the Reagan sharply alter course, officers said. "Weve had no issues. They've been very professional," said Rear Admiral Marc Dalton, commander of the Reagan's strike group, as well as the larger battle forces of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. "We see them on a regular basis," he said. DEPLOYMENT STRAINS As Dalton spoke, the midnight blue waters beyond the flight decks made for a crowded scene, with a U.S. and an allied Japanese destroyer also visible as the Reagan maneuvered some 400 nautical miles (748 kilometers) from the Chinese coast. It provided a window into the strains of increased deployments and exercises by regional militaries, in part as they respond to the threat posed by Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear and missile programs. North Korea has staged an apparent hydrogen bomb test and fired two ballistic missiles over Japan in recent weeks. The situation has unfolded as U.S. naval chiefs review operations to draw lessons from four significant accidents within the U.S. Pacific Fleet this year. A report this month by the U.S. Government Accountability Office highlighted a host of training and maintenance problems as the navy strove to expand overseas deployments and improve operational readiness. Dalton will soon lead the carrier to a port call in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong - the first such visit in three years after a stop by another carrier was denied in 2016. China, which claims much of the disputed South China Sea, has long objected to U.S. military operations off its coasts, even in areas Washington insists are free to international passage. DOMINANT PRESENCE Routinely carrying between 60-70 aircraft on board, the carrier sends between 80-100 sorties daily - the core of a dominant U.S. military presence in Asia that analysts believe China could still take years to supplant. In recent months, the 100,000-ton Reagan has exercised with allied Australian ships as well as Japanese forces. The South Korean defense ministry has announced it will exercise with the Reagan strike group in October. Rear Admiral Dalton acknowledged the challenges and top-level reviews but insisted the task force was long used to keeping itself in full readiness. "As a forward deployed force. . . we are already where we need to be to execute our missions all the time," he said. He did not detail any specific North Korean contingencies but described Pyongyang's missile tests and nuclear program as a "growing and concerning danger". "The U.S. has been very clear about leveraging all options in order to get North Korea to change its path," he said. (Reporting By Greg Torode; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
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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..Carolineglick.com..29 September '17..Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had an applause line that should have brought the house down in his speech at Wednesdays official ceremony celebrating 50 years of settlement in Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights.Netanyahu was speaking before a crowd of thousands in Gush Etzion, which was destroyed by the Arab Legion in the War of Independence, and rebuilt by the children of its massacred defenders immediately after the area was liberated in the 1967 Six Day War.Netanyahu pledged to the audience: There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the Land of Israel.He did receive enthusiastic applause. But he didnt bring the house down. And the rest of his speech was met with a lukewarm reception overall, even though he hit all the notes.And that makes sense. As much as the audience wanted to believe him and his pledges to continue to build in the biblical and strategic heartland of the country, they couldnt.They knew that under the current legal regime governing the country, its not for elected officials to say whether communities will be built or destroyed.Thats up to the Supreme Court, whose justices have seized the power to determine any aspect of Israeli law and policy that they wish. And the Supreme Court, under retiring President Miriam Naor, was boycotting the official state ceremony.Naors decision to cast to the seven winds official protocol, which dictates that a representative of the court is present at all state ceremonies was not automatic. First she had agreed to send a justice to the ceremony. But after she received a request from the radical Meretz party to reconsider her decision, she revoked it.The ceremony, she insisted, was controversial.And so, the same justice who participated both in the official ceremony to mark the reunification of Jerusalem earlier this year and in a conference sponsored by radical, anti-Israel groups last December, announced that no representative of the High Court would attend.Naors decision to side with Meretz, with its five-member Knesset faction, and ignore 70 years of protocol, was not an isolated event.Over the past several weeks, the court has published an avalanche of radical decisions that both separately and together represent what many experts are referring to as a second judicial revolution.The first judicial revolution was carried out in the 1990s by then-Supreme Court president Aharon Barak. Based on his dubious interpretation of Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, which was passed in 1992 by an uninterested Knesset, (only 53 out of 120 Knesset members participated in the vote), Barak seized the power to overturn Knesset laws.Baraks interpretation of the Basic Law, along with his radical rulings that gave standing to parties unaffected by the substance of their petitions to the Supreme Court acting as the High Court of Justice, initiated his judicial revolution. That revolution rendered the court the most powerful arm of government, with neither the Knesset nor the executive branch able to check or balance its growing power.Until their recent decisions, like Barak, his successors have been careful to maintain at least a conceit that their rulings are based in Israeli law.The recent rulings signal that the justices no longer feel constrained to do so.Among other things, the court ruled that the legislature and the executive branch have no right to interpret the Basic Law governing the state budget to enable them to pass a two-year budget. In doing so the court paved the way for it to cancel Basic Laws, which are supposed to have constitutional standing.The court canceled a law instituting a special tax on people who own more than two apartments.The ruling did not discuss the merits of the law.Rather, the justices canceled the law because they claimed that lawmakers didnt debate it for long enough before they passed it into law. In other words, the court gave itself the right to cancel laws on procedural rather than substantive, legal grounds.The court ruled that the law enabling the government to deport illegal aliens to third countries cannot be enforced unless the illegal alien agrees to leave. Thus the court ruled the government has no right to enforce Israels immigration laws and the Knesset has no right to legislate immigration laws.The court ruled that the interior ministers lawful power to remove a persons residency rights is unenforceable in relation to Jerusalem residents, members of the Hamas terrorist group, who have been elected to serve as Palestinian lawmakers in the Palestinian Legislative Council.In other words, the court decided that the 1952 law is illegal because the justices think it ought to be illegal.The court canceled the Knesset law governing the draft of ultra-Orthodox Israelis because the justices thought it wasnt strict enough.None of these rulings was based on standing law. Indeed, they werent really based on law at all. And as incoming Supreme Court President Esther Hayut made clear this week, the absence of legal grounds for court rulings is not coincidental.In a speech before the Bar Association, Hayut compared the justices to God.In her words, Theres a disadvantage that we flesh and blood judges have in comparison with the Creator of the Universe. Even in the situations where we understand fairly quickly the dilemma that brought the petitioners before us, it often happens that the solution we view as just and proper isnt possible under the practice and requirements of the law. These situations in my view are among the most difficult and complex ones that we as judges are called upon to contend with.Hayut continued, How do we bridge between the law and what is right? Finding an answer to this question, discovering the secret spice is perhaps one of the greatest tasks that lies before us as judges.Given her colleagues recent judgments, Hayuts intentions are self-evident. Her court will abandon the law whenever it contradicts the justices sense of what is right. And given the ideological uniformity of the court, its justices sense of right will always be in alignment with Meretz, which will never, ever win a national election.Which brings us to Turkey.Until Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans AKP won its first parliamentary election in 2002, Turkey was a semi-democracy. Turkish voters elected their parliament and their president.But the powers of both were checked by the military. The generals were constitutionally required to unseat any politicians who in any way endangered Turkeys secular character.Less than 15 years after Erdogan and his AKP first rose to power, the military was gutted, its constitutional power erased. But so was Turkeys semi-democracy, and its secular character.Erdogan today is a dictator. And Turkey grows more openly Islamist every day.The thing of it is that Turkey had no democratic history. That is why the framers of its constitution inserted the military as the guardians of Turkish secularism, to protect it from the Islamist and anti-democratic impulses of the public.As for the military, the generals really did confine their interventions in politics to instances where the generals were convinced Turkeys secular order was endangered.The situation is Israel is different in both regards.The citizens of Israel have never wanted or supported anything other than democracy. There is no chance that this will ever change. Indeed, the publics devotion to democracy has grown since Barak instituted the first judicial revolution 25 years ago.As for the justices, unlike the Turkish generals, they intervene in every aspect of Israeli life that they wish. They recognize no limits on their power. They reject the questions on actuarial exams. They rule that entire communities must be destroyed or built. There is nothing to stop them from ruling that the government has no right to order the IDF to go to war. And indeed, given their current power grab, there every reason to assume that such a decision is possible.In an attempt to curb the courts power, this month Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked introduced a bill they claim will do the trick. The Bennett-Shaked bill would amend the Basic Law: Knesset in a manner that would enable the Knesset to override Supreme Court decisions to cancel legislation.There are several problems with the bill.First, it is too limited. The justices have not only seized the Knessets power to pass laws. They have seized the governments power to execute laws.Unless that is also dealt with, the Supreme Court will continue to rule without checks or balances.Then, too, if the proposed amendment goes through, it will actually empower the court.Again, Barak had no legal basis for his arrogation of the power to cancel duly promulgated laws. If the Bennett-Shaked bill passes, it will provide the court with the legal power it lacks and so render his revolution irrevocable.Finally, as Hayut said, and as recent court decisions show, the court is no longer interested in Knesset laws. Moreover, it has seized the right to cancel Basic Laws. Consequently, it will not hesitate to overrule and cancel the Bennett-Shaked amendment of the Basic Law: Knesset.To abrogate the courts actions and restore Israeli democracy, the Knesset and the government cannot adopt half measures. They must amend the Basic Law: Judiciary, to deny the court the right to cancel laws.They must institute regulations, and if necessary pass laws, that require the High Court of Justice to base its rulings on evidence.The Judicial Selection Committee, which enables justices to appoint themselves, must be shut down. The power to select judges must be transferred to the government. The Knesset must be empowered to approve judicial appointments.The government and Knesset must end the courts effective control over the attorney-general, the state prosecution and the legal advisers of the government ministries and the Knesset.To this end, all appointments of senior counsels must be the prerogative of the government, the relevant minister or in the case of the Knesset, of the speaker of the Knesset. The appointments must be final and not susceptible to court challenge.Finally, Baraks assertion that Everything is justiciable must be rejected either in legislation or through Justice Ministry regulations. To petition the court, petitioners must demonstrate that they are directly affected by whatever it is they are petitioning against.This then returns us to the official ceremony at Gush Etzion on Wednesday evening. Given the speed of the courts seizure of powers and its open ideological alliance with Meretz, if the Knesset and the government do not act immediately to end the Supreme Courts escalating judicial coup, 10 years from now there wont be a ceremony to mark 60 years of settlement in Judea and Samaria, the Golan Heights and the Jordan Valley.The justices wont allow it.
Drew Estates Pappy Van Winkle Tradition cigar, a limited production cigar that pays homage to Van Winkle family, has arrived at Drew Diplomat retailers. The Van Winkles are best known as owners of the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery and makers of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon and rye products.
The cigar also had a formal kickoff at todays Drew Estate Kentucky Barn Smoker.
The Pappy Van Winkle Tradition is the second release under Drew Estates Pappy Van Winkle line. The first release, the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Barrel Fermented, featured Kentucky Fire Cured barrel-fermented tobacco and was sold directly from Pappy & Co. The Tradition is a blend done by Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera and was actually developed prior to him officially joining Drew Estate. The blend was gifted to Julian Van Winkle, President of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery by Drew Estate co-founder Jonathan Drew.
The new Pappy Van Winkle Tradition is a more conventional blend featuring an Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper, Indonesian binder, and a combination of aged fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
The Pappy Van Winkle Tradition has seven sizes. Four will be available to Drew Diplomat retailers in the following sizes: Coronita (4 x 46), Robusto Grande (5 1/2 x 54), Toro (6 x 50), and Belicoso Fino (5 x 50). In addition, a Churchill (7 x 48) size is being made available to Drew Diplomat Spirits Retailers.
There are also two Not for Sale sizes in the form of Lonsdale (6 1/2 x 44) and Corona (5 1/2 x 44). The Lonsdale will be an event-only cigar for Drew Diplomat Rewards Events in October, November and December 2017. The Corona will only be available personally from Jonathan Drew and Julian Van Winkle.
In the following video, Drew Estate Master Blender Willy Herrera discusses the differences between the Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented and Pappy Van Winkle cigar.
In this next video, Herrera goes deeper in the Pappy Van Winkle Tradition cigar.
This is also the most premium offering by Drew Estate to date. Pricing ranges from $14.60 to $24.60 for the five sizes being sold.
Photo and Video Credits: Drew Estate
The progress against ISIS in Iraq and Syria is significant, said Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Brett McGurk.
So far, about 78,000 square kilometers have been liberated from ISIS control, and more than 4 million Iraqis and 2.3 million Syrians no longer live under the terror group.
In Iraq, about 2.1 million people have returned to their homes in areas that have been cleared of ISIS.
One-third of all of these gains have come in the last eight months and are in large part due to a change in policy under President Donald Trump who ordered an acceleration of the campaign.
"A lot of authorities were delegated downwards so that we could move faster and move more effectively, and I think thats made a difference on the ground," said Mr. McGurk.
In Raqqa, ISIS is now down to about its last three neighborhoods in the north-central part of the city, and it is only a matter of time until the operation in Raqqa is finished. As soon as the military phase is completed, a very significant post-conflict stabilization humanitarian plan will be launched with about a hundred sites identified for immediate de-mining.
In Iraq, the battle in Mosul is over, and the stabilization phase has begun. More than a million people were internally displaced from Mosul as a result of the war. Were now focused on returning people to their homes, said Mr. McGurk.
The United States has trained well over 100,000 Iraqi Security Forces and not a single Iraqi Security Force unit or Peshmerga unit that has fought ISIS with coalition training has lost a single battle. These forces are now able to conduct simultaneous operations across Iraq.
Diplomatically, there is a rapprochement underway between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. One border crossing has already been opened, and there is talk of opening a second.
Similarly with Jordan, a $1 billion-a-month in commerce route going from Amman to Baghdad has been reopened.
With ISIS on its heels and stabilization efforts well underway, the U.S. believes now is the time to press full speed ahead and finish the job.
More information EL PAIS, con el Estatut
When the attempted coup detat of February 23, 1981 was in its first hours and in the midst of general uncertainty, this newspaper rushed out a special edition. Without waiting to see how the crisis was going to conclude, the newspaper made a commitment to democracy with a message underneath its masthead that was as brief as it was forceful: EL PAIS, with the Constitution.
We have managed to stay faithful to that badge of identity all these years without falling into relativisms about the values of the Constitutional democratic legal system. It is that same identity that today summons us to come out in defense of the Catalan Autonomy Statute, which is at the same time the Internal Constitution of Catalonia, a key organic law from the state that guarantees self-governance. With all of its imperfections, this instrument has organized the most fertile period of prosperity and freedoms in Catalonia and in Spain as a whole.
What is happening here is the demolition of the maximum levels of coexistence
The Estatut needs to be defended at all costs, given the danger today posed by those who are trying to use it against the Catalan people and who want to later abolish it. A group of political leaders, led by the Catalan regional premier, after making several threats agreed that their coup in the parliament on September 6 and 7 with the approval of the laws that would break with the Constitution (the calling of the self-determination referendum for today) and that would take primacy over the Estatut and the Constitution, and that are to be used to abolish both fundamental sets of laws.
The illegal vote that derives from those texts, and which have been suspended by the courts, culminates today with a vote with no guarantees, and are likely to be followed by a unilateral proclamation or declaration of independence.
What is happening here is the demolition of the maximum levels of coexistence hiding behind the unhappiness of a part of the population that has been induced and manipulated by the very institutions of self-government and as such this vote should not take place. The state and the authorities including the regional police force the Mossos must stop this outrage from happening. It is unheard of for a government to incite its public employees to break the law, to create dangerous situations or altercations, and to rebel against the democratic order one that could be improved, but that is formidable and internationally homologated.
The Catalan regional government should instantly halt this rush to the abyss in a bid to minimize the damage. Because the damage that has been done so far is already excessive: not just in terms of the fractures in Catalan society, but also in the harm in some of its genuine creations that were most celebrated: the Mossos regional police force, public broadcasters (TV-3/Catalunya Radio) and its schools.
We have considered the response by the central government in Madrid to this kind of disobedience as inadequate
The partisan use of the former; the manipulation of the second, which has even seen calls to publicly identify locations of the Civil Guard (with a level 4 terrorist alert in place!); and the immoral pressure being placed on school principals and even calls for minors to get involved, must stop immediately. If not, the state should take them over, which would mean that the future of the very same institutions would be in doubt.
For some time we have considered the response by the central government in Madrid to this kind of disobedience as inadequate. In the future, a more detailed analysis will have to be made of these mistakes and in the corresponding need for responsibilities to be assumed. But at the current time, it is important to point out that by no means can the behaviors of those who are subverting the Constitution be compared with the government, which more or less clumsily has tried to respond. This has not been a train crash. This has been, from the start, an all-out irrational onslaught against the state by thrill-seeking opportunists.
While some of the instruments that the state has at its disposal to defend the law have been used in a balanced manner, the central government has never put into danger the rule of law in Catalonia. What is today being played out in the streets of Catalonia is not the questioning of freedom of expression of pro-independence citizens: they enjoy that as anyone in a democratic state does, despite what their leaders claim. What is in play today is whether a breakaway is consummated with the collapse of the statutory order, which has already been diminished by the regional government and parliament. Or if, on the contrary, the Estatut and the Constitution are restored.
There is a narrow opportunity for that to be achieved with the smallest damage possible for Catalan self-government (and for the economy, as the Bank of Spain has sensibly warned). And it needs to happen in the next few hours with maximum containment.
With the Estatut, anything is possible. Against the Estatut, nothing
Of course, restoring the Estatut is not inevitably a point of arrival. It could be a point of departure, to extend self-government. It is not impossible it is happening in the Basque Country if we return to the legal means that should never have been exceeded. Nor is it impossible to widen the decentralizing reach of the Constitution in a federal sense, which would offer a better fit for the legitimate hopes of many citizens in Catalonia (and other regions).
If there is a will to do so, the mechanisms with which to implement it would not be difficult: mixed work groups, parliamentary commissions, the design of a new statutory pact, and even a constitutional one that could be put to a referendum to be ratified. It would be a complex path to take, but it would not be traumatic compared to what is currently being put to us. And above all else, it would be a better messenger for the future and for global recognition. But all of this needs to be done once the Constitutional order has been re-established, not before. Dyed-in-the-wool participants in a coup cannot be negotiated with. It is, however, possible to dialogue with those who want more self-government for Catalonia. With the Estatut, anything is possible. Against the Estatut, nothing.
English version by Simon Hunter.
Russias official media speak about Catalonia, but they are really shooting at Brussels, using the referendum as ammunition . From the channels of the state broadcaster, which is the main source of news for most Russians, the Catalan referendum is presented as one of the many problems overwhelming Europe, and also as a proof of the ineffectiveness and failure of the European project, and by extension, of all Western projects.
This media coverage is part of a trend that started in 2013, and treats Europe as a systematically unstable environment, with serious social difficulties and corrupt leaders. With different nuances and intensities, depending on the circumstances, this attitude has been applied to issues such as Ukraine, the French and German elections, Brexit, and immigration.
The referendum is being used to weaken the EU by capitalizing on its members issues
Catalonia falls into this context, and coverage of the referendum is neither as intense or as aggressive as the campaign against Hillary Clinton was during the US elections. The referendum is more of a link in a wider strategy to weaken the EU by capitalizing on its members issues.
The goal is to bring about an end to the sanctions imposed on Moscow because of its annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and its intervention in Eastern Ukraine that same year.
Putin understands that by supporting far-right movements, nationalists, and separatists, as in Catalonia for example, it weakens and destroys the unity of Europe, which is what maintains the sanctions against Russia, said Alexei Venediktov, director of the radio station Echo of Moscow. Putin needs to break the unity of Europe, said the influential journalist. This is self-evident and unrelated to ideology, Venedikov said, noting that the Russian leader will support anyone who is useful to him, regardless of ideology.
The difference is that the referendum in Scotland was legitimate from the beginning Nikolai Topornin, European law professor
The Russian television coverage uses mental associations such as comparing the Civil Guard deployment in Catalonia to the situation under Francisco Franco, the former dictator of Spain, but it doesnt usually fully develop the association. The Russia 24 channel has referred to the pro-independence demonstrations as a color revolution within the EU.
Comparisons in the independent press are typically more nuanced. The newspaper Novaya Gazeta, a critic of Kremlin politics, compares Crimea and Catalonia for the benefit of the latter and emphasizes that the Russian language was not respected in Ukraine, unlike in Catalonia. In both cases, they assert, the referendums are illegal.
The referendum in Catalonia: a challenge for Spain and the European Union? The official news agency Ria-Novosti organized a discussion panel on Friday based on that idea. The moderator tried to keep the speakers within the framework of official Russian policy, out of respect for the territorial integrity of Spain, and to avoid comparisons with Crimea that he described as incorrect.
Moscow officially supports Spains territorial integrity, but it did the same for Ukraine in the past
However, Nikolai Platoshkin, a professor at the Moscow University for the Humanities, insisted that Russia should take a position on Catalonia similar to what it took with the referendum in Scotland, of respecting the outcome. The difference is that the referendum in Scotland was legitimate from the beginning, retorted European law professor Nikolai Topornin, according to whom the vote will have no legal consequences and make dialogue difficult.
Topornin rejected the parallels with Brexit. The Catalans do not want to leave the EU, but instead use it to their advantages, he said. Europe is a quilt and Catalonia is not a unique case, said Alexei Martinov, director of the Institute For New States think tank. A journalist with Izvestia newspaper, Martinov referred to the Ukrainization of the EU and predicted the application of martial law.
On Wednesday, Spanish ambassador Ignacio Ibanez met with Russian journalists from Interfax. All the statements issued by the Russian government are perfect from our point of view, said the diplomat. In fact, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, Moscow supports the territorial integrity of Spain.
However, Russias official position may not always be the full story. Events in Ukraine illustrated that a guarantee of territorial integrity issued by Moscow in the past may no longer be valid in the present or the future. The Russian political machinery in places affected by separatist tendencies could be compared to an iceberg: the visible part (the official position held by the Foreign Ministry or the Kremlin) has another, submerged area that is always ready to move in the direction that the Kremlin indicates.
English version by Debora Almeida.
The detained treasurer of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC), Reza Shahabi has conditionally ended his hunger strike, the trade union announced on Wednesday, September 27.
Reza Shahabi had joined a hunger strike on August 9 to protest against what he called inhumane detention conditions in the Islamic Republics prisons.
The detained workers rights activist ended his long hunger strike after a high security official promised to swiftly review Shahabi and his family requests, SWTSBC reported.
Reza Shahabi has warned that if his requests are not considered in a reasonable period of time, he would resume hunger strike.
Hours earlier, Shahabis wife, Robabeh Rezaei had raised concern over her husbands poor health condition.
Referring to Shahabis 51-day long hunger strike, Iran Labor News Agency, ILNA reported, Shahabis grave health condition has led to a widespread concern among workers and social rights activists to the extent that many of them have signed a statement calling for his release.
Meanwhile, ILNA cited Ms. Rezaei as saying, Mr. Shahabis health on 50th day of his hunger strike was so deteriorated that he was taken to a hospital. I was given a chance to briefly meet him at the hospital, Ms. Rezaei lamented, adding, Apart from an acute back and neck pain, he was suffering from sight and hearing loss to the extent that he was not immediately able to recognize his own son who was standing few yards away.
According to the SWTSBC, Shahabi was on medical furlough days before completing his term. Soon, he found out that the Prosecutor-General had not endorsed his furlough and decided to punish him. You have gone on an unauthorized medical furlough, Shahabi was told; Therefore, you are condemned to stay behind bars for another 968 days.
With no success, Shahabi tried to clarify the case by explaining that his medical furlough was approved by the Forensic Medicine Organization, FMO.
As his protests fell on deaf ears, Shahabi went on hunger strike and soon his health deteriorated to the extent that shocked international human rights organizations and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), prompting them to issue statements, calling for his unconditional release.
I am worried about my husbands health condition and my only wish is his healthy return to our home, Mrs. Shahabi said.
Shahabis health condition has been so deteriorated that according to ILNA, The members of the High Center for Islamic Labor Councils have intervened and called upon the Labor Minster to imply all his influence to release Shahabi.
The outcome of the request has not yet reported.
In an earlier statement the SWTSBC had insisted, Shahabis sole crime was trying to establish an independent syndicate where the workers can peacefully demand their rights.
When you readily pay a $150 entry fee with no hassle, it wont matter that the prices of the dishes arent mentioned on the menu, says a regular customer of Tehrans most upscale restaurants, adding, These restaurants give you the feeling of being someone special.
The higher the price, the more customers are ready to spend at such places, reported the official Iranian government daily, Iran.
The price these patrons pay for a three-course meal turns out to rival the monthly salary of an average white-collar office worker
The people who frequent these ultra-expensive restaurants are branded as VIPs, the newspaper maintained noting, The only reason to count them as VIP is the fact they are super-rich and can easily afford high entry fees plus ordering dishes on the priceless bills of fare.
The price these patrons pay for a three-course meal turns out to rival the monthly salary of an average white-collar office worker.
Majeed, who frequents one of these top-notch restaurants, tells the daily Iran, In these restaurants ambience, one feels serenity and tranquility. One feels different from others. Its precisely that: one feels special.
In addition to paying $150 to just enter one of these restaurants, Majeed proudly maintains, he also insists on treating his guests.
He says he and fellow patrons pay no attention to the price of individual dishes after hefting out for the entry fee. The waiters propose different dishes, and you pick your favorites, no matter the price. No prices are printed on the menus, whether its a starter, main course, salad or dessert.
According to Majeed, these restaurants have a regular clientele.
The waiters propose different dishes, and you pick your favorites, no matter the price. No prices are printed on the menus, whether its a starter, main course, salad or dessert
When one steps into such a restaurant, they should know they are going to spend a lot of money. And I mean a lot -- something close to 20 million rials (roughly $600) for three people. It is highly unconventional, I believe, Majeed said.
Most of these restaurants are located in the northern neighborhoods of the capital city, Tehran, daily Iran reported, adding, To attract customers, they all have their own special methods and styles.
Most of the regular customers of these posh eateries prefer to have their meal in a calm atmosphere and a cozy ambience where nobody bothers them. They hate noise pollution and eyesores while eating their precious starter, pricey main course, and succulent dessert, the newspaper said.
Children under the age of 10 are usually banned from such establishments since they are counted as sources of noise pollution.
The customers, a manager of one luxury restaurant tells daily Iran, love to spend money. Sometimes, the higher the price, the more they want to spend.
Meanwhile, the same manager asserts, The reason behind our high prices is the fact that we use first class and Grade A materials plus presenting a collection of good services and facilities.
A salad featuring Persian caviar and avocado dressed costs 4 million rials (roughly $120).
Earlier, in 2011, a Tehran restaurant serving gold-flecked ice cream for almost $130 a scoop made international headlines.
Gold-flecked ice cream wasnt part of the picture that Shiite Muslim clerics painted during the Iranian [Islamic] Revolution, when they promised to lift the poor by distributing the countrys vast oil income equally across society, Thomas Erdbrink of The Washington Post reported at the time.
But more than three decades later, record oil profits have brought in billions of dollars, and some people here are enjoying that decadent dessert. The trouble is, its just a small group of wealthy Iranians. Despite the promises of the revolution, many here say the gap between rich and poor has never seemed wider, he noted.
Farewell life, bury me right here in my cell in Evin [prison], says Soheil Arabi in taped will that is widely circulated on social media.
Soheil Arabi, 32, has been on hunger strike for the past 38 days. Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) security agents arrested Arabi at his home in Tehran in November 2013. He then spent two months in the IRGC's Ward 2-A in Tehrans notorious Evin prison. He is currently kept in section 350 of Evin, run by the judiciary.
Today (September 23, first day of school year in Iran) is the third year that my daughter goes to school and I am not with her. I have gone on dry and liquid hunger strike since I do not want her to see me behind bars, anymore, Arabi wrote in a letter.
Furthermore, in what he has called as his taped will, Arabi has also referred to his poor health, suffering from gastric bleeding and five over six blood pressure.
Bury me right here in my cell in section 350 of Evin, Arabi laboriously pleads, adding, I am sure that soon Evin will be transformed into a museum [of injustice]
Farewell, life, says Arabi in his taped message, addressing his wife and daughter and asking them forgiveness.
Bury me right here in my cell in section 350 of Evin, Arabi laboriously pleads, adding, I am sure that soon Evin will be transformed into a museum [of injustice].
Panting with much difficulty, Arabi insists, Please do not shed tears for me. On my death anniversary, play Edith Piaffs la Vie en Rose for me.
On Friday, September 29, Amnesty international (AI) raised concern over Arabis deteriorating health condition, called for his immediate and unconditional release and providing him with full access to medical care.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Radio Farda, Arabis mother said The last time I saw Soheil was two weeks ago. I am so worried for my son who needs urgent medical attention. However, they have allowed me to talk to him every day through telephone.
On September 27, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in a statement said that it is extremely concerned about the prison conditions of detained journalists and citizen-journalists in Iran, especially those who are ill or on hunger strike. The plight of Soheil Arabi and Ehssan Mazndarani is particularly alarming.
According to RSF, More and more Iranian prisoners, including journalists, are risking their lives by going on hunger strike in protest against prison conditions or mistreatment, or simply to demand proper medical care.
Focusing on Soheil Arabis case, RSF introduces him as a citizen- journalist held since December 2013, , and reiterates, Arabi has been on hunger strike for the past 25 days in protest against the way the IRGC intelligence services have been harassing and threatening his wife, Nastaran Naimi.
Naimi was arrested at her home by plainclothes intelligence officers in July and was held for eight days. Since then, she has been constantly harassed and threatened, and was fired from her job at their request.
RSF points out to the Iranian authorities that they are required to respect both Iran's own laws and regulations and the international standards established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran has signed.
During interrogation, he was reportedly forced to confessing his alleged crimes, including insulting the Prophet [Muhammad] which, under the Islamic Republics penal code is punished by death.
Arabis lawyers argued that he had done this while "in poor psychological condition", and that he was merely "sharing views held by others", according to Human Rights Watch.
However, Article 263 of the revised Islamic Penal Code stipulates that a person who "insults the Prophet" while intoxicated or by quoting others, among other acts, will be subjected to 74 lashes and not sentenced to death.
According to CHRI, Arabi was sentenced to death in October 2015 for allegedly insulting the prophet in comments he posted on Facebook, but upon appeal his sentence was reduced to seven and a half years in prison and two years of religious studies to prove his repentance, as well as a two-year ban from traveling abroad.
He was then transferred to Section 350 of Evin, which is under control of the Iranian judiciary. On 30 August 2014, a five-judge panel of Branch 76 of the Criminal Court of Tehran sentenced Arabi to death for "insulting the Prophet of Islam" on eight Facebook accounts allegedly belonging to Arabi, Amnesty International (AI) said in a statement on November 26, 2014.
According to International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, on 4 September 2014, Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court also sentenced Arabi to three years in prison on charges of "insulting the Supreme Leader" and "propaganda against the state" in his postings on Facebook.
In late September 2015, his sentence was commuted to "reading 13 religious books and studying theology for two years", the daily Guardian reported on 30 September 2015.
Referring to the prisoners, including Arabi, who are currently on hunger strike behind bars in Evin and other prisons, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the head of International Center for Human Rights in Iran, Shirin Ebadi says, the Islamic Republics Justice Department by disregarding prisoners legal and absolutely justified requests have set the scene for their silent death.
Iran is ranked 165th out of 180 countries in RSFs 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials on September 30 on issues including trade, the North Korean nuclear threat, and an upcoming visit to China by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Tillerson called for calm in regard to the situation on the Korean Peninsula but said North Korea must stop its missile tests.
"Obviously it would help if North Korea would stop firing off missiles," Tillerson told journalists in Beijing. "That would calm things down a lot."
Tillerson also told journalists the United States has "lines of communication to Pyongyang."
"We're not in a dark situation, a blackout," Tillerson said. "We have a couple, three channels open to Pyongyang."
The Reuters news agency quoted Tillerson as saying "we can talk to them; we do talk to them."
Following Tillerson's remarks in Beijing, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told journalists in Washington that "North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested or ready for talks regarding denuclearization."
In Beijing, Tillerson also said the United States will not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power, but added Washington has no intention of overthrowing the regime of autocratic ruler Kim Jong Un.
Washington wants China to take tougher actions against North Korea in response to its nuclear-weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests.
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2017/09/274441.htm
On September 28, China announced that all North Korean companies in China will be required to shut down by early January.
But the notice said companies approved by the United Nations Security Council sanctions committee, including nonprofit and noncommercial infrastructure projects, would be exempted.
That order is linked to the latest sanctions, passed on September 11 by the United Nations Security Council, in response to North Korea's missile and nuclear-weapons tests.
Earlier, Tillerson said his visit gave him an opportunity to assess progress made between the two countries since Xi and Trump met in April in Florida for talks that established a 100-day plan for further trade discussions running through mid-July.
He told top Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi that Trump and Xi had developed a "very regular and close working relationship."
Tillerson also met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi who told Tillerson that relations between the two countries "overall have a positive momentum and have arrived at an important opportunity to progress further."
Other topics of Tillerson's talks in Beijing include the huge U.S. trade deficit with China and China's military build-up around disputed islands in the South China Sea.
The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ronald Reagan on September 30 conducted drills in the South China Sea under the observation of two Chinese frigates.
Trump's first official visit to China is expected to take place in November.
with reporting by AP, Reuters, South China Morning Post, and dpa
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 1
Trend:
Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 140 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Oct. 1.
The Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns, 60 and 82-mm mortars.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 1
Trend:
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and all the people of China on the occasion of the national holiday of your country the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, Ilham Aliyev said in his letter.
We attach great importance to Azerbaijan-China relations. Our bilateral relations are characterized by high-level political contacts, mutually beneficial cooperation in economic sphere and constantly expanding humanitarian and cultural ties.
I am confident that friendly relations of our countries, bilateral and multilateral cooperation, which is based on mutual trust and support, will further contribute to welfare of our peoples, the letter noted.
On this remarkable day, I wish you the best of health, success in your activities, and the friendly people of China lasting peace and prosperity.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 29
By Azad Hasanli Trend:
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) is expecting the response of the Azerbaijani government to become an investor of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) project, BSTDB President Ihsan Delikanli said in an interview with Trend.
"At this stage it is premature to talk about specific figures, but we shall be prepared to consider the investment amounts that will correspond to the requirements of this major regional project, together with other investors," noted Delikanli. "With this understanding, we have intimated our strong desire to the Government of Azerbaijan and Southern Gas Corridor CJSC to consider BSTDB among main investors [in the project] and we are expecting their reply."
He said that the BSTDB has been established and mandated by its shareholding member states to support regional cooperation.
"The Southern Gas Corridor project fully fits our mandate and it would have a sizable direct impact on the cooperation between many member countries, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece and Albania, providing sustainable energy security," he noted adding that there is also a potential to expand its coverage to some other BSTDB members.
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.
The BSTDB was established by Azerbaijan, Albania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Armenia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. The banks authorized capital is 3.45 billion euros.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 1
By Khalid Kazimov Trend:
Iran exported worth of $2.9 billion of food, medicine and healthcare products over the last fiscal year (started March 20).
The exports of food industry over the last year increased by 13 percent compared to the preceding year.
According to the data available on the website of the Industry Ministry, the medicine sector saw a surge of 31 percent in its exports.
In the meantime, the industry of make-up and healthcare products experienced an increase of 8 percent.
The value of the exports of food industry hit $2.5 billion, accounting for 85.5 percent of the exports of the mentioned sectors.
The make-up and healthcare sectors exports reached $242 million forming 8 percent of the total exports of the three industries.
The value of the exports of medicine sector was $192 million.
The output of the three industries was exported to 20 countries. Afghanistan and Iraq had the biggest share in importing goods from Iran.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 1
By Fatih Karimov Trend:
The Islamic Republic of Iran exported 547,360 tons of metal products through 20 ports across the country over the last Iranian calendar month ending Sept. 22.
According to the latest data available on the website of Irans Ports and Maritime Organization, the country loaded and unloaded 743,142 tons of metal products at its ports in the one-month period, indicating a 18.8 percent increase year-on-year.
In the meantime, the country imported 195,783 tons of metal products through the organizations ports.
The organization loaded and unloaded 2.93 million tons of minerals and construction materials in the one-month period.
In the meantime, about 2.872 million tons of minerals and construction materials were exported through the countrys ports.
Iranian ports saw loading and unloading of a total of 12.39 million tons of various goods and commodities, including food and metal products between August 23 and Sept. 22, indicating an increase by 7.4 percent year-on-year.
Iraqi government forces and allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units have established control over more than a dozen villages near the northern town of Hawijah, PressTV reported.
Iraqs Joint Operations Command (JOC) announced in a statement on Sunday that soldiers from the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), army units and pro-government fighters better known by their Arabic name, Hashd al-Shaabi had seized back 16 villages, including Kanaan, Southern al-Maydan, Northern al-Maydan, Aal-Awashra, Ibrahim al-Saleh, al-Basta, Fallah Farhan and Ain Manat.
The JOC added that Iraqi fighter jets had destroyed 8 Daesh pickup trucks in an area linking al-Fathah region to nearby al-Riyadh region.
Members of the Federal Police Force also liberated al-Malaha air base southeast of Hawijah, located 45 kilometers west of Kirkuk.
Commander of Federal Police Forces Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat said the recapture of the air base had cut off Daesh supply lines to Hawijah.
Meanwhile, an unnamed security source said Warith al-Shimari, a cameraman for Arabic-language al-Nujaba television network, was killed while covering advances by government troops and allied Hashd al-Shaabi fighters near Hawijah.
The United Nations says more than 200 people lost their lives and over 380 others suffered injuries as a result of acts of terrorism and violence across Iraq in September.
According to the latest figures released by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Sunday, terrorist attacks claimed the lives of 203 Iraqis and left 389 others wounded last month.
The worst-affected area was Baghdad province, where violent attacks took the lives of 37 civilians and left 157 others wounded.
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The death toll from a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck close to Mexico's capital earlier this month has climbed to 360, officials said on Saturday, Xinhua reported.
The head of the national civil protection agency, Luis Felipe Puente, said 219 people were killed in densely populated Mexico City, which suffered the highest number of fatalities.
The epicenter of the Sept. 19 quake was on the border between the central states of Morelos and Puebla, where 74 and 45 people were killed, respectively.
The remainder of the fatal victims were in the State of Mexico (15), Guerrero (6) and Oaxaca (1).
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said 25 people were still hospitalized, four of them in serious condition, and two of the dead had yet to be identified.
While 38 buildings collapsed in different parts of Mexico City, dozens more were near collapse and awaiting demolition.
Structural experts have inspected 357,000 homes so far, to determine whether they can be repaired, he said.
The quake struck just 12 days after another major quake hit south Mexico, leveling homes in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, and leaving 98 people dead.
Some 400 towns, including the capital, have declared state of emergencies, said Puente.
Earlier this week, President Enrique Pena Nieto estimated the recovery efforts will cost more than 2 billion U.S. dollars.
Malian President Dioncounda Traore said Tuesday he hoped to hold elections in his war-torn nation by July 31.
Traore, the acting head of state, said he was determined "to organize as soon as possible...or before July 31, 2013, clean elections that are transparent and credible."
Speaking in the Ethiopian capital, he thanked the "entire international community" as nations pledged $455.5 million at a donor conference on Tuesday for military operations against Islamist militants in northern Mali and humanitarian aid.
"I would like to reiterate our commitment to lead the transition in Mali with a single agenda -- the recovery of the occupied areas but also, and especially, the return of a normal constitutional situation to Mali," he added.
The organisation of elections and liberation of northern Mali are part of the key tasks set for the transitional authorities, put in place following a coup last year.
United Nations leader Ban Ki-moon, speaking at the African Union on Sunday, had called on Malian authorities to adopt an "inclusive political process", that would lead to "the full restoration of constitutional order."
Montanans know all about frustration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. From Butte to Libby to Missoula, some communities in the state have logged decades of experience dealing with and waiting on the EPA to move forward with Superfund cleanup.
Superfund sites are supposed to be a public health priority for the agency, but that doesnt mean cleanup is necessarily quick or easy. The EPA must often coordinate with dozens of other local, state and federal stakeholders, identify responsible parties across complex histories of private ownership, and separate the sometimes muddled layers of cleanup options.
It also must ensure reliable scientific testing is conducted before, during and after the entire process, while maintaining open communication with the local community and public transparency throughout. Thats a tall order one that requires a great deal of public resources to fill. And unfortunately, any Montanan who lives within spitting distance of a Superfund site can tell you that the EPA has a long history of filling it agonizingly slowly.
Yet the EPA under new administrator Scott Pruitt is currently making plans to grind through its duties even more slowly. Its current proposal would reduce its $8 billion budget by about one-third including a 30 percent reduction to the Superfund program. No one in his right mind can argue that losing nearly $327 million will make the program more efficient.
Then, just last week, the New York Times reported that the EPA is also considering cutting off more than $20 million in funding for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department. This is the division that sues polluters on behalf of the Superfund program to force them to pay for cleanup.
If Montanans thought it was difficult to get the EPA to clean up Superfund sites in a thorough, timely manner before, it will be even more difficult if the agency has less money to oversee cleanup and no way to collect money from the companies responsible for contaminating the sites in the first place.
Worse still: On the national list of priority sites, the unfortunate reality is that smaller, more rural communities usually fall to the bottom. Thats why its important for Montana communities to band together, to amplify the volume of voices calling for urgent action on long-languishing Superfund sites in our state. And for Montanas elected officials to unite across party lines to push for sufficient funding to get the work done.
While Missoula County residents certainly have our own Superfund sites to worry about, right now we should also be lending our support to our upstream neighbors in Anaconda and Butte. Consider that the Milltown Dam was added to the National Priorities List in 1983 the same year as the Silver Bow Creek Superfund site. Now, 34 years later, Missoula residents are enjoying a restored confluence and new state park while Butte residents still dont even know if they are being contaminated by heavy metals from hundreds of long-abandoned mines.
Last week, an internal report produced by the EPAs Office of the Inspector General pointed to the various results of agency understaffing, including the possibility that an area in Butte called West Side Soils could contain potential health threats such as direct contact with and ingestion of contaminated soil, surface water and groundwater and inhaling contaminated soil. The EPA isnt quite sure what the risk is, because it does not have the data it needs to make an assessment. And it doesnt have the data because the agencys Region 8 lacks enough staff to handle the workload. This the region that covers six states, including Montana, as well as 27 tribal reservations.
As it stands, the West Side Soils area has no project manager, and the EPA has not yet identified the party responsible for it. With no firm timeline or even defined boundaries, this site has yet to take even the first steps in what will doubtless be a very long process.
Its not for lack of attention on the states part. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has requested more than once that the EPA launch the Superfund process, arguing that an evaluation of the human health risks is clearly warranted despite the agencys limited resources.
But individual states and even individual neighborhoods should not have to compete with others for basic information on the environmental health risks they may be living with. Assessments of this nature should be enough of a priority to warrant the EPAs attention.
Montana is home to 17 known Superfund sites. All of Montana must band together to urge our delegates in the U.S. House and Senate to push for greater transparency and accountability from the EPA. That means first making sure the agency has the budget it needs to do its job effectively and then following up to make sure it is doing it.
As budget discussions begin in Congress this month, Montanas U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines, and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, must not allow the proposed cuts to the EPA to take place, and must fight together to keep funding for the Superfund program intact.
Starting October 18th, the Department of Homeland Security will collect and store "social-media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information and search results" in the permanent files of all immigrants. This will include new immigrants, in addition to permanent residents and naturalized citizens.
There are around 43 million foreign-born people living in the US right now. And even if you don't personally know someone who'll be made into a terrifying dossier for Trump's anti-immigrant foot soldiers, you'll most certainly show up in those millions of files somewhere as a "like" or other piece of tangential social metadata.
USA-IMMIGRATION/WALL
People who have commented on the act are comparing it to round-up lists and internment-camp dossier-building. Considering the Trump administration's plans for using data to hunt immigrants at our borders, those commenters might not be too far off. And what they don't know is that non-immigrants are going to be collateral damage.
The "Modified Privacy Act System of Records" will also include: "publicly available information obtained from the internet, public records, public institutions, interviewees, commercial data providers and information obtained and disclosed pursuant to information sharing agreements." Commercial data suppliers are companies like Equifax, and "people search" vendors like Intelius and Axicom.
That "people search" websites are involved in the data collection should make us worry for many reasons. With a quick search of your name on any "people search" website like Intelius or WhitePages, you'll see your name, date of birth, names of family members, current and past addresses, your phone number -- and much more.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Office (USCIS)
People-search sites get their data from public records and corporations selling your information to them (including third-party fine-print agreements you agree to by using businesses such as eBay). The information they collect sometimes depends on the site's Terms of Use regarding sharing information with third parties, as well as your privacy selections on that site (e.g., your Facebook likes and interests, your friends, your tweets, the work information you provide to LinkedIn).
Story continues
The new dossiers on immigrants will include all kinds of information gleaned both directly and indirectly from social-media profiles. And worse yet, much of the information might not even be accurate. In a now-removed post from Intelius' blog, the company stated:
In a new age of modern permanent records, popular sites like Facebook and Twitter are the face of a hidden world of commercial data brokers. Moreover, not all information is accurate, and even if consumers are aware, they are unable to erase or correct their personal records.
Intelius conceded in a 2009 SEC filing that the information that it and similar companies sell is often inaccurate and out of date. For example, when I reviewed my people-search files before deletion, my first-ever roommates were listed in multiple places as my nearest relatives.
Cesar Cuauhtemoc Garcia Hernandez, assistant professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, told press, "The fact that information gleaned from Facebook or Instagram or other social-media networks might not be reliable doesn't mean that it will preclude DHS from using it as a basis for excluding people from the United States."
If you're still wondering what might be in these dossiers, go check out an article in The Guardian in which a woman gets a copy of all 800 (!) pages of her Tinder history (an option available only to EU citizens). It's not what's in her Tinder history that applies here; rather it's what that history contains about a person's activity around that one account that will sober you up.
In addition to her Tinder activity, the company collected her Facebook "likes," her photos from Instagram (even after she deleted the associated account) and much more.
MATCH GROUP-RESULTS/
The act itself avoids detailing both the method of collection and security of storage for these expanded dossiers. Perhaps we can expect the DHS and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to protect these records, which will undoubtedly include plenty of US citizens, as thoroughly as it safeguards its other precious data stores.
The US government tried for a while to convince the public that the "metadata" in its hoovering up of our records was no big deal. At RSA in 2015, Congressman Mike Rogers told the giant security conference's attendees more than once that metadata in bulk-surveillance collection "is just the 'To: From:' like the front of an envelope." I suspect we can expect the same kind of run-around (or worse) if this administration is put on the spot.
It's going to be messy, and make no mistake: It will affect all of us. Chances are good that you have friend, co-worker or family member born outside of the US. Attorney Adam Schwartz told BuzzFeed that this will also affect all US citizens who communicate with immigrants. A close read of the document shows that finding out what is in one's file will be incredibly difficult, and correcting any bad info nigh impossible.
It's kind of like they're leveraging Facebook, and all the others, into policing our borders in a wholly different way than a blunt-force "Muslim ban." It's far, far more insidious.
The "Modified Privacy Act System of Records" is set to go into effect on October 18th, though it's in an open comment period until then. The comments so far are overwhelmingly opposed to the changes; the words "horrified," "shocked" and "appalled" are frequent.
Some commenters openly state fears about how this affects their children; others talk about where this is leading us as citizens at the mercy of a data-grabbing government. And there are more than a few mentions of 1930s Germany and Japanese internment.
This is happening. Americans and those who want to be Americans are scared. Those affected by the DHS plan to gather social media aren't stereotypes: They're people, and they're us. It's easy to feel disempowered by this disgusting system, and the overwhelming juggernaut of greedy data-dealers like Facebook -- at whose feet I believe we can squarely lay blame for way too many aspects of our current situation.
But I hope that we'll all look at this hideous and contorted future together and fight it.
Images: BoJorge Duenes / Reuters (border wall), Getty Images (USCIS), Mike Blake / Reuters (Tinder icon)
An Audi logo is pictured at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany September 16, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
BERLIN (Reuters) - Audi (NSUG.DE) said it had resolved a legal dispute with a former engineer who sued the carmaker for wrongful dismissal and re-employment after he was fired amid investigations into the diesel emissions scandal.
Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) luxury division admitted in November 2015 that its 3.0 litre V6 diesel engines were fitted with an auxiliary control device deemed illegal in the United States that allowed vehicles to evade U.S. emission limits.
At a German labour court hearing in February, Audi lawyers claimed that Ulrich Weiss, former head of diesel engine development at the carmaker, knew about the emissions manipulations but had failed to inform his superiors.
Lawyers for Weiss had rejected the allegations.
On Saturday, a spokesman for Audi said the working relationship with Weiss "has been terminated by mutual consent". He declined to comment on possible severance payments to the engineer and other details of the agreement for reasons of data protection.
The lawyer representing Weiss couldn't be reached for comment.
The agreement will spare Audi further, potentially public, hearings in court where details of its handling of emissions could be discussed as the embattled carmaker struggles to draw a line under its diesel crisis.
On Thursday, a source told Reuters that Munich prosecutors had arrested a former VW executive board member in connection with Audi's emissions manipulations.
(Reporting by Andreas Cremer. Additional reporting by Joern Poltz; Editing by Stephen Powell)
co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged the controversial impact of his platform in his message for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, vowing to improve the components he described as divisive.
For those I hurt this year, I ask forgiveness and I will try to be better. For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness and I will work to do better, Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year in the Jewish religion. Those observing the holiday fast for 25 hours, and spend the majority of their time in Synagogue, praying to God and repenting for the sins they committed in the past year.
Zuckerbergs post comes as Facebook faces increasing scrutiny of its role in enabling Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The company acknowledged last month that nearly 500 accounts, which likely came from Russia, purchased $100,000 in Facebook ads during the 2016 election. Two weeks later, Zuckerberg outlined Facebooks plan to combat Russian attempts to hack elections.
Zuckerberg concluded his post by wishing for everyone to be inscribed in the book of life, which, according to Jewish observance, determines your fate for the upcoming year.
See original article on Fortune.com
More from Fortune.com
A sticker reading "Bitcoin accepted here" is displayed at the entrance of the Stadthaus town hall in Zug, Switzerland, August 30, 2016. Picture taken August 30, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
By Brenda Goh
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Weeks after Beijing banned fundraising through token launches and ordered some bitcoin exchanges to shut, casting a chill over the cryptocurrency industry, traders say that the market is far from dead.
While several exchanges have announced that they will close by the end of this month, traders have now moved to buy and sell bitcoin directly with each other on peer-to-peer marketplaces and messenger apps. Industry insiders say some overseas-based initial coin offerings (ICOs) are still being marketed.
Although the crackdown has dissuaded large swathes of less-experienced investors from participating in the trade, market participants point to the limits Chinese regulators ultimately face in controlling the industry, where many users are anonymous and difficult to track.
In the short-run, the crackdown has also created an arbitrage opportunity for investors, with the price of bitcoin in China now trading at a discount to overseas exchanges.
"They can't set rules to stop me from investing in what I want to invest in. They say you are protecting me, but as long as I think this is good, they have no way to intervene," said a Chinese bitcoin investor named Victor, who declined to give his full name citing current sensitivities.
"I can do over-the-counter trades or I'll go offshore...My wallet is my wallet. I've never registered my identification card."
The Chinese government on Sept. 4 ordered ICOs to cease and soon after ordered some cryptocurrency exchanges to shut. Over 15 exchanges, including the three largest players OkCoin, Huobi and BTCChina, have since announced that they will close their mainland businesses by the end of September.
While the clampdown caused the bitcoin price in China to tumble as much as 8 percent on the day of the announcement, it has since recovered to 24,101 yuan ($3,615.67) on Chinese exchange Huobi. On U.S. exchange Bitstamp, it (BTC=BTSP) currently trades at $4,205.
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Trading has spiked generally on peer-to-peer marketplaces, according to data website Coindance. On OTC platform LocalBitcoins, China trading volumes more than doubled in the week starting Sept. 16 from the previous week to 74 million yuan. It hit an all-time-high in the week starting Sept. 23, reaching 115 million yuan in trades.
Volumes on Paxful, another smaller marketplace, also jumped to 1.7 million in the week beginning Sept. 23, up from 351,102 in the previous week, Coindance data showed.
Michael Foster, co-founder of localethereum.com, an over-the-counter marketplace for ethereum trading, said mainland China users accounted for a fifth of its 5,000 signups since it opened for registrations on Tuesday.
"The fact that bitcoin is still being traded is an indication that China isn't looking to eliminate them, but reposition things in a way to have better control over them," said Marshall Swatt, the founder of New York-based Coinsetter, a bitcoin exchange acquired by larger peer San Francisco-based Kraken in 2016.
Other Chinese cryptocurrency players said traders were also moving away from using Tencent's WeChat app, to encrypted messenger app Telegram to avoid regulatory scrutiny.
Some said they were still seeing overseas-based ICOs being marketed in China. The Sept. 4 shutdown of ICOs stipulated that Chinese citizens were not allowed to invest in ICOs. Overseas ICOs have been returning money on a voluntary basis.
"The trend of digital currency transactions moving offshore is inevitable," Zeng Danhua, the co-author of a bitcoin investment guide, told a television program filmed by Chinese financial news outlet Yicai on Wednesday.
"The regulators may have needed to shut the platforms to guard against financial risks, and there may be a bitcoin bubble, but its investment value persists."
(Additional reporting by Andrew Galbraith, Alexandra Harney and the Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Sam Holmes)
Sawyer Ekberg is a spark of activity, running around and chatting with anyone within earshot.
On Thursday afternoon the towheaded 2-year-old was chasing a big ball around his living room and talking and laughing at his mom Nicole Ekberg and his helper, Christa Tescher.
The terrible twos, it seems, arent so terrible. Nicole Ekberg knows they could have been much worse.
Sawyer was born with Aarskog Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects a child's development of facial features and bone structure. It can also affect speech and other cognitive developments.
A year ago, Sawyer was behind on most of his developmental mile markers. As a 1-year-old, he should have just been walking and speaking his first words. Instead, he was barely crawling and was still just making small noises.
Now, he's speaking more than most 2-year-olds and running around like the free-spirited toddler he is. And its in large part due to Tescher, a family support specialist paid through Medicare Part C funding.
If we werent with the program, hed be way behind," Ekberg said.
But that program is in limbo, one of hundreds of proposed budget cuts statewide that could throw families like the Ekbergs into turmoil.
The cuts are necessary because Montana is bringing in significantly less money than expected through taxes. Revenues are still increasing, but at a slower rate than projected in the budget lawmakers adopted in the spring. For the fiscal year that ended in June, the state brought in $75 million less than expected in general fund revenue.
Projections from the governor's office estimate collections this fiscal year will be $131.3 million lower than estimates adopted by the Legislature and $144.8 million the following year. Those figures are large enough to trigger mandatory budget cuts required by law to keep the state's budget in balance.
Cuts in Montana will hit the three departments that make up 85 percent of general fund spending the hardest. Those are the Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Department of Corrections and the Montana University System.
The health department will trim $105 million over two years, which would result in a loss of $136 millionTrea in federal funds, too. The department has become the public face for many of the cuts because it provides so many direct services that many Montanans find critical, like child protection services, public assistance and programs for the disabled.
The Department of Corrections would make $40 million in cuts over the next two years and eliminate 45 full-time positions with the possibility of eight being reallocated to other positions within the agency. The state university system could have to make $43 million in cuts, leading to likely tuition increases.
Some hope cuts can be avoided through tax increases. Families who receive services on the chopping block filled legislative hearings in the past weeks begging lawmakers to come back to Helena for a special session to raises taxes and revenues. Last week Democratic legislators took up the call, making their arguments through editorial pages in newspapers statewide.
Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, has said a special session will be necessary at some point before the 2019 regular session to address paying for the most expensive fire season the state has ever seen. But he's been less than clear about how he'll act on calling a special session to deal with the proposed budget cuts.
It's unclear if there is any Republican support for tax increases, with one of the most prominent members of that party and a key architect of the budget penning another letter to the editor this month that made clear he doesn't support any tax increases.
A Republican-dominated Legislature also shot down nearly all the tax increases the governor pitched at the start of the legislative session last spring.
Under the law, the governor has the authority to cut state agency budgets, except those headed by elected officials, by up to 10 percent. Departments led by someone voters picked, such as the Office of Public Instruction and Department of Justice, would be cut by the average amount of all the other proposed cuts. The programs or reductions on the chopping block would be decided by the agencys head.
Bullock could implement the cuts as early as the end of next week if he doesn't choose to call a special session. A majority of legislators can also vote to hold a special session, though it's never happened. The longer the wait for action, the more will have to be cut as agencies continue to spend over what the state can afford to pay.
Reductions need to total $229 million in general fund money, though but the overall picture is worse because it puts millions of federal money that matches state spending at risk.
The crux of disagreement is over whom the cuts will affect most. Those calling for a special session point statewide, saying the budget will be balanced on the backs of the poor, elderly, children and other vulnerable groups. The other side of the debate argues the state must, like the private sector, live within its means. They argue it isn't fair to ask business or taxpayers for more to reduce impacts to government employees and services.
The Eckbergs are caught in the middle.
Tescher's home visits are designed to help Sawyer's parents learn how best to help him develop and progress. She visits the home during the week, working with Sawyer and then training Ekberg and her husband.
"Regular parenting just doesn't work," Tescher said. "We have other strategies and resources."
Tescher said vital specialists like her intervene early. Much of the crucial neurological development happening in a child's brain is locked into place between ages 6 and 8. If therapists can work with these children while they're still toddlers and small children, they can change lives.
It also saves money. Tescher said 67 percent of the kids with whom they work leave the program not needing any special education services. Without the intervention, most if not all of these kids would need special education once they start school, which is exponentially more expensive for the state, she said.
Sawyer will graduate from the program next month. The progress he's made in the last year has brought him up to speed with peers and when he starts kindergarten in a few years, he'll be able to enter the class as just another kid. During that time, Ekberg will continue to work with Sawyer, using the skills and tools Tescher trained her to use.
"I can't imagine not having the support," Ekberg said.
The state of Kansas may be a place Montanans can look to see the outcome of wide-sweeping cuts. Though the cause of that state's situation a tax reduction plan championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback meant to reduce the size of government was different, a list of what Kansas cut is similar to what's on the table in Montana.
We cut Meals on Wheels, said Annie McKay, president and chief executive officer for Kansas Action for Children & Voices for Children Foundation. There isnt any kind of area of life or population or part of our state that didnt feel this in some way. This isnt about recovery in a decade, McKay said. This is about hopefully recovering within a generation.
Schools in Kansas saw budgets slashed to the point where some districts couldn't finish out the year in 2015. In Montana, some school funding is protected by law, but the Office of Public Instruction still must trim its budget 9.57 percent.
The office proposed cutting payments to local school districts by about $5.8 million over the next two years, saying the impact "will be severe as the districts have already budgeted this amount and cannot replace this money from any other source." The Montana Digital Academy, an online learning resource meant to target rural districts, would see a reduction in what it's able to offer students.
Because the Office of Public Instruction is led by an elected official, its budget must shrink by the average reduction to the rest of state government and the governor cannot dictate what programs are included in cuts or protected.
McKay argued that regardless of the scope or size of cuts, when any chance for education is lost, the the effect will linger for generations.
Its lost opportunities for Kansas learners. Those are the things when we talk about the programs that had been cut that directly affect kids, those are years you dont get back. Its not like repairing a road where its going to just cost you more in the future. But even then, it is going to cost us more in the way of criminal justice activity, safety net programs and more.
Though Kansas has voted to replace some of what has been lost, its not like flipping a switch, McKay said.
We have undercut the infrastructure in these serves and these programs, she said. To get these lost investments back is going to be costlier than it would have been to maintain them.
Some agencies in Montana have pitched the idea of increasing fees to help make up for the loss of state funds; for instance, asking grain producers and grain elevator operators to pay more for sampling by the State Grain Lab to make up for to 10 percent reductions. Tuition increases at the Montana University System could also be on the table.
We masked some of this by increasing fees, McKay said, adding that in her state, motor vehicle registration fees increased, the sales tax rose twice and tuition was raised at college campuses.
Budget hawks recognize some cuts are difficult to stomach, but say others are necessary to bring state government spending back to what they say is a more appropriate size.
Revenue growth has not matched pace with the growth of government spending, something the Montana Policy Institute's Brent Mead said needs to be brought back in alignment.
When we look at some of the agencies, within DPHHS, some of the cuts we dont have a lot of heartburn about because its things like, Well, lets exercise oversight over utilization of imaging services for Medicaid. Thats something that should be done anyway.
Mead also pointed to other cuts within the agency he said would eliminate redundancy, such as no longer having desk phones for Child and Family Services employees who also have cell phones.
Those are things that should occur anyway. When were going through this process its important to separate out, there are some cuts that, in a vacuum, in a good budget year, we should still be doing.
Choosing to expand programs, like Medicaid or preschool opportunities, forced the state to be in a situation where it must choose to raise the cost of things like higher education and reduce money for local school districts, or have the Legislature vote to increase taxes, he said.
The Montana Policy Institute opposed the expansion of Medicaid under provisions in the Affordable Care Act during the 2015 Legislature, saying it would not save the state money.
While the state argues that, in addition to extending coverage to nearly 84,000 Montanans, expansion has saved $30 million general fund money, Mead counters that starting up and administering the program entailed costs that took away from other needs.
If thats one program, you can carry that out to all the other new (program) starts, Mead said. From our perspective, why are we creating new programs when we are cutting things like senior living? It doesnt make a whole lot of sense to us.
Mead said he thinks the way some of the cuts were crafted were designed to maximize the impacts on the state to spur a political action for tax increases.
I think there are other places the government could cut, but its pretty clear with his budget (the governor) introduced last year that he wanted about a half billion in new taxes. And the Legislature said no to that.
General fund revenue was $1.9 billion in fiscal year 2008 and dropped steeply by 2010, but has generally risen since then. At the end of fiscal year 2017, it was $2.1 billion. In 2008, general fund and state special revenue spending was $1.8 billion and by 2016 it was $2.2 billion, according to legislative records.
When you add it up, you have a structural imbalance, Mead said.
China's manufacturing activity accelerated for a second straight month in September 2017, according to official figures (AFP Photo/-) (AFP/File)
Beijing (AFP) - China's manufacturing activity accelerated for a second straight month in September, official figures showed Saturday, although an independent indicator was less positive about the world's second largest economy.
The sector expanded at its fastest pace since 2012 after rebounding in August, official data showed.
"The indicator showed a steady upward trend in the manufacturing sector," national bureau of statistics official Zhao Qinghe was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.
The expansion was mainly due to improving demand at home and overseas and a booming high-tech industry, as well as higher consumption ahead of a national holiday, Zhao said.
The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) stood at 52.4 in September compared to 51.7 percent in August. Anything above 50 is considered growth while a figure below points to contraction.
But financial magazine Caixin had a lower reading of 51, down from 51.6 in August.
"The Chinese economy was stable in the third quarter. But the outstanding price pressure from upstream industries will be a drag on the continued improvement of companies' profitability," said Caixin economist Zhengsheng Zhong.
China's economy grew by 6.9 percent in the first and second quarters, but analysts say the country's huge debt load could weigh on growth as the government reins in credit to prevent a financial crisis.
There are two kinds of companies, according to a saying that former Equifax CEO Rick Smith shared in a speech at the University of Georgia on Aug. 17. Theres those companies that have been breached and know it, and there are those companies that have been breached and dont know it, he said. Though it was still 21 days before his company would reveal that it had been massively hacked, Equifax, at that time, had been breached and knew it.
The speech, given by Smith to students and faculty at the universitys Terry College of Business, covered a lot of ground, but it frequently returned to security issues that kept the former CEO awake at nightforemost among them was the companys large database.
When you have the size database we have, its very attractive for others to try to get into our database, said Smith. So that is a huge priority for us.
Smith elaborated on what hackers can do with consumers personal information, including selling it on the Dark Web. It is a very lucrative way to make money, he said.
Smiths fastest growing area of security concern was state-sponsored hacking and espionage, he said. Its countries youd expectyou know its China, Russia, Iran, and Iraqand theyre being very aggressive trying to get access to the know-how about how companies have built their capabilities, and transport that know-how back to their countries, said Smith. Its my number one worry. he added.
Credit reporting company Equifax Inc. corporate offices are pictured in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., September 8, 2017. REUTERS/Tami Chappell/Files
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Equifax Inc (EFX.N) told the U.S. House of Representatives in a letter made public on Friday that its board of directors has formed a special committee to review stock sales by company executives made weeks before the credit-reporting service disclosed a massive data breach.
Three senior executives including the company's chief financial officer sold $1.8 million in shares within three days of the company learning on July 29 that hackers had breached personal data for up to 143 million Americans.
Equifax announced the breach publicly on Sept. 7. The disclosure sparked public outcry, government investigations, a sharp drop in the company's share price and a management shake-up.
Equifax lawyer Theodore Hester said in a letter dated Thursday to members of Congress announcing the review that the company "takes these matters seriously" and has retained lawyers.
In response to questions about whether the stock sales violated insider trading laws, Equifax has said the executives did not know about the breach when making their sales, which were not prearranged.
The company said in a statement the board has retained law firm WilmerHale to conduct a review of the hacking incident and the company's response "as well as a review of the circumstances surrounding the trading by certain of the companys executives."According to regulatory filings, CFO John Gamble Jr sold shares on Aug. 1 for $946,000, while Joseph Loughran III, president of U.S. Information Solutions, sold $584,000 in stock on the same day. Rodolfo Ploder, president of Equifaxs Workforce Solutions business, sold $250,000 worth of stock on Aug. 2.
Equifax stock was down 28 cents at $106.10 on Friday, a decline of more than 25 percent since early September.
The breach has prompted investigations by multiple federal and state agencies, including a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Earlier this week, the Atlanta-based company said Chief Executive Richard Smith would leave and forgo this years bonus.
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Congressional committees plan hearings next week with Smith.
Equifax said in a regulatory filing that it might claw back some of Smiths compensation for this year, depending on results of the boards investigation into the breach, which the company has said occurred between mid-May and July.
The breach also prompted the departures of Equifaxs chief information officer and chief security officer.
The hack, among the largest ever recorded, was especially alarming due to the richness of the information exposed, which included names, birthdays, addresses and Social Security and drivers license numbers, cyber researchers said.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Cynthia Osterman)
By Julia Fioretti and Philip Blenkinsop TALLINN (Reuters) - French, Italian and other European leaders upped the pressure on mostly U.S. tech giants to pay their fair share of taxes in the European Union and abide by the bloc's rules when they met on Friday, but were still far from a consensus on the issue. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU executive would propose new rules next year to provide a level playing-field between bricks-and-mortar companies and digital ones. But European countries are split over whether online companies such as Google , Facebook and Amazon should pay more tax, with smaller EU members such as Ireland and Luxembourg - which host many online businesses - worried that taxes would hurt their competitiveness without a global solution. "People moan that there is no European Google, that there is no European Facebook, that there is no European LinkedIn, but my view is that if you want those things in Europe and you want those types of companies to generate in Europe it's not through heavy taxes and high regulation that you achieve that," Irish leader Leo Varadkar told reporters, arriving at the meeting in the EU's would-be "digital capital" of Tallinn in Estonia. Others, however, say the online multinationals do not pay enough tax in the EU by re-routing profits to low-rate countries such as Ireland and Luxembourg. There needs to be a consensus among EU countries to implement tax reform, though the European Commission has raised the possibility of stripping members of their veto rights on tax issues, a move Ireland has said it will resist. 'STRONG DRIVE' French President Emmanuel Macron said "digital giants" should contribute more to the infrastructure needed to ensure a smooth transition to a digital economy, saying it was "absurd" that economic actors shaken and sometimes weakened by the digital world should be the only ones financing this transition. "That is why ... I support the initiative taken by several finance ministers for a tax on the value created in our countries. This tax will allow us to levy a fair contribution to public goods by taxing the actors who are competing with our European actors and who are today not taking part or not taking sufficient part," he told a news conference. Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said countries that supported the tax reform not only could but "should" move ahead unilaterally. However, a Spanish government official struck a more cautious note, saying an EU-wide solution remained the best option and Ireland could be encouraged to come on board. "We will get there. There is a very strong drive," the official said. "We will have to find a way to tax. Not to tax more but to tax the digital companies." The official added a tax on turnover instead of profits could be implemented by individual countries without even resorting to enhanced cooperation. The Commission estimates the effective tax burden for digital companies is 10 percent, compared with the 23 percent for bricks-and-mortar companies. Separately, a source in the French president's office said the Irish prime minister would come to Paris at the end of October where the subject would be raised. In the longer term, the EU wants to change existing taxation rights to make sure digital firms with large operations but no physical presence in a given country pay taxes there instead of being allowed to reroute their profits to low-tax jurisdictions. The Commission has outlined three options for taxes aimed at internet companies that could be agreed upon relatively quickly at the EU level or by a smaller group of EU nations. One is for a tax on the turnover rather than the profits of digital firms, another would put a levy on online ads, and a third would impose a withholding tax on payments to internet firms. (Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier and Alissa De Carbonnel; Editing by Mark Potter)
Amid a growing number of corporate cyberattacks, almost every public company can learn from the trials and tribulations that the Equifax Inc. board of directors and management endured following a massive security breach that compromised the personal information of 143 million Americans.
A recent study by PwC found that the number of security incidents across all industries rose by 38% in 2015, marking the biggest increase in more than a decade. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice, LinkedIn, the Democratic National Committee, Yahoo and others were hacked.
With the understanding that cyberattacks are a risk that every company faces, C-suite executives and the board of directors need have a plan in place to deal with such an incident.
"[Cybersecurity] needs to be a regular topic of discussion, particularly for an industry with sensitive information," David Finke, who leads the global technology sector at the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates, told TheStreet in a recent interview.
According to the 2017 BDO Cyber Governance Survey, about 79% of public company directors report that their board is more involved with cybersecurity than it was 12 months ago.
"The continuing year-over-year increases in board involvement and investments in cybersecurity is extremely positive, but the percentage of businesses with breach response plans in place - although much improved from two years ago - is still far below where it needs to be," Eric Chuang, managing director of cyber incident response at BDO USA, said in a statement.
As companies develop strategies surrounding its cybersecurity, TheStreet examines some of the biggest issues Equifax dealt with following its most recent cyberattack.
DELAYED DISCLOSURE
Equifax disclosed on Sept. 7 that the names, addresses, birthdays and Social Security numbers of 143 million U.S. customers were compromised in a cyberattack that the Atlanta-based credit-reporting company discovered on July 29. Equifax said hackers accessed the information starting on May 13, but the Wall Street Journal reported that the first "interaction" with hackers happened on March 10. The company registered the domain name equifaxsecurity2017.com, the website Equifax directed customers toward to learn more about the breach, on Aug. 22, more than two weeks before the hack was publicly disclosed, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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"Once Equifax discovered [the cyberattack], why did it take so long to become public?" asked Warren Zafrin, a management and technology consultant at UHY Advisors.
Zafrin said that when the now-retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Smith goes before Congress on Oct. 4 that the company's transparency to consumers and shareholders will be the primary line of questioning. He said that the delayed disclosure of the incident just "doesn't make sense" and demonstrates a level of incompetence.
"It just doesn't sound kosher," Zafrin said.
Former Equifax CEO, Rick Smith.
CYBERSECURITY INVESTMENTS
In his statement disclosing the cyberattack, Smith, 57, acknowledged that while the company had made "significant" investments in data security, it still needs to do more.
"We recognize we must do more. And we will," Smith said in a statement.
The company also said it has engaged an independent cybersecurity firm to "conduct an assessment and provide recommendations on steps that can be taken to help prevent this type of incident from happening again." It didn't name the company.
TheStreet asked Equifax about what investments the company has made on data security, how much it has spent or what changes they are planning on making. Equifax didn't respond to our investment questions.
According to the BDO Cyber Governance Survey, about 78% of directors say they have increased company investments to defend against cyberattacks, up from 55% in 2014.
Even U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton told a Senate panel on Tuesday that the agency will "need more money in the area of cybersecurity and IT generally," after hackers breached its system in 2016.
RELATIONSHIP WITH CISO
Shortly after the cyberattack, the company announced that Susan Mauldin, Equifax's chief security officer when the data breach occurred, would be retiring, effective immediately. But since Mauldin left, "chaos has ensued," Edward Amoroso, a distinguished research professor at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering, said in a recent interview with TheStreet.
"When somebody get hacked like [Equifax], wouldn't it stand to reason that having someone with some real insight may be worth keeping?" asked Amoroso. Russ Ayres, who served as vice president in the IT organization, was appointed interim chief security officer.
Amoroso, who served as chief security officer for AT&T Inc. between 2005 and 2016, said that chief information security officer (CISO) is often viewed as an appendage to the executive team, a "hired gun" that may be more likely to leave.
"The solution is that the CEO needs to build a better, more trusting relationship with the CISO," said Amoroso.
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The Union Flag and a European Union flag fly near the Elizabeth Tower, housing the Big Ben bell, during the anti-Brexit 'People's March for Europe', in Parliament Square in central London, Britain September 9, 2017. REUTERS/Tolga Akmen
By Elizabeth Piper and Julia Fioretti
TALLINN (Reuters) - Only "miracles" can move Brexit talks far enough to fulfil Britain's hopes of launching discussions next month on its future ties with the European Union, the head of the European Commission said on Friday.
Prime Minister Theresa May had been hoping to use an informal EU meeting in the Estonian capital Tallinn to harness what she describes as renewed goodwill over Brexit to push the talks beyond the terms of the divorce, now just 18 months away.
Britain had aimed to make a breakthrough at a summit in Brussels on Oct. 19-20. Two years have been set aside for the Brexit talks and Britain risks crashing out of the 28-state bloc on March 29, 2019, without a deal on future trade terms.
But Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the EU executive and long a bogeyman for some in Britain's eurosceptic press, said the first stage of talks on the rights of expatriates, the UK border with EU member Ireland and the financial settlement when Britain leaves had not gone far enough.
"By the end of October, we will not have sufficient progress," Juncker told reporters in Tallinn, a day after his chief negotiator ended the last round of Brexit talks.
"At the end of this week, I am saying that there will be no sufficient progress from now until October unless miracles will happen."
His words were echoed by other leaders. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said both sides would need "a small miracle" to make the required progress before the summit. Irish leader Leo Varadkar said it was "still very evident that there's more work to be done".
Their views will be a blow for May, who wants to move quickly on to discussion of the future trade relationship and a transitional arrangement - part of the deal Britain says is needed before any kind of financial settlement can be agreed.
In Tallinn, May sidestepped questions over whether she was confident of the October deadline.
NEW TONE
After three months of talks, which have become bogged down in a spat over the divorce bill, the British prime minister tried to reset the tone with a speech a week ago in Florence.
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She had hoped to speak directly to EU leaders and reassure them that Britain was not picking unnecessary fights, going so far as to make concessions on the future role of the European Court of Justice and on the Brexit bill.
"I made that speech to give momentum to the talks and I think we have seen that being shown in the talks that have taken place this week, and further progress has been made," May said early on Friday.
Pressing her case, she met German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the Tallinn summit and repeated her pledge for Britain to be "the strongest friend and partner to the EU" after Brexit, her spokeswoman said.
Merkel said there had been progress, but that there was also a lot of work to do before October. "Altogether it was a very constructive talk," Merkel told a news conference at the end of the summit. "I think that the Florence speech helped to bring a new dynamic into the negotiation process."
May also held talks with Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, who is concerned about the 800,000 Poles living in Britain. Both agreed on "the importance of reaching an early settlement on citizens' rights", May's spokeswoman said.
But a Spanish government official was blunt. "We don't negotiate with speeches, we negotiate with documents on the table," he said, describing the two sides as "nowhere near" agreement on the Northern Ireland border and the divorce bill.
On citizens' rights, considered by London one of the easier issues to settle, the official said Britain and the EU were getting close, but progress was "not sufficient yet".
In a morning visit to Estonia's Tapa military base, where 800 British troops are deployed as part of NATO's efforts to defend against a newly assertive Russia, May said Britain was "unconditionally committed" to protecting Europe after Brexit.
By focusing on defence, May wants to show that Britain has something to offer its European neighbours. She will say she is ready to share British expertise -- including through the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) -- to help EU nations build up their own cybersecurity capability.
That, she hopes, could bolster her argument on the Brexit talks, and coax the EU into making concessions.
(Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Andreas Rinke; Editing by Andrew Roche and Kevin Liffey)
Colstrip Units 3 and 4 are not going to be shut down by 2027.
The two units were originally scheduled to be depreciated out at the end of 2045 and now have been scheduled to be depreciated out at the end of 2027. This is strictly an accounting procedure and does not mean the units will be closed. If a farmer purchases a tractor and plans on depreciating it over seven years and then, through his accountant, changes it to five years, this does not mean the tractor is junk. The power plants will continue to operate as long they are profitable.
Anne Hedges, Montana Environmental Center and Sierra Club have an agenda, and that is to shut down the coal, oil, and gas industries in the state of Montana. They have already ruined the timber industry and will eventually be attacking agriculture. Montana has been and probably will always be an agriculture and natural resource state. While keeping our environment clean is important, it does us little good if nobody can live here because we have no jobs.
Currently we are facing large budget problems due to a lack of income. The governors office is recommending $229.3 million in cuts to the general fund. The majority of the budget cuts will come from the Department of Public Health and Human Services, the Department of Corrections, and the states university and K-12 education system (Billings Gazette Sept. 20). These cuts will hurt our children and senior citizens, as well as public safety. The state will shift the cost of housing prisoners to the counties. This will either increase your taxes or decrease other services the counties provide to its citizens.
Natural resource tax collections have decreased from $328.5 million in FY 2013 to $194.1 million in FY 2016. This is a reduction of $134.3 million, according to the Montana Department of Revenue 2016 biennial report. This is just the reduction in resource taxes. It does not count the reduction in income tax that employees who have left the state would have paid. These natural resource jobs do not pay minimum wages. They are high paying jobs and that money circulates several times throughout the State.
Hedges, MEIC, Sierra Club, and the other environmental groups are trying to stop all natural resource production in the name of saving the environment. The fires in 2017 burned 1.5 million acres. We have been told that an average fire year in Montana burns about 250,000 acres. The CO2 from the fires is comparable to 25 years from the four power plants at Colstrip. It would take 150 years for Colstrip to match the CO2 from this years fires. Wildfires put out over 1,000 pounds of PM10 (respirable size particulates) per acre. Colstrip 1-4 emit 255 tons per year of PM10. The fires put out 750,000 tons in 2017. This equates to 2,941 years of Colstrip 1-4. (Source North Elkhorns Environmental Assessment, Helena National Forest, & Montana Department of Environmental Quality).
Where were the environmentalists during the fire season? If they are so concerned about the well-being of Montana and Montanans, maybe they should donate the money to help out the state.
-- Ed Joiner, Robert E. Lee and Doug Martens are Rosebud County commissioners.
Apple (AAPL) and Samsung (SSNLF) offer some of the best smartphone cameras on the market. And while Apples dual-lens iPhone 7 Plus has a fantastic shooter, Samsungs Galaxy Note 8, which also offers a dual-lens setup, is slightly better thanks to its richer colors and dual optical image stabilization (OIS).
The iPhone 8 Plus, Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 7 Plus face off in this head-to-head-to-head camera battle.
With its new iPhone 8 Plus, though, Apple is looking to turn the tables on Samsung.
So did Apple succeed? To determine that, I took the 7 Plus, Note 8 and 8 Plus out for a day of shooting around New York. I took all of the photos with HDR (high dynamic range) mode set to auto on each phone, to ensure a similar experience across devices.
Exterior landscape The iPhone 8 Plus captures the cleanest, most accurate shot.
Close-up shot The Note 8 took the most natural-looking photo.
Zoom The iPhone 8 Plus shot the clearest picture with the best coloring.
Low-light The iPhones photo is pixilated like the others shots, but offers the best color.
Portrait The iPhone 8 Plus and Note 8 tied on this round, due to their own distinct flaws.
Exterior landscape
I promise I took this photo for work and not because I wanted to walk around at 2 p.m.
I tend to take the majority of my photos either from my couch when my cats are playing and I need some good Instagram fodder, but the rest of the time Im capturing photos outside in direct sunlight. To test the cameras outdoor performance, I went to Manhattans Bryant Park and captured a photo of its large lawn, the rear of the New York Public Library and the surrounding buildings.
iPhone 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 Plus captured the most even-colored image of this scene. The azure sky never looks too white and the librarys roof is a deep brown. I also found the lawn to be a bit greener than the iPhone 7 Pluss and the Note 8s shots, but not by much.
Galaxy Note 8
The Galaxy Note 8s photo is surprisingly overexposed versus the iPhone 8 Pluss photo, especially around the sky and the librarys roof. Details, however, were just as clear and crisp as the iPhone 8 Pluss photo.
iPhone 7 Plus
The iPhone 7 Pluss shot falls directly in between the iPhone 8 Pluss and Note 8s images. The sky looks too white, but not nearly as much as the Notes photo, and the librarys roof is a hair too bright.
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Winner: iPhone 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 Plus offers the cleanest, most accurate photo of the group.
Close-up
I took this photo of a flower because, well, you dont need to see a close-up of my face.
While at Bryant Park I decided to capture a close-up shot of a flower, so our readers will believe that Im a sensitive soul. Jokes on them.
iPhone 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 Plus once again proves it produces more vibrant colors in this shot, as the flowers bright-pink petals look almost unnaturally deep. At the same time, details like the fine lines running throughout the petals are slightly harder to make out.
Note 8
Samsungs Galaxy Note 7 accentuated the whites in this photo, making details easier to spot and the flower seem far more natural.
iPhone 7 plus
Much like the iPhone 8 Plus, the 7 Plus makes the flower look too over-saturated.
Winner: Note 8
While its not nearly as colorful as the iPhone 8 Pluss photo or iPhone 7 Pluss shot, the Note 8s photo is the most natural looking.
Zoom
While I took this photo a tourist told his friend the tower was the Empire State Building. It is not.
The biggest advantage of Apples and Samsungs dual-lens cameras is that images look clearer when you zoom in. To test them I took a photo of the Chrysler Building with the zoom levels for the three phones set to 5x.
iPhone 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 Plus blew this test away. Not only do the colors look the most accurate, you can still see fine details in the tree in the foreground. Thats lost in both the iPhone 7 Pluss and Note 8s photos.
Galaxy Note 8
Samsungs Note 8 made this image look too blue, especially when viewed side-by-side with the iPhone 8 Pluss shot. The tree in the foreground is also too dark, causing it to lose definition between the leaves.
iPhone 7 Plus
While the Note 8 accentuated blues, the Note 7 seemed to accentuate browns in its photo. As a result, the image looks flatter than the Notes or iPhone 8 Pluss shots. The tree in the foreground is also too dark.
Winner: iPhone 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 Plus not only managed to capture the truest colors in this shot, but it also kept the tree in the foreground sharp enough for you to clearly see the leaves.
Low-light shot
Goodness, that is one handsome man.
iPhone 8 Plus
The 8 Pluss shot looked far brighter than the actual scene, which made it easier to make out from a distance. But like the Note 8s and iPhone 7 Pluss shots, when you zoom in on the 8 Pluss image, its a mess of artifacts. But of the three, the iPhone 8 Plus offered the most natural colors and exposure.
Galaxy Note 8
The Note 8s photo looks to have the best skin tone, but the wall in the lower right corner had a green hue, which threw off the rest of the photo.
iPhone 7 Plus
Apples iPhone 7 Plus took a washed out photo in this setting. The color almost has a sepia look to it.
Winner: iPhone 8 Plus
Smartphone cameras still leave a lot to be desired when it comes to taking low-light photos, but in this case the iPhone 8 Plus is the best.
Portrait shots
Optimus Prime turned into a tiny truck and crashed through our office shortly after these photos were taken.
Beyond the ability to zoom in using optical rather than digital zoom, which makes for clearer photos, the iPhones and Note 8 use their dual-lens cameras to create a bokeh effect which blurs the background of images while keeping the foreground clear. Its a great feature, when it works.
iPhone 8 Plus
When I took a photo of my coworker Chris using the iPhone 8s portrait mode, the lighting in our office created a kind of orange effect. The blurring looked great and the overall shot was clear, but the coloring was strange.
A second shot of an Optimus Prime toy captured absolutely brilliant colors, but cut out finer details like the points of his head and the exhaust pipes on his arms.
Galaxy Note 8
The Note 8s photo of Chris had a slightly purple hue. Our shot of Optimus Prime, meanwhile, was dull and flat, though his details were kept intact. Oddly, the couch behind Prime looked as though it was fully blurred.
iPhone 7 Plus
The iPhone 7 Pluss photo of Chris was simply too dark, making it the worst of the three shots. The Optimus Prime photo, on the other hand, looked exactly the same as the iPhone 8 Pluss image, right down to the missing details.
Winner: Tie between iPhone 8 Plus and Note 8
Both the iPhone 8 Plus and Note 8 have their own flaws in these shots, but theyre better than the iPhone 7 Plus.
Overall winner: Apples iPhone 8 Plus
Each of the smartphones in this face-off capture exceptional photos, but after scrutinizing their respective images, its clear pun intended that Apples iPhone 8 Plus is at the top.
More from Dan:
Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
The Republicans new tax manifesto sure looks like the break that big business has been waiting for. But though CEOs are guardedly optimistic about what theyre hearing from President Trump and the GOP leadership, theyre also wary that when the specifics of how the new regime really works are released, the proposal may offer little or nothing to lighten what they regard as a giant handicap crimping their competitiveness on world markets.
The C-suite worries are justified. The outline is so replete with non-specifics, vague language, and hints at measures that could mean far higher levies than the GOP appears to be advertising, let alone what Congress enacts, that its true impact remains disturbingly hard to grasp.
The headlines look good. The framework unveiled on Sept. 27 by the White House and Republican leaders in Congress promises the two principal reforms that businesses have craved above all others. The first is a big reduction in the statutory corporate tax rate, now the highest in the industrialized world. That levy would drop sharply, from 35% today to 20%, putting it below the 22.5% average for the OECD. The second long-sought prize is transitioning to a territorial system for taxing foreign profits, a shift that would theoretically eliminate the excessive burden borne by U.S. multinationals versus their overseas rivals.
The platform also promises a third major boon to businessesimmediate, 100% expensing of capital investments. Today, companies typically expense capex over five to 15 years. The new plan would allow them to write off all of those investments, except spending on structures such as plants and warehouses, in the year the investments are made, greatly reducing their near-term tax bills. Its part of the campaign to bring manufacturing jobs back to America, says Bernadette Pinamont, chief tax officer at Vertex, a firm that provides tax technology and services to corporations. The immediate expensing is designed to entice companies to produce new product lines in the U.S. rather than abroad, to make investment in equipment used to manufacture here in the U.S. more favorable.
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Though the plans broad targets should please Americas multinationals, the actual influence on what matters mosttheir total worldwide tax bill and their competitiveness on global marketsremains murky. Companies are busy modeling the outcomes right now, says Pinamont. But they wont get a clear picture until they see the mechanics of how these proposals work in practice.
In fact, businesses are pondering three burning questions at the heart of the new proposals. All three relate to the most difficult issue the U.S. faces in moving to a territorial tax system, a shift sought by both Republicans and Democrats. The danger is that multinationals will move production to offshore tax havens en masse, severely eroding Americas corporate tax base, shrinking future revenues, and deepening deficits already on a perilous trajectory.
The first big question involves the proposed minimum tax on foreign earnings. CEOs doubtless groaned when they saw that mandate in the new framework. How will the minimum tax work, and how big will it be? Second, the plan uses coded language that could auger a second, special tax on products based on intellectual property that are made in low-cost nationstech and pharma, beware! Third, the platform looks to pay for tax cuts by restricting the expensing of interest on corporate debt. How much will the final rules curb whats long been one of the corporate Americas biggest tax breaks?
1. Will the minimum tax on foreign earnings help, or hurt?
The tax proposal states that the new territorial regime would replace the existing, outdated worldwide tax system with a 100% exemption on dividends from foreign subsidiaries. Under todays worldwide system, U.S.-based companies face our 35% statutory rate on all profits, generated anywhere in the world. (They receive a credit for levies paid in the local country, and owe the Treasury the difference between that local rate and Americas 35%.)
Moving the U.S rate to 20% would make U.S. companies a lot more profitable, just from the savings on their U.S. tax bills alone. But the biggest lever for raising our competitiveness is overhauling the treatment of profits generated abroad. Almost all industrialized nations are governed by territorial systems requiring their multinationals to pay local taxes only in the foreign nations where they operate. Multinationals have long argued that because their foreign as well as domestic profits are taxed in the U.S. at one of the worlds highest rates, theyre handicapped by far fatter tax bills on overseas production than their foreign competitors, notably the Europeans.
But U.S. multinationals have also long benefited from a giant loophole. As long as they leave foreign profits in the host country, the U.S. tax bill remains at zerountil the profits come home. Hence, multinationals regularly invest those deferred earnings in plants and labs offshore, and pay no U.S. tax on foreign earnings for decades, if ever. Today, an estimated $2.6 trillion in untaxed earnings remain sitting in foreign subsidiaries.
The new proposal would eliminate the loophole. The idea is that if U.S. multinationals owe tax only in the host country, they would have no incentive to leave earnings there to avoid taxes. So theyd lose nothing by sending the funds home, where they could flow into everything from new auto plants to share buybacks to acquisitions. The framework would require companies to immediately repatriate all profits parked in foreign subsidiaries. Although those deferred earnings would be taxable when the measure is enacted, companies would have several years to make the payments. Theyd also benefit from a lower rate on profits invested in such illiquid assets as plants and labs than the full levy on those parked in cash and securities. The tax rate has yet to be determined. But in the past, both parties have advocated imposing a low, flat, single-digit duty on repatriated profits. If the repatriation proposal becomes law, it would generate a windfall to the Treasury of hundreds of millions of dollars, funds that Congressional leaders have advocated channeling to upgrade Americas crumbling infrastructure.
On the big points, the proposal looks like a major win for multinationals. Losing the ability to defer U.S. taxes indefinitely is really losing nothing if a multinational is only paying the local levies. But read on. That wont necessarily be the case. The next-to-last sentence in the nine-page framework states the following: To prevent companies from shifting profits to tax havens, the framework includes rules to protect the U.S. tax base by taxing at a reduced rate and on a global basis foreign profits of U.S. multinational corporations.
In other words, U.S. companies would not be simply paying, say, the 12.5% rate in Ireland on profits booked there. Theyd potentially be subject to a minimum tax on foreign profits. The proposal does specify a reduced rate, strongly implying the number would be below the 20% U.S. statutory levy.
So the minimum rate is a mystery. We do know that the plan leaves open a levy below 20%. So something around 18% would seem highly possible. Indeed, a proposal in the final Obama budget for 2016 advocated a formula that could have pushed the minimum over 20%.
How the minimum would be imposed is another mystery. Here are the possibilities. First, the Treasury might use a cumulative approach by adding together all a companys offshore profits. If the minimum tax is 18%, and the company paid less by sheltering profits in lots of tax havens, it would pay the difference in U.S. taxes. Second, the Treasury might go country to country. If a drugmaker is paying 12.5% in Ireland, and 9% in Hungary, it would need to pay the difference in the U.S, amounting to an extra 5.5% for Ireland, and 9% for Hungary.
The choice is critically important. Heres why. Say a multinational books 35% of its $1 billion in foreign profits in Ireland and Hungary at an average local rate of 10%, and the other 65% in other countries at the world average of 22.5%. If the minimum tax is assessed cumulatively, the company would owe nothing; the requirement is $180 million (18% of $1 billion), and its paying $35 million in Ireland and Hungary, and $146 million in other foreign nations, for a total of $181 million, $1 million over the floor.
But if the U.S. goes country by country, the multinational wouldnt get credit for paying more than the minimum tax on 65% of its earnings. Instead, it would be hit with a surcharge of 5.5% in Ireland (to bring the total to 18%), and 8% in Hungary. It would owe an additional $28 million, raising its total foreign tax bill to almost 21%.
Calculated either way, the minimum tax means that U.S. companies would pay more overall than foreign competitors with the same foreign footprint. Going country by country would be extremely hard on multinationals with lots of operations in extremely low tax nations, says Kyle Pomerleau of the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation.
The minimum tax is especially troublesome for tech and pharma companies that have large operations in such low-tax nations as Ireland. Its even possible that a company could be worse off than before, says Pomerleau. He notes that many companies now pay no U.S. tax on foreign profits because of the deferral loophole, yet generate lots of earnings from investments in those nations that they. in turn, keep reinvesting abroad tax-free. The reform proposal kills all deferrals. If a company faces an 18% minimum tax in Ireland, it can no longer simply pay the Irish tax only, leave the profits in the foreign sub, and delay paying the 5.5% difference for decades. It would need to cover that difference immediately, no loopholes allowed. In the past, the company could delay paying for many decades, so the present value of the tax liability would be well below 5.5%, says Pomerleau. So for companies with heavy production in tax havens such as Ireland, tax bills could actually rise.
For many multinationals, the proposed reforms would appear to lower their overall taxes on foreign earnings. Thats a good thing. The problem is that the benefits are unlikely to be as rich as advertisedagain, because of the minimum tax. A pharma company in Ireland could pay 18% on its earnings there, while a Swiss competitor would owe just 12.5%, putting our drugmaker at a severe disadvantage.
For the U.S. economy, the minimum tax has an additional drawback. In recent years, many companies have inverted by moving headquarters from the U.S. to other nations as a strategy to escape our worldwide taxation. The lure of inverting would remain as a way to escape the minimum tax. As law firm Baker Hostetler stated in a study of the new plan, The proposal to continue to tax U.S.-based companies on their worldwide income (albeit at a lower rate and with a stated purpose targeting tax haven activity) is problematic and could lead to continued pressure on U.S.-based companies not to be headquartered in this country.
2. Will the plan hit intellectual property?
The proposal saves the potentially worst for last. In the very last sentence on page 9, following the one introducing the concept of a minimum tax, the framework uses extremely vague language that for experts, sounds ominous. It reads, The committees will incorporate rules to level the playing field between U.S. headquartered parent companies and foreign-headquartered parent companies. For Pomerleau, those may be code words for a special levyon intellectual property.
In moving to a territorial system, the U.S. could risk handing companies an incentive to shift highly mobile assets to tax havens, causing whats called stripping the tax base at home. And nothing is more immediately moveable than patents, licenses and the like. The GOP plan strongly implies that it will take strong measures to prevent that erosion. Pomerleau and other experts reckon that, to protect the U.S. tax base, the GOP framework may contain a final proposal similar to the one contained in a blueprint from 2014 thats still regarded as a template by legislators of both parties. In that plan, then-Congressman Dave Camp championed imposing a special tax on whats called round-tripping. The idea was to remove all incentives for putting IP in a tax haven instead of the U.S.
Heres a summary of the Camp solution: Say a pharma company is generating lots of profits on patents in Ireland, and selling the drugs in the U.S. The Camp plan would have imposed the regular U.S. tax rate on those profits from Ireland. So the drugmaker would pay the same levies by producing at home. The tax advantage of manufacturing in Ireland would vanish. But the plan contained a carrot as well as a stick. On products using IP produced either in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world, and sold outside the U.S., the company would pay a preferential rate far lower than the regular U.S. rate. (Camp was advocating a U.S. rate of 25%, and a preferential rate of 15%.)
The danger is that they will bring back the Camp approach, says Pomerleau. This is an influential idea thats floating around. In that case, products using IT that are made in tax havens and sold in the U.S., everything from drugs to software, could be subject to the proposed U.S. rate of 20%. That number could be even higher than the overall minimum tax on foreign profits. So a U.S. producer making patented drugs in Ireland for sale in the U.S. would pay 20%, while a German or Swiss competitor making similar products for sale in America would pay just 12.5%, or 7.5% less.
3. How much of their interest deduction will companies lose?
The plan states that interest payments on debt will be partially limited. That policy echoes the House proposal that advocated barring all interest deductions on new borrowings, but not on debt already on the books. The best bet is that the GOP proposal would also apply only to fresh debt. If it applied to existing debt, companies would argue that theyd been unfairly penalized because the rules were totally different when they took out the loans or sold the bonds, says Pomerleau.
The purpose of restricting the interest deduction appears two-fold. First, its a base-broadener that swells taxable earnings, and hence pays for part of the revenue lost by lowering the corporate rate by 15 points to 20%. Second, the cap would discourage corporations from doing what the plan appears to fear most, stripping the U.S. corporate tax base. If companies are getting a big break on income generated in Ireland, say, theyd have an incentive to make big loans from their Irish subsidiary to the parent in the U.S. The reason: The interest expense would cut taxable income at home, where rates would still be a lot higher than in Ireland. And the interest paid to the Irish sub would be taxed at a bargain rate. So the Treasurys take in the U.S. would shrink, in a textbook case of stripping the base.
As so often the case in the new outline, no specifics are offered on how much interest would remain deductible. But given the need for revenue-raisers, its likely that the Republicans will start by advocating severe limits on expensing interest. Look for the real estate industry to battle the provision, or demand special favors.
These warnings dont mean that if enacted, the new tax-reform plan wont greatly benefit U.S. industry. But the questions it raises suggest that those benefits could be a lot more modest than the competitiveness-enhancing breakthroughs the plan is promising. And it could leave many losers, especially in tech and pharma. So far, the plan is skeletal, and the bones look good. How the GOP puts flesh on those bonesand the most important details relate to foreign profitswill determine whether tax reform is a true revolution, or just a modest step forward.
Rex Tillerson
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters during a visit to China that the US conflict with North Korea is "overheated" and that the first priority was to calm things down, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.
He added that the US has a direct line of communication open with Pyongyang over North Korea's nuclear tests. "We're not in a dark situation, a blackout," Tillerson said.
The threat posed by North Korea has rapidly escalated in recent weeks. The rogue nation fired a missile over Japan a few weeks ago for the second time in two months.
Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, one the country said was a hydrogen bomb.
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.
Trump ramped up his rhetoric even further when the United Nations General Assembly convened last week, saying that "rocket man" Kim Jong Un was on a "suicide mission," and that if he did not back down, the US would "have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
North Korea
Kim responded by saying he would "surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire." North Korea's foreign minister also said that Trump's comments made the possibility of a missile attack on the US mainland "all the more inevitable."
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Tillerson's remarks to reporters came following a series of meetings between top US and Chinese officials that included both sides striking "a careful, conciliatory tone," per The Post. Both sides focused on the US-China relationship and avoided addressing North Korea, and Chinese president Xi Jinping said that Trump's upcoming Asia trip would be a "special, wonderful, and successful" event.
However, when he was pressed on the topic of North Korea, Tillerson said "the first thing to do is calm things down," according to The Post.
When he was asked whether Trump would stop antagonizing the rogue nation by tweeting about Kim Jong Un, Tillerson reportedly replied, "It would help if North Korea stopped firing missiles."
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said on Saturday that the US has opened up channels of communication with North Korea, but said that despite assurances that the US is "not interested in promoting the collapse of the current regime, pursuing regime change, accelerating reunification of the peninsula or mobilizing forces north of the DMZ [demilitarized zone], North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization."
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mick mulvaney chris wallace President Donald Trump released his preliminary tax plan on Wednesday.
Experts concluded it would give the wealthiest Americans significant tax cuts.
On Sunday, administration officials defended against critics who said the plan wasn't the best way to help the working class.
Top administration officials faced tough questions on Sunday over how President Donald Trump's recently unveiled tax plan would fulfill promises to cut taxes for middle income families, rather than simply the wealthiest Americans.
On Wednesday, Trump released his tax reform plan, proposing to reduce the number of personal income tax brackets and overhaul business taxes, while lowering the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%, reducing the pass-through tax rate from 39% to 25%, and eliminating some business tax breaks, among other proposals.
Critics immediately argued that the plan unfairly benefited the wealthy, pointing out that the nonpartisan Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center found in a preliminary analysis that the top 1% of earners would get 50% of the total tax benefit, while taxes could increase for middle income earners to pay for business tax cuts.
In a series of interviews on the Sunday political talk shows, top officials involved in crafting the plan defended the proposal, saying that the tax code was inhibiting economic growth, and insisting despite contrary analysis that it would not overwhelmingly benefit wealthy individuals, including millionaire Trump himself.
In an interview on "This Week," host George Stephanopoulos pressed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on whether the wealthy would benefit most from tax reform.
"I just don't understand how you can say, based on everything you've put out so far, that it's not a tax cut for the wealthy," Stephanopoulos said. "Even the vice president has said these are across-the-board tax cuts. The wealthy pay most of the taxes. They are getting tax cuts there. They are going to get benefits."
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The Treasury secretary argued that he is "working through the details" of the plan, saying the Trump administration was focused on middle class tax cuts, and that the wealthy would not benefit because along with lowering income taxes, the plan would also eliminate tax loopholes.
But when pressed on whether Trump himself would personally benefit, Mnuchin dodged the question.
"I can't comment on what the president will do or what he won't do on that," Mnuchin said. "I'm perfectly comfortable that the American public is going to understand this as we go through this process, because what this is about is creating middle income tax cuts and creating a corporate tax system that's competitive."
Gary Cohn Steve Mnuchin
On "Meet the Press," Chuck Todd said the administration would be like "Houdini" if it could not raise the deficit while cutting taxes for everyone except the wealthy, despite the fact that the plan would cut taxes extensively for the wealthy.
"Your characterization of 'similar to Houdini' is just not fair," Mnuchin replied. "I've been working on tax reform with the president since the campaign. He's been very consistent on what his goals are. His goals are to get a middle income tax cut. His goals are to make business taxes competitive."
But Todd pressed Mnuchin on the particulars of the plan, pointing out when Mnuchin said "the objective is not to give an income tax cut to the wealthy," that omitted the elimination of the estate tax, which applies only to a few thousand Americans who could inherit assets over $5.49 million.
"Okay, you said, 'Income tax cut,'" Todd said. "Because the estate tax is a tax benefit to the wealthy, correct?"
"We believe that people should pay taxes once and not twice," Mnuchin replied. "So I separate the income tax system from the estate tax system. The purpose of getting rid of the estate tax is so that people that have farms and people that have family businesses can continue to pass those on."
Other officials like Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney countered the preliminary analysis that showed the plan would disproportionately benefit the wealthy.
On "Fox News Sunday," Mulvaney dismissed the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center's findings, saying the group had top economists who'd worked in Democratic administrations, and did not consider dynamic scoring, a controversial economic modeling technique that assumes higher tax revenues from more economic growth.
"It's impossible to do what the tax center did," Mulvaney said. "It's not surprising that the former chief economist for a Democratic vice president doesn't like a Republican tax plan."
At other moments, the OMB director echoed Mnuchin, cautioning that the plan wasn't finalized yet.
"Can you tell us what percentage of the tax benefit goes to the people in the top 1%?" CNN's Jake Tapper asked Mulvaney during an interview on Sunday.
"No, in fact I don't think anybody can, and anybody who says they can is simply lying to you," Mulvaney said. "Why is that? It's because the bill is not finished yet."
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Friday, September 29, 2017
The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 12 major stocks, including Home Depot (HD), Mastercard (MA) and McDonalds (MCD). These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.
You can see all of todays research reports here >>>
Home Depots shares have gained +5.9% in the last three months, compared with the +5.1% gain of the Zacks Retail Building Products industry. The company has been consistently gaining from its interconnected strategy, focus on Pro customers, and housing market recovery. These factors helped the company post a stellar second-quarter fiscal 2017 performance, which marked its highest ever quarterly sales and earnings.
Notably, sales marked its 13th straight beat, while earnings retained its 5-year long trend of positive surprise. Results were driven by solid growth across all regions, both in stores and online. Also, Pro category sales continued to outperform, driven by constant efforts to enrich customers experiences. The sturdy first half and expectations of improved home prices encouraged the company to raise its fiscal 2017 view.
(You can read the full research report on Home Depot here >>> ).
Mastercards shares have gained +12.9% in the last three months, compared with the +7.5% gain of the Zacks Financial Transaction Services industry. Revenue growth has remained strong and will continue to grow on the back of its strong market position and attractive core business that continues to be driven by new deals, renewed agreements and expansion of service offerings.
The acquisition of VocaLink and NuData Security, complement the companys efforts to participate in new payment flows and enhance its safety and security offerings. The stock has seen the Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings being revised 1.8% upward over the last 60 days.
Story continues
(You can read the full research report on Mastercard here >>> ).
Shares of Buy-rated McDonalds have gained +1.7% in the last three months, compared with the -3.3% dip of the Zacks Restaurants industry. Increased focus on delivery, enhancement of digital capabilities, and accelerated deployment of Experience of the Future restaurants in the U.S should drive growth, too. Efforts to attract customers in International Lead & High Growth Markets also bode well.
In fact, global comps at McDonalds have been positive over the past eight quarters. Yet, high labor costs and currency headwinds might keep profits under pressure. Also, political and economic unrest in some parts of the world and a not so enticing U.S. restaurant space might restrict sales growth.
(You can read the full research report on McDonalds here >>> ).
Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Kimberly-Clark (KMB), Raytheon (RTN) and Northrop Grumman (NOC).
Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?
Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.
With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.
It's not the one you think.
See This Ticker Free >>
Mark Vickery
Senior Editor
Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here>>>
Today's Must Read
Focus on Pro Customers to Lift Home Depot's (HD) Margins
Investment in Technology, Acquisitions Aids MasterCard (MA)
McDonald's (MCD) Well Poised on Efforts to Boost Traffic
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The Zacks analyst believes that Raytheon's distinct focus on its overseas business will drive growth.
Enbridge's (EEP) Stable Fee-Based Revenues Offsets Debt Load
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Zimmer (ZBH) Grows Through Pacts, LDR Synergy Target Thrills
The Zacks analyst is hopeful about Zimmer's consistent growth through inorganic means. The latest inclusion of LDR Holdings will bolster Zimmer's presence in the market.
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New Upgrades
Companhia Brasileira (CBD) Grows on Store Opening & Traffic
Per the Zacks analyst, Companhia Brasileira gains from rising store traffic in its higher-return format stores, especially Assai. Encouragingly it plans to open 6 to 8 new Assai stores by 2017 end.
Fortive (FTV) to Grow on eMaint & Global Traffic Buyouts
Per the Zacks analyst, acquisitions of eMaint Enterprises and Global Traffic Technologies has accelerated Fortive's push into the rapidly-growing cloud computing market.
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Crown Castle (CCI) Hurt by Wireless Industry Consolidation
The Zacks analyst is pessimistic about the high customer concentration and consolidation in the wireless industry which are likely to affect Crown Castle's top line.
Ingersoll (IR) Plagued by Operating Risks Related to Brexit
Per the Zacks analyst, Ingersoll is likely to be stifled by the renegotiated deals and restrictions imposed on trade due to a highly unpredictable European economy post the Brexit referendum.
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When I was in the restaurant business, a regular guest described to me, in very moving details, the shelter that she supported. I was instantly inspired by her work of protecting victims of domestic violence and of helping to heal the deep wounds of being viciously hurt by someone with whom you had, once, been in love.
For the following Thanksgiving holiday, I offered to cater a very fine dinner for the residents of the shelter and those who worked with them. The gift was enthusiastically accepted with the key exception that the dinners location had to remain secret. As a result, all donated food and beverages were picked up at the restaurant.
This concession sharply captured the paradox of a cause that, by necessity, does most of its critical work entirely hidden.
This paradox presents the major challenges of finding the proper support from a community that largely is unaware of the magnitude of the good that is being accomplished out of sight.
In response to this dilemma the organization called Women of Montana Tech has created the annual fundraiser Purse Strings. Vicki Blackketter describes the genesis of the event:
A conversation with Buttes director and a board member of Safe Space triggered a light bulb moment, about four years back. Before moving to Butte, I'd enjoyed an annual Women's Ministries event which was a purse auction/potluck fundraiser. It occurred to me that the same idea could work on a larger scale The Purse Strings event seemed a fresh way to bring women together for a Saturday morning of fun (during the month of October which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month), in support of a serious cause.
My personal experience is that, whenever I spend time with victims of domestic violence -- the young pregnant wife kicked in the womb by her husband, the woman beaten and threatened by a partner with a gun, and many others, I come away from the encounter deeply affected. Staring at the dark abyss of humanitys capacity for cruelty, betrayal and violence unsettles and haunts you for a long time. And the immensity of the task of healing the victim is overwhelming.
It takes a rare and gifted person to do this kind of work as a fulltime vocation. A vocation is not a career that one chooses, it is a calling that one accepts.
Tonya Geraghty, Buttes executive director of Safe Space, is one of these very remarkable individuals. She gives us an insight into her involvement: I have always been attracted to helping people and advocating for social justice, so Safe Space was a natural fit for me. Safe Space, she continues, is a short-term emergency shelter designed to provide a safe space escape to clients fleeing domestic abuse and sexual assaults situations.
She gives concrete examples of how the annual fundraiser has benefitted her residents: The funds raised by Purse Strings have been utilized over the past year for everything from food and client financial and material assistance to helping with the shelters utility bills.
Geraghty has experienced, first hand, the legendary Butte generosity. She expresses her appreciation: Even though Butte is a relatively small and not wealthy community, people here continue to open their hearts to our clients and the program. The vast majority of clothing, toiletries, household goods and furniture that we are able to pass along come from the generous donations of community members and local businesses.
Through its Irish roots and impressive history of mining brotherhood Butte has developed a unique blend of taking on heartbreaking causes with the most lively and entertaining events. Past participants of the Saturday morning brunch have told me that Purse Strings is a delightful, classy and high energy women-only event.
Butte has elevated to an art form the social gathering at the service of a great need. In this tradition the Women of Tech have created a gem of fun and elegance.
With Purse Strings, the most vulnerable clients of Safe Space get the solace that generous people who truly care can help rebuild lives after wound and restore hope after betrayal.
-- Father Patrick Beretta is parish priest at St. Patrick and Immaculate Conception churches in Butte, and chaplain at St. James Healthcare, Butte Central Catholic Schools and Montana Tech.
(Strong language in paragraph 16 may be offensive to some readers) (Adds Canada has no plans to change travel advice, visa details)
By Arshad Mohammed and Sarah Marsh
WASHINGTON/HAVANA, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday cut its diplomatic presence in Cuba by more than half and warned U.S. citizens not to visit because of mysterious "attacks" that have caused hearing loss, dizziness and fatigue in U.S. embassy personnel.
The U.S. embassy in Havana will halt regular visa operations for Cubans seeking to visit the United States and offer only emergency services to U.S. citizens, steps that may further erode the U.S.-Cuban rapprochement begun by former President Barack Obama.
The partial evacuation, while depicted as a safety measure, sends a message of U.S. displeasure over Cubas handling of the matter and delivers another blow to Obama's policies of engagement with Cold War foe Cuba.
The Communist Party-run Cuban government was already dealing with several delicate matters - the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, a steep decline in aid from important socialist ally Venezuela and political transition as President Raul Castro steps down next year.
Cuba's Foreign Ministry chief for U.S. Affairs Josefina Vidal said: "We consider the decision announced today by the U.S. government through the State Department is hasty and will affect bilateral relations."
Vidal, in a briefing on state-run television, said Cuba was still keen to cooperate with U.S. authorities to clarify what happened.
Officials in President Donald Trump's administration stressed the United States was maintaining diplomatic ties with Cuba.
Twenty-one U.S. embassy employees in Cuba have been injured and reported symptoms such as hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping, the State Department said.
"Until the government of Cuba can ensure the safety of our diplomats in Cuba, our embassy will be reduced to emergency personnel in order to minimize the number of diplomats at risk of exposure to harm," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.
Story continues
The Cuban government has denied any role and is investigating. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been looking into the incidents, a U.S. law enforcement official said, but so far has not determined the cause.
A senior State Department official said neither the U.S. nor Cuban governments had been able to identify who was responsible but stressed that "the government of Cuba is responsible for taking all appropriate steps to prevent attacks on our diplomatic personnel in Cuba."
In a travel warning, the State Department bluntly said "because our personnel's safety is at risk, and we are unable to identify the source of the attacks, we believe U.S. citizens may also be at risk and warn them not to travel to Cuba." A State Department official said most visa processing had been suspended in Havana. "Cuban applicants for nonimmigrant visas may apply at another U.S. embassy or consulate overseas."
The State Department said the attacks on U.S. embassy personnel had occurred at "U.S. diplomatic residences and hotels frequented by U.S. citizens." No tourists are known to have been injured in the attacks.
Canada said it has no plans to change its travel advice for Cuba or to remove any Canadian staff from its embassy there, though some staff have experienced some unusual symptoms, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Friday.
Diana Rodriguez, 52, who sells handicrafts in Old Havana, said she had a visa appointment in October so she could visit family who live in Florida.
"I won't ever go there now," she said furiously. "This is a really strong blow that affects regular Cubans on the street. It's just unheard of. What is going on with this man? Neither Bush nor his father were such sons of bitches."
PRETEXT?
Trump in June vowed to partially roll back the detente with Cuba agreed by his Democratic predecessor, Obama, and called the Cuban government "corrupt and destabilizing" in his address to the United Nations General Assembly this month.
Engage Cuba, a Washingon-based lobbying group, said the decision was "puzzling" given that American travelers had not been targeted. It said halting the visa process in Cuba and discouraging Americans from going there "will divide families and harm Cuba's burgeoning private sector, civil society groups and efforts to improve human rights on the island."
"I havent felt in danger at all. The people are very friendly, its a very safe culture ... I dont feel threatened at all here, I think its a really safe place to be," American visitor Joey Branch said.
U.S. lawmakers took positions on the issue that appeared to reflect their wider perspective on engagement with Havana.
Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat who favors normalization, suggested the attacks may be an attempt to undermine this.
"Whoever is doing this obviously is trying to disrupt the normalization process between the United States and Cuba. Someone or some government is trying to reverse that process," Leahy said in a statement.
Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican and frequent critic of the Cuban government, called for harsher measures.
"Until those responsible for these attacks are brought to justice, the U.S. should immediately expel an equal number of Cuban operatives, downgrade the U.S. embassy in Havana to an interests section, and consider re-listing Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism," Rubio said in a statement.
American Tour Operators in Cuba, which counts more than 50 U.S. companies, criticized the travel warning.
"The motivation for the U.S. government to issue todays Travel Warning for Cuba is difficult to understand given that the facts and circumstances of these mysterious incidents have never posed a tangible threat to American visitors in Cuba."
American Airlines and United Airlines, both of whom have applied for additional flights to Havana, said the travel warning would not affect their current operations to Cuba.
JetBlue Airways said it would waive change and cancellation fees for Cuba flights booked on or before Sept. 29.
Airbnb spokesman Nick Papas said its operations in Cuba would continue. Cuba reported four million arrivals last year, of which 285,000 were Americans. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Washington and Sarah Marsh in Havana; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, Yeganeh Torbati and Mark Hosenball in Washington, Alana Wise in New York, Marc Frank and Nelson Acosta in Havana and Andrea Hopkins in Ottawa; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)
The Uber logo is seen on a vehicle near Union Square in San Francisco, California, U.S. May 7, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith/File Photo
London's transport authority said Friday its commissioner will meet with Ubers new chief executive next week after the city decided to pull the ride-hailing services license.
Transport for London, the citys transportation regulator, said last week it would not renew Uber's license when it expires Sept. 30, citing a lack of corporate responsibility.
Among the factors considered by the regulator was Uber's "approach to reporting serious criminal offenses" and its use of software designed to evade the authorities.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi subsequently apologized to customers and acknowledged that Uber has got things wrong along the way. Uber has said it plans to appeal and accused London's regulator of caving in to special interests "who want to restrict consumer choice."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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In this photo taken March 1, 2017, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks in New York. House Republican leaders want to shift more than $2 billion in Medicaid costs from upstate counties to the New York State government. The provision would help mostly Republican-controlled counties that have struggled to subsidize Medicaid payments for the poor. New York City wouldnt get the same relief. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo slammed President Trumps tax plan in a tweet on Thursday saying residents of the state would actually see a tax increase and warned that it could drive people and businesses out of the state.
Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney reacted to Governor Cuomo on Friday during an appearance on FOX Business.
You cannot look at a tax package individual part, by individual part. If you do, youll never get tax reform, Mulvaney said to Maria Bartiromo on Mornings with Maria and added that this is a reason why the U.S. has not had serious tax reform in 30 years.
President Trumps proposed plan would include three income tax brackets of 12%, 25% and 35%, double the standard deduction and eliminate the estate tax and alternative minimum tax. In addition, the plan aims to simplify the tax process, Mulvaney said.
If there are folks in the middle class in New York, and there are a lot of them, they are going to get a dramatic reduction. Its going to be easier for them to pay their taxes. They wont have to hire somebody, pay somebody to do their taxes, Mulvaney said.
While its still unclear how the plan will impact individual families and businesses, Mulvaney pointed out how people who come out saying they know exactly what this plan will do are simply jumping to political conclusions and not going through the serious process of looking at how we make laws.
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INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) has partnered with four Indiana universities to license available life sciences technologies at pre-defined terms. Ball State University, Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Notre Dame have signed onto the agreement.
The agreement will enable the IBRI more rapid access to available technologies that can be combined with its own research to create synergies and help commercialize technologies more quickly.
With this arrangement in place, the IBRI will be able to unlock the value of discoveries being made at the states top research universities by further developing them or combining them with other technologies and bringing treatments to patients and innovations quicker to market, said IBRI Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer and incoming CEO Rainer Fischer. Successful commercialization will provide a return to the IBRI, to the universities that contributed intellectual property, and ultimately, to the State of Indiana in the form of economic growth.
The memorandum of understanding streamlines the process for licensing of university technology and removes hurdles to acquiring valuable technologies and helping speed ideas to market. It also accelerates the IBRIs mission to bridge the gap between universities and industry.
The creation and work of the IBRI is a gift to the State of Indiana and its residents, said Dan Hasler, Chief Entrepreneurial Officer of the Purdue Research Foundation. This agreement sets the groundwork for stronger research and technology transfer collaboration among Indiana universities. Not only will it expedite IBRI access and translation of university developed intellectual property, it will enhance the quality of life for people across the state.
The first technologies that the IBRI will license include a mass spectrometry technology and a high sensitivity detection technology for single cell analysis developed at Purdue, and a microfluidic technology developed at the University of Notre Dame.
IBRI is unique among research institutes in the country, said Bryan Ritchie, Vice President of Innovation at Notre Dame. Not only will IBRI work to make new discoveries in the biosciences arena, but it will facilitate the collaboration and engagement of all the major bioscience players in Indiana. In this new environment, the potential for larger, faster and more impactful commercialization outcomes is now much greater than it has ever been.
Indiana Universitys School of Medicine is already closely collaborating with IBRI as researchers in complementary fields work to advance investigation in areas linked to cardio metabolic disease.
Partnering with the IBRI and other outstanding research universities across Indiana to combine strengths and jointly promote our innovations benefits all of us, said IU Vice President for Engagement Bill Stephan. Not only will we be able to more rapidly move innovations to market, well also further enhance the states economic vitality and continue to distinguish Indiana as a life and bio-sciences leader.
This agreement marks the first time Ball State has worked with the IBRI.
Ball State is excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) and Indianas other research institutions, said Wil Davis, president of Ball State Innovation Corporation. Moving Ball State research from the laboratory to the market efficiently is key to advancing our mission of serving the world through innovation.
About Indiana Biosciences Research Institute
The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) is an independent, nonprofit discovery science and applied research institute currently focused on innovation targeting cardio-metabolic diseases, diabetes and poor nutrition. Inspired by the state and Indianas leading life sciences companies, research universities and philanthropic community, the IBRI is building a world-class organization of researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs that will catalyze scientific discovery and its application, resulting in improved health outcomes for patients. For more information about the IBRI and donation or collaboration opportunities, please visit www.indianabiosciences.org.
About Ball State University
Founded in 1918 and located in Muncie, Ball State is one of Indianas signature universities and an economic driver for the state. The Universitys 2017-18 enrollment 22,513 is the largest in school history and its incoming freshman class of 4,002 is just three students shy of another school record. Every Indiana county is represented among Ball States student body, as are all 50 states and 69 countries. Ball States 1,140-acre campus is large enough to accommodate premier facilities and 19 NCAA Division 1 sports, but small enough to ensure the friendliness, personal attention and access that are the hallmarks of the University, where 90 percent of classes are taught by faculty. Ball State will have its smallest tuition increase in 41 years for fiscal years 2018 and 2019.
About Indiana University
Founded in 1820, Indiana University is one of worlds foremost public institutions. With more than 112,000 students and 19,000 employees statewide, innovation, creativity and academic freedom are hallmarks of its world-class contributions in research and the arts. Bloomington is the flagship campus of the university, and each one of its seven campuses is an accredited, four-year degree-granting institution.
About Purdue University
Purdue University, a top public research institution, offers higher education at its highest proven value. Committed to affordability, the University has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels. Purdue has about 40,000 students at its West Lafayette campus and is ranked 21st for public universities by U.S. News and World Report. With 24 alumni who became astronauts, including the first and last person on the moon, Purdue is called the Cradle of Astronauts. Committed to pursuing scientific discoveries and engineered solutions, Purdue has streamlined pathways for faculty and student innovators who have a vision for moving the world forward.
About the University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is a large, four-year, highly residential research university. Undergraduate students are organized into six colleges: Arts and Letters, Science, Engineering, Business, Architecture, and Global Affairs. The university offers over 50 foreign study abroad yearlong programs and over 15 summer programs. Notre Dame's graduate program has more than 50 master, doctoral and professional degree programs offered by the five schools, with the addition of the Notre Dame Law School and a MD-PhD program offered in combination with IU medical School. It maintains a system of libraries, cultural venues, artistic and scientific museums, including the Hesburgh Library and the Snite Museum of Art. Over 80 percent of the university's 8,000 undergraduates live on campus in one of 31 single-sex residence halls, each with its own traditions, legacies, events, and intramural sports teams. In 2017, Notre Dame is ranked 15th for national universities overall in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The university counts approximately 120,000 alumni.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 13, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mission Ready Services Inc. (Mission Ready or the Company) (TSX VENTURE:MRS) is pleased to provide an update on the US Government-funded AMBER project a collaborative effort between North Carolina State University (NCSU), the prime contractor, and Protect the Force (PTF), the subcontractor/commercialization partner for the development of an Advanced Multi-Functional Base Ensemble for Emergency Responders (AMBER).
First announced as a cooperative agreement between Protect the Force, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and NCSU Textile Protection and Comfort Center (TPACC), Mission Ready subsequently reported the expansion of the program with additional uniforms requested for further systems-level testing by the NCSU, and field testing that was conducted by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The AMBER uniform is a next generation solution, described as the Advanced Multi-Functional Base Ensemble for Emergency Responders, that integrates state-of-the-art technologies including flame resistance, blood-borne pathogen protection, water repellency, improved comfort, integrated knee pads, and high visibility among other critical features.
The AMBER uniforms have undergone user evaluations performed by first-responders within the United States, and by expert users within key allied governments internationally. Tailored to meet the needs of three distinct first-responder communities Fire Fighters, Emergency Medical Technicians and Law Enforcement the AMBER uniform recently received certification by Underwriters Lab (UL) for National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1975, Standard on Emergency Services Work Clothing Elements. This was a major milestone as the testing of every single component of the uniform, including thread, zippers, fabrics and final uniforms, were evaluated under the most rigorous NFPA standards, states Francisco Martinez, Mission Readys Chief Technology Officer.
It is an honor to be chosen by the Department of Homeland Security to commercialize the AMBER uniform and to lend our expertise to the development of next generation, life-saving products. The success we have had in this multi-year project further validates Mission Readys distinguished track record in pioneering top-tier, tech-centric innovations and we will soon begin introducing these products into targeted dealer and distributor channels both nationally and internationally, states Jeff Schwartz, President & CEO of Mission Ready.
With approximately 2.3M DHS and law enforcement personnel in the United States alone (21.4M globally), in addition to 2.3M Emergency Medical/Fire & Rescue responders (27.1M globally), go-to-market planning has been initiated by the Company and commercialization efforts are slated to commence November 2017.
About Mission Ready Services Inc.
Mission Ready serves to save lives and enhance the performance of military personnel, first responders, and those who protect us by working to ensure they are equipped with the best possible personal protective equipment.
Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Mission Ready has three distinct, synergistic operating divisions:
Innovations and Development of Personal Protective Equipment
Manufacturing of Leading Military & Law Enforcement Personal Protective Equipment
Cleaning, Decontamination & Repair of Personal Protective Equipment
Mission Readys management team offers over 100 years of combined industry experience and is composed of industry experts in developing products, contracting, and selling to the federal government, first responders and tactical markets through open market procurements, teaming arrangements, and a variety of federal contract tools.
For further information, visit MissionReady.ca or ProtectTheForce.com
Terry Nixon - Director, Corporate Communications
Telephone: 1.877.479.7778
Mission Ready Services Inc.
(signed Jeff Schwartz)
Jeff Schwartz,
President & CEO
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "forecast", "project", "budget", "schedule", "may", "will", "could", "might", "should" or variations of such words or similar words or expressions. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by Mission Ready Services Inc. as at the date of such information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Mission Ready Services Inc. to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.
Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable. Although Mission Ready Services Inc. has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Mission Ready Services Inc. does not undertake to update any forward-looking information that is included herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
betterscore wrote:
According to scientists who monitored its path, an expanding cloud of energized particles ejected from the Sun recently triggered a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, which brightened the Northern Lights and also possibly knocking out a communications satellite.
(A) an expanding cloud of energized particles ejected from the Sun recently triggered a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, which brightened the Northern Lights and also possibly knocking
(B) an expanding cloud of energized particles ejected from the Sun was what recently triggered a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, and it brightened the Northern Lights and also possibly knocked
(C) an expanding cloud of energized particles ejected from the Sun recently triggered a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, brightening the Northern Lights and possibly knocking
(D) a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, recently triggered by an expanding cloud of energized particles, brightened the Northern Lights and it possibly knocked
(E) a large storm in the magnetic field surrounding Earth was recently triggered by an expanding cloud of energized particles, brightening the Northern Lights and it possibly knocked
Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Concepts tested here: Meaning + Verb Forms + Modifiers + Parallelism + Grammatical Construction + Awkwardness/Redundancy
A:
B:
as a separate action
as a result,
C:
Correct.
as a result,
D:
E:
Hence, C is the best answer choice.
Dear Friends,Here is a detailed explanation to this question-Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended core meaning of this sentence is that an expanding cloud of energized particles ejected from the Sun recently triggered a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, and as a result, brightened the Northern Lights and possibly knocked out a communications satellite. Any elements linked by a conjunction ("and also" in this sentence) must be parallel. "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma. In a phrase + comma + noun construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun; this is one of the most frequently tested concepts on GMAT sentence correction. The introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- brightening and "knocking" in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Semicolons and the comma + conjunction construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses. Information vital to the core meaning of the sentence must not be placed between two commas.This answer choice incorrectly modifies "the magnetic field that surrounds Earth" with "which brightened the Northern Lights", incorrectly implying that the magnetic field brightened the Northern Lights and possibly knocked out a communications satellite; the intended meaning is that an expanding cloud of energized particles ejected from the Sun brightened the Northern Lights and possibly knocked out a communications satellite; please remember, "who/whose/whom/which/where", when preceded by a comma, refer to the noun just before the comma. Further, Option A fails to maintain parallelism between "brightened the Northern Lights" and "possibly knocking out a communications satellite"; please remember, any elements linked by a conjunction ("and also" in this sentence) must be parallel. Additionally, Option A redundantly uses "also" alongside "and", rendering it awkward and needlessly wordy.This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "and it brightened the Northern Lights and also possibly knocked"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the cloud of particles triggered a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, and, brightened the Northern Lights and possibly knocked out a communications satellite; the intended meaning is that the cloud of particles triggered a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, and, brightened the Northern Lights and possibly knocked out a communications satellite. Further, Option B uses the needlessly wordy phrase "was what recently triggered", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.This answer choice correctly uses "According to scientists who monitored its path" to modify "an expanding cloud of energized particles", conveying the intended meaning - that scientists monitored the cloud of energized particles. Moreover, Option C uses the phrase "brightening the Northern Lights and possibly knocking", conveying the intended meaning - that the cloud of particles triggered a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth, and, brightened the Northern Lights and possibly knocked out a communications satellite; please remember, the introduction of present participle ("verb+ing"- brightening and "knocking" in this case) after comma generally leads to a cause-effect relationship. Further, Option C avoids the grammatical construction errors seen in Options D and E, as it places no information between commas and correctly uses a comma to join the independent clause "an expanding cloud of energized particles...Earth" to the dependent clause "brightening the Northern Lights...satellite". Additionally, Option C maintains parallelism between "brightening the Northern Lights" and "possibly knocking out a communications satellite". Besides, Option C is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.This answer choice incorrectly uses "According to scientists who monitored its path" to modify "a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth", incorrectly implying that the scientists monitored the storm; the intended meaning is that the scientists monitored the cloud of energized particles; please remember, in a phrase + comma + noun construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option D incorrectly places information vital to the core meaning of the sentence - that the storm was triggered by the cloud of particles - between two commas; please remember, information vital to the core meaning of the sentence must not be placed between two commas. Additionally, Option D incorrectly uses conjunction ("and" in this sentence) to join the independent conjunctions "a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth...brightened the Northern Lights" and "it possibly knocked out a communications satellite"; please remember, semicolons and the comma + conjunction construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses.This answer choice incorrectly uses "According to scientists who monitored its path" to modify "a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth", incorrectly implying that the scientists monitored the storm; the intended meaning is that the scientists monitored the cloud of energized particles; please remember, in a phrase + comma + noun construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option E incorrectly uses conjunction ("and" in this sentence) to join the independent conjunctions "a large storm in the magnetic field that surrounds Earth...brightening the Northern Lights" and "it possibly knocked out a communications satellite"; please remember, semicolons and the comma + conjunction construction are used to link two independent clauses; commas are used to link an independent clause with a dependent one; comma cannot be used to join two independent clauses.To understand the concept of "Comma plus Present Participle for Cause Effect relationship" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~3 minutes):To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):To understand the concept of "Extra Information Between Two Commas" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):All the best!Team_________________
Few weeks ago, Legit.ng brought you the interesting story of Daniel, a Delta-based man who went viral after releasing his pre-wedding photos.
Just before the photos took over the internet, a friend of the groom shared posts of Daniel and his brides on social media, asking people to join them in the celebration.
Interestingly, Mr. Daniel Etoroma a.k.a Akalaka and his two brides were joined together traditionally yesterday, September 30 in Orie-Irri, Isoko South in Delta state.
READ ALSO: 39-year-old man from Delta state who married two wives the same day says he did it to avoid extramarital affair (photos)
Check out photos from the ceremony:
Man weds two wives same time: Photo credit: iew.ng
Man weds two wives same time: Photo credit: iew.ng
Man weds two wives same time: Photo credit: iew.ng
Legit.ng wishes them a happy married life.
Watch Legit.ng's exclusive interview with some Nigerians on relationship below:
Source: Legit.ng
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
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Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
This November, Lowell, Massachusetts will hold city council elections. Lowell is home to the second-largest Cambodian population in the United States. Four Cambodian-Americans are competing for positions on the city council.
Since 1999, only four candidates from Asian or Hispanic communities have been elected to the City Council. And voters have never chosen a minority candidate for the Lowell School Committee.
Last May, a group of residents of Lowell brought legal action against the city. The group accused the city of discrimination against minorities in its electoral system. Elections for all council seats are city wide. The group says the system favors white candidates.
A major issue currently before the city council is whether to move Lowell High School or remodel it in place. Residents have strong feelings for and against moving the school.
Sokhary Chau is one of four Cambodian-American candidates. He called the election crucial.
The good thing is a lot of people are going to get involved in this election. The bad is the city is dividing, he said.
Vesna Noun is another of the Cambodian-American candidates. He won a council seat in 2010 but lost two reelection efforts.
Noun agrees that the high school is an issue of serious debate. But, he said there is also still serious public division over the issue of minority representation and the legal action brought in May. He said the council needs to settle that privately.
It will affect the reputation of the city, if this matter is handled at the federal court, he said.
Candidate Sokhary Chau agrees.
It is better to change from the inside, he said.
Chau, and others, are calling for a change in the government leadership.
There is "a lot of dissatisfaction and disconnection to the local government, Chau said. I hope to bring diversity and new ideas, pretty much new faces to the city.
Mathew LeLacheur, a white candidate for City Council, said he wants to see minority involvement at all levels of government.
LeLacheur said he would like to see more Cambodian-Americans on the local boards and commissions.
I'm John Russell.
Sosreinith Ten reported on this story for VOA News. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
resident n. someone who lives in a particular place
crucial adj. extremely important
reputation n. the way in which people think of someone or something
board n. a group of people who manage or direct a company or organization
diversity n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization
commission n. a group of people who have been given the official job of finding information about something or controlling something
Tashitaa Tufaa grew up in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. He worked on his familys farm with his 13 brothers and sisters, until he left to become a school teacher.
In time, Tufaa became involved in politics. He helped campaign for a political party that opposed the majority Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front. Soon, Tufaa felt he was not safe and decided to leave.
He entered the United States in 1992 as a refugee.
Tufaa settled in Minneapolis, a large city in the northern state of Minnesota. There, he began working as a dishwasher. He also worked at manufacturing companies and as a security guard. Sometimes he had two or three jobs at the same time.
But he did not earn enough money at these jobs to support his wife and five children. So he began working evenings and weekends driving older people and people with disabilities to and from work.
He says he fell in love with transportation.
In 2003, he and his brother decided to open their own transportation company. He began with his wifes van.
Soon, schools began using their service. School officials told other schools about the excellent service Tufaa was providing. The company grew.
Metropolitan Transportation Network now has almost 300 buses and vans that take children to schools across the state. Each day, Tufaas company transports more than 15,000 children to schools and other places in Minneapolis, as well as to other cities.
More than 300 people now work at the company. It recently moved to a new, larger operations center.
Tufaa says he has always worked to keep students safe.
Minnesota has long, snowy winters. Many buses bring children to their homes and drive away. But Tufaa pays his drivers to wait until the students are inside their homes or are met by an adult.
He also works to help others in the Oromo community. The Minnesota Historical Society estimates 40,000 Oromos live in Minnesota.
Tufaa helps his employees who want to start their own business. Since 2012, three former employees have started their own successful transportation companies.
Tufaa says, "The greatest gift I think you can give people like you is that it can be done and I feel like Ive done that.
He says his success is a lesson for all African immigrants working to become successful in the United States.
When a person is free, you can do anything, he said. So appreciate what you have, work so very hard, and get rid of the wrong pride we have back home that if you have a college degree you have to be in a professional line [of work], and you cant dig the potatoes or do the dishes. Work is work, and go out there and do what is available. Be proud of it.
Tufaa believes his experience shows that, for those willing to work hard, anything is possible.
He told VOA, "I do not believe in giving up.
Im Jonathan Evans.
Salem Solomon and Tigist Geme reported this story from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in this Story
appreciate - v. to be aware of something; to recognize or understand something
region - n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way
Hurricane Maria severely damaged Puerto Ricos electricity and communications systems. Millions of people there are without power, water or food.
The storm also caused damage to a well-known scientific tool in the U.S. territory the Arecibo Observatory. Until last year, it was the largest single telescope of its kind in the world.
Many of the observatorys instruments appear to be unharmed. Arecibo Deputy Director Joan Schmelz called that a thing to be thankful for in an interview with the Associated Press.
But a large antenna used to study the Earths upper atmosphere broke during the storm, the AP reported. Damage to the observatory is estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
The observatory is home to the Arecibo radio telescope, a 305-meter- wide dish. It collects radio waves and focuses them onto scientific instruments that measure and process them. The instruments are suspended above the dish on towers over 80 meters high.
During the storm, a small group of researchers remained at the observatory. They stayed in its concrete buildings. They had some food and water, but, like most in Puerto Rico, were cut off from the rest of the world.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the first people that the researchers were able to contact after the storm were amateur radio operators.
Storm costs could threaten future operations
The storm damage threatens the telescopes future in several ways. It is supported by the National Science Foundation, or NSF, in Alexandria, Virginia, as well as the U.S. space agency, NASA.
Funding limitations and the desire to build and operate newer telescopes has made the NSF think about cutting its support for older telescopes. Arecibo could face closure if money cannot be found to repair it and to continue operations.
The Arecibo radio telescope has been involved in well-known scientific research since first being used in the 1960s. It was used to find an unusual kind of star system, a binary pulsar, in 1967. The discovery received a Nobel Prize in 1974.
The telescope can be used to study radio signals coming from space. It also can send out radio waves as radar. Radar can be used to study conditions in the Earths atmosphere and detect asteroids that pass dangerously close to Earth.
The huge dish was also part of the SETI project, an effort to search for signs of extraterrestrial life.
The Arecibo telescope was surpassed in size last July by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope in Guizhou, China.
Repairs will take time
Hurricane Maria, a category four storm, left most of Puerto Ricos 3.4 million U.S. citizens without power or basic necessities. Telephone communications were nearly wiped out, as the storm destroyed cell phone towers.
The observatory is expected to be closed for some time because of the damage. Scientists may be able to carry out some kinds of observations soon, but others will not be possible for a long time.
James Ulvestad is acting director for NSFs math and physics directorate. He said research, like bouncing radar off of other planets, requires a lot of power from the islands electricity grid, which was severely damaged by the hurricane.
The recovery response has been slow, as supplies need to be flown in or shipped to the island.
President Donald Trump has promised the island aid. Damage is estimated to be in the billions of dollars. Meanwhile, workers with the Federal Emergency Management Agency are trying to set up aid centers across the U.S. territory.
Puerto Ricos government is also burdened by tens of billions of dollars in debt that it is unable to pay. The island is seeking protection from its creditors in the biggest government bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Im Mario Ritter.
Mario Ritter adapted this story from an AP report and additional material for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
________________________________________________________________
QUIZ
Test your comprehension of the story with this quiz.
Quiz - Hurricane Hits Puerto Ricos Giant Telescope Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz
_______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
dish n. a round, curved surface
focus v. bringing light rays or some other electromagnetic radiation closer together to form an image
detect v. to find, to confirm the presence of
asteroids n. rocks or planet-like objects that orbit the sun
amateur n. a person who does something for pleasure and not as a job
extraterrestrial adj. beyond the Earth, from space
electricity grid n. the system of generators, transformers and wires designed to provide electricity to a large area
burden v. to carry or to deal with a heavy or difficult load
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Brookdale Senior Living Inc. owns, manages, and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates in three segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors. The Assisted Living and Memory Care segment owns or leases communities consisting of freestanding multi-story communities and freestanding single-story communities, which offer housing and 24-hour assistance with activities of daily living for the Company's residents. This segment also operates memory care communities for residents with Alzheimer's and other dementias. The CCRCs segment owns or leases communities that provides various living arrangements, such as independent and assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing; and services to accommodate various levels of physical ability and healthcare needs. It also manages communities on behalf of others. As of December 31, 2021, the company owned 347 communities, leased 299 communities, and managed 33 communities on behalf of others. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services to individuals, small and medium enterprises, and corporate customers in Brazil and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Commercial Banking and Global Wholesale Banking. It offers deposits and other bank funding instruments; debit and credit cards; digital prepaid solutions; payment platform; loyalty programs; employee benefit vouchers; payroll loans; digital lending and online debt renegotiation services; mortgages; home equity financing products; consumer credit; and local loans, commercial and trade finance, guarantees, structured loans, and cash management and funding solutions, as well as on-lending transfer services. It also provides funding and financial advisory services related to projects, origination and distribution of fixed-income securities in the debt capital markets, financing of acquisitions and syndicated loans, other structured financing arrangements, and subordinated debt and energy efficiency transactions; advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, and equity capital markets transactions; and stock brokerage and advisory, equity, and equity research services. In addition, the company structures and offers foreign exchange, derivative, and investment products for institutional investors, and corporate and retail customers; and provides market making services. Further, it offers instant payment services; range of products and services focused on the agribusiness sector; microfinance services; and online automotive listing and digital car insurance solutions, as well as digital trading platform. Additionally, it provides its financial services and products to its customers through multichannel distribution network comprising branches, mini-branches, ATMs, call centers, Internet banking, and mobile banking. Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A. was incorporated in 1985 and is headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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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The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. KG, JLM Verwaltungs GmbH, JLT (Insurance Brokers) Limited, JLT Actuaries and Consultants Limited, JLT Advisory Limited, JLT Affinity Colombia Solutions SAS, JLT Agencies Limited, JLT Asesorias Ltda, JLT Asia Holdings BV, JLT Asia Shared Services Sdn Bhd, JLT Belgibo, JLT Benefit Consultants Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Bermuda Ltd, JLT Brasil Holdings Participacoes Ltd, JLT Chile Holdings SpA, JLT Colombia Retail Limited, JLT Colombia Wholesale Limited, JLT Consultants & Actuaries Limited, JLT EB Holdings Limited, JLT EB Services Limited, JLT Employee Benefits Holding Company (PTY) LTD, JLT Employee Benefits SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Financial Planning Limited, JLT France Holdings, JLT Group Services Pty Limited, JLT Holdings (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Holdings (NZ) Limited, JLT Independent Insurance Brokers Private Limited, JLT Insurance Agencies Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited ( Shanghai Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Beijing Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Guangzhou Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers SA, JLT Insurance Group Holdings Ltd, JLT Insurance Management Malta Limited, JLT Intellectual Property Limited, JLT Intellectual Property [UK Branch], JLT Interactive Pte. Ltd., JLT Investment Management Limited, JLT LATAM (Southern Cone) Wholesale Limited, JLT Latin American Holdings Limited, JLT Life Assurance Brokers Limited, JLT Management Services Limited, JLT Marine (Pty) Ltd, JLT Mexico Holdings Limited, JLT Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., JLT Netherlands BV, JLT Norway AS, JLT PLA, JLT Pension Trustees Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Holdings Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Limited, JLT Peru Reinsurance Solutions Limited, JLT Peru Retail Limited, JLT Peru Wholesale Limited, JLT QFM Services Limited, JLT RE Brasil Administracao e Corretagem de Resseguros Ltda, JLT Re (French Branch), JLT Re (Northern Europe) AB, JLT Re Argentina Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.U., JLT Re Labuan Limited, JLT Re Limited, JLT Re Pty Ltd, JLT Reinsurance Brokers GmbH, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited [French Branch], JLT Risk Management Limited, JLT Risk Solutions AB, JLT Risk Solutions AB Branch - Germany, JLT SA IB Holdings Company (Pty) Limited, JLT SCK Affinity Administracao e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., JLT SCK Corretora e Administradora de Seguros, JLT Secretaries Limited, JLT Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerlii A.., JLT Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., JLT Specialty France, JLT Specialty Insurance Broker A/S, JLT Specialty Limited, JLT Specialty Limited [DUBAI BRANCH], JLT Specialty Pte. Ltd., JLT Towner Insurance Management (Anguilla) Limited, JLT Trust Services (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Trustees (Southern) Limited, JLT Trustees Limited, JLT UK Investment Holdings Limited, JLT Vantage Risk and Benefit Consulting Private Limited, JLT Wealth Management Limited, JLT do Brasil Corretagem de Seguros Ltda, JLTPCS Holdings Pte. Ltd., JMIB Holdings BV, JSL Securities Inc., Japan Affinity Marketing Inc., Jardine IBR Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Proprietary) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Australia Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited (UK Branch Office), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Consultants Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Holdings Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Unlimited Company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Korea Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited [Macao Branch], Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS (Dubai) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS SA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Sdn Bhd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Valencia y Iragorri Corredores de Seguros SA, Jardine Pension Trustees Ireland Limited, Jardine Risk Consulting Co. Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited [Macao Branch], Jardines PF- Consultoria Em Gestao De Risco Limitada, Jelf, Jelf Commercial Finance Limited, Jelf Financial Planning Limited, Jelf Insurance Brokers Limited, Jelf Limited, Jelf Risk Management Limited, Jelf Wellbeing Limited, John Lampier & Son Ltd, Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Limited, Johnson & Higgins Limited, KESSLER & CO AG, Kepler Associates Limited, Kessler & Co Inc., Kessler Consulting Inc., Kessler Prevoyance Inc., Key Underwriting Pty Limited, Kroll, Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Employee Benefits) Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Hong Kong) Ltd, Laterlife.com Limited (in liquidation), Lavaretus Underwriting AB, Lavaretus Underwriting AB (BRANCH - Denmark), Libra Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Lloyd & Partners Limited, Local Government Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Lomond Macdonald Limited, Lynch Insurance Brokers Limited, M&M Vehicle L.P., M.P. Bolshaw and Company Limited, MAG JLT SpA, MERCER ALTERNATIVES LIMITED, MM Risk Services Pty Ltd (for dissolution), MMA Mid-Atlantic Employee LLC, MMA Securities LLC, MMB Consultores S.A., MMC (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., MMC 28 State Street Holdings Inc., MMC Borrower LLC, MMC Brazilian Holdings B.V., MMC Capital Inc., MMC Cascade Regional Holdings LLC, MMC FINANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, MMC FINANCE HOLDINGS LTD, MMC Finance (Australia) Limited, MMC Finance (Singapore) Limited, MMC France Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., MMC GP III Inc., MMC Group Services sp. z o.o., MMC Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, MMC Holdings (New Zealand) ULC, MMC Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC International Finance (Barbados) SRL, MMC International Holdings LLC, MMC International Limited, MMC International Treasury Centre Limited, MMC Middle East Holdings Limited, MMC Poland Holdings B.V., MMC Realty Inc., MMC Regional Asia Holdings B.V., MMC Regional Caribbean Holdings Ltd., MMC Regional Europe Holdings B.V., MMC Regional LATAM Holdings B.V., MMC Securities (Europe) Limited, MMC Securities LLC, MMC Treasury Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC UK Group Limited, MMC UK Pension Fund Trustee Limited, MMOW Limited, MMRC LLC, MOW Holding LLC, MPIP III GP LLC, MPIP IV GP LLC, MPIP V GP LLC, MPIP VI GP LLC, Mangrove Insurance Europe PCC Limited, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC Limited, Manoel Management Services Ltd, Marchant McKechnie Insurance Brokers Limited, Marine Aviation & General (London) Limited, Marsh & McLennan (PNG) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agencies AS, Marsh & McLennan Agencies Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency A/S, Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Marsh & McLennan Agency Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency Pty Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Argentina SA Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh & McLennan Colombia S.A., Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Funding Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia Pacific Treasury Center Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies BVBA/SPRL, Marsh & McLennan Companies Finance Center (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies France S.A.S., Marsh & McLennan Companies Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Regional Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Services B.V., Marsh & McLennan Companies UK Limited, Marsh & McLennan Europe S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan GP I Inc., Marsh & McLennan Global Broking (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Holding GmbH, Marsh & McLennan Holdings (Canada) ULC, Marsh & McLennan Holdings Inc., Marsh & McLennan Incorporated (for dissolution), Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings II, Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Limited, Marsh & McLennan Insurance Services Limited, Marsh & McLennan Ireland Limited, Marsh & McLennan Management Services (Bermuda) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Risk Capital Holdings Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Servicios S.A. De C.V., Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Canada Limited, Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Corporation, Marsh (Bahrain) Company SPC, Marsh (Beijing) Risk Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Marsh (China) Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh (Insurance Brokers) LLP, Marsh (Insurance Services) Limited, Marsh (Malawi) Limited, Marsh (Middle East) Limited, Marsh (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh (Pty) Ltd, Marsh (Risk Consulting) LLP, Marsh (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Marsh A/S, Marsh AB, Marsh AG, Marsh AS, Marsh Advantage Insurance Holdings Pty Ltd, Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd., Marsh Africa (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Argentina S.R.L., Marsh Associates (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Austria G.m.b.H., Marsh Aviation Insurance Broking Pty Ltd (for dissolution), Marsh B.V., Marsh Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh Brockman y Schuh Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Marsh Broker Japan Inc., Marsh Broker de Asigurare-Reasigurare S.R.L., Marsh Brokers (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh Brokers Limited, Marsh Canada Limited/Marsh Canada Limitee, Marsh Company Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Compensation Technologies Administration (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Isle of Man Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Malta Limited, Marsh Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Marsh EOOD, Marsh Egypt LLC, Marsh Emirates Consultancy LLC, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage LLC, Marsh Employee Benefits Limited, Marsh Employee Benefits Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Marsh Eurofinance B.V., Marsh Europe S.A., Marsh FJC International Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh For Insurance Services S.A.E., Marsh Franco Acra S.A., Marsh GSC Servicos e Administracao de Seguros Ltda., Marsh GmbH, Marsh Holding AB, Marsh Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Marsh Insurance & Investments LLC, Marsh Insurance Brokers, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Macao) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Private) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers AO, Marsh Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh Insurance Consulting Saudi Arabia (in liquidation), Marsh Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC, Marsh Intermediaries Inc., Marsh International Broking Holdings Limited, Marsh International Holdings II Inc., Marsh International Holdings Inc., Marsh Investment B.V., Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited, Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited (UK Branch), Marsh Ireland Holdings Limited, Marsh Israel (1999) Ltd., Marsh Israel (Holdings) Ltd., Marsh Israel Consultants Ltd., Marsh Israel Insurance Agency Ltd., Marsh Israel International Brokers Ltd. (in liquidation), Marsh JCS Inc., Marsh Japan Inc., Marsh Kft., Marsh Kindlustusmaakler AS, Marsh Korea Inc., Marsh LLC, Marsh LLC Insurance Brokers, Marsh LLC [Ukraine], Marsh Lda., Marsh Limited, Marsh Limited [Fiji], Marsh Limited [New Zealand], Marsh Limited [PNG], Marsh Ltd. [Wisconsin], Marsh Management Services (Bahamas) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Dublin) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Labuan) Limited, Marsh Management Services (MENA) Limited, Marsh Management Services (USVI) Ltd., Marsh Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, Marsh Management Services Inc., Marsh Management Services Isle of Man Limited, Marsh Management Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Marsh Management Services Malta Limited, Marsh Management Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Marsh Management Services Sweden AB, Marsh Marine & Energy AB, Marsh Marine Nederland B.V., Marsh Medical Consulting GmbH, Marsh Mercer Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Marsh Nest Inc., Marsh Oman LLC, Marsh Oy, Marsh PB Co. Ltd., Marsh Philippines Inc., Marsh Privat A.I.E., Marsh Private Client Life Insurance Services, Marsh Pty. Ltd., Marsh Qatar LLC, Marsh RE S.A.C. Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh Rehder Consultoria S.A. (MRC), Marsh Rehder S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Marsh Resolutions Pty Limited, Marsh Risk Consulting B.V., Marsh Risk Consulting Limitada, Marsh Risk Consulting Ltda., Marsh Risk Consulting S.L., Marsh Risk Consulting Services S.r.L., Marsh Risk and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, Marsh S.A. Corredores De Seguros, Marsh S.A. Mediadores de Seguros, Marsh S.A.S., Marsh S.p.A., Marsh SA [Argentina], Marsh SA [Belgium], Marsh SA [Luxembourg], Marsh SA [Uruguay], Marsh SIA, Marsh Saldana Inc., Marsh Saudi Arabia Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Marsh Secretarial Services Limited, Marsh Semusa S.A., Marsh Services Limited, Marsh Services Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Marsh Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Szolgaltato Kft., Marsh Takaful Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Treasury Services (Dublin) Limited (in liquidation), Marsh Treasury Services Limited, Marsh Tunisia S.a.r.l., Marsh UK Limited, Marsh USA (India) Inc., Marsh USA Borrower LLC, Marsh USA Inc., Marsh Uganda Limited, Marsh Venezuela C.A. Sociedad de Corretaje de Seguros, Marsh Vietnam Insurance Broking Company Ltd, Marsh Zambia Limited, Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, Marsh d.o.o. Beograd, Marsh d.o.o. za posredovanje u osiguranju, Marsh for Insurance Services - Jordan, Marsh i-Connect (Pty) Ltd, Marsh s.r.o., Matthiessen Assurans AB, Mercer (Argentina) S.A., Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer (Austria) GmbH, Mercer (Belgium) SA-NV, Mercer (Canada) Limited/Mercer (Canada) Limitee, Mercer (China) Limited, Mercer (Colombia) Ltda., Mercer (Danmark) A/S, Mercer (Finland) OY, Mercer (France) SAS, Mercer (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer (Ireland) Limited, Mercer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mercer (N.Z.) Limited, Mercer (Nederland) B.V., Mercer (Norge) AS, Mercer (Polska) Sp.z o.o., Mercer (Portugal) Lda, Mercer (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer (Sweden) AB, Mercer (Taiwan) Ltd., Mercer (Thailand) Ltd., Mercer (US) Inc., Mercer Administration Services (Australia) Pty Limited, Mercer Africa Limited, Mercer Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Mercer Asesores de Seguros S.A., Mercer Asesores es Inversion Independientes S.A. de C.V., Mercer Broking Ltd., Mercer Career Unipessoal Lda, Mercer Consultation (Quebec) Ltee., Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Mercer Consulting (France) SAS, Mercer Consulting (India) Private Limited, Mercer Consulting B.V., Mercer Consulting Group Inc., Mercer Consulting Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Mercer Consulting Limited, Mercer Consulting Middle East Limited, Mercer Consulting S.L.U., Mercer Consulting Venezuela C.A., Mercer Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Mercer Corretora de Seguros Ltda, Mercer Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Mercer Deutschland GmbH, Mercer Employee Benefits - Medicacao de Seguros Unipessoal Lda., Mercer Employee Benefits Limited, Mercer Financial Advice (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Financial Services Limited, Mercer Financial Services Limited liability company, Mercer Financial Services Middle East Limited, Mercer Global Investments Europe Limited, Mercer Global Investments Management Limited, Mercer HR Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer HR Services LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, Mercer Holdings Inc., Mercer Holdings Inc. [Philippines], Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltda, Mercer Human Resource Consulting S.A. de C.V., Mercer ICC Limited, Mercer Investment Consulting Limited, Mercer Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mercer Investment Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Investments (Australia) Limited, Mercer Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer Investments (Japan) Ltd, Mercer Investments (New Zealand) Limited, Mercer Investments LLC, Mercer Ireland Holdings Limited, Mercer Italia Srl Socio Unico, Mercer Japan Ltd., Mercer Korea Co. Ltd., Mercer LLC, Mercer Limited, Mercer MC Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer Master Trustees Limited, Mercer Mauritius Ltd., Mercer Oliver Wyman Holding B.V., Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Outsourcing S.L.U., Mercer Pensionsfonds AG, Mercer Pensionsraadgivning A/S, Mercer Philippines Inc., Mercer Private Investment Partners IV General Partner S.a.r.l., Mercer Private Markets AG, Mercer Private Markets Advisers (US) AG, Mercer Services Poland Sp. z.o.o., Mercer Sigorta Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Mercer South Africa (Pty) Limited, Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited, Mercer Switzerland Inc., Mercer System Services LLC, Mercer Technology Acquisitions Limited, Mercer Treuhand GmbH, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Mercer Trustees Limited, Mercer WorkforcePro LLC, Mercury Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Moola Systems Limited, Mountlodge Limited, Muir Beddal (Zimbabwe) Limited, NERA Australia Pty. Ltd., NERA Economic Consulting GmbH, NERA Economic Consulting Limited, NERA S.R.L., NERA SAS, NERA UK Limited, NERA do Brasil Ltda. (for dissolution), National Economic Research Associates Inc., NetComp Insurance Corp., Neuburger Noble Lowndes GmbH, Normandy Reinsurance Company Limited, Northern Alliance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), OWL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co.KG, OWL Marine Verwaltungs GmbH, Oliver Wyman (Bermuda) Limited, Oliver Wyman (Hong Kong) Limited, Oliver Wyman AB, Oliver Wyman AG, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc., Oliver Wyman B.V., Oliver Wyman Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Oliver Wyman Consultoria em Estrategia de Negocios Ltda., Oliver Wyman Energy Consulting Limited, Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC, Oliver Wyman Group KK, Oliver Wyman Inc., Oliver Wyman LLC, Oliver Wyman Limited, Oliver Wyman Limited Liability Company, Oliver Wyman Limited/Oliver Wyman limitee, Oliver Wyman Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pty. Ltd., Oliver Wyman S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman S.A.S., Oliver Wyman S.L., Oliver Wyman S.r.l., Oliver Wyman SNC, Oliver Wyman SPRL/BVBA, Oliver Wyman Sdn. Bhd., Oliver Wyman Services Limited, Oliver Wyman Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman sp. z o.o., Omega Indemnity (Bermuda) Limited, Organizacion Brockman y Schuh S.A. de C.V., Osbornes Insurances Oxford Limited (in liquidation), PFT Limited, PI Indemnity Company Designated Activity Company, PT JLT Reinsurance Brokers, PT Jardine Lloyd Thompson, PT Marsh Indonesia, PT Marsh Reinsurance Brokers Indonesia, PT Mercer Indonesia, PT Nexus Asia Pacific, PT Oliver Wyman Indonesia, PT Quantum Computing Services, PT Quantum Investments, PT Quantum Support Services, Pallas Marsh Servicos Ltda., Pavilion Alternatives Group (Singapore) PTE. Ltd, Pavilion Financial Corporation Holdings UK Limited, Pavilion U.S. Investments Holdco LLC, Pension Trustees Limited, Pensionsservice Benefit Network Sverige AB, Perils AG, Personal Pension Trustees Limited, Pet Animal Welfare Scheme Limited, Portsoken Trustees (No. 2) Limited, Portsoken Trustees Limited, Potomac Insurance Managers Inc., Premier Pension Trustees Limited, Premium Services Australia Pty Limited, Professional Claims Handling Limited (in liquidation), Profund Solutions Limited, Promerit AG, Promerit Hungary Kft, Promerit Schweiz AG, Pymetrics Inc., R G Ford Brokers Limited, R R B Beratungsgesellschaft fuer Altersversorgung mbh, R. Mees & Zoonen Holdings B.V., Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters LLC, Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters Limited, Resource Benefit Associates, Rightpath Reinsurance SPC Ltd., Risk Management Australia Pty Limited, Rivers Group Limited, Rockefeller Risk Advisors Inc., Rutherfoord International Inc., SAFCAR-Marsh, SBJ Holdings Limited, SCIB (Bermuda) Limited, SCM Global Real Estate Select GP LLC, SCM Infrastructure General Partner S.a r.l., SCM International Private Equity Select III GP LLC, SCM LT General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE II GP Ltd., SCM PE II Scotland GP Ltd, SCM Strategic Capital Management (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., SICAR Marsh S.a.r.l., SME Insurance Services Limited, Sail Insurance Company Limited, Scalene Re Ltd, Seabury & Smith Borrower LLC, Seabury & Smith LLC, Secure Limited, Sedgwick (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Consulting Group Limited, Sedgwick Dineen Group Limited, Sedgwick Financial Services Limited, Sedgwick Forbes Middle East Limited, Sedgwick Group, Sedgwick Group (Australia) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Group (Bermuda) Limited, Sedgwick Group (Zimbabwe) Limited, Sedgwick Group Limited, Sedgwick Internationaal B.V., Sedgwick Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes (UK) Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Group Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited, Sedgwick Overseas Investments Limited, Sedgwick Private Limited, Sedgwick Re Asia Pacific (Consultants) Pte Ltd (for dissolution), Sedgwick Trustees Limited, Sedgwick UK Risk Services Limited, Sedgwick Ulster Pension Trustees Limited, Settlement Trustees Limited, Shanghai Mercer Insurance Brokers Company Ltd., Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC, Sirota Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Sirota Consulting UK Limited, Smith Long Term Disability Management Group Inc., Societe d'Assurances et de Participation Guian SA, Software Underwriting Systems Limited (in liquidation), Southern Marine & Aviation Inc., Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc., Sudzucker Versicherungs-Vermittlungs GmbH, Sumitomo Life Insurance Agency America Inc., Sylvite Financial Services, TBX Solutions Limited, Talent Tech Labs LLC, The Benefit Express Holdings Limited, The Benefit Express Limited, The Carpenter Management Corporation, The Insurance Partnership Holdings Limited, The Insurance Partnership Services Limited, The Positive Ageing Company Limited, The Purple Partnership Limited, The Recovre Group Pty Ltd, Thomsons Online Benefits (HK) Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits Inc., Thomsons Online Benefits Limited, Thomsons Online Benefits Pte Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits S.R.L, Torrent Government Contracting Services LLC, Torrent Insurance Services LLC, Torrent Technologies, Torrent Technologies Inc., Tower Hill Limited, Tower Place Developments (West) Limited, Tower Place Developments Limited, U.T.E. AMG, U.T.E. Marsh - Caja Castilla La Mancha Junta de Comunidades, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus (in liquidation), U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus 2012, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Vila-Seca 2010, UAD BB Marsh Lietuva, Vezina & Associes Inc., Vezina Assurances Inc., Victor Insurance Europe B.V., Victor Insurance Holdings Inc., Victor Insurance Italia S.r.l., Victor Insurance Managers Inc., Victor Insurance Managers Inc./Gestionnaires d'assurance Victor inc., Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd., Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Limited, Victoria Hall Company Limited, Wellnz Limited, William M. Mercer (Canada) Limited/William M. Mercer (Canada) Limitee, William M. Mercer AB, William M. Mercer Comercio Consultoria e Servicos Ltda., Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, everBe SAS, and realright GmbH.
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The following companies are subsidiares of Clean Harbors: Ace/Allwaste Environmental Services of Indiana LLC, Altair Disposal Services LLC, Aquilex Finance LLC, Aquilex Intermediate Corporate Holdings LLC, Aquilex Intermediate Holdings LLC, Aquilex LLC, Baton Rouge Disposal LLC, Bridgeport Disposal LLC, CARBER Holdings Inc., CB Canada Acquisition Inc., CB Canada Holdings Inc., CB US Holdings Inc., CH International Holdings LLC, Car-Ber Investments Inc., Clean Harbors Andover LLC, Clean Harbors Aragonite LLC, Clean Harbors Arizona LLC, Clean Harbors BDT LLC, Clean Harbors Baton Rouge LLC, Clean Harbors Buttonwillow LLC, Clean Harbors Canada Inc., Clean Harbors Caribe Inc., Clean Harbors Chattanooga LLC, Clean Harbors Clive LLC, Clean Harbors Coffeyville LLC, Clean Harbors Colfax LLC, Clean Harbors Deer Park LLC, Clean Harbors Deer Trail LLC, Clean Harbors Development LLC, Clean Harbors Disposal Services Inc., Clean Harbors El Dorado LLC, Clean Harbors Energy Services ULC, Clean Harbors Energy and Industrial Services Corp., Clean Harbors Energy and Industrial Services LP, Clean Harbors Energy and Industrial Western Ltd., Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc., Clean Harbors Exploration Services Inc., Clean Harbors Exploration Services LP, Clean Harbors Exploration Services ULC, Clean Harbors Florida LLC, Clean Harbors Grassy Mountain LLC, Clean Harbors India LLP, Clean Harbors Industrial Services Canada Inc., Clean Harbors Industrial Services Inc., Clean Harbors Innu Environmental Services Inc., Clean Harbors Kansas LLC, Clean Harbors Kingston Facility Corporation, Clean Harbors LaPorte LLC, Clean Harbors Laurel LLC, Clean Harbors Lodging Services LP, Clean Harbors Lodging Services ULC, Clean Harbors Lone Mountain LLC, Clean Harbors Mercier Inc., Clean Harbors Pecatonica LLC, Clean Harbors Production Services ULC, Clean Harbors Quebec Inc., Clean Harbors Recycling Services of Chicago LLC, Clean Harbors Recycling Services of Ohio LLC, Clean Harbors Reidsville LLC, Clean Harbors San Jose LLC, Clean Harbors San Leon Inc., Clean Harbors Services Inc., Clean Harbors Surface Rentals Partnership, Clean Harbors Surface Rentals ULC, Clean Harbors Surface Rentals USA Inc., Clean Harbors Tennessee LLC, Clean Harbors Westmorland LLC, Clean Harbors White Castle LLC, Clean Harbors Wichita LLC, Clean Harbors Wilmington LLC, Clean Harbors of Baltimore Inc. (DE Corp.), Clean Harbors of Braintree Inc., Clean Harbors of Connecticut Inc. (DE), Confined Space Services L.L.C., Cousins Waste Control LLC, Crowley Disposal LLC, Cyn Oil Corporation, Debusk Industrial Services Company LLC, Disposal Properties LLC, Emerald Services Inc., EnviroSORT Inc., EnviroSORT Inc., Eveready, Evergreen Holdings, GSX Disposal LLC, Global Vapor Control Inc., Green View Technologies Inc., HPC PetroServ Inc., Hilliard Disposal LLC, HydroChem Canada ULC, HydroChem Industrial Cleaning LLC, HydroChem LLC, HydroChemPSC, IISG Central Region LLC, IISG Gulf Coast LLC, IISG Real Estate LLC, Industrial Service Oil Company Inc., Inland Industrial Services Group LLC, Inland Waters Pollution Control Services LLC, Inland Waters of Ohio LLC, Jesco Industrial Service LLC, LJ Energy Services Holdings LLC, LJ Energy Services Intermediate Holding Corp., Lonestar Sylvan Inc., Lonestar Vacuum Inc., Lonestar West, Lonestar West Enterprises LLC, Lonestar West Inc., Lonestar West Services LLC, Murphy's Waste Oil Service Inc., Northeast Casualty Insurance Company, Omnichem LLC, PMS Industrial Services LLC, PSC Industrial Holdings Corp., PSC Industrial Inc., PSC Industrial Outsourcing LP, PSC Industrial Outsourcing of Michigan LLC, PSC LDAR Services LLC, Peak Energy Services, Philip Services/North Central LLC, Plaquemine Remediation Services LLC, Power Vac Construction L.L.C., RMF Aquilex Corp., Roebuck Disposal LLC, Romic Environmental Technologies, Rosemead Oil Products Inc., SK D'Incineration Inc., Safety-Kleen, Safety-Kleen Canada Inc., Safety-Kleen Envirosystems Company, Safety-Kleen Envirosystems Company of Puerto Rico Inc., Safety-Kleen Inc., Safety-Kleen International Inc., Safety-Kleen Systems Inc., Safety-Kleen of California Inc., Sawyer Disposal Services LLC, Seaport Environmental LLC, Service Chemical LLC, Speed Industrial Corporate LLC, Speed Industrial Service Catalyst LLC, Speed Industrial Service LLC, Speed Industrial Service of Beaumont LLC, Speed Industrial Services of Lake Charles LLC, Speed Industrial Services of Louisiana LLC, Speed Industrial Services of Texas LLC, Spring Grove Resource Recovery Inc., The Solvents Recovery Service of New Jersey Inc., Thermo Fluids, Thermo Fluids Inc., Tri-vax Enterprises Ltd., Tulsa Disposal LLC, Universal Environmental, Veolia North Americas U.S. Industrial Cleaning Services Division, Versant Energy Services Inc., Versant Energy Services LP, and Vulsay Industries Ltd..
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Ecopetrol S.A. operates as an integrated energy company. The company operates through four segments: Exploration and Production; Transport and Logistics; Refining, Petrochemical and Biofuels; and Electric Power Transmission and Toll Roads Concessions. It engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas; transportation of crude oil, motor fuels, fuel oil, and other refined products, including diesel, jet, and biofuels; processing and refining crude oil; distribution of natural gas and LPG; sale of refined and petrochemical products; supplying of electric power transmission services; design, development, construction, operation, and maintenance of road and energy infrastructure projects; and supplying of information technology and telecommunications services. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 9,127 kilometers of crude oil and multi-purpose pipelines. It also produces and commercializes polypropylene resins and compounds, and masterbatches; and offers industrial service sales to customers and specialized management services. It has operations in Colombia, the United States, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and internationally. The company was formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petroleos and changed its name to Ecopetrol S.A. in June 2003. Ecopetrol S.A. was incorporated in 1948 and is based in Bogota, Colombia.
Two Napa Valley bicycle shops, Bicycle Works in Napa and St. Helena Cyclery, were named to the 2017 National Bicycle Dealers Association list of Americas Best Bike Shops.
According to a NBDA news release, the designation recognizes retailers who offer great shopping experiences and expert staff and who are highly rated on dedication to their communities and support for bicycle advocacy locally and nationally.
There are approximately 4,000 bike shops in the United States and only 165 of those were honored. Twenty of the shops are in California.
This is the fourth year Napas Bicycle Works has named to the list; it is the first time St. Helena Cyclery has made the list.
Bob Hillhouse, Bicycle Works owner, said, Over the past 38 years, we have established an outstanding reputation by offering an honest, knowledgeable, no pressure approach to a sport we all love and participate in. Bicycle Works is at 3335 Solano Ave.
Jake Scheideman has owned St. Helena Cyclery for 26 years and last year opened a new shop, Napa Valley Velo, in Napa.
He said, This is the first time we have applied and therefore the first time we have been awarded. Over 500 stores apply for this honor and it involves quite a bit of information gathering and critique of our store, including a secret shopper, who comes into our store and critiques our service and store in a 40-point analysis. It includes appearance, selection, cleanliness, prices, and quality of staff and customer service.
He added, The bottom line is that many stores dont make the cut even though it takes a lot of time and effort to apply.
Todd Grand, NBDA president, said, With the program now in its fifth year, retailers responded well to our new question format and we spurred the quantity and quality of applications that we had hoped. Retailers clearly spent more time and effort in the application process, taking full advantage of the introspection that it takes to look at your business through an unbiased lens and communicate what makes your business unique among all others.
Scheideman said, Im very proud of our staff, who continue to serve St. Helena with great attitude, friendly service, and professionalism, for 26 years now.
Rob Nelson, St. Helena Cyclery store manager, said the award is really an award for his team, which includes Justin Gresh and Julian Lord, who have a special mix of mechanical and sales ability. As a bike mechanic, youre responsible for knowing an amazingly wide breadth of stuff.
And, beyond that, Gresh and Lord have the ability to talk to people. They have the patience to break away from a mechanical issue and sell a cruiser bike to a customer who hasnt been on a bike in 10 years.
Nelson credits Scheideman with putting in standard processes and procedures that are fulfilled no matter who is working at the shop.
Like any retail business, theres a certain amount of turnover, Nelson said. When we bring new people in, its important they fill the same shoes these guys fill and are able to do it in the same way. Jake has been a longtime advocate of the idea that theres a certain way we do things at St. Helena Cyclery, that may not be the way youve done it at other shops.
He added, This is more a team award than anything else. The people who work here are our biggest asset. These guys are committed to staying on top of whats new, being nice to people and following through on everything they do. Thats what makes this a good shop.
Lord has been at the shop for two years; Gresh has worked at St. Helena Cyclery for the past 18 months and in January, Nelson will mark his two-year anniversary.
St. Helena Cyclery is at 1156 Main St. in St. Helena.
CA, Inc., doing business as CA technologies, develops, markets, delivers, and licenses software products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Mainframe Solutions, Enterprise Solutions, and Services. The Mainframe Solutions segment offers solutions for the IBM z Systems platform, which runs various mission critical business applications. Its mainframe solutions enable customers enhance economics by increasing throughput and lowering cost per transaction; increasing business agility through DevOps tooling and processes; increasing reliability and availability of operations through machine intelligence and automation solutions; and protecting enterprise data with security and compliance. The Enterprise Solutions segment provides a range of software planning, development, and management tools for mobile, cloud, and distributed computing environments. It primarily provides customers secure application development, infrastructure management, automation, and identity-centric security solutions. The Services segment offers various services, such as consulting, implementation, application management, education, and support services to commercial and government customers for implementation and adoption of its software solutions. The company serves banks, insurance companies, other financial services providers, government agencies, information technology service providers, telecommunication providers, transportation companies, manufacturers, technology companies, retailers, educational organizations, and health care institutions. It sells its products through direct sales force, as well as through various partner channels comprising resellers, service providers, system integrators, managed service providers, and technology partners. The company was formerly known as Computer Associates International, Inc. and changed its name to CA, Inc. in 2006. CA, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
I can honestly say, this man is an exceptional human being. He is kind, patient and will go beyond what is expected to help others. It is an opinion shared by many, from all walks of life, who have had the good fortunate to know him.
The U.S. Embassy in Havana on Sept. 29. The State Department announced it is pulling all non-emergency workers from Cuba following mysterious attacks on its diplomats.
Most US Diplomatic Staff Pulled Out of Cuba After Mysterious Attacks
The U.S. State Department announced that it is pulling all non-emergency personnel out of Cuba in response to 22 of its staff having been mysteriously injured.
The embassy employees had suffered a variety of injuries from attacks of an unknown nature over the past few months.
The affected individuals have exhibited a range of physical symptoms, including ear complaints, hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping, the State Department said in a statement on Sept. 29.
In response, all non-emergency personnel, as well as all family members, have been told to leave Cuba for their own safety.
Our Embassy will be reduced to emergency personnel in order to minimize the number of diplomats at risk of exposure to harm, the State Department said.
Routine visa operations have been suspended indefinitely.
The State Department also issued a travel warning to American citizens. It said that the attacks on U.S. diplomats are known to have occurred in U.S. diplomatic residences and hotels frequented by U.S. citizens.
Cuban communist dictator Fidel Castro (L) speaks with brother Raul in Havana on Aug. 3, 2001. (Jorge Rey/Getty Images)
The State Department is currently investigating the source of the attacks.
Several days later, on Oct. 3, the State Department announced it had ordered the expulsion of 15 Cuban diplomats from the United States, due to Cubas failure to take appropriate steps to protect American personnel in Cuba. The diplomats were given seven days to leave the country.
In August, several media reports suggested that the attacks had started in late 2016 and were conducted with sonic weapons.
My first reaction was that its similar to what the Soviets were doing to our diplomats in the early-to-mid 1980s, Rick Fisher, senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, told The Epoch Times in August.
Fisher noted that in the 1980s, the Soviets were using microwave weapons to target diplomats. He speculated the Soviets might have shared data or even the weapons technology with the Cubans.
A senior State Department official, responding to a question on a conference call with reporters about whether Russia was involved in the attack, said, We have not ruled out the possibility of a third country as a part of the investigation.
The official said that the attacks had not stopped since they were exposed in August.
These are health attacks, and they are affecting the health and safety and well-being of our staff, the official said.
President Donald Trump has been a strong critic of Cubas communist regime.
My administration recently announced that we will not lift sanctions on the Cuban government until it makes fundamental reforms, Trump said in his speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 19.
The United States has stood against the corrupt and destabilizing regime in Cuba and embraced the enduring dream of the Cuban people to live in freedom, he said.
The president has also been a strong critic of the communist and socialist ideologies of North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure, he said in his UN speech.
Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems.
Timing
The timing of the attacks is important, Fisher said. They began in late 2016, at a time when former President Barack Obama was easing U.S. trade restrictions on Cuba and ending the wet foot, dry foot policy that formerly granted legal permanent residence after one year to Cubans who set foot on the United States.
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuban communist dictator Raul Castro at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 29, 2015. (Anthony Behar-Pool/Getty Images)
Fisher noted that while these actions would normally be interpreted as positive for diplomatic relations between two countries, history has shown this is not the case when dealing with Marxist-Leninist regimes like Cuba.
This is typical of Marxist authoritarian regimes, he said. Usually when the U.S. reaches out its hands in friendship without any expectation for in-kind reciprocation, we get our hand bitten.
They dont want peace with the United States. Peace with the United States helps relax their own dictatorial control of their own society, he said.
Based on this background, he said, it would make sense that a communist regime would view otherwise friendly gestures as a gesture of hostility, and react by attacking American diplomats.
Thats how a Leninist would respond to American peaceful entreaties. And at a minimum, Cuba is controlled by Leninists, he said.
Such regimesincluding the North Korean communists and the Chinese Communist Partyare all engaged in significant anti-American activities, Fisher said. Such activities may involve developing nuclear or conventional weapons or raising tough political challenges. The Cubans may have decided to join with the approach of other communist regimes, and also be antagonistic toward the United States.
Joshua Philipp contributed to this report.
North Koreans watch a statement by dictator Kim Jong Un on a television screen outside of the railway station in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 22, 2017. (ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)
North Korea Admits Sanctions Are Having an Impact
Just weeks after the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, the regime admitted that the restrictions were having an impact.
The new sanctions were passed on Sept. 11 in response to a sixth underground nuclear test by North Korea. They ban all natural gas sales to the North, limit the amount of oil that can be sold to the country, and ban its exports of textile products.
President Donald Trump, who pushed for the sanctions, originally had wanted a complete halt to the sale of oil, but received pushback from Russia and China.
North Koreas state media said on Sept. 29 that the sanctions are causing a colossal amount of damage. The media also threatened the United States with extinction.
It is a rare admission by the North Korean regimewhich frequently prides itself, in its propaganda, on being a model socialist nation that is indispensable to the worldof the effects of sanctions.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said while visiting China that new sanctions imposed on North Korea are starting to have an effect.
The Chinese are also telling us that its having an effect, and they have a pretty close-up view of it, Tillerson said during a joint press conference with U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad on Sept. 30.
Dictator Kim Jong Un has relentlessly pursued the development of nuclear weapons. The program was initially started by his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, and further advanced by his father, Kim Jong Il.
North Korean state media reported last month that its state nuclear program is nearing completion.
The regime has a history of continuing its expensive nuclear program despite the great suffering experienced by its people. At least 1 million people have died from starvation and disease in North Korea over the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Women work at the assembly line of a South Korean textile factory in Kaeson, North Korea, on May 22, 2007. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
A former guard at one of North Koreas prison camps said in a witness testimony released by the U.S. State Department on Aug. 25 that many of those imprisoned are like walking skeletons, dwarfs, and cripples in rags.
The regime spends up to 24 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on military expenditures, according to the most recent numbers from the State Department.
By comparison, NATO members have a target of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense each year, with most members falling short of that. The United States spent 3.6 percent of its GDP last year on defense.
While visiting China on Sept. 30, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States has up to three direct lines of communication with North Korea at the moment.
We can talk to them. We do talk to them, Tillerson said.
Trump said on Twitter on Oct. 1 in response to Tillersons comments that hed told him he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man, referring to Kim Jong Un. Save your energy Rex, well do what has to be done! Trump wrote.
I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) also dismissed the idea that talks with North Korea would result in an end to its nuclear program.
[Tillersons] working against the unified view of our intelligence agencies, which say theres no amount of pressure that can be put on them to stop, Corker said.
Kim sees nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles as his ticket to survival, Corker said.
Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly last month, Trump said that while the United States has great strength and patience, it would have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea if it is forced to defend itself or its allies.
Americas highest-ranking military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr., said that it should be assumed that North Korea has the ability to strike the United States with a nuclear-armed missile.
Frankly, I think we should assume today that North Korea has that capability and has the will to use that capability, Dunford said before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Sept. 26.
China
Under pressure from Trump, China has agreed to impose stricter sanctions on North Korea. On Sept. 28, China gave North Korean companies 120 days to close down.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing on Sept. 30, 2017. (ANDY WONG/AFP/Getty Images)
Chinas Central Bank also instructed other Chinese banks to no longer provide funding to North Korea.
Chinas recent moves have been praised by Trump, who has described Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a friend.
Communist China is a vital lifeline to North Korea, which relies on it for trade and funding. China has been instrumental in the development of North Koreas nuclear program.
However, under Xis rule, things are appearing to change. Close relations with the North mainly had been cultivated by former Chinese communist dictator Jiang Zemin. While Xi is officially in power, Jiang still controls parts of the regime through his loyalists, limiting Xis ability to implement reform.
National Treasury has been captured by Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, with staff purges, a parallel administration, and reckless projects, according to a City Press report.
The report cited senior Treasury employees who are accusing Gigaba of usurping the power of his director general.
Gigaba was appointed as finance minister on 30 March after former minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas were axed.
This change led to the downgrade of SAs sovereign credit ratings to sub-investment grade by Standard & Poor and Fitch.
One of the biggest concerns is Gigabas ties to the controversial Gupta family, who he admitted he has visited and celebrated Diwali with.
Gigaba said he has no relationship with the Gupta family, however, and they have no influence on the decisions he takes.
Captured
The City Press reported that Gigaba has captured Treasury, with senior officials stating he is steering it in a different direction to his predecessors.
The allegations from the officials and top bureaucrats include:
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EFF Deeplinks Blog
For most of the lifetime of Kodi since its release as XMBC in 2002, it was an obscure piece of free software that geeks used to manage their home media collections. But in the past few years, the sale of pre-configured Kodi boxes, and the availability of a range of plugins providing access to streaming media, has seen the softwares popularity balloonand made it the latest target of Hollywoods copyright enforcement juggernaut.
Weve seen this in the appearance of streaming media boxes as an enforcement priority in the U.S. Trade Representatives Special 301 Report, in proposals for new legislationtargeting the sale of illicit media boxes, and in lawsuits that have been brought on both sides of the Atlantic to address the problem that media boxes running Kodi, like any Web browser, can be used to access media streams that were not authorized by the copyright holder. Weve also seen it in the big TV networks vehement, sometimes disingenuous opposition to the U.S. law and regulations that mandate effective competition in the cable set-top box market.
The difficulty facing the titans of TV is that since neither those who sell Kodi boxes, nor those who write or host add-ons for the software, are engaging in any unauthorized copying by doing so, cases targeting these parties have to rely on other legal theories. So far several legal theories have been used; one in Europe against sellers of Kodi boxes, one in Canada against the owner of the popular Kodi add-on repository TVAddons, and two in the United States against TVAddons and a plugin developer.
European Filmspeler Case
In Europe, the case Stichting Brein v Jack Frederik Wullems (Filmspeler) was brought against a seller of Kodi boxes that came pre-installed with third-party plugins that were configured to access copyright-infringing streams. Although the seller was not engaged in any unauthorized reproduction of copyright works himself, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in April this year that because the boxes were configured with plugins that linked to copyright-infringing content, the defendant was infringing the copyright holders exclusive power to control communication to the public of a copyright work.
The finding that the seller had engaged in a communication to the public is, to be charitable, a stretch; especially because recital 27 of Europes Copyright Directive states that the mere provision of physical facilities for enabling or making a communication does not in itself amount to a communication.
As best as we can explain it, the court reasoned that the provision of the pre-configured Kodi boxes was, in practical terms, a necessary step enabling end users to access the copyright-infringing steams, since these streams were not readily accessible other then by use of Kodi configured with a plugin to access them. The judgment built upon an earlier bad decision that outlawed merely hyperlinking to copyright-infringing content if the party who posted the link knew that the content was infringing; and that they would be presumed to have such knowledge if the hyperlink was posted for financial gain.
Canadian TVAddons Case
The second legal theory that has been used against the Kodi community is that helping people get add-ons that can infringe copyright amounts to an inducement or authorization of users copyright infringements. This claim has been used to bring complaints and threats against add-on developers, resulting in several of them shutting down, and also forms the basis of a lawsuit against the host of a repository of such add-ons, TVAddons, brought by Canadian telecommunications companies Bell, Videotron, Rogers and TVA.
The lawsuit caused controversy recently when in a shocking abuse of legal process, the plaintiffs executed an Anton Piller order (a form of injunction somewhat like a private search warrant) to raid the home of the TVAddons site administrator, where during a terrifying sixteen hour ordeal he was interrogated by company representatives who threatened to prosecute him. They later seized his personal computer, domain names and social media accounts. A Canadian court subsequently vacated the injunction, ruling that the TV networks true purpose was to destroy the livelihood of the Defendant, deny him the [] resources to finance a defense, and to engage in discovery without procedural safeguards. However, the networks appealed, the lawsuit continues, and TVAddons has not recovered its domain names and equipment (it has continued operation at a new domain name).
It is undisputed that the vast majority of the Kodi add-ons hosted at TVAddons at the time of the seizure were not infringing. Although some add-ons facilitate the users access to copyright-infringing streams, there is a strong case that no wrong has been committed by TVAddons for merely hosting them online for download. Canadian law, like American law, provides web hosts with a safe harbor making them exempt from liability when they act strictly as intermediaries in communication, caching and hosting activities.
The lawsuit against TVAddons seeks to skirt that important protection by arguing that by merely hosting, distributing and promoting Kodi add-ons, the TVAddons administrator is liable for inducing or authorizing copyright infringements later committed using those add-ons. This argument, were it to succeed, would create new uncertainty and risk for distributors of any software that could be used to engage in copyright infringement.
American Lawsuit Against ZemTV and TVAddons
In a counterpart to the Canadian case, Dish Network has sued the developer of an add-on called ZemTV for direct infringement of the streaming media sources that can be accessed through that plugin, and TVAddons for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement, seeking awards of statutory damages against both. In this respect, American laws differs somewhat from Canadian law. This week, Dish amended its complaint to name the individuals it alleges to be the operators of ZemTV and TVAddons. While ZemTVs operators could be liable for infringement if they actually retransmitted broadcast TV channels without permission, the lawsuits claims against TVAddons are weak. While the complaint claims that TVAddonss operator had actual or constructive knowledge of [] infringing activity, and that he intentionally induced ZemTV users to display the programs, the complaint doesnt say what, if anything, TVAddons did besides providing access to the ZemTV plugin amongst hundreds of other Kodi plugins. That doesnt add up to contributory infringement (or inducement).
Dishs attempt to plead vicarious infringement seems to be lacking, as well. Vicarious copyright liability requires that the defendant have the right and ability to supervise the conduct of the direct infringer, and benefit financially. Dish claims only that the TVAddons site made ZemTV available for download. Thats not enough to show an ability to supervise.
Despite the weakness of its claims, Dish, like the Canadian broadcasters, has ample resources to throw into litigation. Hopefully, TVAddons will have its day in court.
Conclusion
These lawsuits by big TV incumbents seem to have a few goals: to expand the scope of secondary copyright infringement yet again, to force major Kodi add-on distributors off of the Internet, and to smear and discourage open source, freely configurable media players by focusing on the few bad actors in that ecosystem. The courts should reject these expansions of copyright liability, and TV networks should not target neutral platforms and technologies for abusive lawsuits.
EFF
Now read: FPB reveals new fees for Netflix and app stores
Steve Jobs' sandals sold for more than $200,000
Armenian PM accuses Azerbaijani leader of terrorizing Armenian civilians
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
Airbus CEO: There is no question of them breaking off trade ties
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
Xi Jinping hopes for comprehensive dialogue between NATO, the EU and the US and Russia
Japan proposes to deploy Australian nuclear submarines
Biden calls talks with Xi Jinping at G20 summit frank
WB: Debt levels among low- and middle-income countries soared in 2021
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
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
Red Wings airline launches direct flights from Makhachkala to Yerevan
Olaf Scholz: EU should expand its cooperation with Southeast Asian countries
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
IRGC resumes strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan
French and German central bank heads call for speeding up EU capital markets union
Control of U.S. House of Representatives depends on several tight races
Artsakh FM speaks with his Transnistria counterpart
Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus say they cannot accept migrants
Cavusoglu thanks Mirzoyan for condolences on terrorist attack in Istanbul
Xi Jinping and Joe Biden begin first face-to-face meeting in Bali
Zelenskyy arrives in Kherson
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
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
Azerbaijani Defense Minister holds talks in Georgia
Armenian MOD denies another lie of Azerbaijani MOD
Germany warns its delegation about Egyptian spies at COP27
NSS of Armenia reveals channel of illegal migration
Azerbaijani State Security Service announces disclosure of 'Iranian spy network'
Politico: Indonesia, hosting G20, lobbies West to soften criticism of Russia in final communique
Ararat Mirzoyan expresses condolences to Mevlut Cavusoglu over Istanbul explosion
Iranian lawmakers sharply criticize Aliyev
Ambassador-at-Large: Azerbaijan's attacks on Armenia are a terrorist attack
Germany needs to diversify its business interests in Asia to reduce dependence on China
Head of U.S. Treasury Department says sanctions against Russia should remain in force even after war in Ukraine
Natasa Pirc Musar to become Slovenia's first woman president
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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Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin calls for Turkey to be recognized as sponsor of terrorism
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Sundays referendum on Catalonias independence from Spain is being held in an extremely tense atmosphere.
Datev Sulian, Chairperson of the Armenian Cultural Association of Barcelona, told about the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.
The Catalans wish to build their own state in accordance with the right of peoples to self-determination, in a democratic way, she added in particular.
Also, Sulian expressed confidence that the results of this referendum will undoubtedly be for independence.
We, as Armenians living in Catalonia, share and express our solidarity with the Catalans, and in general, with the nations that are struggling for choosing their future based on the principle of free self-determination of nations, she noted, specifically.
And when asked whether a successful end to Catalonias fight for independence may impact also the right to self-determination when it comes to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict, Datev Sulian responded as follows, in particular: Catalonia shows a positive approach toward Artsakhs right to self-determination, and acknowledges that the struggle of Artsakh Armenians will serve as an example also to the Catalans who believe in that struggle.
Leklebi Fiape (Ghana) (AFP) - Like many people around the world, 80-year-old Kofi Afadi can't start his morning without a cup of coffee.
"Every morning when I take coffee I feel happy and go about my day," the farmer told AFP in his village in the green hills between Lake Volta in Ghana and the border with Togo.
"When there is no coffee it seems I am the most miserable person around here," he said.
In common with many of his fellow coffee farmers, Afadi, whose dark hair and moustache are speckled white, also grows cocoa -- Ghana's biggest crop.
The country is the second largest cocoa exporter in the world behind neighbouring Ivory Coast.
Production of coffee, which was introduced to Ghana at the same time in the 18th century, trails in comparison.
But it has rebounded in recent years, thanks to a growing overseas demand and a blossoming domestic market that is giving farmers hope of growing a major cash crop.
- Cafe culture -
A collapse in the price of coffee in the 1980s caused many Ghanaian farmers to abandon the crop, according to Michael Owusu-Manu, a researcher at Ghana's Cocoa Board.
But a government scheme launched in 2011 to revive the sector has transformed production and marketing of Ghanaian coffee.
It led to 2,400 hectares (5,930 acres) of new and revitalised coffee plantations, with farmers attracted by the introduction of fair prices for the crop.
Owusu-Manu said the impact of the scheme is easy to overlook because much of Ghana's coffee is sold in West Africa and does not appear in official export statistics.
The beans that stay in Ghana are sold to local roasters, who must compete in a market where most coffee is imported.
Owusu-Manu now wants to connect local cafes popping up in Accra with local sellers.
Afadi hopes government support and a planned coffee farmers' association will help them to wean locals off imports and establish Ghanaian beans in the home market.
- Rising global demand -
Story continues
Ghanaian coffee is a matter of heritage and personal pride for the country's farmers.
Afadi's coffee farm in Leklebi Fiape, some 200 kilometres (130 miles) northeast of the coastal capital, Accra, is on the same plot where his father grew coffee in the 1920s.
As a child, he remembers watching his father roast and grind his own beans, transforming them into a rich black brew -- just like the ones he enjoys every day.
He is disdainful of the jars and single-serving sachets of instant coffee granules found on sale in supermarkets and shops.
"It doesn't taste like coffee," he says firmly.
For now he gets his coffee from neighbouring farms, including the one run by nursery manager George Klu.
But Afadi is in the process of planting 900 seedlings that the government gave him for free.
He expects to harvest his first crop in four years' time when he hopes global demand will only be higher.
The International Coffee Organization reports that global annual coffee consumption has grown an average of 1.3 percent every year since 2012.
- High quality -
Klu, 60, has two coffee farms and runs the nursery that produces the coffee seedlings for the government programme.
He also hopes that coffee will be a silver bullet to Ghana's burgeoning youth unemployment
"Our youth are trying to be reluctant about farming," he said, cutting back weeds with a machete.
"But I may say it is just not wise for them to do so because farming is a lucrative business."
Local coffee retailers such as Kawa Mako may be part of the solution to boosting the local market.
The small coffee shop he runs was set up with local farmers in mind and proudly makes lattes, espressos, and Americanos with beans from Volta Region farms.
Manager Prince Twumasi Asare said he has seen coffee consumption grow across Ghana, especially as international chains such as South Africa's Vida e Caffe and Canada's Second Cup have set up shop in Accra.
"We want to export, to put our products in shops and malls across the country. We want people to know that coffee from Africa, from Ghana, is a high quality," said Asare.
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has announced that she'll be running for Senate next year, challenging Sen. Jeff Flake, who may be the second-most-vulnerable Republican incumbent up for reelection (after Nevada's Dean Heller). Sinema is by some measures the most conservative Democrat in the House, so you might expect liberal Democrats to denounce her and rally around a more liberal candidate.
But that doesn't appear to be happening. Instead, her entry into the race seems to have been greeted with pleasure - which tells us something interesting about the Democratic Party right now, particularly in contrast to its opponents.
It's not that liberal Democrats don't want the most liberal candidate possible in every race, all else being equal. It's that they seem to have a nuanced view of what "all else being equal" means. In a state like Arizona - relatively conservative but getting more purple all the time - a candidate like Sinema might have the best chance to pick up a precious seat. Democrats seem to realize that it's not necessary to make every race an ideological fight to the death within their party.
The contrast with the GOP - which just had a remarkable primary runoff in Alabama, in which the president and the Senate majority leader endorsed a candidate who was vilified by the president's former chief political adviser for not being a true enough embodiment of the president's vision - couldn't be more striking. Just what is making these Democrats so darn pragmatic?
The biggest reason may be that the market for ideological warfare within the Democratic Party just isn't as robust as it is within the Republican Party. And boy, is it ever robust in the GOP. That's what Stephen Bannon has recognized, which is why in the wake of Roy Moore's victory in Alabama he's now planning to promote primaries against other Republican incumbents. On a personal level, it's obvious that Bannon is most comfortable when he's waging a guerrilla war against the powers that be, whether it's in his party or the other party. And there are lots of Republican base voters who feel the same way. They may have particular grievances against the Republican "establishment," but mostly they just like fighting the establishment. The fight itself - a noble rebellion of idealists against hidebound fat cats who have become too comfortable to stand up for what's right - is the whole point.
Are there Democrats who have the same perspective? Yes, there are. Many of them associated themselves with Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign. But relative to the Republicans, their numbers are much smaller. And at the moment, they seem to be happy to have arguments about substance and tactics - such as what sort of health-care system Democrats should want and how they should advocate for it - in a context more geared to the 2020 presidential election than to House and Senate races in 2018.
That could change between now and next November. But it appears that Democrats are looking at congressional races through a much more pragmatic lens. Another reason is that, unlike Republicans, they actually take governing seriously. If the past decade or so - both the experience Democrats had when they controlled Congress under Barack Obama and what Republicans are going through now - has taught them anything, it's that legislating is hard. Not only do you need to have put in the work to prepare the policies you want to advance; you also need a coalition of members that can be managed and focused to get things accomplished. Promoting internal wars might feel good in the moment, but it can make the the point of the whole exercise - changing laws and solving problems - much more difficult down the road.
That doesn't mean that liberal Democrats are going to eschew strongly liberal candidates and flock to centrists. But it may mean that at certain times, they'll decide to put aside ideological fights for another day. They may look at a race like Arizona and say, "okay, so Sinema is never going to be my favorite senator. But if she's the strongest Democratic candidate in this particular election in this particular state, I'm not going to try to turn the primary into an ideological bloodbath." With 2018 presenting the possibility of a genuine wave election that gives Democrats the House and maybe even the Senate, the stakes of every race become incredibly high.
If it holds, that pragmatic outlook could also be explained by the fact that there's going to be a much better time for that ideological bloodbath: the 2020 presidential primaries. There could be dozens of candidates of a variety of ideological stripes running for president, and the debate will be broad and encompassing, about the damage of the Trump years, the future of the Democratic Party and fundamental questions about where America is and where it should go. It's a lot easier to get worked up about that than about the often-parochial discussions that can dominate a House or even a Senate race.
There's one more factor at work: Not only are the substantive differences among Democrats actually pretty minor, but also the party has been moving left recently in ways that tend to defuse whatever anger the base might feel. Single-payer health care is on its way to becoming a consensus position among Democrats, to take just one example. It takes some effort to vilify candidates who have come around to your position on issue after issue.
I should note that if you're active on social media, you probably think I'm playing down the intensity of the intramural arguments among Democrats. But it's good to remind yourself now and then that Twitter is not America. There will certainly be raging fights in some quarters about this or that 2018 candidate, and there's nothing wrong with that. But when you pull out and look at the broader picture, the Democrats seem polite, cooperative and reasonable in their internal debates - particularly when you contrast them with the Republicans.
fuck this guy. seriously.
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he'll be back in soon enough
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Despite the change in attitude about Simpson, both Goldmans Kim especially have been harassed and abused, online and offline.
I get called all sorts of names antisemitic, racist, sexual things. I ignore most of it, Kim says.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/24/ron-goldman-pursuit-oj-simpson
I hate people I hate people
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...wait, what? Kim gets called anti-Semitic things?
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I think those people are taking "goldman" as evidence of jewish heritage.
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The Goldmans are Jewish.
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Taking bets: how long til he's back in?
I say 1.5 years? Who else?
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He won't go back if he lives quietly with his monthly 25K pension check.
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Dude still got that money? Oh god, that sure as hell will end well omg
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I feel like he'll have a DUI in the next six months
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I doubt it. He'll be on Dancing with the Stars in the next few years.
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he won't go back in.
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I'm hoping it's sooner. The guys at my work think he won't be back in, but all the women are like convinced with his temper and entitlement he's bound to do something to get into trouble/back into the spotlight.
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ugh
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I read his book "If I did it" that was then changed to "He Did It" it was really interesting...scum
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They didn't actually change the title to that, it's just the Goldman family got the rights to the book and made the word "if" really small on the cover and then added the subtitle "Confessions of the Killer".
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I love that they changed it and then still published it and donated proceeds. He must have been so pissed lol
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They are such badasses.
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I'm actually surprised he was granted parole considered his murder acquittal. I know the latter should have no bearing on the former but I definitely didn't think he'd get out.
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So am I. I watched the hearing and he's still got that same smug attitude.
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All the happy comments in the shade room and the ones mocking Khloe saying he's her dad are sooooo damn disgusting.
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I thought he be out tomorrow (Monday)? anyways JFC, I can't believe he's out. Not just the fact it's depressing to see that but it's also frustrating to see how fucked up dis system is. America, get yo shit together. Like, staaahhp
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They moved it up to avoid a media shitshow.
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my thoughts are with the browns and goldmans
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OMG it took me a moment to notice the black guy throwing his head back in that gif!!!
OJ had everyone shook gawd dam!
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i srsly CANNOT believe this happened when i was 17. feels like he just went to prison last year.
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i remember the oj murder trial
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Good luck!! Also I want that shirt but with the venus symbol instead.
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Gemma stays flawless.
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Im not from Spain but I saw the updates on Twitter and it is horrific. Im not shocked that the US media isnt even reporting about it.
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ABC is covering it.
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I don't often defend the US, but we just had another mass shooting, give us a break (jk, we don't deserve more breaks)
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I'm so confused with what's going on in Spain can someone give me the cliffnotes.
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I've been following it and it's so fucked. Like... this is how revolutions start.
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i wish someone would do a post abt it but no celebs are tweeting abt it. riot police attacking voters, yikes. if spain wanted to dissuade anyone from voting, they fucked up big time here.
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Mariano Rajoy is such a fucking dumbass. He really escalated the situation to a point of no return...
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Gerard Pique was in tears after Barcelona match describing how he felt about the way Spanish govt handled the voters. They just antagonized the Catalans even more.
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the spanish government fucked this up so bad. i saw footage of riot police pushing an old woman to the floor. like wtf is wrong with you? i get that you're pissed about this referendum, but afaik it's not even certain that the pro-independent camp would win. there has to be a more civilized way of dealing with this situation. and why the hell are the other EU leaders not condeming this violence?
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Good for them!
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The number of young girls who have to travel outside of Ireland to obtain an abortion is ridiculous.
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Hope the ladies in Ireland actually come through and the vote there is passed for this law. Tho given how much the ppl there LOVE to keep electing old yt men not much will prop change imo
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Good for them!
Still can't get over Eva Green dropping this movie for that fucking Dumbo live-action. Girl, u need to love yourself. Polanski and Burton are NOT hills to die on.
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MFTE!!!!! We could've had it all!
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TBH I'm happy about it, Debicki actually has something a lot closer to Woolf's nose.
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tbf Burton is going hard for her
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Not a fan of abortion tbh :/
Better sex ed and more freely available birth control reduces unwanted pregnancies by a lot.
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r u a fan if the pregnancy resulted after a rape? jw
Meanwhile:
"better sex ed" is state/district level
(like homegurl is screwed if she's in Bible-belt territory)
"more freely available birth control" see above example, added with govt threatening to take away insurance that helps obtain birth control, added with men refusing to wrap their dicks for extra protection
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There are always exceptions (it's not fair to force a rape victim to deliver if she doesn't want to, sometimes pregnancies have to be terminated for the mother to survive, and there's no point in making an already heartbroken mother carry a baby dead in the womb to term, etc.) but in general I don't think abortion is ever a good thing. On a personal, fundamental level I disagree with abortion as a means of birth control, and in the few circumstances when it's necessary it's just heartbreaking for everyone involved. :/
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Birth control can fail. Condoms break. If youre on the pill and take it the same day, same time every day you can STILL get pregnant.
There will always be a need for abortion
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Irish ONTDers: What are the chances that it will be legalized? I follow a few Irish writers on twitter and they are all pro choice, so I'm hopeful. But I'm also from a very Catholic country and I'm kinda iffy on this sort of things going for public vote because I feel like old hardcore catholics would vote en masse.
Ps. What the F is Gemma wearing? Girl you gorgeous but those pants...
On a second thought: I guess those hideous pants are part of the movie costume? I Hope so.
Edited at 2017-10-01 10:47 pm (UTC)
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lol yeah, it's a period piece I'm pretty sure those are her costume.
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I'm very hopeful. I've lived in London a long time but I'm planning on moving home next year.
We had a big turn out two years ago to legalize gay marriage and it passed by 62%. I'm hoping for the same this time. Even if I haven't moved back to Dublin by then, I will march and I will vote for this to happen.
The vote on gay marriage was a BIG fuck you to the Catholic Church. We were the first country to legalize gay marriage by popular vote too. It took us awhile to get here but I'm glad all the same. We're moving in a good direction, I think. Our current PM is openly gay...
I'm optimistic :D
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Oh yes, I remember the gay marriage referedum. Your comment just made me very hopeful, I will have my fingers crossed for you guys!
I hope Irish women continue to say F you to the Catholic Church, I just watched Philomena the other day and just thinking about it makes me rage. Its isane that after the news of the Tuam babies the Sisters of Charity still thought they had any moral ground running a maternity. Its nice seeing the public commontion over it and seeing things going in the right direction.
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well it was approved by the citizen's assembly, that's a big step in the right direction - a group of randomly chosen irish people who were supposed to represent the country's opinion
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I'm really worried for it tbh, I keep wondering if the god fearing ole biddy's and hunger striking dudebros might out number any of us with common sense. I'm been educating as nice as I can to my Ma's generation, but we'll see how it goes. :/
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If everyone just goes to the UK (who can afford it) then the people who suffer are probably those who need it the most. I hope these archaic laws start to fall.
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Yes. I'm not from the UK, but a doctor from my country said that making it illegal just punished poor women, because the rich ones just traveled to a neighbour country to get it done.
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Hope it repeals because it is not funny the amount of women that have to travel to britain every year...
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Western world is so backward for abortion .
Isn't it the western world is so progressive for women ?
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Edited at 2017-10-01 11:32 pm (UTC) Why can't we have nice things? Eva Green is making it very hard to stan her when she is doing Polanski films + dropping this film to do a Tim Burton film (when Tim Burton hasn't done an original film in years....) *I love Elizabeth Debicki, she remains flawless..
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Silencing Big Ben to Protect Workers
"Whilst hearing protection provides a suitable short term solution to the 118 decibel chiming and striking of the bells, it is not acceptable for those working for long periods in the vicinity of Big Ben."
Big Ben's famous clock went silent on Aug. 21 as repair work commenced on the mechanism. You might have thought the civilized world was coming to an end by the hue and cry raised about this by Prime Minister Theresa May and others. But Britain's Parliament on Aug. 15 framed the issue squarely1 as an occupational safety necessity. Good for them.
"On Monday 21 August at noon, Big Ben's famous bongs will sound for the last time before major conservation works are carried out. The Elizabeth Tower, home to the Great Clock and Big Ben, is currently undergoing a complex programme of renovation work that will safeguard it for future generations. While this vital work takes place, the Great Bell's world famous striking will be paused to ensure the safety of those working in the Tower. Parliament's specialist clock makers will ensure that Big Ben can still bong for important national events, such as New Year's Eve and Remembrance Sunday," their statement said. It explains that, while understanding Big Ben's importance as a national icon, a "rigorous risk assessment process" done in preparation for the repairs showed workers' hearing would be at serious risk from the chimes as they worked on scaffolding around the tower.
"Whilst hearing protection provides a suitable short term solution to the 118 decibel chiming and striking of the bells, it is not acceptable for those working for long periods in the vicinity of Big Ben," it said. "In addition, it is vital for workers to be able to communicate with one another on site, or to raise an alarm should the necessity arise. This would not be possible were the bells to continue to sound throughout the works. Workers on the scaffolding could also be startled by the loud sudden noise, with consequences for their own safety and those of other people in and around the tower. The only way to ensure people's safety is to temporarily stop the Bell."
The chimes "are an integral part of parliamentary life and we will ensure that they can resume their role as the nation's timekeeper as soon as possible," they promised.
Reference
1. https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/media-relations-group/news/elizabeth-tower-and-big-ben-conservation-works/
This article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
Seasons eatings! The weather may be getting colder, but Dining Month on OnMilwaukee is just cooking up, dishing out your winning picks in this years Best of Dining poll. Dining Month is brought to you by Fein Brothers, your premier food service equipment and supply dealer in Wisconsin since 1929. Congratulations to all of the winners, and happy eating for all those who voted!
There was a loaded slate of candidates for Milwaukee's best new restaurant of 2017, with several culinary newcomers scoring well with voters. However, only one could come out on top of the scrumptious scrum of restaurant rookies. And that was FreshFin Poke, who beat out Third Coast Provisions, the second place runner up, by just five votes.
The restaurant marked a first for Milwaukee when it opened in January. And its fresh, modern take on classic Hawaiian poke bowls has made a splash thanks to offerings like the "Mango Tango" featuring salmon, mango, edamame, avocado, cilantro, spicy ginger and sweet shoyu sauce, tobiko and crispy onion for texture.
There was also tangible excitement when Freshfin announced that it would be expanding its footprint, putting a second location in the Third Ward. In fact, that location is due to open any day now, so watch OnMilwaukee for details as they develop.
Runners up:
2. Third Coast Provisions / Oak & Oyster
3. Bodegon at Hotel Madrid
4. Fuel Cafe on 5th
5. Farmer's Wife
OnMilwaukee editors' pick: The Tandem
Lori Fredrich's pick: Third Coast Provisions / Oak & Oyster
It was no easy task to choose best new restaurant this year. After all, Milwaukee's dining scene has offered up an embarrassment of riches over the past twelve months. And a number of new spots including Bodegon, EsterEv, The Fitz and The Tandem have added much to the restaurant landscape.
But I'm a sucker for well executed seafood, and that's exactly what you'll find at Third Coast Provisions and its little sister restaurant, Oak & Oyster. The restaurant gets big points for its gorgeous interior, which is not only opulent but comfortable. And its offerings are indisputably delicious, making them well worth your time, attention and hard-earned dollars.
Options like buttery Parker House rolls and lobster potholes are rich and indulgent, and entrees like King salmon with dill spaetzle are well executed. And if you're in the mood for more casual dining, Oak & Oyster offers something for everyone, including tacos, po'boys and plenty of oysters to go around.
Last week, the GOP's savviest foreign policy expert in the Senate, Tennessee's Bob Corker, announced he won't run for re-election in 2018.
No doubt Corker knew he'd be primaried by pro-Trump populists who have declared war on mainstream Republicans. (See: Alabama.) But this sober senator had probably tired of chairing the once-powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the Trump era. Why hold serious hearings on weighty issues when they'll be ignored by a president who makes foreign policy by Twitter?
Corker's decision is one more reminder of the dangerous foreign policy confusion that has emerged under the Trump administration. And -- apart from North Korea, there's nowhere that confusion is more risky than in Trump's contradictory policies toward the Middle East.
To be fair, any president would have had a tough time with the Mideast mess Trump inherited, the combined product of mistakes by Presidents Bush 43 and Obama along with the chaos of the Arab Spring.
And on the surface, Trump would seem to have returned to a traditional Republican approach to the Mideast: unremitting support for our Sunni Arab allies in the Persian Gulf and Israel, while working to curb Iranian mischief. Add to that "bomb the hell" out of the Islamic State and make the deal of the century on Israel-Palestine.
But the president's own lack of discipline and disdain for process have turned his would-be Mideast policy into hash.
Let us count the ways:
Point One. On the Sunni Arab alliance, the president was so entranced by the lavish reception he received from the Saudi royal family that he publicly endorsed its side in a quarrel with Qatar. Thus, Trump helped split the Sunni alliance and distracted its members from a coherent stance toward Iran.
Point Two. On the fight vs. the Islamic State, yes, the president intensified the battle already underway under Obama; the jihadis have been mostly routed from Iraq and partly from Syria. But stabilizing Iraq and Syria in the post-Islamic State era requires skilled American diplomacy with full presidential backing -- or else the Islamic State 2.0 will emerge.
In Iraq, for example, Washington still has a key role to play in mediating between factions, including Kurds and an angry Baghdad government after the Kurds' Monday independence referendum. Iraqi Sunnis freed from the Islamic State thrall also want U.S. mediation help with the Shiite-led government. A failure to provide it will open the door to a new jihadi explosion -- and deeper Iranian penetration of Iraq.
However, Trump's military-only focus and indifference to broad long-term strategy offer little hope that proactive diplomacy will be on offer.
Which leads to Point Three. The United States needs to be talking seriously to Russia about how to stabilize post-Islamic State Syria lest it become another subsidiary of Iran. Shiite militias run by Iran now have access to the Syria-Israel border.
But Trump has made U.S. dialogue with Moscow impossible by his stubborn refusal to criticize Vladimir Putin or Russia's interference in the 2016 elections. This makes even necessary dialogue with the Russians suspect.
Point Four. Trump seems to view his foreign policy as a solo operation -- tweeting as he sees fit, no matter if this contradicts the positions of his top advisers. Moreover, he appears indifferent to the fact that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is gutting the State Department, leaving few confirmed senior staff to ensure that policy is carried out.
Point Five. Under Trump, foreign policy is a family operation. He appointed his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and a personal lawyer as the gurus supposed to bring peace to Israel and the Palestinians. The State Department and National Security Council are out of the picture.
This is a farce that is going nowhere. Can you imagine the reaction if a President Hillary Clinton had appointed her son-in-law, Marc Mezvinsky, to make Mideast peace?
Point Six. Most unnerving, the president's strategic blindness threatens to put the Iranian ayatollahs back on a short-term path to a bomb.
Despite opposition from his top security advisers, Trump is reportedly about to refuse to certify by Oct. 15 that Iran is in compliance with the deal that sharply curtails their nuclear program for the next decade. That will leave the door open for Congress to reinstate sanctions, which would effectively kill the deal.
America's top military chiefs, along with Tillerson, say Iran is in compliance. The five other participants in the deal, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China, oppose Trump's stance and would refuse to lift their sanctions. Corker, although an Iran hawk, has said Trump shouldn't "tear up" the deal.
If he does, Washington would be left as the outlier and Iran would have the option to restart its nuclear program. Chances of negotiating a second deal to end Iran's missile tests or extend the deal's time frame would be nil.
Trump is all alone on this one, except for his base. But there can be no sane Mideast policy with a president who envisions it in terms of domestic politics -- and thinks he has all the answers.
No wonder Corker is planning to retire.
GOTHENBURG, Sweden (Reuters) - More than 30 people were arrested on Saturday as both neo-Nazis and anti-fascists clashed with police during a march by the extreme right-wing Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, police said. The NMR gathered hundreds of people for the march, many armed with shields and helmets, while many thousands of counter-protestors also hit the streets of Gothenburg. Police had prepared for violence to break out and had called in reinforcements from all police districts in Sweden and added 350 temporary jail beds in a police garage. Membership in Nazi organisations is not illegal in Sweden and the NMR had a permit from the police to march. Swedish police said on their website that 35 people had been arrested during the day. At least two people were injured, including one police officer who broke his arm. "Given the intent that many had here today, the scenario could have been much worse," commanding officer Emilie Kullmyr told daily Dagens Nyheter. The neo-Nazi march was halted in the early afternoon, before it reached its designated starting point, after a clash with the police. Police put up a ring around the NMR demonstrators to keep them apart from anti-fascists. The neo-Nazis clashed with police several times and during speeches they singled out politicians and the media as responsible for high levels of immigration in Sweden. At 1600 GMT the neo-Nazi demonstrators had been escorted by police to their initial meeting point in the outskirts of Gothenburg. The many cordons in the central city were lifted. Sweden has taken in more immigrants per capita than any other EU-country in recent years, much to the dismay of right-wing groups. The extreme-right groups have become more active in Sweden, according to police. Three former members of the NMR were convicted earlier this year of a series of bombings targeting immigrants and political opponents. (Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Johannes Hellstrom; Editing by Stephen Powell)
Italy has ordered North Korea's incoming new ambassador to leave the country in a protest over Kim Jong-Un's missile launches and nuclear tests. Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano announced the move in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica, published on Sunday. "We have taken the firm decision to interrupt the accreditation procedure. The ambassador will have to leave the country," Alfano said. "We want to make Pyongyang understand that isolation is inevitable if it does not change course." Alfano stressed however that Italy was not breaking off diplomatic relations, "because it can always be useful to maintain a channel of communications." North Korea nominated long-serving foreign ministry official Mun Jong-Nam as its new ambassador to Rome in July, filling a post that had been vacant for over a year, according to South Korean reports. The diplomat had started working in Rome but not completed his registration with the Italian authorities. The Italian move came as the international community seeks to ratchet up pressure on Kim's regime to give up its nuclear weapons, with China notably agreeing to limit oil exports to and textile imports to its neighbour from Sunday.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday railed against separatists seeking Nigeria's "dismemberment" and called for "proper" dialogue after clashes between pro-Biafra activists and security forces in the restive southeast. Speaking as Nigeria marked its 1960 independence from Britain, Buhari also said that corruption remained the African oil giant's "number one enemy". The 74-year-old former general later flew out of the capital for a lightning surprise visit to Maiduguri, the city in northeastern Nigeria that is the epicentre of the bloody insurgency by Boko Haram Islamists. He paid tribute to troops on the frontline of the battle against jihadists linked to the Islamic State group on his first visit to the city since taking office in 2015. "I assure you under this leadership there will be resources available, as much as the country can afford it, to support your operations," Buhari told the troops in Maiduguri. Buhari, who fought in the 1967-70 Biafran war, said in his Abuja speech that those seeking to carve up the country had no idea of the havoc they could potentially wreak. "Those who are agitating for a rerun were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through," he said. He said the war had cost about two million lives, resulting in "fearful destruction and untold suffering". The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement wants an independent state for the Igbo people who dominate the southeast region. Tension has been building since October 2015 when the group's leader Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and held in custody until he was released on bail in April. His trial on charges of treasonable felony is expected to resume this month. The army flooded the southeastern state of Abia with troops this month, ostensibly as part of an operation against violent crime, but the IPOB suspected it was an attempt to curb its activities. Supporters clashed in Abia and neighbouring Rivers state, while the violence threatened to take on a wider ethnic dimension when unrest flared in the central city of Jos. Nigeria's government has since formally proscribed the IPOB as a terrorist organisation and accused it of stoking tensions by making false claims online of genocide against Igbos. Buhari called for "proper dialogue" in the provincial and national legislatures to defuse the tensions, saying: "These are the proper and legal fora for national debate, not some lopsided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives." Buhari, who was elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption platform, also said endemic graft remained a major scourge, recalling the period from 1999 to 2015, when Nigeria reverted from military to democratic rule. "In spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per barrel and about 2.1 million barrels a day, that great piece of luck was squandered and the country's social and physical infrastructure neglected," he said. Nigeria is ranked by Transparency International as one of the world's most corrupt countries. Last year it was placed 136 in a list of 176 nations. "The economy must be rebalanced so that we do not depend on oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigerias number one enemy. Our administration is tackling these tasks in earnest," Buhari said.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's ambassador to Myanmar was forced to interrupt Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson earlier this year as he tried to recite a nostalgic colonial poem by Rudyard Kipling in public during a visit to the country's most famous Buddhist site. Johnson, who helped lead the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, is caught on camera starting to recite Kipling's poem, Mandalay, after striking a bell at the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon. "The temple bells they say," Johnson says in television footage by Channel 4. "Come you back, you British soldier." As Johnson continues with his recitation of the poem which celebrates a soldiers love affair with a local woman during Britain's colonial rule of what was then known as Burma, the ambassador tenses. "Youre on mic. Probably not a good idea," British ambassador Andrew Patrick said. "What, The Road to Mandalay?" Johnson asked. "No. Not appropriate," the ambassador said. Johnson replied "good stuff" and then started to take photographs of the scene with his telephone camera. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office declined to comment. Prime Minister Theresa Mays appointment of Johnson, who in the run-up to Britains referendum on EU membership compared the goals of the European Union to those of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon, caused consternation in European capitals. In recent weeks, Johnson has attempted to set out his vision of Britain outside the European Union. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Stephen Powell)
The winter of 2011/2012 gets a Sunday Service visit today, as we remind you of the radness contained within Ben Raemers exclusive section that was released in conjunction with Kingpin Magazines 100th issue.
Filmed at concrete parks across London though there are a couple of street bangers in the mix this part was filmed over the Christmas and New Year of 2011/2012 by Kevin Parrott, and was released the following April to mark Kingpins printed centenary. Ben scored himself the cover of the mag with the parts ender, and held down a full interview in the same issue, shot by Alex Irvine and Sam Ashley.
Anyway, watch on below now to take in some 6(ish) year old greatness from one of the UKs undeniable finest exports.
The U.S. House Small Business Committee is set to meet next week to discuss President Trumps call for a major tax overhaul.
Fair and Simple Tax Reform Hearing
The committee will hold its next hearing on Oct. 4 on the topic that most small business owners have identified as their top legislative priority.
The committees Republican members along with the Trump Administration recently unveiled their Fair and Simple tax reform plan to the public. In doing so, they acknowledge that its been 30 years since there was any significant change to the countrys tax code. And the changes theyre proposing they believe will aid small businesses first and foremost.
The plan, as its being introduced, is being hailed as a win for small businesses.
Trump said at an event earlier this week in Indiana, This will be the lowest top marginal income tax rate for small and mid-size businesses in more than 80 years.
Raymond J. Keating, the chief economist with the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council says, Specifically, the corporate income tax rate would decline from 35 percent to 20 percent, and the top individual tax rate that applies to business pass-through entities, such as sole proprietorship, partnerships, S-Corps and LLCs, would drop from 39.6 percent to 25 percent.
Robert Cresanti, the head of the International Franchise Association, also applauded the proposed tax reform plan. In a statement this week, he said, Tax reform has long been one of the franchise communitys top legislative priorities. For years, the burdensome and complex tax code has held back small business owners and stifled new investments, but today we have hope that relief is finally on the way.
These changes cant be done with the snap of a finger, however. A tax reform overhaul via the Fair and Simple plan is going to take legislative help.
But tinkering with the current code is likely not enough, according to Committee Chair Rep. Steve Chabot, of Ohio.
Thanks to the innovation of todays small business owners, we can now order food or catch a ride from our phone. Unfortunately, though, our current tax code has not kept pace with todays innovators, Chabot said in a prepared statement.
Democrat Ranking member of the committee Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York says in the same statement, Our tax code no longer works for small businesses and is too outdated to keep up with the needs of a new generation of entrepreneurs in the sharing economy. Over 3 million people earn income as microentrepreneurs through the sharing economy. But, because the tax code has not been updated since 1986, it creates complexities that serve to stifle their efforts and burden them with additional costs.
The Fair and Simple plan for overhauling the tax code released by Republicans outlines the areas of major changes they feel are necessary. Velazquez acknowledges that the proposals coming out of the committee were part of bipartisan effort.
The tax reform plan calls for an across-the-board lowering of income taxes. It also doubles the standard deduction.
More importantly, tax rates on small businesses would be lowered. The plan would also separate personal income from small business income. Some small business owners can pay up to 44.6 percent tax under the current code, according to Republicans.
The estate tax on family farm and small family businesses would also be eliminated under the Fair and Simple plan as its written now.
Republicans also believe their Fair and Simple plan will lead to 1.7 million new jobs created.
Oravas open-air museum celebrates its 50th anniversary. This is the story of how it was brought to life.
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The wooden village, located beneath Brestova, commemorates 50 years since its establishment. Within the village, the stories of people who recall living in the open-air museum with nostalgia and tears in their eyes remain.
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For me, this museum is not just about beauty which became routine over time but also the respect and admiration for the people who created it, Karol Matkuliak who ran the open-air museum for 25 years, reminisces. There are everyday worries about the operation, unsolved issues of fulfilling the basic functions, as well as existential problems connected with living in detached seclusion but despite all this, I cannot imagine my life without the years spent in the open-air museum.
Another former manager, Maria Danova, adds: Surrounded by the beauty of wood and the nearby nature, you can feel the home where you come from, the roots of your ancestors, their skills, wit, craftmanship, and especially the warmth of home and the love. It is more than a museum; it is our living past.
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In the hearts of those who were or still are connected to the Museum of Orava Village in one way or another, this unique place hidden among the mountains has left deep traces.
How the big plan was born
The date was September 24, 1967. On the Brestova clearing, a green, gently sloping meadow, a group of enthusiasts built a stone foundation. This rock became the symbol and start of the Museum of Orava Village, now known nationwide. The initiator of the idea was the then-director of the Regional Monument Centre, Stanislav Dubravec.
He came from a village that got flooded by (the artificial dam, ed. note) Liptovska Mara, says Juraj Langer, author of the ethnographic and town-planning study of the Orava wooden museum. Everything that was once contained in it disappeared. This is probably the reason why he mused for so long on how to protect precious monuments from destruction. The best way was to move them.
Matkuliak continued the work started by Juraj Langer. Langer, despite being Czech, admired the Orava architecture when he started to work for the Orava Museum and began studying it more minutely. He studied the wooden houses, their structure, furnishings, and the people who lived in them. The result was a unique study which contained all the information necessary for founding the museum. During the first presentation, then-officials asked him what to do first, how to continue, and whether there were people willing to implement it. I only said, first and foremost, that we needed tanks for conserving the wood and two big assembly halls. This is how it all began.
A hard farewell
Ondrej Siska of Zuberec became the construction manager in 1970. His priority was to coordinate everything so that important deadlines could be met. After getting to know the study, they started to move the wooden houses.
First, we disassembled them, loaded them into vehicles, and drove the parts to the museum. We then stored them in the hall where they were conserved and gradually put into their current places, one by one, the builder recalls. Some of the houses were empty when we came to take them. But in some, people still lived. It was hard for them to part with their property. Some even cried. Often, we had to leave and come back in two or three days, so that they could move peacefully. There were also times when people did not agree with the moving. In these cases, replicas of the constructions were made.
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Each beam had to be carefully marked so that carpenters would know where to put it. Ondrej Siska says that building the wooden bungalows was a lot like building Legos. Each part had to fit perfectly into the others. If some elements were damaged, replacements had to be made. The first building in the open-air museum was an inn from the village of Zakamenne, positioned in a clearing. The original one burnt down in 1990. In its place, a replica currently stands.
The work was not in vain
Carpenters, masons, plumbers, water experts, electricians and other craftsmen worked on the construction of the museum. The technological processes had to be the same as they were in the past-they could not be replaced by new, modern ones. The plaster casts were made of clay, Ondrej Siska explains. We used sand and swath for them, like in the old times. We did not use bull blood, but most of the materials used were traditional.
I am writing this letter in support of St. Helena Mayor Alan Galbraith!
I voted for Alan and will again. He not only sees the bigger picture, but has a vision of a path we must take to preserve the rural nature of our town as well as leaving behind a sound economic foundation for our children and grandchildren.
Attempting to split the City Council and elevate the feeling of "two sides, won't serve either side in maintaining a focus on the infrastructure and economic needs that are being addressed. This disruption is the wrong way to jump-start a campaign!
We have seen enough anger and hatred expressed throughout the world, do we have to carry that spirit on here? If the oppositions ideas were so urgent and important we would have heard them at the last election. There is no reason that these ideas cant be shared in the normal election cycle.
Please join me in continuing to support our Mayor and Council through the transitions needed to keep us economically strong.
Cynthia M. Kee
St. Helena
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An incredible back garden boozer made entirely from recycled materials has been crowned Britain's best Pub Shed of the Year.
John Simmons, 50, spent more than a year and constructing the amazing DIY man-cave in his garden in Portsmouth, Hants.
It features its own dart board, wooden decor, countryside-pub style seating, a roof covered in fairy lights and even its own outdoor beer garden and decking area.
He built the miniature pub - called The Dog & Ball - from as much reclaimed material he could find from salvage yards and a Facebook page for pub shed enthusiasts.
John sourced, cut, sanded and fixed every timber and tting himself as well all 4,500 screws.
The dad-of-three beat off more than a thousand entries to be named the owner of Britain's best Pub Shed 2022.
He celebrated the win in his garden pub last night (12/11) with friends and said he was thrilled to be crowned the winner.
John started building the boozer last year and said he wanted a 'haven at home' he could enjoy that was cheaper than the pub.
Avid DIY-er John, a safety management consultant, said the pub cost four figures to build but would have been much more expensive had he not used reclaimed materials.
Wife Anita, 49, put the finishing touching to the Dog & Ball - named after their Labradoodle Bertie, aged seven and the pair enjoyed celebrating with kids Libby, 23, Jacob, 19, and Evie, 12.
John said: It has all been rather overwhelming, but I am chuffed to bits.
We had 18 friends over last night to celebrate the final and it was fantastic to find out I won - I was really thrilled.
I started building it last year and wanted to have it completed this summer for my 50th birthday.
Sourcing the reclaimed material took the biggest chunk of time.
I am an avid DIY-er and love a project.
Lots of people had been doing this sort of thing over lockdown so I took inspiration from that, and I wanted a haven at home that was cheaper than the pub.
Its somewhere I can go and enjoy being with my friends and family, which was really the whole purpose.
It cost about four figures, which is much cheaper than it would have been had I done a proper build and had to go to shops for the materials.
John, who was in the Royal Navy for 22 years, said his favourite part of the pub is the oak beams which make up the main structure.
The three-metre-long bits of wood remarkably came from an old dock yard building John used to work in.
He said: My favourite part is the main oak beams.
They are from an old dock yard building that I used to work in years ago before it was demolished.
These three-metre-long beams that form the main structure of the pub had sat in a yard for 20 years and then I managed to buy them.
It is a remarkable story.
All my family and friends have been so supportive of the project, and it has been great having everyone round to enjoy it.
My wife Anita put all the finishing touches to the pub to make it look as amazing as it does.
I took the name from my Labradoodle Bertie who just loves to play with his ball, I really wanted him to be part of it all.
The Dog & Ball beat off two other finalists, a mini countryside-style pub called The Tiger, in Somerset, and The Stagger Inn, in Manchester - a nightclub-themed bar
They were whittled down from more than a thousand entries - many of which were built during lockdown.
John said: "Doing it all from salvage was of course a challenge thank goodness for FB marketplace, advice from the fantastic members of the GSPN UK Facebook page and a very understanding wife who I dragged around local reclaim yards sifting through old timbers.
"With the exception of the main roof joists, every other part of the build is made from reclaim, re-used or recycled timber and materials.
"Each piece has a different story, from the bar ironmongery that belonged to my late father-in-law from his days as an RAF engineer, to the main oak upright timbers.
It is believed more than two million back garden pubs are now in operation in Britain after their popularity exploded during the coronavirus pandemic.
They have continued to grow amid a cost of living crisis after the average price of a pint rose to 4 across the UK and 5 in London.
As a result, Two Fat Blokes bar signs, Pub Shed Radio and the Facebook group Garden Shed Pubs & Nightclubs began running the national competition.
The winner was announced live on Pub Shed Radio on Saturday (12/11).
Ashley Turner, the owner of Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs, said: "The quality of bars and diversity of the entries has been phenomenal.
"We ran the competition to showcase the amazing community of pub sheds in the UK.
"The community has exploded during the pandemic and now with the cost of a pint heading north of 6 the trend looks set to continue.
"The Dog & Ball is a perfect example of an amazing pub shed and deserved to win with his amazing hand-built pub.
Tommy Funka, who runs, Pub Shed Radio added: Pub Shed of the year has been a great way for the pub shed community to come together and celebrate the growing army of back garden boozers".
Pub Shed Radio's DJ Mupps said: "It was brilliant to knock on the door of the winners bar live on Pub Shed Radio.
"John & Anita were totally gobsmacked to find out they had won. We then went live from the bar broadcasting with a real party atmosphere."
Nick St John, the owner of Facebook group Garden Shed Pubs and Nightclubs, added: "Being involved Pub Shed of the year has been the culmination of our ethos to promote and help people build their own back garden pubs.
"With over 280,000 members our group has really got on board with the competition.
"Judging the entries was so difficult The Dog & Ball is a great example of a proper pub shed."
Spain's foreign minister has claimed police violence during Catalonia's illegal independence vote was "not extraordinary". Sky's Europe Correspondent Mark Stone challenged Alfonso Dastis on tactics used by Spanish security forces as Catalan officials claimed 844 people had been injured across the region. Stone said he had seen voters pulled out of polling stations by their hair and stamped on by police, while rubber bullets - illegal in Catalonia - were also used to disperse crowds. Mr Dastis said: "I don't agree with you that this is an extraordinary level of violence. "You may think people were peacefully exercising their right to vote but the problem is this so-called referendum had been held to be illegal by the constitutional court." With polls closed and counting under way on Sunday evening, the leader of Catalonia's regional government paved the way for a unilateral declaration of independence. "With this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia have won the right to an independent state in the form a republic," he said in a televised announcement. A spokesman for the regional government said millions of votes would be counted and warned the Spanish government was "the shame of Europe" and would be made to answer to the international courts for the violent scenes. Meanwhile, unions and workers' associations called for a general strike to be held across the region on Tuesday. In a televised address, Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy insisted that no independence referendum had taken place in Catalonia and that those who took part had been "fooled" into participating in an illegal vote. He also thanked police and said they had acted with "firmness and serenity" in clashes with voters. Emergency services said most of the wounded people had minor injuries such as "bruises, dizziness and anxiety attacks". However there also said to be some serious injuries. Story continues Spain's Interior Ministry said 12 police had been injured and three people, including one young girl, had been detained for disobedience and assaulting a police officer. People in the northeastern Spanish region have turned out in large numbers for the illegal referendum on splitting from Spain - but police have blocked off polling stations and forcibly seized ballot boxes. Just outside Girona, to the north of Barcelona, police used a hammer to smash through a glass door of a school where Mr Puigdemont was expected to appear. There were scuffles outside as people chanted: "I will vote!" The regional government tweeted on Sunday morning that 73% of polling stations (4,561) were open. By mid-afternoon, Spain's Interior Ministry said 92 polling stations had been closed. The government's assertion that the referendum is illegal is backed up by the courts and a judgment based on the Spanish constitution. Many in Catalonia and across Spain do not support the illegal vote or the push for independence and protests have been held in recent days in cities including Barcelona and Madrid. The police violence was condemned by UK politicians, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who said: "I urge @theresa_may to appeal directly to Rajoy to end police violence in Catalonia & find political solution to this constitutional crisis." But the British Foreign Office gave tentative backing to the Spanish Government's position. A spokesperson said: "The referendum is a matter for the Spanish Government and People. We want to see Spanish law and the Spanish constitution respected and the rule of law upheld. "Spain is a close ally and a good friend, whose strength and unity matters to us." One person was killed and another injured in a rockslide on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California, on Wednesday, September 27. Climber Peter Zabrok captured this video of a second rockslide on Thursday, September 28. At least 30 climbers were on El Capitan at the time of the second slide, according to USA Today. Yosemite National Park said Wednesdays rockfall took place near the Waterfall climbing route on the eastern face of the rock. Credit: Facebook/Peter Zabrok via Storyful BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's foreign ministry, in a rare statement on an ongoing crisis in neighbouring Myanmar's Rakhine state, said late on Saturday that it was "closely following the situation" and would provide aid to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Violence erupted in Rakhine last month when Rohingya militants attacked security posts, triggering a crackdown by the Myanmar army. More than half a million ethnic Rohingya - a mostly Muslim minority who are denied citizenship by Myanmar - have fled to Bangladesh since then. Those who fled accuse Myanmar's army, backed by Buddhist mobs, of a brutal killing campaign. The United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing a sweeping government offensive in the north of Rakhine State in response to those attacks. "Thailand is closely following the situation in the Rakhine State with concern," the ministry said. "The Royal Thai Government has always placed great importance to providing care and protection to Myanmar displaced persons," it added, pointing to some 100,000 refugees from Myanmar who live in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. But many of those living in the camps are long-term residents who fled conflict decades ago. None are Rohingya, according to non-governmental organizations who work there. The Thai foreign ministry said its statement was in response to views raised by some human rights groups regarding Thailand's position on the unrest in Rakhine. Amnesty International last week said Thailand must not "push back" Rohingya fleeing violence and that it should provide refugees formal legal status and protection. Thailand does not recognise the status of any refugees or recognise the Rohingya as legitimate migrant workers. Thailand said it supported a statement on the issue by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a grouping of 10 nations. In the statement, ASEAN foreign ministers condemned the attacks on Myanmar's security forces and "all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives". Malaysia, an ASEAN member, disassociated itself from the statement, saying it misrepresented issues relating to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya. So far, "none of the affected victims from the August unrest in Rakhine State have been found in Thailand," the Thai foreign ministry said. (Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Christopher Cushing) DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi forces shot down a U.S. surveillance drone in the capital Sanaa on Sunday, the Houthi-controlled state news agency SABA reported. The Houthi movement and its ally former president Ali Abdullah Saleh control much of northern Yemen, including Sanaa, and are battling a Saudi-led coalition that is trying to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The United States backs the Saudi-led coalition by providing it with intelligence and weapons. "A military source said (Houthi) air defences shot down a U.S. MQ-9 surveillance drone in Jader area in the Sanaa province," SABA reported. A Reuters photographer said the drone came down at around 11 am local time in a crowded area on the outskirts of the capital, but there were no reports of any casualties. The charred wreckage of the aircraft was carried out by the Houthis aboard a Toyota pickup truck. The Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More than 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's civil war. It began in March 2015 when the Houthis advanced on Hadi's interim headquarters in the southern port city of Aden, forcing him to flee the country and seek Saudi help. The war has caused a humanitarian disaster in the country, where more than two million people have been displaced while around 750,000 are suspected to have been infected with cholera. (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Mark Potter) Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through five segments: Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, and Group Development. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers. The company also provides mobile voice and data services to consumers and business customers; sells mobile devices and other hardware products; and sells mobile services to resellers and to companies that purchases and markets network services to third parties, such as mobile virtual network operators. In addition, it offers internet services; internet-based TV products and services; and information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions with an infrastructure of data centers and networks under the T-Systems brand, as well as call center services. The company has 242 million mobile customers and 22 million broadband customers, as well as 27 million fixed-network lines. Deutsche Telekom AG has a collaboration with VMware, Inc. on cloud-based open and intelligent virtual RAN platform to bring agility to radio access networks for existing LTE and future 5G networks; and partnership with Microsoft to deliver high-performance cloud computing experiences. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany. Everest Re Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, and internationally. The company operates through Reinsurance Operations and Insurance Operations segments. The Reinsurance Operations segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The Insurance Operations segment writes property and casualty insurance directly, as well as through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents in Bermuda, Canada, Europe, South America, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The company also provides treaty and facultative reinsurance products; admitted and non-admitted insurance products; and property and casualty reinsurance and insurance coverages, including marine, aviation, surety, errors and omissions liability, directors' and officers' liability, medical malpractice, mortgage reinsurance, other specialty lines, accident and health, and workers' compensation products. In addition, it offers commercial property and casualty insurance products through wholesale and retail brokers, surplus lines brokers, and program administrators. Everest Re Group, Ltd. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Ethics board subpoenas DCI for investigation into Noem's state airplane use The Government Accountability Board subpoenaed the DCI for a report relating to an investigation if Gov. Kristi Noem misused the state airplane. When Americans reach age 65 they frequently think about downsizing. When Mike Petrella turned 65, he thought only of upsizing. In the back of his mind was a bigger house. It was a dream hed nurtured since childhood. It took Petrella almost 10 years to make good on his dream, which turned out to be a colossal log house near tiny Quemado (Kay-mod-oh), New Mexico, population 230. Now 77, Petrella grew up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, N.Y., one of four kids who lived with their parents in a second-floor walkup. Two bedrooms and a single bath for six people. Mike was 28 when he finally left Brooklyn with his wife, Terry, who is 75 and from Queens, N.Y. Both are of Italian ancestry. The couple moved to Florida to escape New York City winters. For their first 18 years in Florida the Petrellas lived in a two-bedroom, one-bath house with Terrys mother. Not as cramped as Brooklyn, but still tight. Mike began a series of jobs. The final one, which lasted 20 years, was being a helper to a wise, old-school carpenter who built houses. Back in Brooklyn, Mike had never built a thing. The older man taught Mike all he knew. Most important was Take your time when you work, and to do things the right way. No shortcuts, no matter what, Mike says. I got pretty handy with tools. Seven-year plan As a youngster, Mike was a big fan of radio heroes Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger and Gene Autry. He loved Westerns and he couldnt get this idea out of his head about moving to the West. He admired American pioneers, in particular those men who often built log cabins. He didnt envision a one-room cabin, however. Nor could he imagine a house created from a kit. And most certainly he did not want a timber-and-mud bungalow. His idea was something else, something different, something large. After 38 years in Florida, Mike and Terry, both newly retired, headed across the country to California to see friends and relatives. On the way back they stopped in Concho, Ariz. A Realtor there mentioned lots for sale in the Quemado area. The couple ended up buying two parcels of land in a remote spot of western Cibola County. Quemado, which is in Catron County, is the closest community of any size with services. Springerville, Ariz., is 40-some miles distant. For the next seven years, the Petrellas, who had no children, lived in a travel trailer. Each morning, Mike would get up at 8, eat breakfast and then walk 20 yards to work on the house. Hed stop working at 6 p.m. Mike kept to this routine seven days a week. In time he discovered a sawmill in Reserve, N.M., that would supply him with ponderosa pine logs. The logs were 16 feet long. Mike bought 228 of them. Terry, who worked in an office for 23 years, knew little about building. But I learned so much. I knew I could use all of em easy, he says, his Brooklynese still evident. Whaddya know, the mill delivered! He also bought pine boards, too, 1,700 or so of them, he recalls, in assorted sizes. All by code Ever since he moved to Florida, Mike had carried a plan in his head for a house. Now he made sketches. A blueprint? Fuhgettaboutit. Terry would help him by fetching a hammer or a drill or a screwdriver. Incredibly, the couple never argued, according to Terry. Fifty-five years together will do that. Mike sanded every log, every board. He went through 12 sanders. He varnished every log. He went through 60 one-gallon cans of varnish. He put on the roof all by himself, as well as the floor and roof trusses, aided only by a block and tackle he had brought with him from Florida. Quemado sits at 7,500 feet. When the winter brought snow and howling winds, Mike and Terry would drive to California and stay a few weeks. When Mike started on the house, he weighed 210 pounds. When he finished, he weighed 175. Upon completion, the house covered 3,072 square feet. There are two bedrooms and three baths and room to turn an office into a third bedroom. A six-person family could live here easy, Mike says. Terry says, Building a log house was my dream, too. I just didnt think it would be this big. Mike did his own plumbing and electrical work. Hey, all by code. The only thing he did not do on the house was dig a 530-foot well. You must have gone through a lot of nails, hes asked. No nails at all. Nada. Then what? Thousands and thousands and thousands of screws. A deck surrounds the rectangular house on four sides. All told, the deck is 2,400 square feet. The house stands four feet off the ground. The Petrellas are not off the grid. They have electricity and internet service, but no land line. If a call needs to be made, Mike or Terry drives three miles away and pulls over to the side of the road and use a cellphone. The accent Early on the Petrellas became curiosities in Quemado. Not only is their house like nothing in the area or, perhaps anywhere. This is cattle- ranching country. In every direction youll find cowboys. Mike stands out. Tall and bespectacled, he has never been on a horse. The first rodeo he ever saw was at the State Fair in Albuquerque a few years back. He wears rubber work boots from Walmart. No Tony Lamas? Mike laughs. Those are animals, right? People in this part of Catron County often wonder about Mikes accent. Most have never heard it before. Hes not, however, a deese, dem or dose kind of guy. Nor does he say woise for worse. He does, however, tend to drop his gs. Thus, nothing is nuttin, and bowling, a sport Mike sorely misses where he resides, is bowlin. An r near the end of a word now and then disappears. The word cars turns into coz and there morphs into dere. By the same token, Mike is amused by the language of his neighbors in this isolated stretch of New Mexico. I hear people here say, Were going out for pie. I never heard that back in Brooklyn. Youd say, Lets go get a pizza.' So charmed are locals by Mikes speech that some have said to him, Where can I learn to talk like that? You gotta go to Brooklyn, he answers. And stay dere. Armando Adrian-Lopez paints bright canvases where cats fly, baskets grow wings and unicorns nod in a fantasy magic kingdom. Born in the village of Santa Maria, Michoacan, in southwestern Mexico, hell show more than 60 of his whimsical oils at the 24th Annual Abiquiu Studio Tour this weekend. The tour features three days of more than 34 studios winding through the northern New Mexico village and the surrounding Chama River Valley. Artists will offer Native American micaceous clay pottery, Hispanic-inspired retablos, santos and furniture, contemporary paintings, sculpture, jewelry, photographs, ceramics, textiles and wearable art. The roots of Armandos work stem from the folk art tradition of fashioning figures from cornhusks, twigs, reeds and grass. Children played with the dolls while their parents tended the crops. When he was a child, his mother told him the story of a doll made by her father when she was a girl. She said the doll was so infused with a magical human likeness that its marble eyes seemed to follow everything around it. Her son spent his time creating all day long. I was like playing with mud or sticks or stones or paper or anything that was normal to me, he said. I never went to school to learn it. Soon he graduated to weaving baskets from river willow. His only official art training came when he attended a theater college. They told him he was too brown to work the stages of Mexico City. They did it in a very rude way, and I feel so angry about it, he said. He moved to the U.S. and worked the fields in Bakersfield, Calif., in 1988. A friend lured him to Abiquiu to grow an organic farm in 1994. He still spends up to 10 hours a day making his magic in canvas and paint. Its another reality; its like in a dream, he said. Its some kind of obsession of keeping me where I grew up. Its a little bit painful when I go back and that magic isnt there anymore, he added. When I grew up, every house was an adobe house. Now nobody lives in those houses. Everythings red brick. Under painting and glazes build up opaque layers, producing an inner glow to his canvas. His baskets grow rays and faces. Sometimes his subject matter may be as mundane as a flower or as surreal as an enchanted forest. His tribe, the Tarasco, was known for its great warriors. They were so fierce even the Aztecs could not subdue them. His work combines the pre-Columbian custom of decorating family altars with corn, chile, beans and figures from husks or clay. Armandos work now hangs in the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, Calif. Police arrested 26-year-old Randall Parker after they say he fled a bait car two weeks ago in southeast Albuquerque, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Parker was booked into jail Saturday morning with a slew of charges, including two counts of receiving and transferring a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon, shooting from a motor vehicle and aggravated eluding, among others. Officers had been looking for Parker in connection to a bait car operation that turned into a chase with suspects firing at police and eventually escaping, according to the complaint. The incident occurred on September 12, when Parker stole an APD bait car near Central and Louisiana SE, according to the police. Detectives followed the vehicle as it stopped at an apartment complex and another suspect, 27-year-old Lorenzo Garcia, began following Parker in a Black Thunderbird. Police say detectives sent a signal to disable the bait car, at which point Parker fled and jumped into the Thunderbird. The Thunderbird sped off and, when an officer attempted to follow, one of the men fired four gunshots at the officers vehicle. A vehicle pursuit was initiated but the vehicle was able to evade officers, an officer wrote in the complaint. Garcia was arrested last Thursday but wouldnt talk to police about Parker, who the shooter was, or the incident in general. Lorenzo never stated he had nothing to do with the incident but instead stated he was fine with going to prison and couldnt give a name, an officer wrote. Police say they caught up with Parker, also known as Ghost, at a northeast Albuquerque apartment complex Friday evening. Police took Parker into custody with assistance from the SWAT team, according to the complaint. He was driving a stolen car at the time of his arrest and officers found two handguns in the apartment. According to court documents, this is Parkers third felony arrest this month. Police arrested him on September 5 when they found him asleep in a stolen pickup truck with narcotics and again on September 18, after a fight with officers, when they found him in a stolen car with two handguns. Interstate 25 south of Belen reopened Saturday after floodwaters turned the north-south roadway river-like complete with debris, sagebrush and sediment. And that wasnt the only area impacted by the Friday evening downpour that dropped about 2 inches of rain in around two hours in that part of Valencia County, causing localized flooding. An emergency shelter was opened though it ended up not being needed and the Belen City Council declared an emergency to pay for overtime and other costs related to the response. New Mexico State Police completely shut down I-25, near mile marker 119 just south of Belen, Friday evening after water broke through an earthen dam, overfilled a diversion ditch, and flowed onto the road. The closure was expected to last a few hours while crews cleaned up the area, but each time workers cleared debris, more would accumulate, said officer Carl Christiansen, a State Police spokesman. They had to let it play out, he said. A few hours turned into all night, and the interstate was reopened at 6:30 a.m. Saturday. Christiansen said there were no stranded cars, crashes or major incidents due to the flooding or closure. We got out in front of this and avoided that pretty well, he said. Not to have any accidents was pretty impressive. That wasnt the only headache caused by the rainfall as Valencia County saw flooding to many dirt roads. The situation was serious enough to prompt officials to open an evacuation shelter. Seth Muller, Valencia Countys emergency management director, said N.M. 116, which runs parallel to I-25, had about 3 feet of water on it at one point. The storm surge moved public safety officials to open a shelter at a local community center for anyone who needed it. Everybody was able to get with family and friends, Muller said. The county saw a few car crashes but nothing serious, with much of the problems caused by people trying to drive through big puddles and getting stuck, he said. County Public Works was out Saturday cleaning up roads, while Emergency Management has been monitoring the weather, Muller said. Rain poses special challenges to dirt roads, of which Valencia County has many, because water washes them away and creates gullies and caverns in road. The water is going to follow the path of least resistance, Muller said. The county is still assessing damage to roads and once the standing water has receded Public Works will try to fill holes and regrade to smooth-out roads. Friday nights rainfall filled retention ponds to capacity, said Belen Fire Chief Manny Garcia. Once they become at capacity, if theres anymore storm surge, the flooding continues, Garcia said. As a result, the Belen City Council called a meeting to declare an emergency, which allows the city to free-up funding to pay rescue personnel overtime as well as other costs. If we have another storm it will keep us on alert, he said. The leaked draft of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinkes recommendations to President Trump on 27 national monuments including the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument near Las Cruces and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument west of Questa is so vague its useless to the communities that would be affected by any changes. The lack of specificity, like the Sept. 17 leaking of the document to The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, has all the appearances of a half-inflated trial balloon sent up by the White House which has had the document since August to gauge reactions before the final, final recommendations are made. And because the document, labeled Final Report Summarizing Findings of the Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act, is an internal draft according to an Interior spokesman, the White House is not answering questions about it. Thats the same White House that used an executive order to target national monuments larger than 100,000 acres that were created since Jan. 1, 1996, almost exclusively established by either President Bill Clinton or President Barack Obama both Democrats under the Antiquities Act. So everyone, especially those who live, work and play in or near the monuments, is left to speculate on the few semi-solid recommendations in the draft. Apparently, neither of New Mexicos new national monuments will be downsized, despite efforts by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., to reduce Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks by up to 80 percent. Four other Western monuments, however, appear to be headed in that direction Utahs Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, Nevadas Gold Butte, and Oregons Cascade-Siskiyou. But the New Mexico monuments are, it appears, going to be directed to alter the way theyre managed, which could mean opening more areas to grazing, hunting, fishing and wood gathering although those practices are already allowed by specific language in the presidential orders creating the monuments, and the leaked document is sparse on details. Leaving the monuments as is has had the vocal support of local, state and federal elected officials: 16 local government bodies; multiple chambers of commerce; several Indian tribes and pueblos; 375-plus businesses; hunting, fishing and environmental groups; and dozens of civic organizations. Sen. Martin Heinrich is calling Zinkes report a rushed and sloppy solution in search of a problem and has said it contains errors regarding both New Mexico monuments, specifically referring to management protocols that have been long settled through years of public negotiations. And hes right that youve got to get the details right if this report is to have credibility. Pearce says the plan should have reduced the Organ Mountains monument. And his and Zinkes suggestion that the noncontiguous Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monument be altered to accommodate the Border Patrol is confusing. The southernmost border of the monument, a 19-mile stretch paralleling the border in the Portillo Mountains, is 5 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, meaning agents have at least a 5-mile-wide band for enforcement activities. The monumental bottom line for New Mexico is this report is incomplete and lacks clarity. And after the Trump administration spent months ginning up monumental fear and uncertainly, thats not a path anyone should be expected to travel. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal State Auditor Tim Keller still has a significant lead in the Albuquerque mayors race, but support for City Councilor Dan Lewis has surged, and he has overtaken attorney Brian Colon for second place, according to the latest Journal Poll. Election Day is Tuesday. Tim Keller is maintaining his lead as the undecideds drop, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling Inc., the firm that conducted the scientific survey. And we may be seeing signs of Dan Lewis breaking away from some of the other candidates who have been clustered with him. Keller, a Democrat, gained four points in the two weeks since the previous Journal Poll, claiming support from 29 percent of likely voters in the telephone survey, conducted Sept. 26-28. Support for Lewis, a Republican, grew to 18 percent, a 5 point bump. Colon, a Democrat, remained at 14 percent. Bernalillo County Commissioner Wayne Johnson, a Republican, saw his support grow by 3 points. He is now polling at 10 percent. The other candidates in the race polled at 4 percent or below. The number of undecideds in this poll, meanwhile, dropped from 32 to 18 percent, which was expected given that Election Day is nearing. The poll suggests that a runoff is still very likely. I still believe its highly unlikely that any candidate will exceed 50 percent support among the voters, Sanderoff said, noting that even if Keller were to pick up all of the undecideds, which wouldnt happen, he still wouldnt reach the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a runoff. While the names of eight mayoral candidates will appear on the ballot, businessman Ricardo Chaves, a Republican, has dropped out of the race and asked Republicans to get behind Lewis. Two-thirds of the likely voters who took part in the Journal Poll had already been interviewed when Chaves made his announcement late Thursday afternoon. I think the most exciting thing in this race is going to be who takes second place, assuming theres a runoff, Sanderoff said. If that outcome is determined by less than 1 percentage point, then every vote counts. He said Chaves throwing his support to Lewis is only going to make a difference if its an extremely close race because Chaves was polling at 1 percent. But its still publicity. Even before Chaves endorsement, Lewis support among Republicans was growing. Lewis ascension is partially explained by increasing support levels among Republicans, Sanderoff said. Hes gone from 26 percent to 38 percent among Republicans. Hes gone up 12 points. Sanderoff said Lewis anti-crime message appears to be resonating with Republican voters. But he said Johnsons support among Republicans has also grown from 16 to 21 percent. And Johnson is going after Lewis, airing a television ad that likens Lewis to Barney Fife. A Republican attacking a fellow Republican has the potential of either helping Wayne Johnson or conceivably making this into a runoff between Democrats, Sanderoff said. Im sure theres a lot of rumbling going on in Republican circles regarding this strategic move of the Johnson campaign. Neither Lewis nor Johnson has much support from Democrats. Lewis was polling at 4 percent while Johnson was at 1 percent among those voters. Among Democrats, Keller has got a big lead, Sanderoff said. Hes at 46 percent to Colons 20. But he said neither Keller nor Colon have much Republican support. Keller picked up 10 percent of those voters, and Colon picked up 7 percent. But one of the reasons that Keller is in the lead is because hes also performing well among independents, Sanderoff said. Hes in first place with independents with 25 percent compared to Johnson and Lewis with 15 and 12 percent, respectively. Colon, meanwhile, continues to poll the best among Hispanics, drawing support from 25 percent of those voters, while Keller continues to do well among people with graduate degrees. As education level increases, support for Keller increases, Sanderoff said. For the survey, 618 likely voters were asked: If the election for mayor of Albuquerque were held today and the candidates were Ricardo Chaves, Brian Colon, Michelle Garcia Holmes, Wayne Johnson, Timothy Keller, Dan Lewis, Gus Pedrotty and Susan Wheeler-Deichsel, whom would you vote for? The order of the candidates was randomized. Independent Garcia Holmes, a retired detective and former attorney general chief of staff, and Pedrotty, a Democrat and recent University of New Mexico graduate, each received support from 4 percent of voters in the Journal Poll. Independent Wheeler-Deichsel, co-founder of Urban ABQ, and Chaves each received 1 percent of the vote in the poll. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. All interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households that did not initially answer the phone. Both cellphone numbers (48 percent) and landlines (52 percent) of proven municipal election voters were used. Its a battle for second place to make it into a runoff, assuming there is a runoff, with Keller pretty much in the drivers seat, Sanderoff said. He added that undecided voters were more likely to be female and not college graduates. Thats where the candidates should be focusing in the closing days, he said. Sanderoff said that based on early voting, which ended Friday, Democrats appear to be energized. The Democrats had impressive turnout levels during early voting compared to four years ago, Sanderoff said. Will that continue on Election Day, or will the Republicans get more energized and back their candidates on Tuesday? We dont know. If the election for mayor of Albuquerque were held today, which candidate would you vote for? Picture taken on April 21, 2017 shows South Korean Army K1A1 and U.S. Army M1A2 tanks fire live rounds during a U.S.-South Korea joint live-fire military exercise, at a training field, near the demilitarized zone, separating the two Koreas in Pocheon, South Korea. (Xinhua/REUTERS) by Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States is gearing up for even more weapons sales to allies, after months of already increased arms sales worldwide. At a time when tensions around the world are on the rise, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is preparing to ease restrictions on weapons sales to U.S. allies, the U.S. news source Politico reported Friday. The changes, which could see the U.S. State Department and Pentagon playing a more active role on behalf of U.S. weapons manufacturers, will be included in an executive order this fall, Politico reported. That is a stark change from the previous administration, which sought to set limits on the export of weapons from the United States, the world's biggest arms exporter. Indeed, new data finds that U.S. arms sales have nearly doubled, to 48 billion U.S. dollars, over the last eight months since Trump came to office, compared with the same period last year, Politico reported. Much of the reason is that the White House wants to bump up U.S. trade and boost the economy. But a surge in U.S. weapons sales also comes amid growing global tensions, and some experts fret that all this could have a destabilizing effect. "Much of the increase in arms sales is driven both by the Trump administration's concern about security in (certain) areas, as well as a desire to boost U.S. exports, even for weapons producers," Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, told Xinhua. "In these regions where there are increased arms sales, it reflects the Trump administration's concerns about regional stability, as well as the desire to increase partners' capabilities and reduce their reliance on the U.S. military," Mahaffee said. "In the Middle East, much of the capacity-building and weapons sales efforts are focused on better-equipping Gulf Arab allies to be able to contain Iran," Mahaffee said, referring to U.S. tensions with the Islamic Republic. Similarly, Asian allies will likely have access to weapons sales, considering tensions on the Korean Peninsula and U.S. desires to create a stronger security architecture in that region, Mahaffee said. Experts have differing views on whether the uptick could have unintended consequences, such as making the world a more dangerous place as nations beef up their weapons arsenals. "I understand some of the concerns that tensions could increase or arms races could result, but improving the capabilities of U.S. allies is key to deterring some of these tensions," Mahaffee said. Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that Trump has the U.S. economy in mind. "Trump is ramping up weapon sales as a way to boost the economy. He sees this as a valuable export and an avenue for companies to increase their markets. In general, Trump is pro-military so this is in keeping with his philosophic bent," said West. "The risk is that increased weapon sales will destabilize the world," West added. "Putting more military equipment into the hands of governments could increase conflict and lead to a global arms race." Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal A surprise witness has surfaced at the tail end of a protracted lawsuit that exposed how a New Mexico osteopath posing as a neurosurgeon injected patients with hot bone cement in an untested spinal procedure that was supposed to relieve pain but brought only misery. The new testimony of pain management specialist Dr. Robert Zuniga of Albuquerque this summer is a bombshell, according to lawyers for former patients. But the national hospital management firm that ran Gerald Champion Regional Hospital in Alamogordo argues his deposition is confidential and should not be allowed as evidence in the case. Zuniga has revealed that he was asked by a female hospital administrator back in 2007 to look at about a dozen charts of patients who had received the bone cement spinal injections. He said he was so alarmed by what he saw that he contacted the administrator and told her the procedure was dangerous and should be stopped. I dont think I even finished doing a full review, Zuniga testified at a recent deposition. It was just so crazy to me that this was being done, that for patients safety, I just picked up the phone and said, this is not right. Zuniga also testified that he told the administrator he believed osteopath Dr. Christian Schlicht, who claimed he invented the bone cement procedure, wasnt qualified to perform spinal surgeries. The information might never have come to light had one of the plaintiffs in the medical malpractice case not sought treatment from Zuniga for complications from her bone cement disc operation in Alamogordo. Zuniga, of the New Mexico Pain and Spine Institute, was being deposed by lawyers in the case this summer about that patient when he suddenly volunteered that he had been consulted years earlier by a Gerald Champion hospital administrator whose name he couldnt recall. His testimony, if allowed, could reopen the corporate negligence aspect of the case, allowing more defendants to be considered for damages and potentially hiking the payouts. Already, the hospital and Schlicht and others have paid out $33 million in settlements. The hospital management company, Tennessee-based Quorum Health Resources, is the lone remaining defendant. Quorum furnished non-medical hospital administrators for Gerald Champion. During one recent court hearing, Quorum attorneys claimed that Zunigas conclusions about Schlicht and the disc procedures reflected privileged communication gleaned through a peer review process and was therefore confidential by law. Yet, an attorney for the hospital has asserted that the hospital can find no evidence that such a peer review occurred. A U.S. bankruptcy judge in Albuquerque is set to take up the issue on Monday. Meanwhile, the Journal obtained copies of now-sealed documents that provide portions of Zungias account. The documents were available on the bankruptcy court website last Monday but by Tuesday had been sealed and were removed from public view. Zunigas disclosure is the first indication in more than seven years of litigation that the hospital or Quorum ever sought an outside opinion about the safety of the spinal disc injections during Schlichts employment there. Deposition testimony up to now has shown the hospital administration and medical staff back then dismissed the notion that Schlichts bone cement procedures were dangerous or experimental. With Zunigas warnings, the hospital administrator involved should have immediately taken steps to halt the procedure in 2007, preventing the horrific harm we now know was caused by these experimental procedures, states a motion filed last week by attorneys who have represented the 100 so former patients and their spouses in the case. The bone cement procedures continued at least through 2008. Schlicht left the hospital in November 2008 over a pay issue. Prior to his hiring at the hospital in 2006, Schlicht also used bone cement on patients at the VA Hospital in Albuquerque. He claimed at one point to have used bone cement injections on 300 patients with excellent results. His former patients from Gerald Champion say they suffer intractable pain and weakness along with decreased mobility. Some were partially paralyzed or lost control of bodily functions. Others remain homebound. Several former patients have had follow-up operations to try to fix the botched surgeries or remove the pieces of cement. But many have been told repairs are too risky. The litigation ended up in bankruptcy court when Gerald Champion hospital filed for bankruptcy in 2012. The consolidated bankruptcy case has entered the final phase to determine the nature and extent of damages of each plaintiff. Since Zunigas revelations, a mediation between the parties has been cancelled. After leaving New Mexico in early 2009, court records show Schlicht continued the bone cement procedures after opening a medical practice in Colorado. By 2011, he was working as a U.S. Air Force senior flight surgeon in Japan but was later fired. It isnt clear where he is living or whether he is still practicing medicine. An osteopath, Schlicht claimed to have been board certified as a neurosurgeon. Records show he was a German-born anesthesiologist who had one year of pain medicine training and provided bogus credentials to get hired in Alamorgordo. You need to stop Zunigas revelation came unexpectedly during his June 8 deposition about a patient he had treated who experienced excruciating pain, numbness and other complications since her 2008 bone cement surgery, court records show. Well, I think its only fair for me to explain something to you at this point, Zuniga told lawyers in the room. I know quite a bit about this case. And I dont know if either of you know that. I think its prudent for me to mention that I reviewed a lot of these cases for the hospital at one point. Did you were you aware of that? Zuniga asked. Zuniga stated he was contacted by an administrator at the Alamogordo hospital sometime in 2007 and asked to look at approximately 12-15 patients charts where the patients underwent what she said was a new procedure, where cement was injected into their spinal discs. She asked me to tell her whether this was an accepted procedure within the medical community, and whether it was being done anywhere else. At the time he was the director of pain management services at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. He stated he reviewed about three or four of these cases I was sent this was many years ago, but I picked up the phone and I called the administrator and I said, you need to stop this. So am I surprising both of you at this? Zuniga asked plaintiffs attorney Greig Coates and Quorum lawyer Jack Klecan. He stated he told the administrator he knew Schlicht fairly well because they both trained at University Hospital in Albuquerque. I told her that Dr. Schlicht was not qualified to do what he was doing, Zuniga stated. The bone cement substance, sometimes referred to as Plexiglas or PMMA, is used in certain spinal procedures in which it is injected into the bone, but not in the disc, Zuniga stated at a later deposition. What happened was I felt that this was such a risk to patients, that instead of doing a report, I think I called her up, he stated. The phone conversation ended fairly quickly after that, he added. It was almost like I was disappointing her, in a way. So there was not much to say. Zuniga added he wasnt contacted by the administrator again. One of Zunigas former colleagues supported his account in a separate deposition in June. Michael Palacio, a nurse practitioner now practicing in San Diego, recalled asking Zuniga about Schlicht some years back because they had been treating one of his former patients for complications related to the cement procedure. He (Zuniga) explained to me that, um, multiple people reviewed the record, including himself. And in his opinion, it wasnt viable. I was under the assumption that the neurosurgery group at (the University of New Mexico) also reviewed the records. Palacio testified that the consensus was the procedure was inappropriate. And the response from the (Alamogordo) administrators was, Thank you very much, and that was it. New evidence Attorneys for former patients believe the administrator Zuniga spoke to was CEO Sue Johnson-Phillipe, who approved hiring Schlicht in 2006. She worked as a Quorum employee at Gerald Champion hospital for nearly two years until she resigned abruptly in mid-July 2007 saying she wanted to spend more time with her family. Johnson-Phillipe, who couldnt be reached by the Journal last week, worked for a West Virginia hospital after leaving New Mexico. She has since retired. During a deposition in March 2013, Johnson-Phillipe said during her stint at Gerald Champion she wasnt aware that Schlicht was replacing lumbar disks in the spine with the Plexiglas-like bone cement. She also said there never came a time that she became aware that Schlicht was having an adverse effect on patients. Plaintiffs in a recent motion are seeking to reopen the case, contending that the newly discovered evidence was actively concealed from the (plaintiffs), from all experts, from the (Gerald Champion board of directors) and all committees of Gerald Champion and from the court. During a hearing in the case in August, Coates characterized Zunigas revelations as a bombshell. In the hundreds of thousands of pages produced by the hospital in the case, Coates told bankruptcy judge Robert H. Jacobvitz that, not one of them talks about Dr. Zunigas involvement in any way, shape or form. Quorum, meanwhile, has insisted that Zunigas information constituted confidential information that falls under New Mexicos medical peer review statute. Zuniga hasnt backed up the peer review contention and no hospital medical staff have come forward to say they asked Zuniga for such a review or were aware of one. SAN JUAN When Hurricane Maria destroyed the infrastructure of Puerto Rico, it turned the mayor of its capital city into a spokeswoman for a stranded people. Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto told the world of the horror she was seeing as whe waded through San Juans flooded streets. And the desperation on an island that may remain without power for months. Until then, Cruz had not been a well-known politician outside the island.But after Cruz criticized Washingtons response to the hurricane this week save us from dying, she pleaded on cable network President Donald Trump took direct aim at her Twitter. Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, he tweeted Saturday. The Democrats must have convinced her to say nasty things about him, he claimed. Since the president brought it up, we present below the historical record of the leadership abilities of Cruz, before and after the storm. Cruz has, in some ways, been a lifelong politician: Class president in eighth grade; student council president in high school. Like many Puerto Ricans, she left the island to pursue opportunities on the U.S. mainland, earning a bachelors in political science at Boston University and a masters in public management and policy at Carnegie Mellon. She stayed on the mainland for many years, according to her official biography, and worked her way up to the position of human resources director at several companies, including Scotiabank and the U.S. Treasury Department. In a 2014 interview with a small New York newspaper, Cruz described the tug of war she and other Puerto Ricans often feel between the mainland and their home island. I often say to my friends that I felt too Puerto Rican to live in the States; then I felt too American to live in Puerto Rico, she said. So when I settled back in Puerto Rico in 1992, I had to come to terms with all of that. After 12 years on the mainland, Cruz returned to her island to plunge back into politics. She became an adviser to Sila Maria Calderon, then the mayor of San Juan who later became Puerto Ricos first and only female governor. With the experience she gained under Calderon, Cruz ran in 2000 for a seat in Puerto Ricos House of Representatives. She lost that race, but in 2008 she ran again and won. Politics is a rough game, and sometimes as females we are taught that you have to play nice, she said in a 2014 in an interviewinterview. Sometimes you cant play nice. As the race for mayorship of her home town approached in 2012, she waffled publicly on whether to enter as a candidate. At first she denied any plans to run. Once she entered the race, she strung together a series of small coalitions to form a base of support, including the LGBT community, students, Dominican immigrants and taxi drivers. Such allies helped her defeat a formidable opponent a three-time incumbent, Jorge Santini. People dont realize they have the power, she recalled in an interview years later. People dont realize that if they come together, there are more of them than those who occupy the seat that Im in right now. Puerto Ricos politics are largely defined by their relationship with the mainland and whether the island should remain a U.S. territory, gain statehood or vie for independence. Cruzs party, the Popular Democratic Party, campaigns to maintain Puerto Ricos status quo as an unincorporated, self-governed U.S. territory. But in her trips to the United States since winning office, Cruz has at times advocated for more independence. She once went before Congress to ask that Puerto Rico crippled by debt be able to reorganize under bankruptcy laws, and thereafter enter into commercial agreements with other countries. Puerto Rico has been denied these tools far too long, Cruz said in 2015. And as long as our options are defined by the powers of this Congress, we will always be at your mercy. The measure of our success will always be limited by the vastness of your control over our affairs. Two years later, Hurricane Maria has made the islands many dependencies all too apparent. Hurricane Maria flooded roads, destroyed phone lines and cut the islands lifeline of goods from the mainland. With limited communications and little help from the outside world in the first days after the hurricane, the mayors of Puerto Rico became the highest form of authority for many residents. Cruz worked nearly nonstop on the ground walking its streets and doing what she could for those she met. In an interview with a Washington Post reporter just three days after the storm, she described what she was seeing. There is horror in the streets, she said at the time. Sheer pain in peoples eyes. The citys hospitals had no power. Much of the country would not have electricity until 2018, she said. Looters were already taking over some streets after dark. The few who still had gasoline and drinking water were quickly running out. Cruz had written to scores of other mayors. Theres no answer, she saidThe mayor herself felt relatively helpless only able to do so much for her exhausted neighbors and frightened constituents. I know were not going to get to everybody in time, she said. All she could do was try. On her way totalk to the reporter, she said, a man had asked her for a favor: To tell the world were here. As tears filled her eyes, Cruz obliged. If anyone can hear us, she told the reporter: Help. By Thursday night, families were searching for water by the light of dwindling cellphone batteries and moonlight. They passed through a tunnel beneath a city wall, and found at the exit a water tank left there by the city a godsend. And then they found their mayor. Cruz hugged them as they came to her. She handed to each family a small solar-powered lantern a box of blessings, she called it. Now this is life, she told The Post. Her people were resilient, she said. Residents had taken the streets back from criminal gangs. But if the federal government didnt step up its response, she feared, people will die. Nearly 5,000 National Guard personnel were stationed on the island before the storm, according to the White House, and the government has sent thousands more to helpin the days since. But they have struggled to get even basics like drinking water to those in need. A call with the White House earlier in this week had encouraged Cruz, she said. She told the federal government that 3,000 containers were sitting in a port, trapped behind electronic gates that wouldnt open. Since then, more federal personnel had arrived, and the government had sent pallets of water and food. But her city was still on the brink, Cruz said. On Thursday, in the White House driveway, acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke defended the Trump administrations response to the storm. It is really a good news story, in terms of our ability to reach people, the director said. When Cruz heard that, she made good on her warning years earlier that sometimes in politics you cant play nice. People are dying in this country, Cruz said at a news conference on Friday. I am begging, begging anyone that can hear us, to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy. And with that, the mayor of a ruined city drew the attention and ire of the President of the United States. The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump, he wrote on Twitter. The latter remark perplexed many experts on Puerto Rican politics. I dont know if Trumps comments shows an utter lack of understanding of the political situation in Puerto Rico, or if its just a cover to rally his base, said Yarimar Bonilla, an anthropologist at Rutgers University. It makes no sense. Politics in Puerto Rico are completely different than the mainland, with completely different parties. Last year, Bonilla surveyed 1,000 residents of island. Most had no affiliation with Republicans or Democrats, and many had no little understanding of either party. Cruz, who is widely expected to run for governor of the island, has some understanding, of course. She isnt affiliated with either party, but has occasionally supported former Democratic President Barack Obamas policies. During the 2012 election, she met with Obamas campaign manager to push for healthcare funding and education grants for Puerto Ricans. But that is a far cry from being a tool of the Democrats, said Amilcar Barreto, a Puerto Rican political expert at Northeastern University. Complaining about people on the island not having food, electricity, water is not partisan. Thats just basic human necessity. On Saturday, Cruz dismissed Trumps tweets with a smile. She was dressed in combat boots and cargo pants as she oversaw the distribution of supplies from San Juan. The most powerful man in the world is concerned with a 5-foot-tall, 120-pound little mayor of the city of San Juan, she said. Suddenly, many others were concerned as well. Cruz fielded calls all daylong from U.S. senators and business leaders. Reporters mobbed her for interviews. And all day long, her criticism of the relief effort did not soften. Its like a clogged artery, she said of federal governments bureaucratic hurdles. The heart has stopped beating. When asked if there was anything political in her barbed remarks, Cruz denied it. I dont have time for politics, she said. There is a mission, and that is to save lives. Then in the middle of an interview, the mayor got a call about a generator catching fire at San Juan hospital. She quickly mobilized her staff, barking out orders like a general. Then, within minutes, she was rushing once more out into her city. Hernandez and Schmidt reported from Puerto Rico. Selk and Wan reported from Washington. San Juan mayor: There is horror in the streets Video coding: First Financial Credit Union is warning of a loan pre-approval scam that it fears could be related to the gigantic Equifax breach. The Albuquerque-based credit union is concerned because one of the people targeted said the scammer had his date of birth, Social Security number and some information about his past loans, said Greg Shaver, senior vice president of lending. That kind of information was among the trove of details stolen when the credit reporting agencys records were hacked. Were not 100 percent sure this is tied to Equifax, but its concerning that this is happening right after the Equifax breach, he said. It raises the level of urgency. So far, those who have contacted First Financial about the scheme have not been among the credit unions 72,000 members, Shaver said. The plot has been arriving in email form, although Shaver said the credit union believes it could also start arriving in postal boxes. The scammers are using the credit unions official logo and telling people to call a California number: 818-514-9645. The person who answers the phone will ask for your online banking information so a $6,000 loan can be directly deposited on your behalf. First, though, you will have to make a trial deposit of $1,000 to make sure the transaction works, Shaver said. What will really happen is this: you will lose the $1,000, and the scammers will have your online banking details. In hopes of snaring more victims, we think they may go after some of the people with lower credit scores, Shaver said. A few things the credit union wants people to know: If youre not a member, you wont be getting a pre-approved loan offer from First Financial. The credit unions emails come with @ffnm.org at the end of the address. If it is a Gmail, Yahoo, or a Hotmail account, we did not send the letter. Never give out personal information, including your mobile or online banking user name or password. Contact the credit union if youve given out personal information or if you think youve been targeted by a scam at 505-766-5600 or 800-342-8298. ***** A jury duty scam that previously surfaced in parts of the state is now claiming victims in the Santa Fe area, the Attorney Generals Office says. Several people already have fallen for the costly hoax, in which a caller tells people they have skipped out on jury duty and therefore owe a fine of up to $2,000, the office said. The fine, the callers say, is for failure to appear and for contempt of court. Making the nefarious plot more believable is the fact that some of those called had actually received a jury summons in the recent past, AG spokesman James Hallinan said. When they protested that they had been officially excused from duty, the scammers said the paperwork had not been processed properly and the fine had to be paid immediately, regardless. If you refuse? The scammers describe your fate this way: You will be booked, fingerprinted, photographed and detained for up to 24 hours, the AG news release says. Similar scams have been reported previously in Bernalillo and Dona Ana counties. The AGs office wants you to know that the courts dont call people on the phone. Instead, they issue formal paperwork for jury summonses, fines or warrants. Since about 10 percent of the population gets a jury summons every year, callers can easily persuade residents that they may be out of compliance, the AG warning says. An interesting side note: administrators in charge of the states court system are assuring the public that there has not been a data breach of voter rolls. A sign of the times. With Equifax and other cases of hijacked IDs, New Mexicans should be very sensitive to data breaches, Hallinan said. Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at emarks@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3842 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. In the latest Google Home app update, Google has apparently confirmed that the Google Assistant will be coming to Chromebooks in the near future. If you go into Google Assistant, and tap on the Explore section, then go down to the Games & Fun section and scroll over to Chat with your Assistant and tap on that card, youll see that the listing says Google Assistant is compatible with Google Home, Allo, Android 6.0+ Phones, Chromebook and iOS 9.0+ phones. Everything listed there, besides Chromebook, already has Google Assistant. So this could be a hint of what Google may be announcing for the Assistant this coming week with its fall hardware event. Google Assistant coming to Chromebooks is not surprising, and there has already been plenty of evidence that Google was working on bringing it over to Chromebooks. But now it looks like it is just about ready to go, and that Google only needs to flip a switch. Google has been working to bring the Google Assistant to just about every platform, in fact earlier this week the Assistant finally made its way over to the Android TV starting with the NVIDIA SHIELD TV platform. Which is putting the Google Assistant on the big screen. Google wants you to use the Google Assistant for everything and by having it on every single Google platform, it makes it easier to use it for everything. Next week, on October 4th, the company is going to be unveiling a number of new hardware products. Theres obviously the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2, but there are also rumors of a Google Home Mini, a new Daydream View headset and even a Pixelbook, which would be a new Chromebook under the Pixel branding something Google hasnt done in a few years. So it is very possible that Google could announce the Google Assistant for Chromebooks with the unveiling of the Pixelbook on Wednesday from San Francisco. Google will also likely spend a good bit on the Google Assistant, talking about a number of changes and new features it has gained since Google I/O as well. Since that is Googles big product these days. File pic of Xinhua. (Xinhua/Zeng Yi) LONDON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The maximum prison sentence for people convicted of animal cruelty in Britain is to be increased from six months to five years under plans announced Saturday. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said animal abusers who commit the most heinous crimes will face the harsher punishments. Gove said the government is to bring forward new legislation that will increase the current punishment tenfold to send a clear signal to potential offenders that there is no place for animal cruelty in England. A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "There have been a number of recent shocking cases where courts have said they would have handed down longer sentences had they been available, including a case in April last year when a man bought a number of puppies just to brutally and systematically beat, choke and stab them to death. The new legislation will also enable courts to deal more effectively with ruthless gangs involved in organized dog fights." Secretary Gove said: "We are a nation of animal lovers and so we must ensure that those who commit the most shocking cruelty towards animals face suitably tough punishments. These plans will give courts the tools they have requested to deal with the most abhorrent acts." Defra said the number of people convicted of extreme animal cruelty in Britain averages 1,150 people a year. Under the government plan, courts will have the ability to hand out unlimited fines and ban offenders from ever owning animals in the future, but they will also have the ability to sentence the worst cases appropriately. The move has been widely welcomed by animal welfare groups and follows dedicated campaigning from Battersea Cats and Dogs Home and the RSPCA. Claire Horton, CEO at the famous Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, in London welcome the move. She said: "Since we launched our campaign calling for five year sentences in February, the momentum has clearly been building and the response has been tremendous, with close to 62,000 members of the public across the UK calling on their MPs to back this change." David Bowles from the animal RSPCA said: "Our inspectors regularly rescue animals from horrific circumstances of mistreatment, brutality and neglect." Last month Defra announced plans to make closed circuit cameras mandatory in all slaughterhouses and committed to take steps to control the export of live farm animals for slaughter. The Best Woodsy Colognes For Men Presenting The Best Woodsy Colognes, So You Can Smell Like Nature The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. Of Earths many natural resources, wood carries the most charming aroma, triggering a series of olfactory sensations in our system once inhaled. Weve witnessed the resurgence of woodsy colognes over the past few years, with every elite fashion brand releasing new formulas or updating their signature lines with the energizing ingredient. Outside of their singular flavor, woodsy colognes are furnished with virtues that remain absent in your standard bottle of men's cologne. They serve more as functional stimulants that cloak the entire body through minimal sprays. Oriental fragrances tend to bear heavier scents, which stick to you for longer before wearing off. Not to mention they act as a sensory magnets that encourage some snuggle action. Need any other reasons to add several of these to your grooming collection? Didnt think so. RELATED: How To Pick A Cologne That'll Work Better Than Any Aphrodisiac You want to smell nice, but you don't want to smell artificial. Youre more of an earthy guy, who loves the outdoors and the smell of fresh cut grass, pine trees and the air after a thunderstorm. All of these encompass natural smells of the earth that men and women have loved for centuries. Go back to nature with a woodsy cologne that will have everyone falling in love with the way you smell. Woodsy fragrances have warm, dry smells that will invite others in. They also tend to be heavier, enveloping your entire body in just a few sprays and lasting for longer periods of time. Most earthy colognes contain notes like sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, agarwood and patchouli. Lets break these down: Sandalwood is obtained from the trees of the genus Santalum which has a heavy, yellow wood, resulting in a long-lasting fragrance. Sandalwood has a rich, sweet fragrance with soft wood notes. It is a subtle, exotic smell that clings to your body and lingers for a decent amount of time. is obtained from the trees of the genus Santalum which has a heavy, yellow wood, resulting in a long-lasting fragrance. Sandalwood has a rich, sweet fragrance with soft wood notes. It is a subtle, exotic smell that clings to your body and lingers for a decent amount of time. Cedar is made from cedar trees native to the mountains of Himalaya and the Mediterranean region. Cedar cologne has a dry and woody scent where its richness and warmth are brought out even more with the warmth touch of skin. It combines well with citrus notes, creating a fragrant, musky scent perfect for an outdoorsy man. is made from cedar trees native to the mountains of Himalaya and the Mediterranean region. Cedar cologne has a dry and woody scent where its richness and warmth are brought out even more with the warmth touch of skin. It combines well with citrus notes, creating a fragrant, musky scent perfect for an outdoorsy man. Vetiver is a mossy grass that grows in wet and damp environments over marshy places and riverbanks. Vetiver has subtle citrus notes combined with hints of leathery, woody notes. It is known for its cooling properties and mixes perfectly with other scents like sandalwood and patchouli. is a mossy grass that grows in wet and damp environments over marshy places and riverbanks. Vetiver has subtle citrus notes combined with hints of leathery, woody notes. It is known for its cooling properties and mixes perfectly with other scents like sandalwood and patchouli. Agarwood (also called oud wood) is one of the most expensive woods in the world. It has a rich, musty and nutty scent unique to it. Its warm and woody, perfect for a cool, fall night. Agarwood is also an aphrodisiac, so be ready to roll when youre wearing it. (also called oud wood) is one of the most expensive woods in the world. It has a rich, musty and nutty scent unique to it. Its warm and woody, perfect for a cool, fall night. Agarwood is also an aphrodisiac, so be ready to roll when youre wearing it. Patchouli is a bushy herb of the mint family. Therefore, it has a woody, minty undertone with a sweet and herby aroma. And no, you wont be classified as a hippy if you wear scents with patchouli in them (some say it smells like marijuana because of its herbal odor). Just make sure youre wearing the right amount, and that it isnt overpowering and youll love the smell. All of these woodsy, mossy and musty ingredients make sensational heart and base notes within the layers of a cologne. The scents are really brought out when mixed with lighter notes like citrus and rose. The fresh brightness of a cologne fades away to unearth a blend warm, exotic notes that hit the nose in just the right way. If youre looking for a masculine, outdoorsy-smelling fragrance, then you came to the right article. The following colognes will both brighten and warm you up so others will want to lean in close. Check out these woodsy picks to make sure youre the best smelling guy in the room. Tom Ford Out Wood In case you didnt know, Tom Ford pioneered the oud note during his tenure as artistic director of Yves Saint Laurent. The fashion icon has since spawned an Oud Collection that borrows the trademark accord of oud, sandalwood, and patchouli, only this time toning down the curative, animalistic elements of the scent for a more artisanal composition suited for the contemporary man. Notes of Szechuan pepper, earthy vetiver, and vanilla help top off a creamy-scent finish that is mildly comforting in chillier climates. $225.00 at Nordstrom.com Vetiver Citron The Art of Shavings Vetiver Citron cologne is perfect for a crisper, brighter smell when its a beautiful, sunny day in spring or summer. Vetiver is freshly lifted with the note of cold pressed grapefruit. The fragrance ends with subtle, spicy note that makes it a perfect pick for a go-to smell. $60.00 at Walmart.com Luxury Sandalwood Cologne Taylor of Old Bond Street created a tasteful and classic fragrance with this sandalwood scented cologne. Top notes of fresh lemon and herbal influences of lavender, thyme and rosemary brightens the cologne with aromatic and uplifting scents. The middle notes, floral jasmine and white cyclamen, add a fresh layer. The ending notes warm up this fragrance with woods, moss and amber musks. This cologne emcompasses multiple scents, making it a delightful scent for any man. $46.00 at Amazon.com Lagerfeld by Karl Lagerfeld Originally created for Karl Lagerfeld himself, this oriental-woodsy fragrance opens sweetly with notes of orange, estragon, nutmeg, aldehydes and bergamot. It then warms up with notes of cedar wood, sweet jasmine, iris, patchouli, rose sandalwood and tobacco. The cologne overall is a bright and sweet combination that dives deep into a heated, musky fragrance. Its a dry smelling cologne that will leave others thirsty for a closer look (or sniff, really). $34.44 at Amazon.com Kenneth Cole Mankind Ultimate The revered American fashion house has released a bold fragrance that stimulates the senses with a fresh and energetic feel for the modern man. Its savory woody olfactory theme is pleasantly absorbed by the skin ,with notes of cardamom, tarragon leaves, zesty ginger and a splash of pineapple, while more masculine roots of noble cedar and cashmere wood smoothly spread through the air to conquer ones breathing space. The affordable price tag might be a reflection of its ceaseless endurance, though its dynamic aroma is enough to leave a lasting impression. $52.60 at Amazon.com Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme Intenso D&Gs woodsy fragrance is the first infused with the floral and honeyed Moepel accord, which is derived from a South African tree to produce one of the most unique scents ever concocted. The aquatic notes and green nuances of basil and lavender tickle your nostrils upon application. However, the manifest empowerment of Intenso comes from its seductive composition built on the core of labdanum, sandalwood and cypress that exudes intensity and strength. That means its active enough to whisk through the wind and draw the attention of any woman passing your direction. $45.95 at Walmart.com Related Reading Best Cologne For Men 3 Cologne Subscriptions To Try Out Now AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. I Tested Out Harry's For A Month - The Results Are In Is Harry's Really The Best Shaving Subscription Out There? We Tried It The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. This article was written in collaboration with Harry's. What razor sits in your bathroom cabinet? Yea, its a pretty open-ended question to ask since most of us have our favorites. Then again, were talking about a demographic where the majority are clueless to what makes for a great shave. Truth be told, I was once like you. A young adult completely misinformed on the art of shaving. Advertisements and commercials sold me on all the wrongs, therefore any experiences I had in my early days involved digging through a dresser for a Gillette disposable and some foamy shaving cream in a tin can. Long as I could save a few bucks and sport a kissable moneymaker, even if it was at the cost of irritating it with several pass-throughs of a blade, while nicking the hell out of my face mind you, life was good. Amateur hour! But I aint the first, nor the last guy whos failed to appreciate the value of a virtuous shave. Probably wasnt until I ventured into the male grooming sector as a lifestyle journalist and experimented with numerous shaving products when the light bulb finally went off. The market just started to welcome tons of options, better razors, and at better rates to where I didnt feel forced into compromising my appearance or facial skin just to pocket a few extra singles. And just when I thought the grooming task couldnt become more practical, along came shaving subscription boxes like Harrys, which simplified the shopping experience delivering all shaving essentials right to my front door step on a monthly basis. All the train ads and word of mouth sold me on testing it. Well, that and its competitive pricing. But prior to Harrys I had already gone through the gamut of competitors. Yet despite owning some top performers, none delivered the comfort or convenience that came with being a Harrys customer. Youre saying $15 gets me a starter set of one razor handle, three cartridges, one blade cover, and a shave gel? No way. One Schick razor alone goes for nearly the same amount at my local pharmacy. Do the math there. Winning! Still, even with a business model that defies the tradition of overcharging for blades, co-founder Jeff Raider has made it known that Harrys is all about giving men what they want without going for broke: We respect your face and your wallet! And this mantra is best exhibited through the aesthetics of their razor lineup, mainly their flagship product: The Truman. The shaver is quite the looker with a design inspired by fine pens and knives that comes available in three bold, attractive colors (Nautilus Blue, Olive 107, Total Orange). Compared to the flimsiness of other razors, the Truman was a pleasure to hold thanks to its ergonomic handle and rubberized exterior, which optimized shave control when navigating across my grill. One of my biggest pet peeves is having a razor that cant reach the hair trapped in between my cleft chin (aka the Michael Douglas). So it was relieving and surprising to see how flexible the Truman was, hitting such hard-to-reach spots, even certain areas of the chest. Much props go to the flex hinge. But let me not do Harrys blade engineering a disservice by only gloating over the Trumans handle. In factuality, the five-blade cartridge system is the real signature feature here. Each cutter is formed in the Gothic Arch shape which maintains a strong base and sharpness at the tip for an incredibly effective shave. Im a stubble wearer and require a good clean-up almost every other day. The Truman definitely took care of those prickly threads without pulling or irritating my skin. Much of that comfort can be attributed to two things. The first being its Aloe vera-infused lubrication strip. Such an underlying detail in todays razors, it helped soothe my face with every stroke, even if for a few seconds. More surprising is how it doesnt wear down as quickly as on other models, giving the razor longer shelf life and preserving performance for many shaves. Then we have the evenly spaced blades that present enough room to guide hairs straight into each cutter. Rarely did I find myself having to pass through the same area twice, which if youre a seasoned shaver is a complete no-no in Shaving 101. A huge plus for the Truman. RELATED: Harry's Review What caught me more off guard was how well it shaved through thicker hairs that I grew after a week of facial sprouting. A nice long stroke from the tip of my sideburns to the neck picked up a huge chunk of fur. Quite impressive I must say. On the other hand, the sensation was a bittersweet one since hairs were much harder to rinse off the blade. Speaking of rinsability, this brings us to the Foaming Shaving Gel, which reacts great to water and instantly wipes the blades of any stubble. Dispensing is simple with basic press-down action releasing the gel from the top of can. It isnt until mixed where the formula develops into a cream, forming a rich lather and creating a velvety effect thats super-comforting to apply. This is vital for razor glide, as the blades effortlessly slid across facial real estate for what turns out to be a nice, close shave. Scent was pleasant as well, leaving my face and towel with a welcoming aroma that screams grown man. Once finished, my face felt ridiculously hydrated something most foam creams fail to achieve. Harrys goes the more organic route and loads its gel with aloe and cucumber, two additives with moisturizing properties that keep skin refreshed. It convinced me enough to run out the door on my date without using any aftershave. Thats another major grooming no-no depending on your skin sensitivity, but its a testament to how good the product is. Ordering on the site is just as much a rewarding experience as using the shaving bundle. The website design is attractive and streamlined to where navigating around is effortless, especially when re-upping on previous purchases. Signing up for a plan only takes a few minutes, plus earns you a Free Trial set. All youll pay is the $3 shipping charge. The Verdict: Harrys is by far the best auto-pilot grooming subscription service The Truman Set is a must-own for facial styling Whats not to love about $2 cartridge refills? Competition is stiff out there, but the New York-based brand makes shopping for EDC grooming items so basic and enjoyable to where you cant help but feel accomplished after finishing each cartridge. Pricing is on-point, especially if youre an endless shaver such as myself. The scene-stealer is the Truman razor. Performance-wise, Harrys supersedes expectations and does a far better job than most of the markets renowned razors. Im still in awe over how moisturized both the razor and shaving gel left my face after each shave. Im curious to know how good some of Harrys other grooming supplies are. Targets locked in on the Daily Face Wash and Face Lotion. Harrys does make shaving a hassle-free chore, while saving you money and unnecessary trips to the nearby Walgreens every 30 days. Case in point, this is the razor (and shaving gel) to keep stocked in your toiletry bag. Just sayin! Get yourself started with the Truman Set and subscribe Here to start your Free Trial Set. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. Best Way To Learn Japanese Learning Japanese Isn't As Hard As It Sounds - Check This Out The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. Theres something liberating about the perusal of bilingual and multilingual skills in personal and professional environments. The ability to spin the English language into another diction is a skill that not everyone possesses, yet it is becoming more and more common as time progresses. With secondary schools increasing language program offerings, colleges chiming in with class predicates and new majors, and the increasing need for translators and multilingual employees in corporate climates, the need to learn a second, third or even fourth language is consistently increasing. The millennial generation and its incessant need to travel and adopt new traditions has also led to a statistical increase in multilingual education even for those who are on-the-go. According to a 2011 census survey, nearly 21% of all Americans are bilingual. The majority, nearly 55%, speak Spanish in addition to English. German and French are a close second. With almost 7000 languages in the world, its hard to believe that Spanish has such a stronghold however, its a direct correlation with the cultural appropriation seen in the United States. From a global standpoint, one of the most popular languages to learn in recent years has been Japanese. While difficult, the cultural aspect has helped to increase the popularity and educational value. There are several other reasons as to why. Career : Many fields have centralized staying power in Tokyo and surrounding Japanese communities, especially in technology and financial services. Companies such as Sony, Toyota, and Panasonic admit to hiring new employees above other candidates who have the ability to communicate in Japanese. : Many fields have centralized staying power in Tokyo and surrounding Japanese communities, especially in technology and financial services. Companies such as Sony, Toyota, and Panasonic admit to hiring new employees above other candidates who have the ability to communicate in Japanese. The Rising Popularity of Japanese Creativity : While Pokemon Go and other phenomena have raised awareness of Japanese pop culture, traditional anime/manga and even Hello Kitty have risen in popularity since the mid-2000s. JPOP, or Japanese pop music, has also reached the United States thanks, in large part, to modern technology, and access to streaming services such as YouTube. : While Pokemon Go and other phenomena have raised awareness of Japanese pop culture, traditional anime/manga and even Hello Kitty have risen in popularity since the mid-2000s. JPOP, or Japanese pop music, has also reached the United States thanks, in large part, to modern technology, and access to streaming services such as YouTube. Travel : Tourism in Japan for work and play is a huge industry, and global citizens are taking advantage of their free time in the country. Whether its breathtaking historical elements, modern architecture, food, or even Japanese women, theres something for everyone in Japan and speaking the native language only adds to the experience. With that being said, what is the best way to learn Japanese? Scholars argue that learning a language at a young age, preferably alongside English, is the best education one can have, but what if one is not awarded the option? Especially for a complex language like Japanese that may not be readily available to average families. E-Learning Platforms The convenience of e-learning techniques is something that is appealing to busy adults; and having the ability to adapt skills to an on-the-go, easy-to-follow format is something everyone can appreciate. As with any educational course, its important to follow the specific timeline, actively participate, and practice. The pros of an online education include the ability to adapt the program to any schedule. Coursework can be completed anywhere one has access to the Internet, and theres the unlimited resource of the world wide web. However, its important to keep in mind that these methods cannot replace a classroom experience theres little ability to connect with others, and the price can be astronomical, depending on how extensive the training is meant to be. Below are our top choices for e-learning of the Japanese language: Udemy Best For: Those Wanting To Set Their Own Pace And Budget Udemy is a simplistic pay-as-you-go educational website that offers classes in an on-demand format. Its a global tool that offers over 55,000 courses for students, including Japanese and other foreign languages. Udemy has the same feel as Fiver and other pay as you go platforms, only this one is specific to online education. Reviewers feel as if they are getting the best coursework for the value currently available online. Instructors are screened and there are no hidden fees. There are a few different course options for Japanese within the Udemy platform. This course Online Japanese Beginner Course is built in an ideal format for beginners who are looking to get a solid understanding of Japanese. In this, program you will learn everything from the basics of pronunciation, to vocabulary, common phrases and of course how to read and write Japanese characters. This course also provides students with a PDF textbook so you can print it out and practice reading and writing offline. $75.00 at Udemy.com Rosetta Stone Best For: The Studious Japanese Language Aficionado Rosetta Stone, although one of the most popular software picks, is a runner-up for beginning Japanese. The software is better suited for those who are very serious about the language and willing to learn every aspect of it. Rosetta Stone is incredibly user-friendly, it offers features that entice users to take part in online activities and use the product on tablets and smartphones, which enhances its overall appeal. What's great about this program is their exclusive 'Truaccent' technology. This feature is a great asset when learning to grasp the difficult Japanese speech patterns and pronunciation. Starting At $79 at RosettaStone.com EdX Best For: Those Who Want To Learn Or Enhance A Foreign Language At Practically No Cost EdX is a multilingual educational platform that was founded in 2012 by scientists with educational backgrounds at Harvard and MIT. The founders had a goal of providing educational resources to anyone who wants them, giving access to hundreds of rigorous courses taught by real professors. They provide over 650 different classes, including Japanese. Students are only asked to pay for verified/certification courses, otherwise, most options are free of charge. Not only is the edX platform budget-friendly, but its also user-friendly and fairly well-updated. The only problem with this platform is that it doesnt always offer complete Japanese courses; they change each quarter. At the moment, conversational and pronunciation is a class that they are offering for intermediate speakers. Free, $50.00 for certification at Edx.com Pimsleur Best For: Those Who Want A Structured Learning Experience The Pimsleur language package may seem pricey compared to other options, but their method has been well recognized for teaching students to grasp vocabulary and learn the correct pronunciation of a language right from the start. In their Learn Japanese program, you will learn basic phrases, vocabulary, and grammar. Their program also includes tools to learn to speak with a near-native accent and read the Japanese scripts hiragana, katakana, and selected kanji characters. This would be the ideal course to take if you are looking to become perfectly fluent in Japanese, and/or looking to use Japanese in a professional setting. $450.00 at Pimsleur.com Apps If online learning seems to be a daunting task, this generations solution to just about everything is the use of applications, aka apps. The downside is that apps are much easier to navigate if you already have knowledge of the language its being used for. Its not recommended to use any of these apps as a primary source for extensive learning. With Japanese, it may be best to use another resource and tap into your app while traveling, or if you need a refresher course. Here are our top picks for partaking in Japanese on-the-go: Learn, Japanese! Best For: Those Who Want A Super Easy, Fun App That Runs On Most Smart Phones While a lot of reviewers cite having knowledge of Japanese before jumping into the application, this app has a high rating for its streamlined teaching methods. Unlike competitors, it takes the time to teach users actual grammar instead of just words and phrases. This free app includes audio playback for each lesson, a broken down approach, and a fast-paced teaching method, making it ideal for learning Japanese on the go. Free at Itunes.com Innovative 101: Learn 34 Languages Best For: Those Who Are Interested In Learning Multiple Languages Fast and easy, this app gives users different learning methods to appease all styles of learning. Offering podcasts, survival phrases, and a progress bar to track what youve accomplished, this app is for the more serious Japanese student. This app also offers the ability to learn from real teachers and gives instant access to both audio and video lessons directly inside the platform. Prices are based on monthly subscription services that can be canceled at anytime. This application also offers access to 33 other languages that users can move into. Free (starting rate) at Itunes.com Japanese (More than a dictionary) Best For: Those Who Are Continuing Their Education Of The Japanese language Originally developed to be a learning tool, this application is one of the highest rated in its category. Described as the ultimate study companion for any Japanese language learner, this app is comprehensive in the fact that it offers 175,000 dictionary entries and 58,000 example sentences as well as the ability to use flashcards as a study aid. Free at Itunes.com Books Writing in Japanese is certainly a delicate art form. Its fun to see how the symbols ultimately create words and sounds that are not a part of other global communication. Learning to write from course books is one of the most common ways that languages have been taught, and can also be the perfect companion to e-learning and traditional classrooms. A translation dictionary is one of the most important tools to own when learning any language and is a mainstay in most multilingual households. Sticking with traditional methods, here are the best books for learning Japanese: George Trombley - Japanese from Zero! Best For: Those Who Enjoy Instructional Guidebooks Developed by professional Japanese interpreter George Trombley, this method breaks down the Japanese language into an easy-to-understand format. Using a fun, fast-paced method (backed by some cool anime artwork), the Japanese From Zero series is a quick read that offers sentence structure and conversational techniques. It also recently opened up shop as an online course. $32.95 at Amazon.com Kevin Marx - Speak Japanese in 90 Days Best For: Those Wanting To Learn Quick, Conversational Japanese Written as an alternative to purchasing multiple classes, Japanese in 90 Days teaches the reader to hone in on specific tasks to better understand the language. The daily prep courses teach you not only what you need, but also how to study. While it may not be comprehensive and give readers the ability to hold full conversations with native speakers, it provides the basics needed to survive in a Japanese-speaking environment. $12.34 at Amazon.com Timothy G. Stout - Japanese Kanji for Beginners Best For: Those Wanting To Learn The Written Form Of The Language While it would likely need a companion book to give the reader a detailed understanding of the Japanese language, this book is a great deal for the price. Readers can learn the meanings behind different words and how to write Kanji through use of the most basic of the Japanese characters. $12.96 at Amazon.com In-Person Classes If youre anything like me, you love learning inside of a classroom. Theres something incredible about speaking one-on-one with a professor who knows the language inside and out, while making the educational process fun and enlightening. Its also a great way to connect with others who are in the same position as you, and eager to learn a new and exciting language. Japanese requires a lot of practice and what better way to learn than to study with your peers. When searching for a class to take, incoming students should research the teachers reputation and abilities, student assessments, and the actual classroom. Its also important to keep in mind that classroom learning is on a strict schedule and doesnt always adhere to everyones needs. Groupon, local community colleges, and even community centers offer a variety of options for those looking to learn Japanese. Its best to research what is available in your area. Up and coming website/app Thumbtack also has a category for localized Japanese learning. Tutors are also increasing in popularity for those looking at a more customizable approach. Closing Tips We end by emphasizing this its commendable to learn a new language, especially one that is as difficult as Japanese. However, taking the time to learn wont be as beneficial if the proper steps arent put in place to ensure the best educational experience for the individual. Whether its online, self-taught, or in a traditional classroom, Japanese is a difficult, yet rewarding, language and the outcome is even more than welcoming. Good luck on your new adventure! Related Readings Five Life Lessons You Didn't Learn In School How To Get A Project Management Certificate Online Most Valuable Career Skills AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. The Best Masturbation Toys for Men 9 of the Very Best Solo Sex Toys for Dudes to Use on Their Own The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. Product photos from retailer sites. There's never been a better time to be in the market for a sex toy than right now. Why, you ask? In case you haven't been paying attention, the sex toy industry has come a long way in the past decade or so thanks to the digital age particularly when it comes to toys that take your masturbation session to the next level. Gone are the simple, run-of-the-mill solo toys of yesteryear. Today, their designs and materials are so close to the real thing, you may never need to leave home ever again ... which, in the world we live in right now, isn't the worst idea. RELATED: The Best Sex Toys for Couples But whether you're after that extremely realistic feel, something a bit more intense, or a high-tech stroker that syncs with your porn of choice, you're bound to find one that's the right fit. Here's a helpful guide with 9 of the best, classic male masturbation toys on the market, perfect no matter what you're looking to get into. 1. 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This genius Fleshlight shower mount allows you to do just that hands-free Fleshlight solo play while you're soaping up, getting you off and out the door faster than you ever thought possible. $29.95 at Fleshlight.com 9. 3FAP Triple Stroker If you're into mouth stuff, and butt stuff, and of course P in the V (so basically, every man), this three-in-one stroker checks more than one box. Each sleeve is designed to mimic the feel of the trifecta of intimate acts, from the suction chambers featured in the narrowing down of the mouth sleeve to create the feeling of being throated, to the multi-ribbed anal sleeve that massages your shaft as you penetrate it. And unlike switching between these three holes in real life, there's no need to pause for clean up when you're moving from hole to hole. $59.95 at Autoblow.com You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. 1 October 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00) By Trend The United States is probing North Korea to see whether it is interested in dialogue and has multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Saturday, Reuters reported. The disclosure came as Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will never allow that to happen. We are probing, so stay tuned, Tillerson told a small group of reporters during a trip to China. We ask: Would you like to talk?' He then said the United States had a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang. We can talk to them. We do talk to them, he said, without elaborating. Tillersons remarks followed a day of meetings in Beijing, which has been alarmed by recent exchanges of war-like threats and personal insults between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 1 October 2017 17:29 (UTC+04:00) By Trend Economic relations between Iran and Kazakhstan are of regional importance, with promising areas of growth. In recent years the level of trade turnover between the two countries was changing, going up and down, but now it seems to have reached a stable level. The bilateral trade turnover between Iran and Kazakhstan was declining from 2014 to 2016. Relatively good result amounting to $986.345 million in 2014 has decreased to $635.567 million in 2015 and $596.242 million in 2016, according to the Committee of Statistics of Kazakhstan. Currently, the economic cooperation remains close to the result of the previous year with $273 891 million, during the first half of 2017. A large share in general trade turnover between the countries account for the export from Kazakhstan to Iran. Kazakhstans export to Iran amounted to $892.503 million in 2014, $565.791 million in 2015 and $550.518 million in 2016. In the first half of 2017 the level of export amounted to $239.756 and it is expected to reach the level of the previous year. Previously, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Iranian economic officials declared the two countries decision to increase their volume of trade turnover to $1 billion per year, during the meeting in April 2017. President Nazarbayev called on Iranian companies to cooperate in agricultural and mining sectors in his country, and pledged to take measures aimed at easing visa requirements for Iranian traders. However, the only positive indication at present time is the stability of economic relations between Iran and Kazakhstan, and the plans over the further development are seem to be in process of implementation. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Crazy Dad Is Charging The Hospital For Damaging His Sons Clothes While They Saved His Life! Pulse oi-Syeda Farah Noor While certain viral stories make us restore our faith in humanity, there are those too which make us say WTF! This case is a perfect example of how a father is being ungrateful to the doctors who saved his child! You May Also Like To Read: Meet The Oldest Surgeon In The World The reason for suing the doctors is because the father was upset that his son's clothes were torn during the operation! Read on to know more about the ungrateful dad. What Had Happened To The Kid? A young boy in China had lost his consciousness and was rushed to a hospital in China. When the doctors examined, they found out that the kid had suffered from pulmonary embolism. This is a condition that is characterised by a blockage of an artery in the lungs. The Boy Needed A Surgery The boy needed an immediate surgery, and hence the doctors rushed him to the surgery room, where he was immediately attended to. While the doctors started attending to him, they had cut his clothes and damaged it in the process. You May Also Like To Read:Most Bizarre Things Doctors Have Removed From Humans; #3 Is Shocking! The Father Noticed The Same When the dad noticed it, he immediately demanded that the doctors pay him 1500 Yuan (US$306) for the damaged clothing of his son, as the clothes were apparently expensive! He asked the doctor in charge of the procedure to compensate and the strange bit is that the doctor agreed to pay the patient's father 1000 Yuan (US$204)! Netizens Were Left Furious After Getting To Know Of This! When this incident got viral, people around got furious and one of the netizens even commented: "Probably, his life isn't even worth 1,000 Yuan!" What do you think of this incident? Do share your thoughts about the same in the comment section below. All Images Source: Reddit An Air France Airbus A380 is seen during an emergency landing in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Canada, September 30, 2017, in this still image taken from a video obtained from social media. (Xinhua/REUTERS) OTTAWA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- An Air France plane en route to Los Angeles from Paris made an emergency landing Saturday in Canada after one of its engines blew out over the Atlantic Ocean, CTV reported. The Airbus A380, the largest passenger plane in the world, was forced to land in Goose Bay airport in Labrador at around 1:40 p.m. local time with part of the engine cowling missing, scattering debris across the runway following "serious damage" to one of the plane's four engines. The crew on board the aircraft handled the incident perfectly and the aircraft will undergo technical checks and it is working on rerouting passengers, CTV quoted Air France as reporting. A passengers said everything was going as normal for the first six and a half hours of the flight before there was a sound like an explosion. Then an announcement said the plane would be diverted to Canada. There wasn't a panic that people would have expected. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 09:42:02|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close CURITIBA, Brazil, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- An imposing bronze statue of ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius was unveiled on Saturday in Curitiba, capital of Brazil's southern state of Parana, as a gift from the Chinese government. City officials inaugurated the statue at China Plaza, the city's civic center, at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Curitiba Biennial, Latin America's largest showcase of contemporary art. Designed by Chinese artist Wu Weishan, the statue, which is nearly three meters tall and weighs some 1.2 tons, arrived in Brazil along with other artworks to be exhibited at the biennial. Wu is a leading Chinese artist and proponent of expressive sculpture, whose works have been shown in more than 20 countries. The statue "reflects the Brazilian people's affection for Chinese culture, and their support and enthusiasm for cultural exchanges between the two countries," said Li Jinzhang, China's ambassador to Brazil, adding that it also "shows the Brazilian culture's spirit of openness and tolerance." Curitiba Mayor Rafael Greca noted that China's presence here goes back to the first half of the 20th century, "when several pioneering families arrived" from China. Today, "at a time when China has opened its eyes to Curitiba, we want this statue and this plaza to be a gateway to friendship, trade, and cultural and humanitarian exchanges," said Greca. Brazilian Culture Minister Sergio Sa Leitao and China's Consul General in Sao Paulo Chen Peijie also attended the ceremony. To be concluded on Feb. 25, 2018, the 2017 Curitiba Biennial has gathered artworks from 43 countries and is expected to attract some 1 million visitors. The event first began 24 years ago. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 29/09/2017 (1872 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. I have spent the good part of my adult life studying and observing politics. Yet I still find myself caught off guard at the level of hypocrisy that is all too often displayed by our politicians and political parties. Take, for example, Premier Brian Pallisters stubborn refusal to be direct with Manitobans over questions related to his use of private email servers and vacations in Costa Rica, in spite of his electoral promises to bring greater accountability and transparency to government. Or, more recently, the suggestion of a health care premium (read tax) by the Progressive Conservatives the very party that promised tax cuts and continually accused the NDP of having a spending rather than a revenue problem in the last election campaign. The Manitoba NDP, however, has taken hypocrisy to a whole new level by choosing Wab Kinew as its new leader. Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew is seen in his new Official Opposition office while being interviewed by the Winnipeg Free Press on Sept. 18. What is so disappointing is the extent to which Kinews supporters in the NDP seem willing to park their principles at the door in their rush to make excuses for him. To say that Kinew has a troubled history is putting it mildly. Here we have an individual whose past actions include convictions for drunk driving and assault, theft charges, as well as a pattern of hurtful, misogynistic and homophobic outbursts on social media, the latest of which occurred five years ago when Kinew was 30 and old enough to know better. And then, of course, there are the two domestic violence charges against him involving his former common-law wife, Tara Hart. Not only did Kinew fail to mention these particular charges in his autobiography, when asked about them by the media, his response was to downplay, deflect and deny that the events ever happened. This goes to the heart of the problem I have with Kinew and his supporters. It is not about redemption, or second chances, or a persons ability to change. Nor is it about witch hunts driven by a media community that refuses to accept the idea of an Indigenous premier in Manitoba (and by the way, we already have had two Indigenous leaders in Manitoba Louis Riel and John Norquay). New Democrats can try to spin this all they want in their attempts to reframe the narrative and justify the actions of their new boss. But the simple fact remains that as long as Kinew refuses to be fully honest with Manitobans and to tell the whole story concerning his past, not just the bits and pieces and part truths that he feels like telling it is hard to believe that he is indeed a changed man who is willing to accept full responsibility for his actions. And until Kinew treats voters with the respect we deserve by being upfront with us, so we can make informed judgments of our own, these questions will continue to dog him. This is how it works in a democracy. So Kinew has a choice: either come clean with Manitobans or be prepared for more questions. You cant have it both ways. What is so disturbing is the apparent willingness of New Democrats to put aside their own moral compass in their attempts to defend that which is simply indefensible. As a political party committed to social justice, the NDP has staked much of its ethical high ground over the years on issues related to gendered violence, and in particular violence against Indigenous women. But by choosing to support Kinews version of events over those of Hart, the NDPs current message is we believe survivors, just not this one. That the party and its new leader seem to be OK with this forked-tongue approach on such an important issue will only perpetuate the climate of silence, shame and ostracism that stops women who have been assaulted from coming forward. Its easy to claim you stand in solidarity with victims of violence when the stakes are low. Its another thing when you are in a position of power to effect real change but choose not to. I choose to believe Tara Hart. Why? Because there is no credible reason not to. Ms. Hart didnt ask to be thrust in the spotlight; she was sought out by the media only after the domestic violence charges became publicly known. By telling her story, she has been revictimized all over again, and subjected to such vicious online attacks that its easy to see why 70 per cent of all cases of gender-based violence go unreported. And, quite frankly, given Kinews past behaviour, its not that much of a leap to believe her version of events. I also choose to believe Ms. Hart because when I look at my own daughter, who as a young Metis woman is 3.5 times more likely to suffer from violence at some point in her life compared to her non-Indigenous friends, I want her to know that believing survivors involves more than a trendy hashtag. Tara Hart, like all victims of gender-based violence, deserves better than this from Kinew and the NDP. In fact, we all do. Kelly Saunders is an associate professor with the department of political science at Brandon University. kellylsaunders@hotmail.com Farmers in southern Australia are counting the cost of mouse control and damage this season, with baiting costs soaring up to $100,000 on one property and some farmers forced to resow crops three times. Some farmers have been forced to bait repeatedly in a bid to protect their crops, while crops in some paddocks have been abandoned and given over to livestock for grazing. Canola crops in South Australia damaged by mice. Credit:Nick Lush Crops in Victoria and South Australia seem to have borne the brunt of the damage, but elevated mouse numbers have also been detected in southern New South Wales. Near Horsham in the Victorian Wimmera and in South Australia some blooming canola paddocks now resemble blocks of Swiss cheese because hungry mice either ate the seeds at sowing time, or have snipped off the top of the plants. The union representing Streets ice-cream factory workers will urge the public to boycott its products including Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Magnum over the summer if the company terminates their agreement on pay and conditions. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union said it was planning to organise a boycott of Streets ice-creams including the icon Paddle Pop if multinational Unilever, which owns Streets, proceeded with its application in the Fair Work Commission to terminate the current enterprise agreement. Unilever, the multinational company that owns Streets, wants to terminate an expired enterprise agreement covering factory workers in Sydney's Minto. The boycott would be similar to the one imposed on beer giant Carlton and United Breweries products in 2016 during a long-running industrial dispute. The public supported the boycott on products including Carlton Draught, Carlton Dry, VB, Crown Lager and Pure Blonde. AMWU secretary Steve Murphy said Streets workers in the Sydney suburb of Minto had raised serious concerns about the threat of a significant pay cut if their enterprise agreement was terminated and they were forced back onto the award safety net. In this country, there are more statues of animals than there are of real Australian women. Of our top 10 monuments and statues, according to Trip Advisor, A Day Out in Adelaide's Rundle Mall comprises a group of pigs (no word on whether they're chauvinist) while the only woman is represented by a piece of furniture, in the form of Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Her first name isn't even mentioned: she's reduced to an expression of ownership. It has been thus since prehistoric times. The world's oldest-known sculpture is the LOwenmensch, dating back more than 30,000 years. It looks like a hybrid of a lion and a man. "Charging Bull" and "Fearless Girl" face off against each other in New York. Credit:AP Only three per cent of public statues in Australia honour non-fictional, non-royal women: the vast majority are of dead white men. Of course, many gave their lives to protect ours, and they should be venerated. But I think it's telling that the Australian Servicewomen's Memorial, dedicated to "all women who served, suffered and died in the defence of Australia", is an abstract sculpture. This isn't just an Australian problem. In the UK, for example, the statistics are similar, prompting journalist Nilanjana Roy to write in the Financial Times, "This goes beyond political correctness: what children and teenagers see of the world shapes their view of it, their sense of the place they should occupy." Aman Siddique, the painting restorer. Credit:Jason South His boss could turn up at any moment and he didn't want to be caught looking at this place that had always been off-limits. He went back downstairs and got to work. But he could not put those paintings out of his mind. What reason could there be for them? Should he confront Siddique? It wasn't a crime to copy an artist's work, was it? Later that day, after Siddique had turned up, Wimhurst went back upstairs and saw that the storeroom was once again locked. He told no one what he had seen. Had he been right to say nothing? Should he have given Siddique the chance to explain? Wimhurst began to be suspicious about other goings on at Easey Street: the arrival of timber panels of various sizes, some huge, others smaller. A group of these had been stacked up against Siddique's desk. Siddique had brushed off his questions about why they were there. They belonged to Melbourne art dealer Peter Gant, Siddique had said, referring to a man who was often around. Why, then, had they been delivered to Easey Street? They were doors for Gant's house, Siddique told him. Was Gant building a house for dwarves? Wimhurst had cheekily asked. Siddique chuckled and said no more. The doors disappeared soon after. Wimhurst was not alone in knowing that Whiteley would sometimes paint on smooth-faced wooden doors. Peter Gant, the art dealer who was at the centre of the fraud case. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer A few weeks after finding the storeroom unlocked, Wimhurst's workmate, Guy Morel, showed him something that added to his disquiet. Morel was a bookbinder and paper conservator who worked upstairs at Siddique's studio. Born in the Seychelles, Morel was a big-hearted man with a nervous manner; he had the trace of a French accent and would stutter when anxious. He had first met Siddique in the 1980s, when Siddique was working as a painting conservator in the regional Victorian town of Ballarat. In the early 2000s, Siddique invited Morel to set up a workspace at his Easey Street studio. Morel would divide his time between Easey Street and his home studio in Brunswick. The two were always bickering about money. On this day, Wimhurst was working upstairs when Morel called him over. "Have you seen this?" he asked, holding out a scrap of paper filled with the signature of the Australian painter Fred Williams, as if someone had been practising the name again and again. The sight of these signatures made Wimhurst break his silence. "I just said to him, 'Have you seen the Whiteleys floating around?' Because, you know, if there was nothing to be ashamed of, they should have been out at some point. And he hadn't seen them. So that's when I told the story." Art's a fantastic vehicle for shifting money. And a lot of bad money has come into the art world in recent years. Morel decided to look for himself. The storeroom's 2-metre walls did not reach to the top of the warehouse ceiling, so Morel placed a chair on the workbench adjoining the locked storeroom. Digital camera in hand, he climbed onto the chair and hung his camera over the edge of the storeroom walls. When he looked at the camera's screen he saw what had been troubling Wimhurst for weeks. Whatever was happening at Easey Street, Wimhurst wanted nothing to do with it. His artistic career was on the brink of taking off, and he needed a bigger home studio. He reasoned that he could use this excuse to depart without giving his real concerns to Siddique. By the start of spring in 2007, Wimhurst had left Victorian Art Conservation and moved to the country with his partner. Morel stayed on and promised to "keep an eye on things". Wimhurst's departure, however, did not quarantine him from the activities at Easey Street. "I wasn't completely surprised when I got the call," Wimhurst tells me at the Melbourne cafe. "I had a feeling something would happen at some time, if what I saw was what I thought it was. And I always hoped it would never surface, and I was wrong." The call came in 2014. Siddique phoned Wimhurst to tell him he might soon be hearing "bad things" about him, and that the police might visit. Wimhurst asked what he should do. Siddique answered: "Tell the truth." After Wimhurst's departure from Victorian Art Conservation, Morel did exactly as he had promised. He kept an eye on things. For three years, from 2007 to 2010, he hung his Nikon compact camera over the wall of Siddique's locked storeroom to record what was going on below. On one occasion, Siddique left the key in the storeroom door and Morel was able to open the sliding doors and take photographs front on. He documented the successive creation of three large paintings in the style of Brett Whiteley: a big blue painting of a harbour scene in late 2007; an orange harbour painting created in late 2008; and a third painting, of the harbour viewed through a window, produced in mid-2009. Whiteley had died in 1992, but in Siddique's Collingwood studio, he was being resurrected. Detective Sergeant James Macdonald took the call that launched the investigation into Australia's biggest alleged art fraud. It came at 10am on September 4, 2007, from an anonymous male with a "soft French accent" and a tendency to stutter when excited. The man wanted advice on reporting "a large-scale art fraud". In an email sent several weeks later, the man revealed his name: Guy Morel. "Investigation" is perhaps too strong a word. It implies a thorough, well-organised, concerted effort to crack a case. There is no art fraud squad in Australia, let alone Victoria, and as Macdonald discovered, his superiors weren't that interested in the activities at Easey Street. Despite the indifference from above, Macdonald pressed on alone. On October 5, 2007, the detective went undercover and met Morel at the Easey Street workshop. Morel told him to act like a "client" if anyone else turned up. But the two had the place to themselves and Morel gave the detective a tour, showing him the contents of the storeroom. In his witness statement for the later committal hearing, Macdonald described what he saw inside that room: a large unframed Whiteley, which he assumed was original, depicting a view of Sydney Harbour through a window with a white vase shape on the base of the window frame; a smaller, similar style of painting with a white vase shape, lying on the floor of the storeroom; and a larger painting in progress, also in the style of Whiteley, with blue water, white buildings, a pier and three palm trees. This last work was balanced on two large cans on the storeroom floor. On March 5, 2014, Aman Siddique and art dealer Peter Gant were arrested for their part in an alleged $4.5 million art fraud involving three Whiteley-style paintings. A committal hearing the following year resulted in them being sent to trial on charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception and attempting to do so. The three paintings at the heart of the trial, Big Blue Lavender Bay, Orange Lavender Bay and Lavender Bay Through the Window, were all purported to have been painted in 1988 by Whiteley. Big Blue had been bought in 2007 by investment banker and Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham for $2.5 million, while Sydney car dealer Steven Nasteski had paid $1.1 million for Orange Lavender Bay in 2009. Gant had been the source of both paintings, and had given Lavender Bay Through the Window to Melbourne cafe owner Guy Angwin as security for a $950,000 debt some time after 2009. The painting Credit:Justin McManus We go back a long way, Peter Gant and I. You wouldn't exactly call it a friendly connection. For me it was work I first wrote about him in 2008. For Gant, I was a nuisance. In 2011, he sued The Age over articles I'd written. And yet, when I asked to speak to him after the committal hearing and before the trial, he agreed. His eagerness to talk was one of his many contradictions. We were about to be reacquainted at one of his preferred haunts, Jimmy Watson's Wine Bar, on the northern edge of Carlton's "Little Italy", the watering hole of choice for many a Melburnian of learned, literary and left-wing persuasion. The University of Melbourne is nearby, a reliable source of clientele. On this balmy November evening, Lygon Street was alive with chatter. The night was conducive to socialising: people sat at footpath tables, sipping pre-dinner drinks, the city softening into a warm, mellow spring. Gant was already there when I arrived, sitting at a private nook by the window, a glass of white on the go. He was facing in, back to the window, and looking a lot more spruced up than in court during the committal hearing: his blue-and-white striped shirt seemed freshly ironed, and his silver hair had the spiky impudence of a new cut. He looked like a man who'd made an effort. Our meeting felt like an awkward first date: we were both a little on edge. Gant's face was lightly tanned, glowing a by-product, perhaps, of his frequent trips to Thailand. He'd be off again in a few days. Were the trips art-related? "Yeah, I sort of hate Australia now." Because of the upcoming trial? "No, not just that, the way things work here." Politically? "Everything. I did say once I actually swore on the Bible if the Liberal Party ever get into power in Victoria again I'm going to leave. And they got into power and I never left." Gant has a slightly high-pitched voice and an impishly upturned nose. He has the twitchy energy of someone younger than his 60 years. He offered to buy me a drink I ordered a gin and tonic, hoping to stay sharp. I know he can hold his drink. I know I can't. The man before me appeared guarded, understandably so. He alternated between fingering his wine glass and crossing his arms. His eyes constantly flitted to the side, as though he was anticipating something, or evading it. And yet he didn't hesitate in letting me record our conversation. "I've got a few questions for you, too," he said, before we launched in. I asked him to tell me about his interest in art. When did it begin? In childhood, he said. He liked painting and drawing, and was good at it, but then at the age of 14 or 15 realised he was "'terrible at it". "But I always liked visual things," he said. After a long chat about his childhood, the conversation moved to the artist at the heart of the impending trial: Brett Whiteley, a man who seemed to provoke as much controversy in death as he did in life. "He's an incredibly beautiful draftsman," Gant said. "I love his drawings. Some of his paintings from the late 1960s and early '70s are fantastic. The stuff that we're talking about, it's mediocre, made for the market. "The blue one's really average the orange one's really nice, I like it, but it's like 15 years too late," he said, referring to the suspect Orange Lavender Bay's supposed date of creation in 1988. Gant maintained the three paintings at the centre of the upcoming trial were authentic. "The great Lavender Bays were probably 1974 or something like that." On the one hand, Gant professed indifference to the upcoming trial; on the other, he raged against those who would testify against him. Was this the fury of an innocent man? Did he know Morel well? "Know him really well. It shows what a bad judge of person I am. I thought he was a lovely guy. Turns out he's been working for the cops for years against Aman, who's been so generous to him. I can't believe what he's done to Aman. There's things I'd love to say to you which obviously I can't but, um, those photos are so staged. Now, whether that will ever be picked up by a jury I don't have a clue, but they are so staged it's a joke. Book here, paint there," he said, laughing. So Aman was set up? "Yeah, big time. Look, anyway, we'll see what happens. It's just another court case. That's all I seem to have, court cases." Detective Senior Constable Justin Stefanec (who took over the investigation from James Macdonald), and the author check out Credit:Kate Ballis Five weeks before the trial, on March 1, 2016, Gant and I were again sitting in a cosy nook at Jimmy Watson's. With the academic year just begun, Jimmy's was frisky with students savouring the last of the heat, summer creeping into the first day of autumn. Gant had his sailboat shirt on again, teamed with beige shorts, a combination suited to the hot, humid night. He arrived straight from a small gig at the University of Melbourne, showing a group of Chinese students around the campus. They'd succumbed to his charms, asked him to pose for selfies at tour's end, unaware of his petty fame. He'd earnt $50 in cash for his efforts, presented to him in a beautifully folded and decorated envelope. "Tight-arse fing Chinese," he laughed, showing me the envelope and his spiky sense of humour. So he wasn't really making enough money to fund a legal case? "No, I'm not, definitely not," he said, still laughing, revealing small, spaced-out teeth. Well, what did he do with all the money he made as an art dealer? "I don't know, that's what my wife keeps asking." What happened? "I've got no fing idea. I really don't know. I think money and I just don't mix. I just spend it." I asked Gant about his first cousin, Christopher Skase. He stopped laughing. "Now who told you that?" he asked, warily. Lots of people. His mother's sister, Audrey, was Christopher's mother. Gant conceded. "Yeah, he was one of my closest friends. Yeah, I loved him. His mum's still alive." Skase was Gant's "favourite cousin", one of those guys "who always made you feel important". Charismatic. Young Peter would go on holidays with Skase and his parents, Charles and Audrey. One year, when he was about 12, and Skase about 20, the entrepreneur-to-be set Gant on a mission. He asked his young cousin to pick the most beautiful of all the girls he knew. "So we spent the whole summer holidays with him ferrying me around in this blue Morris Minor, introducing me to females between the ages of 18 and 20 and I had to score and the winner got a date with Chris," Gant said, laughing long and hard at the memory. "That was great. Chris was a lovely, lovely man." That's not how many people remember him, I suggested. Most of the people who knew him, really knew him, liked him, Gant said. "Port Douglas wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Chris, wouldn't even be there," Gant said, referring to the luxury resort, the Sheraton Mirage, that Skase opened in 1988, transforming the sleepy seaside town in Far North Queensland into a holiday magnet for supermodels, rock stars and Hollywood actors. "He wasn't obsessed with making money by ripping things apart and shredding them and selling them up. He was obsessed with building things," Gant said. He didn't mention the $177 million Skase owed creditors when he booked a one-way ticket to the Spanish island of Mallorca after his business empire collapsed. Skase remained in exile in Spain for a decade, refusing to return to Australia and face 60 criminal charges related to the collapse of the Qintex group and alleged misappropriation of more han $10 million from shareholders. The Commonwealth criminal charges were withdrawn when Skase died in Mallorca on August 5, 2001. Gant told me that his father, Austin, turned Skase on to the stockmarket. Skase would visit Austin in the Gants' home town of Kyneton for tips. Perhaps Austin wasn't the best teacher: his own investments in the stockmarket didn't thrive. "No, he was terrible, he lost it all," Gant laughed. Our conversation soon shifted from the stockmarket to the art market. I mentioned Robert Hughes's famed quote about the art market being the biggest unregulated market in the world, bar that for drugs. Gant wholeheartedly agreed. "Oh yeah, art's a fantastic vehicle for shifting money, it always has been. And probably always will be. And a lot of bad money has come into the art world in recent years, in particular when art became expensive. Art's a great commodity for hiding money. It doesn't come with a certificate of title, and therefore it can't be regulated. It can't be documented, it can't be taxed." Not that he was in favour of increased regulation. "We should get back to a situation where art is just art and it's not a commodity," he said. I was astonished to hear this. Gant traded in art; he bought and sold with the intention of turning a profit. He treated art as commodity. "Oh yeah, I'm a complete fing hypocrite, I agree," he said with such candour that I couldn't help but laugh. He returned to one of his favourite themes: how did you value art, and who was to say what is good and what is bad? Market value isn't necessarily a reflection of quality. Certain artists were pushed, demand was created for their work, prices were ramped it was artifice. These Whiteleys at the centre of the art fraud case, for example, they were just "potboilers", he said. They were not great Whiteleys. But they were genuine, he insisted. "The paintings are fine and I've always been confident. If we go down, we go down. If it doesn't go my way, it means the jury have made a terrible mistake." We'd been talking for almost two hours, and it was time to give it a break. He kissed my cheek goodbye and left me a little something to ponder: "What's best for your book? Innocent or guilty?" "I cowered and covered myself as the bullets hit me. The bullets were also hitting a metal chair. It made a noise that made me think that the bullets would go off. "I was fearful that the gun was going to be discharged because I had loaded the gun before my shift and knew there was one bullet remaining in the chamber ... I thought I was going to die." Family members gave evidence that Ms Hellessey was withdrawn and paranoid, forgot her children's appointments, startled easily, fidgeted until her hands were raw and was no longer able to complete household tasks. Her mother ironed her husband's police uniform because the task triggered Ms Hellessey's symptoms. Her two big achievements of the day were to feed the horses and prepare dinner, and if she made a mistake in the dinner she became distraught. "I had hoped that that after being away from work Bernadette would improve," husband Paul Hellessey told the court. "I have not seen any improvement in her at all since that time. In my opinion her symptoms became progressively worse and more frequent." But MetLife repeatedly rejected her claim for a life insurance benefit, citing her Facebook status updates as evidence that she did not have social phobia as claimed and preferring the opinions of its own experts that she "may, with time, be able to work" to those of her own psychiatrist. At one point it queried whether her symptoms were truly triggered by police in uniform, noting that her credit card had been used at a supermarket situated 500 metres from a police station. Ms Hellessey was identified as having 667 "friends" on Facebook and posted 28 pages of status updates over a seven-month period that indicated she was participating in local pony clubs and regional horse shows. "Could not be happier with my life right now! WOW! " she wrote on one occasion. Ms Hellessey's treating psychiatrist Anthony Durrell told MetLife in 2011 that her mental injuries were "permanent and not curable" and recommended that her claim be determined quickly to avoid further anxiety. Asked by MetLife about her Facebook activity, he said he had encouraged her to attend horse showing events but she was medicated when she did so and accompanied by a support person. Most of her Facebook contacts were loose acquaintances she had met through these activities rather than genuine friends, he said. He told the court he had been "annoyed" by MetLife venturing into her private Facebook account. "This was one of her sole outlets to interact with the world," he said. "And of course, with her level of suspicion and PTSD it's just another invasion into her privacy ... increases her distress and creates more work for psychiatrists and psychologists." Ms Hellessey vented some of her distress on Facebook. In 2013 she posted: "Seriously METLIFE! Disguising yourselves and getting into my family and friends profiles is a joke. Just friend me. I'll tell you how it really is. But to use my innocent niece? You are pieces of shit. We have all the evidence. Kept every single screenshot of your fake profile and all correspondence in between." Justice Stephen Robb said it was unreasonable for MetLife to discount Dr Durrell's considered opinions. A MetLife claims assessor emailed his team leader in 2014 to say Dr Durrell's opinion should be preferred to their own expert based on his extensive history with Ms Hellessey, and there was strong support for a finding of total and permanent disability. "MetLife gave undue weight to initial expressions of medical opinion such as [psychologist Rodney] Ward's statement that he would 'like to remain optimistic'," Justice Robb said. "If one looks at her illness history, the continuing functional impairment she suffers and her modest only response to treatment, then Ms Hellessey clearly has very significant limitations in terms of her capacity for work." Slater and Gordon senior lawyer Sarah Snowden said Ms Hellessey was relieved by the outcome after six years of battling for her condition to be recognised. "It doesn't change her circumstances or the stresses that she goes through day to day but she was glad that this was brought to an end," Ms Snowden said. A MetLife spokeswoman said it was against company policy and values to invent false Facebook profiles and it had not occurred in this case. "MetLife drew upon Facebook evidence at the hearing which had been produced on subpoena by Ms Hellessey and not by 'surveillance' or other covert means," the spokeswoman said. "MetLife is an ethical insurance company that always operates in good faith and is committed to paying every genuine claim and making the process as easy and caring as possible." A Brisbane couple became engaged at Riverfire on Saturday after Tobi Remnant won a $10,000 designer ring and teamed up with Brisbane Festival to plan a grand, and very public, gesture. Mr Remnant, 27, and his now-fiancee Elizabeth White, 26, met at Schoolies Week eight years ago and live together with their two children Connor, 5, and Lucas, 1. Tobi Remnant and Liz White got engaged at Brisbane Riverfire. Credit:Brisbane Festival - Facebook Having joined the military at 17, Mr Remnant served for five-and-a-half years and was sent on two deployments to Afghanistan. While he was away, Ms White cared for the couple's two children. "I had always thought about proposing, but just didnt have the money to do it," Mr Remnant said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 10:16:59|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close A national flag-raising ceremony is held at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2017. People from across the country gathered at the square to watch the national flag-raising ceremony on the morning, marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang) An elderly woman who disappeared after going for a short drive on the Gold Coast on Friday afternoon has been found. The 91-year-old woman was last seen about 3.45pm leaving a Beachcomber Court address at Burleigh Waters but did not arrive at her nearby destination. Police and family had held concerns for her welfare as her disappearance was out of character. However, the woman was found in Tweed Heads just before 5pm on Saturday. A police spokeswoman would not provide further details regarding the circumstances behind the woman's disappearance. Patients and their families will receive some car parking relief at Queensland hospitals with 100,000 extra concession permits available from Sunday. The additional concessions will be available at 12 public hospitals, with extra free or discounted car parking for eligible visitors. The Lady Cilento Children's Hospital will be among those to receive more concessional car parks. Credit:Michelle Smith Health Minister Cameron Dick announced in July the government would provide $7.5 million over four years to double the availability of car parking concessions at public hospitals with paid parking. "I said at the time that I was very aware that the cost of car parking is a real concern for many patients, carers and their families," Mr Dick said. A juvenile gang war is believed to be behind a fight which broke out near a fast-food restaurant in Brisbane CBD on Saturday night, according to police. Police said a young man was "jumped" by several people near the McDonald's on the corner of Elizabeth and Albert Street about 11.30pm and was bleeding from the head when emergency services arrived. The victim was taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital as a precaution. Two juveniles were assisting police with their inquiries as the investigation continues. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Michael Candy with his "synthetic polleniser in a canola crop at Shepparton, Victoria, last weekend. The polleniser helps scientists gather data about plants and the bees that pollinate them. Credit:Shepparton Art Museum/Sarah Werkmeister In The Practice of Everyday Life (1988), sociologist Michel de Certeau argued that the bricoleur (or tinkerer) uses tactics, rather than strategy, to tackle imperfect situations. Borrowing from military theory, De Certeau described strategy as the technique of the powerful, with its weakness that it presumes control and predictability. Tactics, on the other hand, are the techniques of those at ground level the on-the-fly methods of the non-powerful. Stories of such tactics were rife in my research for Tinkering: Australians Reinvent DIY Culture. In 2010, Adis Hondo's tinkering changed the record of Australia's history. He'd been building a homemade Steadicam for a trip to Arnhem Land, where he would join historian Martin Thomas to film the return of Indigenous Australian bones. Michael Candy's guerilla projector, designed to look like a security camera. Credit:Michael Candy The bones were victims of what Thomas called "a postwar extravaganza known as the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land". They'd been stolen, "fetishised and collected in the name of science", and kept in Washington's Smithsonian Institution since 1948. "Theft is a crime against property," Thomas would later write, "whereas this was a crime against people. The removal of bones is closer to kidnap." A slogan sent out by the guerilla projector at the 2014 G20 Summit in Brisbane. Credit:Michael Candy Although Gunbalanya people gave the pair permission to film, the ceremonies couldn't be discussed or codified in a schedule. Not knowing what lay ahead, Hondo, a Bosnian refugee, used the skills he'd amassed under Tito's rule. Schoolchildren were routinely taught "to make electrical circuitry, draft designs and engineering patterns". During the Yugoslavian civil war, he'd honed these skills, improvising devices, hiding cameras and covertly documenting atrocities. The late Adis Hondo in his shed in Yan Yean, Victoria. Credit:Greg Rochlin By the time Hondo was assigned to film the bones' return, he'd built much of his own equipment "from patent blueprints and open-access code". But his technical challenge wasn't in Arnhem Land. Travelling first to Washington to film the handover, the filmmakers were stonewalled by bureaucrats at the eleventh hour. The Smithsonian officials, possibly shamed by the institution's drawn-out attempts to keep the bones, withdrew their consent to film. The Bitter Bench, mechanically rigged to tip people off when they sit, also played recorded testimonies of the homeless. This threatened to scupper the hopes of many Australians who'd lobbied for decades for the bones' return, pinning their expectations on footage for perpetuity. So in his hotel room, Hondo made a makeshift spycam and installed it in a shoulder bag he wore to the handover, where "some people noticed, but smiled". In the stealth footage, the Gunbalanya visitors and Washington officials, including then Australian ambassador Kim Beazley, are successfully filmed. DIY activism is a foil to impositions of authority - but less obviously, so are everyday tactics employed in Australia's homes and farms. "If you can't fix it, you don't own it": iFixit's Repair Manifesto. Michael Drinkwater, a tinkerer from rural Victoria, rigged his home to rely on wind and solar technologies, but his farm machinery and generator still ran on polluting mineral diesel. Using open-source manuals, Drinkwater learned to produce biodiesel with kitchen appliances and cheap materials used vegetable oil, methanol and caustic soda. Then he converted an old dishwasher into a reactor. Its biodiesel was pumped to an overhead storage tank, and its glycerin by-product drained off. The project "met my entire fuel demands" for about 13 cents per litre (mineral diesel is currently $1.27 per litre). David the Dalek, made by Kathy Sant and Jenny Mann, at the Same-Sex Marriage Rally in Sydney on September 10, 2017. Credit:James Proctor More than thrift, this was about "taking back control of my environment", said Drinkwater. "We're being channeled into reliance on external intelligence, bypassing our own, which leads to exploitation, control and loss of skills." By exploiting the spoils of other industries, Drinkwater created his own sustainable one, and in the process he formed social relationships that avoided monetised exchange. Make magazine's Maker's Bill of Rights. "I had a deal with the garbage contractor at Mount Hotham and would take the used oil, usually five or more tonnes, from him," said Drinkwater. The glycerine byproduct was "a great hand cleaner and degreaser. My mechanic couldn't get enough, and totally biodegradable." The mechanic "gave me motor oil we did many things to help each other without really keeping a score sheet". Instead, such material exchanges were built on a register of goodwill. Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald wears a visibly mended cardigan. For DIY tinkerers, this approach reclaims some of the important human qualities that modernity is thought to have hauled away: community, agency and autonomy. Melbourne-based Gilda Civitico described an exchange she called her "black market of jam". Her gifts were handmade; she gave jam to the woman at the fabric remnants store where she sourced materials; there was reciprocity between friends and exchange of produce or goods from other home industries. But the everyday manual competence that underpins this sort of tinkering is rapidly disappearing from a de-skilled culture that privileges information economies over material knowledge. In response, a growing number of researchers are advocating for First World re-acquaintance with DIY skills. Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald mended this tea towel by embroidering a worm over a hole in the fabric. In his forthcoming book Curing Affluenza, the Australia Institute's chief economist Richard Denniss calls for a material engagement that will change our economy "in ways that will reduce the harm we do to the natural environment, improve our quality of life, create more jobs with more meaning" and give us "time to spend with the people, and on the things, we love the most". "Rather than shun materialism," writes Denniss, our approach to material products should "cherish them, repair them and hand them on to friends or children in better condition." Matthew Crawford, a senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, believes material literacy makes people feel more responsible and accountable for the world. People without material competence live "in channels directed from afar by vast impersonal forces that we don't understand ... that's why tinkering is important". Crawford believes a learned helplessness that comes with material de-skilling "leaves us bereft of something at the core of being human. And that is individual agency." Thinking "materially about material goods, hence critically, gives one some independence from the manipulations of marketing," he says. If we live by artisanal values, we won't be duped by corporate 'craftwashing' campaigns. If we know how devices work, then planned obsolescence can be foiled. If we understand geophysical cycles, then 'clean coal' political campaigns won't wash. Many industrial processes have accelerated climate change, but repair is a growing response of global and local mobilisation. These include community tool libraries, repair cafes, Hackerspaces, iFixit.com, open-source manuals and Restarter parties. Proliferating Craftivism and Visible Mending movements are also responding to a paucity of product stewardship and concerns around responsible product life-cycles. Visible mending "combines creativity with problem-solving", says Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald, who mends clothes and runs Bright Sparks, a social enterprise that repairs and reuses small appliances. An advertisement for property investor Henry Kaye. It is now clear the regulator views Kaye infamous in Australia for his wealth-creation seminars in the early 2000s as the mastermind behind of what Jonathon Moore, QC, described in court as a "scam". In the hearings, Moore detailed how Kaye directed, and profited from, every major transaction within and across the schemes, reaping millions of dollars for himself, his sister Julia Feldman, and his long-term allies including "project manager" Michael Grochowski, and lawyer, Colin Adno. "You know don't you that this whole scheme was Henry Kaye promoted and driven from start to finish?" Moore asked of Kaye's lawyer Darren Eliau, a partner of Melbourne-based law firm Evans Ellis, formerly Clamenz Evans Ellis. Moore accused Eliau of helping "hide" Kaye behind layers of secretive trusts, so that his involvement would not deter potential investors. Eliau, whose firm was a key player in the land-banking schemes, eventually conceded the complex trust structures were intended to "conceal" Kaye who was also banned from managing corporations for five years in 2010. The court heard how Kaye and his cronies moved millions of investors' dollars across ostensibly unrelated projects in undocumented and unsecured loans, transactions described by barrister Moore as money effectively "stolen". He put to Eliau that his firm had been "hopelessly negligent" in facilitating such transactions. Among the firm's senior lawyers examined was Daniel Clarke, who is also linked to the alleged $165 million Plutus tax fraud syndicate scam in NSW along with Adam Cranston, son of former Australian Taxation Office deputy commissioner Michael Cranston. The Sunday Age understands that Victoria's legal profession watchdog, the Legal Services Commission, is now investigating Evans Ellis in relation to the Kaye land-banking scam. The court also heard: That a company ultimately controlled by Kaye, Bourke & Queen Mortgages, loaned money to a development company Foscari Holdings, at the extraordinary interest rate of up to 60 per cent. How Kaye dictated terms including a direction that his Bourke & Queen Mortgages would loan money to the Foscari and then, later, that it would increase the level of the loan. That Kaye's sister, Julia Feldman, also profited by lending money to Foscari though her company, Step Forward Investments. Kaye and/or Feldman controlled the marketing and real estate companies that siphoned off one-third of the investor payments on Wood's Bendigo land. Kaye associate and project manager Michael Grochowski concede that most of the investors' $24 million outlaid on the Bendigo project was eaten up in commissions or undocumented "loans" to other entities. The Belarus-born Kaye amassed a fortune from get-rich seminars in the early 2000s. His wealth education empire collapsed in 2003 owing 3500 investors up to $60 million. It appears that some of that money was spent on sites in Melbourne's sprawling outer-west where Kaye road tested his new business urban fringe land-banking. In manipulative seminars from 2011 to 2014, Kaye, his sister and their offsiders, flogged projects such as Foscari (an "iconic architectural masterpiece") and Veneziane (the "Toorak of the West"). Similar schemes were rolled out on the fringes of Melbourne, Bendigo, Shepparton and Townsville. The Age has estimated that as much as $100 million may have been outlaid by investors across about 10 such schemes. But years after the projects were spruiked and options sold, not one sale has been finalised nor brick laid. In some cases, investors were literally buying options where Kaye's team only had options an options on options, in other words. An important element of the Kaye swindle was to wrap it in credibility by promoting the involvement usually fleeting and often unpaid of big brand names including architects Fender Katsalidis, lawyers Slater and Gordon and, even, the Victorian government. Kaye's ingenuity stretched to winning a $520,000 grant from the Napthine government for innovative stormwater catchment; this, for a project never started, much less completed. While Kaye was not among the 10 witnesses called for public examination, The Sunday Age understands that this is because ASIC is hoping to build a case against him before acting. But the regulator has a problem. Kaye appears to have disappeared. It's likely that much of the land-banking riches are with him. He is understood to have left Australia in the wake of The Age revelations and the official investigations that followed, including by ASIC, a Senate committee and the Victorian Legal Services Commission. If Kaye has absconded, and no one is held to account for ripping off thousands of investors, ASIC faces a potential embarrassment. It will soon be three years since The Age revealed the land-banking scam and pointed to the involvement of Kaye and his family. To date, no one has been held responsible. The land banking scam has been a top investigative priority for ASIC since. The first day of holidays ... all my children want to do is sleep. I can understand why. The American Centres for Disease Control says schoolchildren aged up to 13 need nine to 11 hours per night. Teenagers need eight to 10 hours. Many teenagers who don't get enough sleep during the week "yo-yo", undersleeping Sunday to Thursday and catching up on Friday and Saturday. Credit:iStock What with getting to sleep after 10, and getting up early enough to fly out to school, they don't stand a chance. Neither do as many as one third of Australian teenagers, according to the most authoritative survey by researchers at the University of South Australia. Many of the teenagers who don't get enough sleep during the week "yo-yo", undersleeping Sunday to Thursday and catching up on Friday and Saturday. Australians would be prohibited from buying cigarettes until age 21 under a new cancer-fighting plan developed by billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest. Mr Forrest and his wife Nicola are spearheading a major lobbying campaign to convince federal and state governments to raise the legal tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21 a move they say would stop young people getting hooked, save lives and save government coffers up to $3.1 billion a year. Mr Forrest and other members of the Eliminate Cancer Initiative which the Forrests fund through their philanthropic Minderoo Foundation have already presented the plan to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and his state counterparts as part of an all-out assault on big tobacco. The effort comes after Mr Forrest confirmed last week he is considering suing big tobacco companies for the cost of smoking-related illnesses. The plan is based on a landmark Canadian lawsuit in which three companies were ordered to pay more than $15.6 billion in damages. A Turnbull government minister is facing up to $500,000 in personal legal bills to defend his job against a Labor High Court challenge. While the government is covering the costs of the seven federal politicians referred to the court over their citizenship status, the eighth MP facing constitutional eligibility questions is not getting the same assistance. Labor is challenging Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie's eligibility to sit in Parliament. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Labor is challenging Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie's right to stay on in Federal Parliament, putting the government's slender majority at risk, because it believes he may have an indirect financial interest in the Commonwealth grounds for disqualification under section 44(v) of the constitution. As revealed by Fairfax Media in February, the Nationals MP owns a small suburban shopping complex in Port Macquarie and one of the shops is an outlet of Australia Post a government-owned corporation. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shakes hands with China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi during a meeting in Beijing. Credit:Lintao Zhang Those conversations have had significant success, particularly in recent weeks as North Korea has tested another nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles, officials said. So pervasive is the diplomatic campaign that some governments have found themselves scrambling to find any ties with North Korea. When Vice President Mike Pence called on one country to break relations during a recent overseas visit, officials there reminded him that they never had relations with Pyongyang. Pence then told them, to their own surprise, that they had $2 million in trade with North Korea. Foreign officials, who asked that their country not be identified, described the exchange. The directive was not made public at the time it was signed, following a policy review in March, because "we were providing every opportunity as a new administration to North Korea to sit down and talk, to take a different approach," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door policy decisions. Lines of communication Tillerson said the communication with North Korea was happening directly and cited two or three US channels open to Pyongyang. "We can talk to them. We do talk to them," he said, without elaborating about which Americans were involved in those contacts or how frequent they were. The goal of any initial dialogue would be simple: finding out directly from North Korea what it wants to discuss. "We haven't even gotten that far yet," he said. Tillerson's remarks followed a day of meetings in Beijing, which has been alarmed by recent exchanges of war-like threats and personal insults between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump. "I think the whole situation's a bit overheated right now," Tillerson said. "I think everyone would like for it to calm down. "Obviously it would help if North Korea would stop firing off missiles. That'd calm things down a lot." South Korean officials have voiced concerns that North Korea could conduct more provocative acts near the anniversary of the founding of its communist party on October 10, or possibly when China holds its Communist Party Congress on October 18. North Korea is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland. It conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific. US officials including Tillerson say Beijing, after long accounting for some 90 percent of North Korea's foreign trade, appears increasingly willing to cut ties to its neighbor's economy by adopting United Nations sanctions. Tillerson said he believed China's more assertive posture was due to its realisation that North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities had advanced too far. "I think they also have a sense that we're beginning to run out of time, and that we really have to change the dynamic," Tillerson said. The goal of the sanctions would be getting North Korea's Kim to view nuclear weapons as a liability, not a strength. Still, the US intelligence community does not believe Kim is likely to give up his weapons program willingly, regardless of sanctions. "[Tillerson's] working against the unified view of our intelligence agencies, which say there's no amount of pressure that can be put on them to stop," Senator Bob Corker told a hearing at the chamber on Thursday. Kim sees nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles as "his ticket to survival," Corker said. Tillerson agreed that Kim's nuclear and missile programs were aimed at ensuring his own security, and renewed assurances that the United States did not seek to topple Kim's government. "Look, our objective is denuclearisation [of North Korea]. Our objective is not to get rid of you. Our objective is not to collapse your regime," he said. Berlin: Same-sex couples will marry in Germany for the first time on Sunday, when some civil registry offices will open specially to celebrate the coming into force of a marriage law that parliament passed in June. Around a dozen same-sex couples are expected to marry in Berlin on Sunday, with a similar number due in Hamburg, gay rights organisations said, taking advantage of the decision of some registries to open on a day when they are normally closed. Karl Kreile, left, and Bodo Mende are getting hitched! The two civil servants are expected to become the first gay couple to tie the knot in Germany when a law allowing same-sex marriages comes into effect on Sunday. Credit:AP Among them are Karl Kreile, 59, and Bodo Mende, 60, who will at 9.30am local time become Germany's first married gay couple when they say "yes" in the town hall of the Berlin borough of Schoeneberg after 38 years together. "We have finally achieved legal equality," Mende told a news conference on Friday. "It's been 25 years' of hard struggle to secure this." Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 10:12:05|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Saturday that a strong and constructive U.S.-China relationship is important to the prosperity and stability of the world. "Now more than ever, a strong, constructive relationship between the United States and China is important for the prosperity and stability of our two countries as well as the world," he said in a press statement released by the U.S. Department of State on the occasion of China's National Day, which falls on Sunday. "On behalf the United States, I would like to congratulate all of the Chinese people as you celebrate the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1," said the statement. "We wish the people of China a joyous celebration, and peace and prosperity over the coming year," he added. The U.S. top diplomat was in Beijing for a visit to prepare for U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to China later this year. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Xi said that China-U.S. ties have been generally stable, and that Chinese and U.S. teams should implement the consensuses reached by the two heads of state, grasp the direction of bilateral relationship, respect each other, and focus on cooperation while dealing with differences properly. "The common interests of our two countries far exceed our differences, and cooperation is the only correct choice," Xi told Tillerson. The Chinese president added that China attaches great importance to Trump's visit, and that the teams on both sides should work closely to make the visit "successful and special." Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Officers arrested and charged a 60-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman on Thursday who they said attempted to snatch a 15-year-old girl off the streets of Park Slope on Sept. 22. The victim was on 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues when the man, who lives on Wyckoff Street between Nevins Street and Third Avenue, and the woman, a resident of Avenue T between W. Third and W. Fourth streets, pulled up in a BMW sport utility vehicle at 2:40 pm, according to cops, who said the female suspect then started a conversation with the girl. The man exited the vehicle as the woman chatted up the teen, and he proceeded to grab the kids arm in an attempt to pull her into the vehicle, according to a report. But the victim broke free of the male suspects grasp, and fled, cops said. The duo is charged with kidnapping, harassment, and acting in a manner injurious to a child, according to a report. Before authorities apprehended the pair, the principal of an area school urged parents to keep vigilant as police hunted for the would-be child-snatchers. Speak to your child(ren) about street safety and being alert to strangers when walking in the neighborhood, Eve Litwack wrote in an e-mail sent on Thursday to parents at PS 107, which teaches kindergarten through fifth grade. The school, located on Eighth Avenue between 13th and 14th streets, is about nine blocks from where the attempted kidnapping occurred. Its head administrator implored parents to remind their children to stay alert on the street and suggested chaperones be arranged for kids who typically find their own way home. For children who self-dismiss, it might be prudent to arrange for chaperoning by parent-friends, older children, or care-givers if possible, Litwack said in her letter. Having trouble reading the Bible? Here's what you should do Reading the Bible is a joy for Christians because they get to immerse in God's Word and understand more about Him and His Kingdom. But not everybody feels the same way, and for some it can be hard to get into, not because they don't have the heart to but because they have physical conditions like dyslexia that make it hard for them. One such person wrote to Pastor John Piper of Desiring God, saying that his learning disability keeps him from fully appreciating the Bible. "I lose my concentration after a few minutes and then develop serious headaches from reading on past that. At first, I thought I was just lazy, but it is actually a learning disability I've had almost my entire life. I want to read the Bible, and read it fully, but I find it incredibly difficult," the man confessed. In response, Piper said he understands how disabilities, senility, loss of memory or eyesight can hinder a Christian's devotion to Bible study. But Piper stressed that Christians should never give up on learning from God, since spiritual growth "is a matter of life and death." The good news, according to Piper, is there are several ways to overcome struggles and disabilities. For Christians who cannot read, Piper said they will always have "precious friends in the body of Christ" who can help with their struggles. "Others will be there for you to read to you, and to perhaps, in that last comatose hour, say glorious words really loud into your seemingly deaf ear," he said. Another way to overcome the struggle is to make use of Bible audio books. "You can just shut your eyes and listen, or you can listen in the car, or you can listen while you're making dinner, or you can listen while you're going to sleep, or while you're waking up. I think that's really important. Go to sleep and wake up to the Bible instead of goodness knows what else people use to go to sleep on," he suggested. But for those without disabilities, Piper warned them about other obstacles that can get in the way of hearing the Word of God. These are sin, indifference, love for the world, and spiritual blindness. Meanwhile, Desiring God executive editor David Mathis also wrote on his blog that this age of technology prompts people to speed everything up, including their Bible study. But personally, Mathis said he does not mind going slow because he gets to appreciate God's Word more. "I'm generally a slow reader, not because I couldn't speed myself up in some measure, but because I want to enjoy reading, and genuinely profit from it. I want to be changed by what I read. I'm not typically looking just to run new data between my ears, but as a rule, I want to feel the emotional significance of each moment, and let it have its full effect," he said. HIV-AIDS cure news: Only person cured of HIV has a dream others will be too Since the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered, only one person has been known to be fully cured of the disease. Timothy Ray Brown said that he hopes those people who also have HIV will be cured and that a permanent effective treatment can be found. In a Times Live article, Brown, known as the "Berlin Patient," narrated the how his disease was finally eliminated. While he himself has been HIV-free for the past 10 years, he said that he hopes a cure will be found soon. "I don't want to be the only one cured of HIV, it is a very lonely place," Brown said. He added, "Nobody wants to go through what I went through' when I had a 50% (chance) of not surviving the bone-marrow transplants but I am cured of leukaemia and HIV!" In 1995, the 51-year-old patient was diagnosed with HIV and started taking antiretrovirals. However, after getting leukaemia years later, Brown had to stop using the HIV drugs in 2007 since he did not want the drugs to interfere with the donor cells he needed for his leukaemia treatment. Luckily, the donor for his stem cell transplant had rare HIV-resistant blood cells. After the transplant, Brown noticed changes in his condition. As his doctor predicted, his HIV surfaced with intensity and then started to dissipate in the first three months. He then suspected that he was getting better when noticed that he was building muscle again. Things went well until his leukemia recurred, prompting a second transplant in 2008. Later on, when Brown developed eye complications, a brain biopsy was done to see if he had leukemia there. But his doctors found that he was not only cleared from leukaemia, but also HIV-AIDS. Brown said, "Nobel scientist Dr. David Baltimore said: 'In medical science nothing is impossible.'" According to Huffington Post, over a million people in the United States are currently living with HIV, and about 15 percent of them are not aware that they have it. Worse, an average of 20 deaths is reported each day due to the disease. Brown's complete healing is truly an inspiration for those who are infected with HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, the treatment he underwent is too risky to try on other HIV patients. But then, his case only proves that a cure is still possible. 'One Man Punch' season 2 release date news: Anime handed to different studio The second season of the hit anime series "One Punch Man" will be coming but it will not be produced by the same company. Studio Madhouse took the helm and produced "One Punch Man" season 1, which came out in 2015. The production company has also produced other hit anime shows like "Perfect Blue," "Death Note" and "Paprika." The anime's second season will be produced by J.C. Staff. Aside from this, Shingo Natsume, the show's director for season 1, will not be coming back. His role will be taken over by Chikara Sakurai. Other members of the production team will include sound director Yoshikazu Iwanami. Chikashi Kubota is returning to do the character design, Tomohiro Suzuki will be doing the series composition and Makoto Miyazaki will be composing the music. The main cast of voice actors will be reprising their roles in the upcoming season. Fans are eager for any bits of information regarding the second season of the anime, which follows the life of an insanely powerful superhero, Saitama, who is able to defeat most of his enemies with a single punch. There are some who are disappointed with the decision to change the creative team for the second season since its first season was a rousing success. According to a tweet from Yonkou Productions, one of the reasons why the first season had so much talent was because of Natsume. Both Viz Media and Daisuki streamed the anime series outside of Japan while Toonami's Adult Swim channel aired the anime with an English dub in July 2016. Viz Media also released a home video of the series in North America. It contains six original video animation (OVA) episodes. Each episode comprised of an original story written by the manga's original author, ONE. It can be remembered that the staff made the announcement in 2016 that "One Man Punch" would be returning for a second season. No news yet on when the second season will air. Last year the SORP-making body undertook a research exercise to look at the future of the Charities SORP, in which we sought views on a number of possible changes to annual reporting. Two of the most important messages coming out of that exercise were as follows: There is a need for better integration of qualitative (narrative) and quantitative (numerical) information within the annual report and accounts 70 per cent of those who responded to the research agreed with this. There is an ongoing need to help smaller charities report well and understand the requirements of UK-Irish Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP). The SORP should appropriately serve the smaller charities that need or want to use it. In response, we are considering the question of what more the SORP can do to support better reporting. Is improving practices merely a matter of charity trustees putting more engagement and thought into the preparation of the annual report, or can the SORP do more? We will be discussing this in more detail with the committee in the future, taking on board the comments and views contributed during the research, but in the meantime, here is a summary of where we have got to in tackling these two challenges. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 10:22:07|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A strong cold front will sweep across China from north to south over the next three days, bringing down temperatures in a vast part of China, the national observatory said Sunday. Early Sunday morning, the cold front has already caused strong wind and temperature drops from 4 to 6 degrees Celsius in parts of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. In the first three days of the National Day holiday, the cold air will affect a large part of China, including regions in northern, central and eastern China. Some northern areas will see temperature drops of more than 10 degrees, NMC said. From Sunday to Monday morning, Chongqing, Shanghai and provinces of Hubei, Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu will be hit by heavy rain, it added. This year, Chinese people enjoy an eight-day holiday from Sunday to Oct. 8 for the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Day. SAN FRANCISCO The phone calls began late Friday among Uber's new chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, and the ride-hailing company's executives, as well as board members and a raft of lawyers. They were facing an emergency. The problem was that Travis Kalanick, Uber's former chief executive and a board member, had appointed two new directors Ursula Burns, the former C.E.O. of Xerox, and John Thain, the former chief of Merrill Lynch to the privately held company without informing them. The moves, which pushed the eight-member board to 10 people, gave Mr. Kalanick new potential allies on major decisions at Uber. Mr. Kalanick's actions were "disappointing," Mr. Khosrowshahi wrote on Friday in a letter to employees that was obtained by The New York Times. "Anyone would tell you that this is highly unusual." More from the New York Times: The trigger for Mr. Kalanick's move was a proposal that Mr. Khosrowshahi and the investment bank Goldman Sachs, an Uber shareholder, had brought to the board on Thursday. The proposal, which is set to be discussed by directors on Tuesday, includes measures that would shift the power on Uber's board by reducing Mr. Kalanick's voting clout, expanding Mr. Khosrowshahi's powers and imposing a 2019 deadline on the company to go public, according to three people with knowledge of the proposal who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Parts of the proposal were also read to The Times. The power shift proposed by Mr. Khosrowshahi and Goldman Sachs spurred Mr. Kalanick to act to reassert control, according to a statement Mr. Kalanick issued on Friday. That has now plunged Uber into another period of uncertainty and a corporate governance crisis, at a time when the company had been trying to move beyond its controversial past with a new chief executive on board. Uber is "attempting to copy some things that characterize good governance at a public company," said Charles M. Elson, director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. But, he added, parts of the proposal "typically show up when you have poor management and are generally opposed by public shareholders." The governance plan that touched off the latest politicking was created by Mr. Khosrowshahi and Goldman Sachs as part of a bigger effort to finalize a deal to sell billions of dollars of Uber stock to the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, according to a person briefed on the proposal. That deal depends on the participation of some early Uber investors, who have said they will not sell their shares to SoftBank unless Uber's governance structure changes and Mr. Kalanick is barred from returning as chief executive. Those investors include the venture capital firm Benchmark, which put money into Uber early on and has more recently been warring with Mr. Kalanick over his control of the company. Here are some of the specifics of the proposal that Mr. Khosrowshahi and Goldman Sachs put before the board on Thursday, including details that are in flux, according to the three people briefed on the proposal and the parts of the plan that were read to The Times. Some parts of the proposal were earlier reportedby Recode. According to the proposal, if the Uber board seats currently held by three directors Ryan Graves, Arianna Huffington or Wan Ling Martello are vacated, Mr. Khosrowshahi gains the power to nominate directors for those spots. The new directors must be approved by a majority of the board and by a majority of all shareholders. The plan also includes a proposal to remove the outsize voting power carried in two categories of Uber stock, the Class B common shares and the preferred shares. Class B common shares currently offer their holders 10 to 1 voting power, for example. But under the proposal, that would change to one vote per share. The change would diminish the power of some current shareholders, like Mr. Kalanick, as well as that of Benchmark and other venture investors. The proposal also suggests that Uber elect only a few board members each year, in effect setting a cap. That would make it hard for an activist shareholder to take over the board. One part of the proposal takes direct aim at Mr. Kalanick. The measure states that any person who has previously been an officer of Uber can return as chief executive only if he or she can get the approval of two-thirds of the board and 66.7 percent of all shareholders. The proposed plan also imposes a 2019 deadline for Uber to go public. To ensure that the public offering happens at that time, there is a provision that if more than one third, but less than one half, of the board wants an I.P.O., they can add directors until they have the control over the board they need to make the public offering happen. This provision may be dropped. The plan does allow Mr. Kalanick to keep his board seat, subject to the approval of Mr. Khosrowshahi. Of the two other board seats that Mr. Kalanick controls, one would be given to SoftBank while the other would be filled by the chief executive of a Fortune 100 company, if approved by the majority of the board and a majority vote of all shareholders. If for some reason Mr. Khosrowshahi rejected the proposed board member three times, he could designate someone for the third seat himself. For now, most of Uber's directors are reluctant to oppose the new board appointments of Mr. Thain and Ms. Burns made by Mr. Kalanick, according to two people who were briefed on the calls. Ms. Burns, the first African-American woman to helm a Fortune 500 company, and Mr. Thain, who also ran the New York Stock Exchange, could potentially help Uber address issues around company culture and diversity, and better prepare it to go public. To employees, Mr. Khosrowshahi wrote: "Just know that the most important work here is the hard work you're doing on behalf of our company. Keep focused, keep together, and keep going." Two women were stabbed to death and their assailant shot dead by a soldier in the southern French port city of Marseille on Sunday in what officials described as a "likely terrorist act". Police sources said the suspect had shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) in Arabic as he attacked the women, aged 17 and 20, at Marseille's main railway station. Two police sources said one had her throat slit while the other was stabbed in the chest and stomach. The assailant was shot dead by a soldier from a military Sentinelle patrol, a force deployed across the country as part of a state of emergency declared after Islamist attacks that began almost two years ago. "We have until now managed to avoid such dramatic incidents (in Marseille). I think it was a terrorist attack and the individual who was killed seems to have had several identities," Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin told reporters. Paris was rocked in 2015 by multiple attacks that killed 130 people. In 2016 a gunman drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people. Both of these attacks were claimed by Islamic State. Other countries, including Britain, Germany and Belgium, have also suffered attacks by militants using knives, guns, explosives and driving vehicles at crowds. Some 200 police officers cordoned off the area and all roads were closed to traffic. A witness told Reuters she saw a man take out a knife from his sleeve and then stab a young girl and then a second woman, shouting what could have been "Allahu Akbar". Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 10:32:09|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports hit a new record monthly high in September as strong demand lasted for locally-made semiconductors and other key items, a government report showed Sunday. Exports, which account for about half of the economy, reached a fresh high of 55.13 billion U.S. dollars in September, up 35.0 percent from the same month of last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It was the largest since the relevant data began to be complied in 1956. The previous high was 51.63 billion dollars tallied in October 2014. A daily average exports stood at 2.35 billion dollars last month, marking the biggest in the country's history. It was up 20.6 percent from a year ago. The exports continued to grow for 11 straight months, keeping a double-digit gain for the ninth consecutive month. The growth rate of 35 percent in September was the fastest since January 2011. Imports advanced 21.7 percent from a year earlier to 41.38 billion dollars last month, rising by a double digit for a ninth consecutive month. The double-digit growth both in exports and imports reflected strong demand at home and abroad. Trade surplus was 13.75 billion dollars in September, staying in the black for 68 months in a row. The export growth continued due to robust global demand for locally-made semiconductors that have led a double-digit export increase in recent months. Among 13 key export items, 10 products posted a double-digit increase in overseas shipments last month. As the global economy got into a recovery track, demand was solid both from advanced and emerging economies. Chip exports surged 70 percent over the year to record a new monthly high of 9.69 billion dollars in September. It was attributable to higher DRAM chip prices and the launch of new smartphones that led to stronger demand for chips used in the mobile phones. Steel exports reached a new monthly high of 4.67 billion dollars, maintaining a growth trend for six straight months. Computer shipments continued to grow for the sixth consecutive month, and display panel exports kept a growth momentum for the 11th straight month. Exports for oil products soared 49.5 percent on higher crude oil prices and the effect from Hurricane Harvey in the United States that led to disrupted production in the United States of oil products and higher oil product prices there. Petrochemicals shipments continued to rise for 12 months in a row amid expensive crude oil, and general machinery exports advanced 25.5 percent on recovering construction sectors in major economies such as the United States and India. Car and textile exports logged a double-digit expansion, while ship exports jumped 38.7 percent in September after tumbling 25.8 percent in the previous month. However, exports of telecommunication devices, including smartphones, kept a double-digit reduction last month as local manufacturers increased production in overseas factories. Home appliances shipments continued to fall by a double-digit due to increased production in overseas plants, and auto parts exports slipped 6.4 percent on soft demand in China and the United States. Pharmaceutical exports turned around in three months on demand for locally-developed biosimilar products in the United States and the European Union (EU). Cosmetics exports kept rising for the fifth straight month on demand from the EU, the United States, China and Southeast Asian countries. Except for the Middle East, South Korea's exports to all regions around the world registered a double-digit increase in exports last month. Exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members hit a record monthly high of 9.11 billion dollars, with those to Vietnam recording a fresh high of 4.74 billion dollars. Overseas shipments to India stood at 1.17 billion dollars, continuing to rise for the ninth consecutive month. Those to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, kept a growth momentum for the 11th consecutive month. Exports to the United States and the EU kept a double-digit increase, with those to Japan rising for 11 months in a row. On Sept. 25, for the very first time, Ketchikan welcomed its one millionth cruise ship visitor in a single summer season, as Alaska's cruise ship season continues to soar in terms of capacity growth. Candy Borda and family from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, arrived on Norwegian Cruise Line's Jewel, which docked this morning in Ketchikan. Borda and her husband, Fernando, were celebrating their 28th wedding anniversary on an Alaska cruise, alongside their children Hunter and Brooke. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Alaska President John Binkley was joined by local officials and residents of Ketchikan who surprised Borda and her family as they disembarked for the day. It is an honor for me to welcome you as our one millionth cruise ship passenger for the first time ever to Alaskas First City, said Binkley. Ketchikan is a great partner and we are pleased to be a part of history here. New Path Dancers greeted Borda, who received a special gift basket filled with Alaska-themed gifts and souvenirs from the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau and local gift shops. The Ketchikan Gateway Borough and City of Ketchikan both issued proclamations for the occasion. Ketchikan has welcomed visitors traveling to Alaska by ship for over 100 years and we are excited to break a record today. One million passengers this summer is a milestone for our city, said City of Ketchikan Mayor Lew Williams III. Ketchikan is proud of its reputation for friendliness and hospitality and looks forward to each and every visitor who steps off of a cruise ship. Vice Mayor Stephen Bradford presented the Boroughs proclamation. The visitor industry plays a vital role in the economic wellbeing of the community of Ketchikan. We have invested millions of dollars in infrastructure, safety, and enhancements for our visitors and welcome our one millionth visitor with great enthusiasm. Its a very exciting time for Ketchikan. Two more credit unions are suing Equifax for damages related to the credit-reporting agencys recent data breach, court records show. Colorado Springs, Colorado-based Aventa Credit Union and New Castle, Pennsylvania-based First Choice Federal Credit Union, along with the New Orleans-based Bank of Louisiana, filed the class-action complaint against Equifax in U.S. District Court on September 22. Similar to a separate class-action suit filed by Summit Credit Union on September 11, the three financial institutions allege that Equifax failed to secure its website, ignored warnings from security experts and took too long to disclose the breach. Aventa Credit Union has $175 million in assets and about 23,700 members. First Choice FCU has $44 million in assets and 6,700 members. The financial institutions claimed they will incur significant damages related to card reissue, fraud and fraud prevention. At NAFCUS 2018 Strategic Growth Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, March 5-7, your credit union will learn a variety of innovative growth strategies from the industrys very best. From creative ways to successfully capture the millennial generation, to new ideas for credit union rejuvenation, the agenda is packed with ways to inspire your executive team to maximize your credit unions full potential. Brett King, co-founder and CEO of Moven (the worlds first mobile, downloadable bank account), will deliver the keynote address. As a world-renowned futurist and author, King has garnered international success for his inventive take on the direction of banking. His keynoteon the astounding and unconventional changes innovators are bringing to bankingis critical to hear if you want to prepare your credit union now to stay relevant. Attendees will also learn ways to win the fintech and payment wars, plus ways to increase credit union share-of-wallet by learning best practices of the industrys most successful. If you strive to boost your credit unions revenue and surpass the competition, plan now for your trip to Nashville, one of Travel & Leisure Magazines Best Places to Travel. Register with code GROWTHSAVINGS by January 12 to save $200. Its a great way to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to elevate your revenue, beat your competitors, and gain a real view of the future of financial services. Ameresco, Inc., a clean technology integrator, provides a portfolio of energy efficiency and renewable energy supply solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It offers energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, energy security and resilience, asset sustainability, and renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations. The company operates through U.S. Regions, U.S. Federal, Canada, and Non-Solar Distributed Generation segments. It designs, develops, engineers, and installs projects that reduce the energy, as well as operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of its customers' facilities. The company's projects primarily include various measures customized for the facility and designed to enhance the efficiency of building systems, such as heating, ventilation, cooling, and lighting systems. It also offers renewable energy solutions and services, such as the construction of small-scale plants that the company owns or develops for customers that produce electricity, gas, heat, or cooling from renewable sources of energy and O&M services; and electricity, processed renewable gas fuel, and heat or cooling produced from renewable sources of energy. In addition, the company sells photovoltaic (PV) solar energy products and systems, as well as provides consulting and enterprise energy management services; and owns and operates a wind power project located in Ireland. It serves the federal, state, and local governments, as well as healthcare and educational institutions, airports, public housing authorities and public universities, and commercial and industrial customers. As of December 31, 2021, the company owned and operated 147 small-scale renewable energy plants and solar PV installations. Ameresco, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. Greenhill & Co., Inc., an independent investment bank, provides financial and strategic advisory services to corporations, partnerships, institutional investors, and governments worldwide. The company offers advisory services related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, financings, private capital raising, and other similar transactions. It also advises clients on strategic matters, including activist shareholder defense, special committee projects, licensing deals, and joint ventures; and valuation, negotiation tactics, industry dynamics, structuring alternatives, and timing and pricing of transactions, as well as financing alternatives. In addition, the company provides restructuring advisory services to debtors, creditors, governments, and other stakeholders, and acquirers of distressed companies and assets; and advice on restructuring alternatives, capital structures, and sales or recapitalizations. Further, it assists clients in identifying and capitalizing on incremental sources of value; and on court-assisted reorganizations by developing and seeking approval for plans of reorganization, as well as the implementation of such plans. Additionally, the company advises on private placements of debt and structured equity, refinancing of existing debt facilities, negotiating the modification, and amendment of covenants, as well as acts as an independent advisor. It also offers financial advisory services to pension funds, endowments, and other institutional investors on transactions involving alternative assets; and advice to alternative asset fund sponsors for private capital raising, financing, restructuring, liquidity options, valuation, and related services. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York, New York. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 10:42:13|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close HAVANA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- By withdrawing all nonessential staff from its embassy in Havana and warning Americans "to avoid travelling to Cuba," the United States is overreacting to an unidentified health issue that is still under investigation, a Cuban political expert said Saturday. The U.S. State Department's order is "excessive and defensive," Rafael Hernandez, an expert on Cuba-U.S. relations, told Xinhua. "Removing staff for security reasons is something the United States does in other parts of the world where there are epidemics, natural disasters or wars. Given the nature of this episode, taking such an extreme measure is not justified," said Hernandez. "The travel warning can affect U.S. citizens psychologically and prevent them from coming to Cuba," he said. The two countries officially restored ties in 2015 after five decades of animosity. Since then, Cuba has seen a boom of tourists from the United States and other countries, driven by the newly thawed ties. In a statement with a provocative headline -- "Actions taken in response to attacks on U.S. government personnel in Cuba," the U.S. State Department on Friday said these measures were due to 21 embassy employees suffering from "a range of physical symptoms, including ear complaints, hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues and sleeping difficulties." The diplomatic scale-back and travel warning will remain in place "until the government of Cuba can ensure the safety of our diplomats" from "attacks of an unknown nature." Cuba appears to be as stumped by the mysterious afflictions as U.S. officials are and have been cooperating with the investigation from the beginning. Hernandez acknowledged "they are very strange attacks," adding he doubted Cuba has the technology to carry out anything like that. "It would seem that they can only be caused by someone with very sophisticated covert technology and only intelligence services can do that, especially those in the United States," said Hernandez. "These incidents of diplomats who have been affected by these mysterious syndromes are very specific. They are not generalized. They don't affect all the embassies in Cuba and not even all the U.S. personnel on the island," he added. Besides, 500,000 more Americans have visited Cuba so far this year and there have been no reports of similar problems. Responding to the U.S. State Department announcement, Cuba on Friday called on the United States to refrain from "politicizing an issue of this nature" and from making "hasty decisions ... not based on evidence or conclusive results of investigations." Hernandez, director of the well-known Cuban news magazine Temas, said the U.S. State Department may have been reacting to "political pressures" from the conservative administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has rolled back U.S.-Cuba ties since taking office. Withdrawing diplomatic personnel is a blow to bilateral ties, particularly to Cuba, which wants to continue making progress in normalizing relations with Washington, he said. "There is a struggle within the U.S. government regarding its relationship with Cuba and other issues of international importance, such as the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the nuclear agreement with Iran," he said. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. provides natural gas compression services and equipment to the energy industry in the United States. It fabricates, manufactures, rents, and sells natural gas compressors and related equipment. The company primarily engages in the rental of compression units that provide small, medium, and large horsepower applications for unconventional oil and natural gas production. As of December 31, 2021, the company had 2,023 natural gas compression units in its rental fleet with 418,041 horsepower. The company also engages in the design, fabrication, and assembly of compressor components into compressor units for rental or sale; engineers and fabricates natural gas compressors; and designs and manufactures a line of reciprocating compressor frames, cylinders, and parts. In addition, it is involved in the design, fabrication, sale, installation, and service of flare stacks and related ignition and control devices for the onshore and offshore incineration of gas compounds, such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gases. Further, the company offers customer support services for its compressor and flare sales business; and exchange and rebuild program for small horsepower screw compressors. Its primary customers are exploration and production(E&P) companies that utilize compressor units for artificial lift applications; E&P companies that focuses on natural gas-weighted production; and midstream companies. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Midland, Texas. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides technical, professional, and construction services. The company's Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear segment offers scientific, engineering, construction, nuclear, environmental, and technical support services to the aerospace, defense, technical, and automotive industries. Its Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities segment develops/rehabilitates plans for highways, bridges, transit, tunnels, airports, railroads, intermodal facilities, and maritime or port projects; develops or rehabilitates critical water resource systems, water/wastewater conveyance systems, and flood defense projects; and provides engineering design, construction management, design build, and operations and maintenance. This segment also designs and constructs buildings; offers consulting, engineering, procurement, construction management, and delivery services for life sciences clients; and provides services relating to modular construction and other consulting and strategic planning services, as well as offers services in containment, barrier technology, locally controlled environments, building systems automation, off-the-site design, and fabrication of facility modules. The company's Energy, Chemicals and Resources segment offers services relating to onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities, processing facilities, gathering systems, and transmission pipelines and terminals; feasibility/economic studies, technology evaluation, conceptual engineering, front end loading, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and commissioning services; and engineering, procurement, and construction solutions. This segment also provides services, such as manufacturing complex, expansions, modifications, and management of plant relocations; construction management and field construction services; and services to operate and maintain facilities. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 10:52:16|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close YANGON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Students were seen attending schools in Maungtaw and Buthidaung townships in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state over the past week after a spate of violence committed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) extremist terrorists since Aug. 25. According to the state education department based in Sittway, the capital of Rakhine state, up to 21 primary, middle and high schools in Maungtaw and Buthidaung have resumed their classes. A high school headmaster claimed that academic life has been fully restored in Maungtaw. However, schools in villages are still closed due to security situation. About 3,000 students who fled from the two townships to Sittway due to ARSA terrorist attacks, are continuing pursuit of their education in the refugee camps in Sittway. Meanwhile, the Myanmar government has been seeking assistance from the international community for the resettlement of displaced ethnic people. A day after her Sept. 19 speech on the country's national reconciliation and peace efforts in Nay Pyi Taw, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi held a meeting with the Implementation Committee of Recommendations on Rakhine state. Aung San Suu Kyi noted that the Myanmar authorities are also planning to form a committee to implement national verification process, the rehabilitation, resettlement and long-term development programs for the people affected over the past years. The verification process, based on principles to which both Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in 1993, will be carried out at Taungpyo Latwe village for those who return by road and at Naguya village for those who come back by waterways. Under the current plan, the verified refugees will be settled at Dargyizar village, social welfare officials said. Aung San Suu Kyi called on the international community to cooperate for constructively tackling the issue of northern Rakhine state, voicing government's pledge to implement the recommendations by the Advisory Commission led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She highlighted the government's social economic development in Rakhine, saying the Rakhine state's socio-economic development plan 2017-2021 has been drafted to boost regional development in various sectors including infrastructure and electrification as well as creation of new job opportunities for local people through private-public partnership. She stressed that all people in the Rakhine state have access to education and healthcare services without discrimination. She also said the government is trying to promote inter- communal religious harmony by engaging interfaced groups. The local people in the affected areas due to the recent attacks are being provided with humanitarian aid without any discrimination, government officials said. They added the authorities are increasing more humanitarian aid to reach all areas in Rakhine state with the help of donor countries and organizations including China, the United States, Britain, Denmark and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The government also said that it will redevelop conflict-hit region in northern Rakhine state under the country's Natural Disaster Management Law. "After the damage and loss caused by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army extremist terrorists, redevelopment of Maungtaw region will be implemented according to Natural Disaster Management Law," said Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Win Myat Aye. He stressed that burnt lands due to terrorist attacks have become government-managed lands which are covered by the Natural Disaster Management Law enacted in 2013 and the Management Committee was formed with Second Vice President U Henry Van Thio as chairman. Ford Motor Company is the second largest US auto manufacturer by market cap and market share and ranks 4th globally. The company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford following a series of cars that led to the introduction of the Model T. The Model T revolutionized the automobile industry not only because it made vehicles affordable for the budding middle class but it changed the way manufacturing was done. The Ford factory features the worlds first moving assembly line, an introduction that not only improved the pace of production but lowered the cost of its vehicles. Other prominent innovations made by Mr. Ford include the strict standardization of parts that allowed for easy construction and repair and the standardized workweek. Henry Fords switch to a $5 workday and 8-hour shifts allowed him to run 3 shifts per day and improve productivity while providing his employees with the power to buy their own products. Today, Ford Motor Company makes and markets a large lineup of cars, trucks, SUVs, EVs, and Lincoln luxury vehicles globally. The companys iconic F-series of trucks is the worlds best-selling pickup truck for decades running and the new all-electric Lightning is on track to dominate the top spot in the EV market. Other iconic brands in the Ford lineup include the Thunderbird introduced in 1954, the Mustang in 1964, and the Transit work van in 1965. The Mustang, notably, was created for the Worlds Fair and expected to sell 100,000 in its first year but shocked the industry with 22,000 units sold on the first day. The company operates through four segments including Ford Blue (ICE vehicles), Model e (EVs) Mobility, and Ford Credit. The Ford Blue and Model e segments sell Ford and Lincoln vehicles, parts, and accessories while the Mobility segment designs and builds advanced technologies including but not limited to self-driving autonomous car systems. The Ford Credit segment primarily offers commercial and retail loans to auto dealers and car buyers. This segment not only provides financing for new purchases and dealer inventory but makes loans for new dealerships and expansions of old ones. Ford has fully embraced the switch to EV and is planning for an all-EV future. To that end, the company pledged to spend up to $50 billion on EV infrastructure by 2026. The plans include the build-out of an entirely new campus dedicated to EV manufacture from batteries to motor platforms, manufacturing capacity, and new vehicles. In regard to total capacity, the company is targeting 2 million in total annual EV sales by that same year. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. provides government-sponsored managed care services. The company operates in three segments: Medicaid Health Plans, Medicare Health Plans, and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs). The Medicaid Health Plans segment offers plans for beneficiaries of temporary assistance for needy families, supplemental security income, and aged blind and disabled residents; and other state-based programs, such as children's health insurance programs and long-term services and supports programs for qualifying families who are not eligible for Medicaid. The Medicare Health Plans segment provides Medicare, a federal program that provides eligible persons aged 65 and over, as well as some disabled persons with a range of hospital, medical, and prescription drug benefits; Medicare Advantage, a Medicare's managed care alternative to the original Medicare program, which offers individuals standard Medicare benefits directly through Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and coordinated care plans that are administered through health maintenance organizations and require members to seek health care services and select a primary care physician from a network of health care providers. The Medicare PDPs segment provides Medicare part D PDP plans to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. Its PDP plans offer national in-network prescription drug coverage, including a preferred pharmacy network. As of December 31, 2018, the company served approximately 5.5 million members in the United States. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 11:27:23|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ever since its founding 68 years ago, China has been expanding its partnerships worldwide, aiming to safeguard world peace and stability while promoting development. To that end, China has proposed, over the past five years, the Belt and Road Initiative and the vision of building a community of shared destiny for humankind, which will help establish a just and fair global governance system. EXPANDING CIRCLE OF FRIENDS China's diplomacy has born fruits under President Xi Jinping's leadership and boosted development of countries around the world. On the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos extended warm wishes to the Chinese people. "Today our two countries, despite the differences in their size, population, and even in their political systems, are working together closely and in harmony to consolidate peace, prosperity and progress worldwide," Pavlopoulos said in a televised message. "I wish that they (the Chinese people) will contribute with all their strength not only to China's prosperity, but also to promoting development, peace and prosperity for all mankind," he said. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said the China-Africa ties are set to grow deeper. "Chinese don't come here to tell us what to do. They come, you give your opinion and they give theirs. They will always take yours because they know it is your country," he said. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong said that China's success and development have made great contribution to the stability and development of economies around the world. "During the past 68 years, China, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government, has made a lot of achievements in various fields and grown into the second largest economy in the world," Namhong said. He said the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China has greatly promoted the development in such fields as infrastructure, cultural exchanges, investment and trade, and helped realize an all-win situation among countries across Asia, Europe and Africa. Speaking on China's major-country diplomacy in a documentary series, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "China has established different forms of partnership with 97 countries and international organizations. It is fair to say our circle of friends is getting bigger and bigger." CREATING SUBSTANTIAL RESULTS Put forward by Xi in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Statistics from China's Ministry of Commerce indicates that China's direct investment in 53 countries along the routes reached 14.53 billion U.S. dollars and the total value of contracts China signed with 61 related countries amounted to over 126 billion dollars in 2016. Chinese businesses helped build 56 economic and trade cooperation zones in about 20 countries along the Belt and Road with a combined investment surpassing 18.5 billion dollars, generating nearly 1.1 billion dollars in tax revenue and about 180,000 jobs in those countries. "Because of new infrastructure projects, the Belt and Road region's gross domestic product in 2016 grew by 4.6 percent, exceeding the developing economies' average growth of 3.6 percent," said Lu Yao, capital projects and infrastructure director of accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers China. The initiative has delivered promising early results that have benefited other countries and regions, showing great development potential. Apart from promoting trade and development, China has been actively addressing global issues, including the Paris Agreement, the Iranian nuclear program, the Syrian crisis and the Korean Peninsula issue. China has also left an indelible mark on the world through its peacekeeping missions and efforts to tackle public health emergencies such as Ebola epidemic. Miroslav Lajcak, president of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, has spoken highly of China's role in world affairs. "I am glad to see China play a very important role, being a leader on a number of global issues. And I wish to see China continue playing this role and speak not only in its national capacity, but speak as a promoter of the UN agenda," said Lajcak. TAPPING POTENTIAL FOR BENEFIT SHARING China has boosted its economy through innovations. With high-speed rail, Alipay, bike-sharing and e-commerce, the so-called "New Four Great Inventions," prospering in China, more opportunities have emerged for China's partners. Bruce Rauner, governor of the U.S. state of Illinois, has shown a strong interest in expanding mutually-beneficial cooperation with China in areas ranging from trade and tourism, to educational exchanges. "I'm a believer in more trade and more investment, especially with the people of China. So I look forward to doing whatever I can to expand it," Rauner told Xinhua in a recent interview. China has 50 companies headquartered in Illinois, which has a diverse economic base and serves as a major transportation hub, while 400 Illinois companies have a base in China. "I believe that China, in the future, will be Illinois' greatest partner, and greatest friend. I want to do everything I can to expand our friendship," Rauner said. At a reception held in London marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said China's development provides new opportunities to advance bilateral relations. He said that building a China-Britain "Golden Era" is not a slogan, but a brand-new definition of the two countries' relationship and a symbol of determination to build consensus and deepen cooperation. "We can deliver more 'golden fruits' in this 'Golden Era,'" he said. The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AFD.TECH, AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. 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Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda , Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Avieco, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, BRIDGEi2i, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. 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Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, ClearEdge Partners, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Ergo, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Founders Intelligence, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Headspring, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, King James Group, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision LLC, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Olympus Systems Corporation, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis AG, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zestgroup, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut. Read More Validus Holdings, Ltd. provides reinsurance coverage, insurance coverage, and insurance linked securities management services worldwide. It operates through three segments: Reinsurance, Insurance, and Asset Management. The Reinsurance segment underwrites property reinsurance products on a catastrophe excess of loss, per risk excess of loss and proportional basis; and aerospace and aviation, agriculture, composite, marine, technical lines, terrorism, trade credit, workers' compensation, and other specialty lines, as well as casualty and financial lines. The Insurance segment underwrites property, accident and health, agriculture, aviation, contingency, marine, and political lines insurance products; bankers blanket bond, commercial crime, computer crime, cyber- crime, professional indemnity, and directors' and officers' insurance products for various financial institutions and other companies; and commercial and institutional risks comprising general, professional, and product liability, as well as miscellaneous malpractice insurance products. This segment also underwrites marine and energy liability, and political risk insurance products, as well as insurance products for repair, maintenance, and upkeep of aircrafts and premises for small companies. The Asset Management segment manages capital for third parties through insurance-linked securities, and other property catastrophe and specialty reinsurance investments. Validus Holdings, Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Pembroke, Bermuda. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 11:37:25|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The just-ended wildfire season cost the U.S. state of Montana nearly 400 million U.S. dollars, local media reported Saturday, quoting officials as saying that the state was ill-prepared for such blazes. Following a new round of rain and snow, fire restrictions all over the northwestern U.S. state were lifted, marking the end of the latest wildfire season, the worst in 20 years. Firefighters controlled 2,100 wildfires, which burned almost 1,900 square miles (4,920 square km), slightly more than the area burned in Montana's devastating 2012 fire season, according to local newspaper Helena Independent Record. The report placed the cost at 393 million dollars, more than three times that of the 2012 season, which was about 113 million dollars. Sue Clark, acting administrator of the forestry division of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, was quoted as saying that the state government does not have a fully sustainable program for fire seasons such as that of this year. Besides Montana, other states including New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado also suffered a heavy financial burden caused by wildfires this year. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said recently that more than 2 billion dollars were spent on thousands of fires across the country during the last nine months, creating a budget crisis for the Forest Service, an agency of the Department of Agriculture. Across the country, 8.4 million acres (33,993 square km) were burned this year, about the size of Massachusetts, and of those, 2.3 million acres were on U.S. Forest Service land, he said. At the peak of this fire season, 28,000 firefighters were active, while on average 16,000 people worked on fires around the country each day, according to the secretary. Calix, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides cloud and software platforms, and systems and services in the United States, rest of Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company's cloud and software platforms, and systems and services enable broadband service providers (BSPs) to provide a range of services. It provides Calix Cloud platform, a role-based analytics platform comprising Calix Marketing Cloud, Calix Support Cloud, and Calix Operations Cloud, which are configurable to display role-based insights and enable BSPs to anticipate and target new revenue-generating services and applications through mobile application. The company also offers EXOS, a carrier class premises operating system and fully integrated with its GigaSpire family of systems to be ready for deployment as a complete subscriber experience solutions for BSP's residential and business subscribers; and AXOS, a software platform to access edge of the network by its architecture and operations. It offers its products through its direct sales force and resellers. Calix, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 13:02:33|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- After months of sanctions and threats, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has shown no interest in talks on giving up its nuclear weapons, the U.S. State Department said Saturday. "North Korean (DPRK) officials have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization," U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement. Nauert reiterated that the United States is not interested in "promoting the collapse of the current regime, pursuing regime change, accelerating reunification of the peninsula or mobilizing forces north of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)." The statement came after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson revealed during a visit to China that the United States has direct channels of communication with the DPRK. "We have lines of communications to Pyongyang. We're not in a dark situation or a blackout. We have a couple of direct channels to Pyongyang. We can talk to them ... We've made it clear that we hope to resolve this through talks," Tillerson said. At a congressional hearing on Thursday, U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton said the purpose of putting pressure on the DPRK was to bring it back to negotiations on denuclearization. China commended the U.S. commitment to resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Friday, calling on Washington to convert its resolve into concrete actions. "We have noticed that relevant parties released positive signals recently on peacefully resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue via dialogue. We encourage these moves," Lu said. "China is affirmative of the commitment and hopes the United States can convert it into concrete actions," he said, calling on the DPRK to exert joint efforts. "We expect all relevant parties can show their sincerity to pave the way for peaceful talks," Lu said. Tensions have been running high on the Korean Peninsula after the DPRK conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution toughening sanctions against Pyongyang. In response, the DPRK tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) which flew over Japan. The war of rhetoric was resumed between Pyongyang and Washington as U.S. President Donald Trump said in his debut UN speech on Sept. 19 that his country would have no choice but to "totally destroy" the DPRK if "it is forced to defend itself or its allies." Top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un issued a rare statement in response to the Trump's UN speech, warning Washington of the highest-level hardline countermeasure in history. U.S. strategic bombers and fighter escorts flew in international airspace over waters off the DPRK's east coast on Sept. 23, causing a strong backlash from Pyongyang as the DPRK's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho called it as a declaration of war. China has discouraged the two countries from escalating their war of words and has repeatedly expressed the hope that both U.S. and DPRK statesmen have the wisdom to realize that the use of force is not an option for resolving the peninsula issue. 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 MetLife: 10700 WILSHIRE LLC, 1201 TAB MANAGER LLC, 1350 EYE STREET MANAGER LLC, 1350 EYE STREET OWNER LLC, 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE PE MEMBER LLC, 1925 WJC OWNER LLC, 23RD STREET INVESTMENTS INC., 500 GRANT STREET ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, 500 GRANT STREET GP LLC, 6104 HOLLYWOOD LLC, AFP GENESIS ADMINISTRADORA DE FONDOS Y FIDECOMISOS S.A., AGENVITA S.R.L., ALICO HELLAS SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, ALICO OPERATIONS LLC, American Life Insurance Company, BEST MARKET S.A., BLOCK VISION HOLDINGS CORPORATION, BLOCK VISION OF TEXAS INC., BORDERLAND INVESTMENTS LIMITED, BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL LLC, BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER LLC, CC HOLDCO MANAGER LLC, CHESTNUT FLATS WIND LLC, CLOSED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY MASTER-D, COMPANIA INVERSORA METLIFE S.A., CORPORATE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC, COVA LIFE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, DAVIS VISION INC., DAVISVISION IPA INC., DELAWARE AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, EURO CL INVESTMENTS LLC, EXCELENCIA OPERATIVA Y TECNOLOGICA S.A de C.V., FORTISSIMO CO. LTD, FUNDACION METLIFE MEXICO A.C., GLOBAL PROPERTIES INC., General American Life Insurance Company, Grand Bank N.A., HASKELL EAST VILLAGE LLC, HOUSING FUND MANAGER LLC, INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES LIMITED, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO DOS LIMITADA, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO TRES LIMITADA, LHC HOLDINGS LLC, LHCW HOLDINGS LLC, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING 2002 LLC, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING LLC, LHCW HOTEL OPERATING COMPANY 2002 LLC, LUMENLAB MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., Logan Circle Partners, MARKETPLACE RESIDENCES LLC, MC PORTFOLIO JV MEMBER LLC, MCJV LLC, MCPP OWNERS LLC, MCRE BLOCK 40 LP, MEC HEALTH CARE INC., MET 1065 HOTEL LLC, MET CANADA SOLAR ULC, METLIFE 1007 STEWART LLC, METLIFE 1201 TAB MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MANAGER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 555 12TH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 8280 MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ACOMA OWNER LLC, METLIFE ADMINISTRADORA DE FUNDOS MULTIPATROCINADOS LTDA., METLIFE ALTERNATIVES GP LLC, METLIFE ASHTON AUSTIN OWNER LLC, METLIFE ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., METLIFE ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE ASIA SERVICES SDN. BHD, METLIFE ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., METLIFE ASSIGNMENT COMPANY INC., METLIFE BORO STATION MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMINO RAMON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMPUS AT SGV MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAPITAL CREDIT L.P., METLIFE CAPITAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, METLIFE CAPITAL TRUST IV, METLIFE CB W/A LLC, METLIFE CC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CHILE ADMINISTRADORA DE MUTUOS HIPOTECARIOS S.A., METLIFE CHILE INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS DE VIDA S.A., METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS GENERALES S.A., METLIFE CHINO MEMBER LLC, METLIFE COLOMBIA SEGUROS de VIDA S.A., METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CONSQUARE MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CONSUMER SERVICES INC., METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CREDIT CORP., METLIFE DIGITAL VENTURES INC., METLIFE ENHANCED CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE EU HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE INSURANCE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LLC., METLIFE FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. LTD, METLIFE FM HOTEL MEMBER LLC, METLIFE FUNDING INC., METLIFE GENERAL INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE GLOBAL BENEFITS LTD., METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY I GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY II GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION S.A. De C.V., METLIFE GLOBAL INC., METLIFE GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE GROUP INC., METLIFE HCMJV 1 GP LLC, METLIFE HCMJV 1 LP LLC, METLIFE HEALTH PLANS INC., METLIFE HOLDINGS INC., METLIFE HOME LOANS LLC, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE LIMITED, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE PTE. LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE AND INVESTMENT TRUST, METLIFE INSURANCE BROKERAGE INC., METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF KOREA LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE K.K., METLIFE INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HF PARTNERS LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND I LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND II LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND III LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND IV LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND V LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VI LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VII LP, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT EUROPE LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENTS ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS PTY LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS SECURITIES LLC, METLIFE INVESTORS DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, METLIFE INVESTORS GROUP LLC, METLIFE IRELAND TREASURY D.A.C., METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND LP, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS BLOCKER LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS LLC, METLIFE LATIN AMERICA ASESORIAS E INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE LEGAL PLANS INC., METLIFE LEGAL PLANS OF FLORIDA INC., METLIFE LHH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE S.A., METLIFE LOAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE LONG SHORT CREDIT FUND LP, METLIFE LONG SHORT CREDIT MASTER FUND LP, METLIFE LONG SHORT CREDIT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MAS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO HOLDINGS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO SERVICIOS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT FUND II LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP II LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT II RATED FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL GP LLC, METLIFE MMPD II SPECIAL LLC, METLIFE MULTI-FAMILY PARTNERS III LLC, METLIFE OBS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE OFC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ONTARIO STREET MEMBR LLC, METLIFE PARK TOWER MEMBER LLC, METLIFE PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED, METLIFE PENSIONES MEXICO S.A., METLIFE PET INSURANCE SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE PLANOS ODONTOLOGICOS LTDA., METLIFE POWSZECHNE TOWARTZYSTWO EMERYTALNE S.A., METLIFE PRIVATE EQUITY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE PROPERTIES VENTURES LLC, METLIFE RC SF MEMBER LLC, METLIFE REAL ESTATE LENDING LLC, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF BERMUDA LTD., METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF CHARLESTON, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF VERMONT, METLIFE RETIREMENT SERVICES LLC, METLIFE SECURITIZATION DEPOSITOR LLC, METLIFE SEGUROS S.A., METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FINCO LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FUND LP, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING GP LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING HOLDINGS LP, METLIFE SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE SERVICES CYPRUS LTD., METLIFE SERVICES EAST PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EEIG, METLIFE SERVICES EOOD, METLIFE SERVICES SOCIEDAD LIMITADA, METLIFE SERVICES SP Z.O.O, METLIFE SERVICIOS S.A., METLIFE SINGLE FAMILY RENTAL FUND GP LLC, METLIFE SINGLE FAMILY RENTAL FUND LP, METLIFE SOLUTIONS PTE. LTD., METLIFE SOLUTIONS S.A.S., METLIFE SP HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE STRATEGIC HOTEL DEBT FUND GP LLC, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN LUX GP S.A.R.L., METLIFE THR INVESTOR LLC, METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO FUNDUSZY INWESTYCYJNYCH S.A., METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO UBEZPIECZEN NA ZYCIE I REASEKURACJI S.A., METLIFE TOWER RESOURCES GROUP INC., METLIFE TREAT TOWERS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, METROPOLITAN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE SEGUROS E PREVIDENCIA PRIVADA S.A., METROPOLITAN LIFE SOCIETATE de ADMINISTRARE a UNUI FOND de PENSII ADMINISTRAT PRIVAT S.A., METROPOLITAN TOWER LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER REALTY COMPANY INC., MEX DF PROPERTIES LLC, MFA FINANCING VEHICLE CTR1 LLC, MIDTOWN HEIGHTS LLC, MIM CAMPUS AT SGV MANAGER LLC, MIM CLAL GENERAL PARTNER LLC, MIM CM SYNDICATOR LLC, MIM EMD GP LLC, MIM I LLC, MIM LS GP LLC, MIM METWEST INTERNATIONAL MANAGER LLC, MIM ML-AI VENTURE 5 MANAGER LLC, MIM OMD MANAGER LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OF GEORGIA 1 LLC, MIM SPOKANE INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MIM THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MISSOURI REINSURANCE INC., ML 300 THIRD MEMBER LLC, ML ARMATURE MEMBER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MANAGER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MEMBER LLC, ML CAPACITACION COMERCIAL S.A. DE C.V., ML CERRITOS TC MEMBER LLC, ML CLAL MEMBER LLC, ML CORNER 63 MEMBER LLC, ML DOLPHIN GP LLC, ML DOLPHIN MEZZ LLC, ML HUDSON MEMBER LLC, ML MATSON MILLS MEMBER LLC, ML MILILANI MEMBER LLC, ML OMD MEMBER LLC, ML ONE BEDMINSTER LLC, ML PORT CHESTER SC MEMBER LLC, ML SENTINEL SQUARE MEMBER LLC, ML SLOANS LAKE MEMEBR LLC, ML SOUTHLANDS MEMBER LLC, ML SOUTHMORE LLC, ML SPOKANE INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML SWAN GP LLC, ML SWAN MEZZ LLC, ML TERRACES LLC, ML THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML VENTURE 1 MANAGER S. DE R. L. DE C.V., ML VENTURE 1 SERVICER LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 1 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 2 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 3 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 4 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 5 LLC, ML-URS PORT CHESTER SC MANAGER LLC, MLIA MANAGER I LLC, MLIA PARK TOWER MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF COLONY MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF MANAGER LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS II LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS LLC, MLIC CB HOLDINGS LLC, MLJ US FEEDER LLC, MM GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER S.A. DE C.V., MMP CEDAR STREET OWNER LLC, MMP CEDAR STREET REIT LLC, MMP HOLDINGS III LLC, MMP OLIVIAN OWNER LLC, MMP OLIVIAN REIT LLC, MMP OWNERS III LLC, MMP OWNERS LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK OWNER LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK REIT LLC, MNQM TRUST 2020, MREF 425 MKT LLC, MSHDF HOLDCO I LLC, MSV IRVINE PROPERTY LLC, MTL LEASING LLC, MTU HOTEL OWNER LLC, NATILOPORTEM HOLDINGS LLC, NEWBURY INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, OCONEE GOLF COMPANY LLC, OCONEE HOTEL COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LLC, OCONEE MARINA COMPANY LLC, OMI MLIC INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL NORTH LLC, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL SOUTH LLC, PARK TOWER JV MEMBER LLC, PARK TOWER REIT INC., PJSC METLIFE, PLAZA DRIVE PROPERTIES LLC, PREFCO FOURTEEN LLC, PREFCO XIV HOLDINGS LLC, PROVIDA INTERNACIONAL S.A., SAFEGUARD HEALTH ENTERPRISES INC., SAFEGUARD HEALTH PLANS INC., SAFEHEALTH LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, SOUTHCREEK INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC, ST. JAMES FLEET INVESTMENTS TWO LIMITED, SUPERIOR PROCUREMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION BENEFIT MANAGEMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION HOLDINGS INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE PLAN OF WISCONSIN INC., SUPERIOR VISION OF NEW JERSEY INC., SUPERIOR VISION SERVICES INC., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Security First Group Inc., THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH AVENUE MEZZANINE LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL HOLDING LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL OWNER, THE DIRECT CALL CENTRE PTY LIMITED, TRANSMOUNTAIN LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY, UVC INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ASSOCIATION INC., VERSANT HEALTH CONSOLIDATIONS CORP., VERSANT HEALTH HOLDCO INC., VERSANT HEALTH INC., VERSANT HEALTH LAB LLC, VIRIDIAN MIRACLE MILE LLC, VISION 21 MANAGED EYE CARE OF TAMPA BAY INC., VISION 21 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, VISION TWENTY-ONE MANAGED EYE CARE IPA INC., Versant Health, WDV ACQUISITION CORP., WFP 1000 HOLDING COMPANY GP LLC, WHITE OAK ROYALTY COMPANY, WHITE TRACT II LLC, and Willing. Read More Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 13:07:35|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close A national flag-raising ceremony is held at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2017. People from across the country gathered at the square to watch the national flag-raising ceremony on the morning, marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang) BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- At day break, more than 115,000 people from across China gathered at the Tian'anmen Square at the heart of Beijing to watch the raising of the National Flag. Sunday marked the 68th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China. At 6:07 a.m., the national flag was escorted by guards into the square. The crowd stood in silent as the national anthem "March of the Volunteers" was played, and the five-star national flag was raised. When the flag spread out at the top of the flagpole, 10,000 Peace Doves were released into the sky. At the backdrop was a 17-meter-tall giant display in the shape of a floral basket, which holds flowers and fruits such as persimmons, pomegranates, apples, peonies and Chinese roses. It symbolizes a thriving and prosperous country. Watching the national flag raising ceremony at the Tian'anmen Square has been a way of Chinese celebrating the National Day. Some joined the gathering for sightseeing, and others came to express the feeling of patriotism. "We really got emotional when we sang the national anthem on this occasion," said Yang Yuanyang, a freshman from the Beijing Information Science and Technology University. According to China's national anthem law which took effect on Sunday, the national anthem can only be allowed at formal political gatherings, including flag raising ceremonies and major celebrations. The National Day is celebrated with a week-long holiday, while the Chinese traditional Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Cake Festival,featuring family gathering, falls on Oct. 4 this year. Major parks in Beijing have been decorated with around 1.6 million potted flowers of 150 different species, according to Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks. Traffic information from the Ministry of Transport showed that traffic on highways in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai became heavy from 6 a.m. on Sunday morning, as holiday goers rushed to scenic spots. On Sunday, the scenic area of the landmark Badaling section of the Great Wall in northern Beijing was opened earlier than normal days to welcome holiday tourists. Badaling, where the oldest sections of the Great Wall have been dated back to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 557), is decorated with over 100,000 flowerpots to add the festive air for the National Day. The ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal opened its first transport hub on Sunday, marking the start of a modern transport era on the 2,500-km manmade waterway, the longest in the world. With the hub in operation in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, passengers can travel by boat for sightseeing on the Grand Canal and conveniently transfer from water traffic to other road transport means. Over 1,000 km of the Grand Canal has been recognized as a world heritage site in 2014. Emergent BioSolutions Inc., a life sciences company, focuses on the provision of preparedness and response solutions that address accidental, deliberate, and naturally occurring public health threats (PHTs) in the United States. The company's products address PHTs, which include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives; emerging infectious diseases; travel health; and emerging health crises and acute/emergency care. It offers BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine; ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine; Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent to treat botulinum disease; vaccinia immune globulin intravenous that addresses complications from smallpox vaccine; raxibacumab for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax; Anthrasil to for inhalational anthrax; reactive skin decontamination lotion kits; and Trobigard, a combination drug-device auto injector product candidate; and Trobigard, a combination drug-device auto injector product candidate. The company also provides NARCAN, a nasal spray for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose; Vivotif, an oral vaccine for typhoid fever; and Vaxchora, a single-dose oral vaccine to treat cholera. In addition, it is developing AP003, a Naloxone multidose nasal spray; AP007, a sustained release Nalmefene injection for treatment of opioid use disorder; AV7909, an anthrax vaccine; CGRD-001, a pralidoxime chloride/atropine auto-injector; CHIKV VLP, a chikungunya virus VLP vaccine; COVID-HIG for the treatment of SARS-CoV2; EGRD-001, a diazepam auto-injector; SIAN, an antidote for the initial treatment of acute poisoning of cyanide; and UniFlu, a universal influenza vaccine. Further, the company provides contract development and manufacturing services comprising drug substance and product manufacturing, and packaging, as well as technology transfer, process, and analytical development services. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 13:07:35|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 498 foreign nationals for federal immigration violations in a four-day operation, U.S. media reported Saturday. The crackdown, known as operation "Safe City", rounded up foreign nationals from 42 countries in 10 cities or counties across the country, according to the ICE. The eastern city of Philadelphia saw 107 arrests, followed by Los Angeles with 101 arrests. Denver, the State of Massachusetts, New York, Seattle, Santa Clara County, Baltimore, Cook County and Washington D.C. came in third to tenth. The cities, counties and states selected were "sanctuary regions", or those that had denied ICE deportation officers access to jails and prisons to interview suspected immigration violators or jurisdictions where ICE detainers were not honored. "Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not honor detainers or allow us access to jails and prisons are shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and creating a magnet for illegal immigration," ICE acting Director Tom Homan said. The ICE said 317 of the arrested had criminal convictions, 104 were previously deported aliens, 68 were immigration fugitives and 18 were gang members. The issue of illegal immigrants has been a contentious one in U.S. politics since the election of Donald Trump as president, as parts of the country, especially politically liberal regions, vowed to block the federal government's effort to arrest illegal immigrants. The following companies are subsidiares of Caterpillar: Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems LLC, Anchor Coupling Inc., Asia Power Systems (Tianjin) Ltd., AsiaTrak (Tianjin) Ltd., Banco Caterpillar S.A., Berg Propulsion International Pte Ltd., Bucyrus, Bucyrus Australia Surface Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Holdings Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Limited, Bucyrus International (Chile) Limitada, Bucyrus International (Peru) S.A., Bucyrus Mining Australia Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Mining China LLC, Bucyrus UK Limited, Cat Rental Kyushu LLC, Caterpillar (Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar (China) Financial Leasing Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Machinery Components Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (HK) Limited, Caterpillar (Huainan) Machinery Service Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Langfang) Mining Equipment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Luxembourg) Investment Co. S.a r.l., Caterpillar (NI) Limited, Caterpillar (Newberry) LLC, Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Logistics Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar (U.K.) Limited, Caterpillar (Wujiang) Ltd., Caterpillar (Xuzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Zhengzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar Acquisition Holding Corp., Caterpillar Americas C.V., Caterpillar Americas Co., Caterpillar Americas Funding Inc., Caterpillar Americas Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Asia Limited, Caterpillar Asia Pacific L.P., Caterpillar Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Asset Intelligence LLC, Caterpillar Belgium S.A., Caterpillar Brasil Comercio de Maquinas e Pecas Ltda., Caterpillar Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Brazil LLC, Caterpillar Castings Kiel GmbH, Caterpillar Centro de Formacion S.L., Caterpillar China Limited, Caterpillar Commercial Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Commercial LLC, Caterpillar Commercial Northern Europe Limited, Caterpillar Commercial S.A., Caterpillar Commercial S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Commercial Services S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Communications LLC, Caterpillar Corporativo Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Cote DIvoire, Caterpillar Credito S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., Caterpillar DC Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Digital Services & Solutions SARL, Caterpillar Distribution International LLC, Caterpillar Distribution Services Europe B.V.B.A., Caterpillar East Real Estate Holding Ltd., Caterpillar Emissions Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Caterpillar Energy Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions S.A., Caterpillar Energy System Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Engine Systems Inc., Caterpillar Equipos Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Eurasia LLC, Caterpillar FS (QFC) LLC, Caterpillar Finance France S.A., Caterpillar Finance Kabushiki Kaisha, Caterpillar Financial Acquisition Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Aftermarket Solutions Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Australia Leasing Pty Limited, Caterpillar Financial Australia Limited, Caterpillar Financial Commercial Account Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Corporacion Financiera S.A. E.F.C., Caterpillar Financial Dealer Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Funding Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Caterpillar Financial Leasing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial New Zealand Limited, Caterpillar Financial Nordic Services AB, Caterpillar Financial Nova Scotia Corporation, Caterpillar Financial OOO, Caterpillar Financial Receivables Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Renting S.A., Caterpillar Financial SARL, Caterpillar Financial Services (Dubai) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services (Ireland) plc, Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Argentina S.A., Caterpillar Financial Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Financial Services CR s.r.o., Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Services GmbH, Caterpillar Financial Services India Private Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Leasing ULC, Caterpillar Financial Services Limited Les Services Financiers Caterpillar Limitee, Caterpillar Financial Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Caterpillar Financial Services Netherlands B.V., Caterpillar Financial Services Norway AS, Caterpillar Financial Services Philippines Inc., Caterpillar Financial Services Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, Caterpillar Financial UK Acquisition Funding Partners, Caterpillar Financial Ukraine LLC, Caterpillar Fluid Systems S.r.l., Caterpillar Fomento Comercial Ltda., Caterpillar Forest Products Inc., Caterpillar France S.A.S., Caterpillar GB L.L.C., Caterpillar Global Investments S.a r.l., Caterpillar Global Mining America LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Equipamentos De Mineracao do Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Expanded Products Pty Ltd, Caterpillar Global Mining Germany Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining HMS GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong AFC Manufacturing Holding Co. Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Global Mining SARL, Caterpillar Global Mining U.S. Parts LLC, Caterpillar Global Services LLC, Caterpillar Group Services S.A., Caterpillar Holding (France) S.A.S., Caterpillar Holding Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Hungary Components Manufacturing Ltd., Caterpillar Hydraulics Italia S.r.l., Caterpillar IPX LLC, Caterpillar IRB LLC, Caterpillar Impact Products Limited, Caterpillar India Private Limited, Caterpillar Industrial Inc., Caterpillar Industrias Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Industries (Pty) Ltd, Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Insurance Company, Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Finance Designated Activity Company, Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg I S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg II S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Product SARL, Caterpillar International Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Services del Peru S.A., Caterpillar Investment Limited, Caterpillar Investment One SARL, Caterpillar Investment Two SARL, Caterpillar Investments, Caterpillar Japan LLC, Caterpillar Latin America Services S.R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Panama S. de R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Servicios de Chile Limitada, Caterpillar Latin America Support Services S. DE R.L., Caterpillar Leasing (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar Leasing Chile S.A., Caterpillar Leasing GmbH (Leipzig), Caterpillar Leasing Operativo Limitada, Caterpillar Life Insurance Company, Caterpillar Logistics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Logistics (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Logistics Inc., Caterpillar Logistics ML Services France S.A.S., Caterpillar Logistics Services China Limited, Caterpillar Luxembourg Group S.ar.l., Caterpillar Luxembourg LLC, Caterpillar Luxembourg S.a r.l., Caterpillar Machinery Nantong Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence, Caterpillar Marine Power UK Limited, Caterpillar Marine Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Maroc SARL, Caterpillar Materiels Routiers SAS, Caterpillar Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Mexico S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Mining Canada ULC, Caterpillar Mining Chile Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Motoren (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, Caterpillar Motoren Henstedt-Ulzburg GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Verwaltungs-GmbH, Caterpillar Netherlands Holding B.V., Caterpillar North America C.V., Caterpillar Operator Training Ltd., Caterpillar Overseas Credit Corporation SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Investment Holding SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Limited, Caterpillar Overseas SARL, Caterpillar Panama Services S.A., Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., Caterpillar Paving Products Xuzhou Ltd., Caterpillar Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Power Generation Systems (Bangladesh) Limited, Caterpillar Power Generation Systems L.L.C., Caterpillar Power Systems Inc., Caterpillar Power Ventures International Ltd., Caterpillar Precision Seals Korea, Caterpillar Prodotti Stradali S.r.l., Caterpillar Product Services Corporation, Caterpillar Propulsion AB, Caterpillar Propulsion International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Italy S.R.L., Caterpillar Propulsion Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar Propulsion Production AB, Caterpillar Propulsion Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Singapore Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar R&D Center (China) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe LLC, Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe Servicios S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Reman Powertrain Indiana LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Drivetrain LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Renting France S.A.S., Caterpillar Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar SARL, Caterpillar Services Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Servizi Italia Srl, Caterpillar Shrewsbury Limited, Caterpillar Skinningrove Limited, Caterpillar Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd., Caterpillar Special Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Switchgear Americas LLC, Caterpillar Switchgear Holding Inc., Caterpillar Tianjin Ltd., Caterpillar Torreon S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Tosno L.L.C., Caterpillar Transmissions France S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Holdings Ltd., Caterpillar Tunnelling Canada Corporation, Caterpillar Tunnelling Europe Limited, Caterpillar UK Employee Trust Limited, Caterpillar UK Engines Company Limited, Caterpillar UK Group Limited, Caterpillar UK Holdings Limited, Caterpillar Undercarriage (Xuzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Used Equipment Services Inc., Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., Caterpillar Work Tools B.V., Caterpillar Work Tools Inc., Caterpillar World Trading Corporation, Caterpillar Xuzhou, Caterpillar of Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar of Canada Corporation, Caterpillar of Delaware Inc., Centre de Distribution de Wallonie SPRL, CleanAir Systems, Downer Freight Rail, ECM Railway Evolution Romania s.r.l., ECM S.p.A., EDC European Excavator Design Center GmbH, EMC Holding Corp., EMD International Holdings Inc., ERA Information & Entertainment (BVI) Limited, ERA Mining Machinery Limited, Electro-Motive Diesel Limited, Electro-Motive Locomotive Technologies LLC, Electro-Motive Technical Consulting Co. (Beijing) Ltd., Energy Services International Limited, Equipos de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Eurenov S.A.S., F. G. Wilson (Proprietary) Limited, F. Perkins Limited, FG Wilson (Engineering) Limited, GB Holdco (China) Inc., GFCM Comercial Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., GFCM Servicios S.A. de C.V., Gremada Industries - Assets, Hong Kong Siwei Holdings Limited, Inmobiliaria Conek S.A. de C.V., JCS Co., Kemper Valve & Fittings Corp., Leo Inc., Locomotive Demand Power Pty Ltd., Locomotoras Progress Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Lovat, M2M Data Corporation, MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios, MWM, MWM Austria GmbH, MWM Benelux B.V., MWM Energy Australia Pty Ltd, MWM France S.A.S, MWM Real Estate GmbH, MaK Americas Inc., MaK Americas Inc. (Canada), Magnum Power Products LLC, Marble, Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH, Mec-Track S.r.l., Metalmark Financial Services Limited, Motoren Steffens GmbH, Nippon Caterpillar LLC, P. T. Solar Services Indonesia, PT Caterpillar Finance Indonesia, PT. Bucyrus Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia Batam, PT. Caterpillar Remanufacturing Indonesia, Perkins Engines, Perkins Engines (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Perkins Engines Group Limited, Perkins Engines Inc., Perkins Group Limited, Perkins Holdings Limited LLC, Perkins India Private Limited, Perkins International Inc., Perkins Japan LLC, Perkins Limited, Perkins Machinery (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Perkins Motores do Brasil Ltda., Perkins Power Systems Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines LLC, Perkins Small Engines Limited, Perkins Technology Inc., Progress Metal Reclamation Company, Progress Rail Arabia Limited Company, Progress Rail Australia Pty Ltd, Progress Rail Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Equipamentos e Servicos Ferroviarios do Brasil Ltda., Progress Rail Equipment Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Holdings Inc., Progress Rail Innovations Private Limited, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems GmbH, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems S.r.l., Progress Rail International Corp., Progress Rail Leasing Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Progress Rail Locomotivas (do Brasil) Ltda., Progress Rail Locomotive Canada Co., Progress Rail Locomotive Chile SpA, Progress Rail Locomotive Inc., Progress Rail Maintenance de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Progress Rail Manufacturing Corporation, Progress Rail Raceland Corporation, Progress Rail Rocklin Corporation, Progress Rail SA Proprietary Limited, Progress Rail Services Corporation, Progress Rail Services Holdings Corp., Progress Rail Services LLC, Progress Rail Services UK Limited, Progress Rail Switching Services LLC, Progress Rail Transcanada Corporation, Progress Rail Welding Corporation, Progress Rail Wildwood LLC, Progress Rail de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pyroban Group, Pyroban Group, Pyrrha Investments B.V., Pyrrha Investments Limited, S&L Railroad LLC, SCM Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., SPL Software Alliance LLC, Sabre Engines, Servicios de Turbinas Solar S. de R.L. de C.V., Shandong SEM Machinery Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines (Beijing) Trading Services Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines (Thailand) Ltd., Solar Turbines CIS Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Canada Ltd./Ltee., Solar Turbines Central Asia Limited Liability Partnership, Solar Turbines EAME s.r.o., Solar Turbines Egypt Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Europe S.A., Solar Turbines India Private Limited, Solar Turbines International Company, Solar Turbines Italy S.R.L., Solar Turbines Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Solar Turbines Middle East Limited, Solar Turbines New Zealand Limited, Solar Turbines Saudi Arabia Limited, Solar Turbines Services Company, Solar Turbines Services Nigeria Limited, Solar Turbines Services of Argentina S.R.L., Solar Turbines Switzerland Sagl, Solar Turbines Trinidad & Tobago Limited, Solar Turbines West-Africa SARL, Tangshan DBT Machinery Co. Ltd., Tecnologia Modificada S.A. de C.V., Towmotor Corporation, Traction & Mining Motor Repairs Pty Ltd, Turbinas Solar S.A. de C.V., Turbinas Solar de Colombia S.A., Turbinas Solar de Venezuela C.A., Turbo Tecnologia de Reparaciones S.A. de C.V., Turbomach, Turbomach Endustriyel Gaz Turbinleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited, Turbomach France SARL, Turbomach GmbH, Turbomach Netherlands B.V., Turbomach Pakistan (Private) Limited, Turbomach S.A. Unipersonal, Turbomach Sp. Z o.o., Turner Powertrain Systems Limited, UK Hose Assembly Limited, Underground Imaging Technologies Inc, United Industries LLC, VALA Inc., Vasky Energy Ltd., Wealdstone Engineering, Weir - Oil & Gas Division, West Virginia Auto Shredding Inc., Western Gear Machinery LLC, Wetland Sustainability Fund I LLC, Williams Technologies, Yard Club, Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Sales Co. Ltd., and okyo Rental Ltd.. Read More Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. engages in the exploration, development, and recovery of minerals and precious metals located primarily in Africa. It explores for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, gold, rhodium, zinc, silver, germanium, and lead deposits. The company's projects include the Platreef project located in the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex; the Kipushi project located in Haut-Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Kamoa-Kakula project located within the Central African Copperbelt. It also holds a 100% interest in the Western Foreland exploration project covering an area of approximately 2,407 square kilometers located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company has a strategic partnership agreement with China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. to examine exploration, development, and acquisition of mineral projects, as well as production, smelting, and logistics opportunities in Africa. Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. was formerly known as Ivanplats Limited and changed its name to Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. in August 2013. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Imperial Brands PLC, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, imports, markets, and sells tobacco and tobacco-related products in Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. It offers a range of cigarettes, fine cut and smokeless tobacco, papers, and cigars; and next generation product (NGP) portfolio, such as e-vapour products, oral nicotine, and heated tobacco products. The company sells its products under various brands, including Davidoff, Gauloises, JPS, West, L&B, Winston, Parker & Simpson, blu, Pluze, Zone-X, Kool, Horizon, Backwoods, Skruf, Golden Virginia, Rizla, and Dutch Masters. It also engages in the distribution of tobacco and NGP products for tobacco and NGP product manufacturers; and various non-tobacco and NGP products and services. In addition, the company is involved in the management of a golf course; distribution of pharmaceuticals, POS software, and published materials and other products; printing and publishing activities; and provision of long haul transportation, industrial parcel and express delivery, advertising, and support management services. Further, it owns the trademarks; and retails its products. The company was formerly known as Imperial Tobacco Group PLC and changed its name to Imperial Brands PLC in February 2016. Imperial Brands PLC was founded in 1901 and is based in Bristol, the United Kingdom. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 13:12:37|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close CANBERRA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A year after a freak "thunderstorm asthma" event killed nine and hospitalized thousands in the southern Australian city of Melbourne, the Victorian state government on Sunday launched a world-first alert system to prevent a similar disaster from happening in the future. On Nov. 21 last year, a freak event occurred where heavy rain affected pollens in the air, killing nine asthmatics and affecting thousands more, forcing the government to spend more than 15 million Australian dollars (12 million U.S. dollars) in developing a warning system. On Sunday, Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the new system would keep authorities ahead of the threat. "The great challenge with thunderstorm asthma and epidemic thunderstorm asthma was its scale, its severity, and the fact that we did not have a prediction system in place which would enable us to understand what was coming," she said on Sunday. Meanwhile, Paul Holman, spokesperson for Ambulance Victoria, said that last year caught both asthma sufferers and authorities off-guard, and the new warning system - which takes data from five new pollen monitoring locations - takes into account pollen levels across the city and weather conditions. "We never envisaged being overwhelmed (last year), we never envisaged not having ambulances to send to emergencies, we never envisaged not being able to answer (emergency) calls," Holman told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Sunday. "We didn't have a process to tell people that we couldn't come and we couldn't attend and give them the right advice. "What we had in effect was a major hazardous material, a HazMat, a gas laden with toxic material hitting a whole range of people." The warning system will be active on a website and through a phone app, and will alert users to potentially devastating weather events before they occur. According to authorities, rye grass pollen particles are to blame, as when they become filled with moisture, they burst and release thousands of smaller, deadlier particles into the atmosphere, which can easily become stuck in one's lungs and prevent effective breathing. The worst time for thunderstorm asthma events is throughout October and November during Australia's spring season. United Parcel Service, Inc. provides letter and package delivery, transportation, logistics, and related services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States. The International Package segment provides guaranteed day and time-definite international shipping services in Europe, the Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, and Africa. This segment offers guaranteed time-definite express options. The company also provides international air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, distribution and post-sales, and mail and consulting services in approximately 200 countries and territories. In addition, it offers truckload brokerage services; supply chain solutions to the healthcare and life sciences industry; shipping, visibility, and billing technologies; and financial and insurance services. The company operates a fleet of approximately 121,000 package cars, vans, tractors, and motorcycles; and owns 59,000 containers that are used to transport cargo in its aircraft. United Parcel Service, Inc. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC. Read More Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 13:17:38|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of active law enforcement officers in the U.S. northern state of Minnesota have been convicted of criminal offenses but faced no disciplinary action, a report said on Saturday. Public records show that over 500 current or former licensed officers have been convicted of at least one crime since 1995, with three quarters of them unpunished and only one fifth facing a revoking of their licenses, local media Startribune said. More than 140 of the convicts are still active-duty police officers, the report added, naming three officers who have committed criminal offenses, including choking a man until he blacked out, shooting a woman with a handgun and punching a man. The report said Minnesota's police disciplinary guidelines were more lenient than those of most other states, since only those who committed a crime may face a revoking of licenses, while in the state of Georgia, a license may be revoked when there are indications of "bad moral character or untrustworthiness." Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which oversees police conducts, said those active-duty officers who have committed criminal offenses fell out of the board's jurisdiction for discipline. The finding came after Minnesota police were embroiled in a controversy for killing an unarmed Australian woman by mistake in July, which further exposed the mismanagement at the state's law enforcement department. Phillips 66 operates as an energy manufacturing and logistics company. It operates through four segments: Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties (M&S). The Midstream segment transports crude oil and other feedstocks; delivers refined petroleum products to market; provides terminaling and storage services for crude oil and refined petroleum products; transports, stores, fractionates, exports, and markets natural gas liquids; provides other fee-based processing services; and gathers, processes, transports, and markets natural gas. The Chemicals segment produces and markets ethylene and other olefin products; aromatics and styrenics products, such as benzene, cyclohexane, styrene, and polystyrene; and various specialty chemical products, including organosulfur chemicals, solvents, catalysts, and chemicals used in drilling and mining. The Refining segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks into petroleum products, such as gasolines, distillates, aviation, and renewable fuels at 12 refineries in the United States and Europe. The M&S segment purchases for resale and markets refined petroleum products, including gasolines, distillates, and aviation fuels primarily in the United States and Europe. This segment also manufactures and markets specialty products, such as base oils and lubricants. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United states and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment offers workers' compensation, commercial automobile and property, general liability, commercial multi-peril, employers' liability, public and product liability, professional indemnity, marine, aviation, onshore and offshore energy, construction, terrorism, personal accident, and kidnap and ransom insurance products. This segment operates through select accounts, which serve small businesses; commercial accounts that serve mid-sized businesses; national accounts, which serve large companies; and national property and other that serve large and mid-sized customers, commercial trucking industry, and agricultural businesses, as well as markets and distributes its products through brokers, wholesale agents, and program managers. The Bond & Specialty Insurance segment provides surety, fidelity, management and professional liability, and other property and casualty coverages and related risk management services through independent agencies and brokers. The Personal Insurance segment offers property and casualty insurance covering personal risks, primarily automobile and homeowners insurance to individuals through independent agencies and brokers. The Travelers Companies, Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in New York, New York. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 13:32:41|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close by Evan Duggan VANCOUVER, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Wearing a crown of green, coiled hops vines, Cody Brownell stood in a farmyard with two friends, sipping a cloudy and frothy beer from a small glass. The beer he was drinking was a specially made India Pale Ale brewed by Driftwood Brewery, a small craft brewery from Victoria, British Columbia (BC). Brownell and his friends were among about 1,500 fresh beer lovers gathering at the third annual BC Hop Fest on Saturday in Abbotsford, located just east of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The one-day event celebrated the end of the hops harvest, which ran for about three weeks starting at the end of August. Hops are small cone-shaped buds that are used to season a beer, providing bitterness, aroma and flavor. The festival, held at the farmyard of BC Hop Company, brought together about 40 BC craft breweries. They have their casks set up under tents and pouring small samples of their fresh beer. "This is actually the beer that kicks off the wet-hopped season for me," Brownell said, taking another sip. "It's also one of the ones that run off the shelves really quickly. These are some of my favorite beers. That's why I love coming to this festival." The owners of this hops farm launched the festival three years ago as Canada's only fresh beer festival, said Donna Dixson, the festival's manager. For a beer to be considered "fresh," the hops used to brew it must be picked and sent to the brewing kettle within 24 hours, she said. "Fresh beer is only available at this time each year." The event started with 17 breweries serving up their fresh beers at the farm, and now the number has risen to 40. "Every brewery that comes here is required to bring a fresh-hopped beer," Dixson said. "It's a really unique opportunity to be able to sample that." The Canadian province has been going through a mini hops-farming renaissance over the past five years. In 2012, farmers here produced hops only on about 50 acres of land. Now the area has expanded to 400 acres, with small-batch "craft" breweries mushrooming in cities like Vancouver and Victoria. After pulling a lever, Mauricio Lozano, owner of Vancouver's Faculty Brewing, poured beer into a small glass for a customer. Pointing to a field of recently-harvested hops vines about 20 feet to his left, he said the hops in this beer came from there. "It's like having asparagus in the spring," he said. Lozano said early fall is his favorite time of year because he has to come directly to the farm to get his order of hops personally from the farmer. Time is of the essence. "You have to get the hops done on the day of the harvest," he said. He noted that beer drinkers at his Vancouver brewery have taken a major interest in who is making their beer, and how they are doing it and that the interest is now spreading to how the hops are curated. "They love to hear that story," he said. Snap Inc. is a social media company operating globally. The company was founded in September 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy. Originally known as Snapchat, the company changed its name to Snap in order to represent its offerings better as it grew over the years. The companys headquarters are in Santa Monica, California and it is a very tightly held company. The original founders, Evan Speigel and Bobby Murphy own a combined 45% of non-dilutable shares with ownership transferable to the other upon death. The two remain active in the company today serving on the board and acting as CEO (Speigel) and CTO (Murphy). The company was formerly known as Snapchat, Inc. and changed its name to Snap Inc. in September 2016. Snap Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Over the years it has been courted by most of the big tech companies including Facebook and Google but has always opted to remain a standalone company. The business went public in 2017 and raised $30 billion on its opening day which is about 10 times the expected amount. Today, Snap operates as a camera company internationally. The companys main revenue streams are Snapchat, a mobile app for cameras and communications, and Spectacles, a wearable augmented reality device. Snapchat is a camera app that allows users to take pictures and tell stories, the platform also permits ad sales which is an integral part of the revenue and earnings. The companys mission? To empower people to express themselves in todays digital world. Spectacles is a hardware device that can connect with Snapchat to deliver pictures and video from a point-of-view perspective. The company has since made three upgrades to the original version and has a Next Generation model available too. The Next Generation of Spectacles are not intended for sale but will be made available to creators who wish to push the boundaries of video and digital communications. In October 2022 the company reported it had more than 347milion daily active users with more than 250 million engaging with AR each day. The platform had more than 250,000 Lens creators (Lenses are AR experiences) with more than 2.5 million lenses created. There were more than 6 billion lens plays each day and more than 75% of 13-34-year-olds in 20 countries were users. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 13:37:43|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close U.S. President Donald Trump (Xinhua file photo) WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday lashed out at the mayor of Puerto Rico's capital San Juan, after the latter complained about the lagging relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria. "The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump," Trump tweeted. "Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on island doing a fantastic job," Trump tweeted. The attack came after Carmen Soto, mayor of San Juan, pleaded at a press conference Friday for help. "People are dying in this country. I am begging, begging anyone that can hear us, to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy," Soto said. The plea immediately raised questions in Washington and beyond whether the federal government has done enough to help Puerto Ricans, who were devastated in the past weeks by Hurricane Maria. Food and fresh water are said to be running dangerously short on the island, and Soto said there is insufficient effort to bring the supplies to those in need. Trump said he will visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday to meet with locals. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean Sea, with a population of about 3.4 million. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 14:17:48|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's presidential Blue House said on Sunday that it was closely cooperating with the United States to keep communication channels with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun told reporters via a text message that the government emphasized the peaceful resolution through dialogue of the DPRK issues whenever opportunities were given, according to local media reports. He said the government also expressed its position that dialogue could be of various types, including bilateral and multilateral ones. Park said the governments of South Korea and the United States were closely cooperating in efforts to maintain a contact channel with the DPRK while sticking to a principle that maximum pressure and sanctions would be needed to encourage Pyongyang to return to a dialogue table. The comment came after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. government was in direct communication with the DPRK and had two to three channels open to Pyongyang. Park said the U.S. government had a position that it needs a quiet contact with the DPRK to resolve humanitarian issues such as the release of U.S. citizens detained in the DPRK. The spokesman added that the DPRK has never expressed any interest in sincere dialogue over its nuclear program. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 14:32:51|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- On China's campuses and in student chat groups, the big question lately is -- is your university on the list? The list refers to a group of 42 universities and 95 disciplines selected in an ambitious plan to make them "world class." The Double World Class list, published last Friday, is the first government attempt in 20 years to single out top universities to receive support in an attempt to enter the first rank of higher learning institutes. On the list are not just elite schools. Ordinary universities with strengths in particular disciplines like Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine can also be found. The new list has a five-year review to disqualify substandard institutions, increasing competition among selected schools. In 1995 and 1998, the now well-known "211" and "985" projects aimed to build world-class universities and were successful to a certain extent. According to the World University Rankings 2018 published by the Times Higher Education Supplement, two Chinese universities -- Peking University (PKU) and Tsinghua University (THU) -- are in the world's top 30. QS World University Rankings included 12 Chinese universities in the world's top 100 in June this year. The 985/211 projects improved the overall quality of China's higher education but as the list never changes, the chosen few have been favored for years. Zhou Hongyu, a lawmaker and educationalist with Central China Normal University, said the five-year review will help balance resource allocation. "The project gives non-985/211 universities a chance," he said. Wang Shuguo, president of Xi'an Jiaotong University, said universities would eventually be eliminated if they were not recognized by society and students. The project highlights disciplines, saying world class universities are based on specific subjects and schools should develop their own strengths. Currently, most universities in China teach almost all disciplines instead of focusing on their own advantages. Li Runfa, Renmin University student, believes universities must use resources more effectively. "Universities will concentrate their resources on the listed disciplines instead of wasting time and money on others," he said. Universities have taken action to reduce extraneous disciplines since 2016. A total of 175 universities including THU and PKU shut down 576 masters and doctorate programs last year. Lanzhou University closed its school of education, unable to compete with Northwest Normal University, an ordinary local university, even after more than ten years of support. Natural sciences such as mathematics and chemistry, humanities and social sciences including politics and history as well as subjects closely related to national defense are where many universities intend to concentrate. More than 20 provinces and municipalities have launched matching schemes and many institutions have development plans. Local investment is expected to exceed national. Opponents of the project consider it a change in form but not content, saying it will do nothing to balanced distribution of resources. Absolute equity in education is hard to achieve because resources are directly linked with social and economic development, according to a commentary released by China Youth Daily. Even in the United States, the renowned universities are mainly in the northeast and southwest, it added. "It is impossible and unnecessary to turn all universities into world class institutions," it said. "Giving support to promising universities and disciplines is the best choice for the current development phrase of our country." Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 14:52:54|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close NEW YORK, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Bitcoin, the most famous cryptocurrency not backed by any government, has seen its value tripled since the beginning of this year, sparking debate about regulations amid bubble concerns. More and more governments started to take actions to prevent the risks from blowing up, while experts and financial institutions are issuing warnings for investors against overheating cryptocurrencies. SPECULATION Robert Shiller, a Nobel laureate and professor of economics at Yale University, said earlier this month that Bitcoin resembles a bubble because bubbles are promulgated by stories. Shiller, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on economic bubbles, told media what's driving bitcoin at the moment is only a story, which started from its mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, who created the currency and then disappeared. JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon is more critical of Bitcoin. He said last month that the digital currency was "a fraud" that would eventually blow up. Bitcoin mania is reminiscent of the tulip bulb craze in the 17th century, he said, stressing that he would not allow JP Morgan traders to trade it. David Yermack, a professor of finance at New York University Stern School of Business, said cryptocurrencies can hardly be considered as real money as they don't do well as a unit of account, a medium of exchange, or a store of value -- three basic properties real money should have. Yermack said Bitcoin trading is "pure speculation" and anyone who invests in this is "buying an asset that is so new that no one really understands and is not really getting any of the regulatory protection that you would get in the stock markets or the commodities markets." "You need to be prepared to lose your whole investment because that could happen easily if you go into one of these things," said Yermack. REGULATION VACUUM With no previous experience, governments have been struggling with regulations and laws on the trading of cryptocurrencies and other related activities. The Chinese government has already taken steps to protect the interests of investors, with authorities ordering a ban on initial coin offerings (ICOs), a nascent form of fundraising in which technology start-ups issue their own digital coins, or "tokens," to investors to access funds as the rapidly expanding market spawned concerns about financial risks. ICO activities were halted in China starting Sept. 4, and ICO platforms could no longer engage in exchange services between fiat currencies, virtual coins and tokens. "ICOs, in essence, are kind of unauthorized and illegal public fundraising, which is suspected of being related to criminal activities such as financial frauds and pyramid schemes," China's central bank said in a statement. ICOs allowed companies to issue cryptocurrencies to investors in exchange for currencies with more liquid value such as Bitcoin, without the need to follow rules associated with traditional channels such as IPOs. Unlike IPOs, in which investors buy stocks in companies, investors in ICOs receive digital coins developed by the firms, which could appreciate in value if the companies fare well and the demand for their currencies grows. "It sounds similar, but the mechanism of the sale is totally different," said Yermack. He pointed out that there's no investment banker building a book of business, and the way in which customers interact with asset is totally different from having a broker on the stock market in an ICO. Several other countries have also started to take note of the risk of Bitcoin. In a notice on Aug. 28, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warned investors of potential scams involving stocks of companies claiming a relationship or engagement with ICOs. Singapore and Sweden have been reaching out to academics and entrepreneurs, holding hearings and organizing conferences for regulation advice. It might take years for governments to form appropriate laws and regulations, Yermack said. However, despite risks and concerns brought by cryptocurrencies, experts have seen an enormous potential of blockchain technology born with Bitcoin. "You're going to see continued innovation using blockchains both for payments and for investment products, but even more so for things like supplychain management, identity protection, government records for immigration, health care," Yermack said. Both financial and tech industries have been embracing the blockchain technology, and are excited at the possibilities it opened up and the potential new businesses that might be worth trillions of dollars, experts said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 15:28:01|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Cui Yuanlei ST. JOHN'S, Antigua and Barbuda, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- "Welcome home!" China Eastern Airlines crew members greeted Chinese nationals who had been transferred here as two chartered planes landed at the V.C. Bird International Airport at St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda. Sheltered here after Hurricane Maria had devastated the Caribbean island of Dominica, 377 of the more than 400 Chinese are finally embarking on their way home. Among them was Chen Gangjun, a 48-year-old man who had been engaged in construction work in Dominica, a Chinese government assistance project by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). "We began to load all the suitcases and luggage into the car and sent them to the airport in advance ... and then we prepared for breakfast for nearly 300 people at our base camp at about two o'clock," said Chen, adding that he did not sleep at all last night. "Many of our fellow workers woke up very early and came to the canteen at four, much earlier than usual ... everybody is very excited and eager for home, they could not bear waiting anymore," he said. "I shared the same feeling with them, and I do not feel tired at all." Sun Haojie, director of an agricultural program of Chinese aid to Dominica, is also waiting to board with his wife and his two-year-old son. "I really want to express my gratitude for our motherland. Without joint efforts of so many departments, we would not be able to return home in such a short period of time," Sun said. "My son seems to know the good news too, and he is particularly excited this morning and I just hope he will not be so bothered during the long flight," Sun laughed. Meanwhile, the 64 China Eastern Airlines crew members had also fully prepared for the flight. "The time for preparation is so limited that we took every minute to get familiar with the route, the airport, and all the information and scenarios that we could anticipate during the flight," said Guo Wanqing, one of the chief pilots in command. "The flight will fly over 19 countries and the distance of the round trip is about 35,000 kilometers," said Guo. "We might not be able to send you to all the places around the world, but we are sure to have the ability to bring you back home when you are in trouble, wherever you are on Earth." The V.C. Bird International Airport has substantial connections with China as its new terminal building was financed by the Chinese government and constructed by the CCECC, and officially put into operation on Aug. 20, 2015. Embarking upon the journey back home, relief and anticipation are clearly written on the faces of the stranded Chinese. Everyone was holding a small Chinese national flag as they entered the terminal, passed through the security check and boarded in order. Among them, a passenger held a sign saying "CCECC worker, gratitude towards the motherland." The Antigua and Barbuda side played a crucial role in helping the Chinese Embassy get in touch with and transport the Chinese people stranded by Hurricane Irma. Anthony Liverpool, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and International Trade, has been overseeing the whole process at the airport. "The government of Antigua and Barbuda has a very good relationship with the People's Republic of China. China has made significant contributions to the infrastructure development of Antigua and Barbuda and worked as a partner with Antigua as we strive to build our economy," he said. "Therefore, it was very easy for Antigua and Barbuda to extend a helping hand in time of need to the people of China," he added."This is something that we think friends should do for friends." Accompanying Liverpool was the Chinese Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, Wang Xianmin. "Until the moment of seeing them boarding one by one and the planes taking off, I finally begin to have a sense of relief," said Wang. "I wish them a safe journey back to China and may they reunite with their family members as soon as possible." The two planes are scheduled to arrive at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Sunday night, as Chinese people are celebrating the double holidays of the National Day and the traditional festival of Mid-Autumn Day. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 16:05:57|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close A group of dancers takes part in the first Southwestern Ontario Chinese Square Dance Competition at the 2017 Community Crime Awareness Day in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on Sept. 30, 2017. More than 200 performers from 13 local groups took part in this event here on Saturday. (Xinhua/Zou Zheng) Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 16:03:10|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close DHAKA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and 14 others injured as a passenger bus veered off a road in Comilla district, some 96 km east of capital Dhaka, on Sunday morning, a local police official said. "The accident left 7 people dead on the spot and at least 14 others injured," the Comilla district police official told Xinhua. The official, who declined to be named, said the bus went off the road and ended up in a ditch at about 11:30 a.m. (local time) as the driver lost control of the steering. The official feared that the number of fatalities will likely climb as some of the victims are in critical condition. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 16:23:13|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's general provisions of the Civil Law, the opening chapter of a civil code planned for full enactment in 2020, took effect Sunday. Based on a 1986 version and adopted by the National People's Congress in March this year, the document lays down basic principles regulating civil activities. The general provisions add protection for the interests of fetuses, lower the statutory age limit for minors with limited capacity for civil conduct from 10 to eight years, and stress protection of personal information, online virtual assets and intellectual property rights. The law grants status of "special legal person" to rural economic collectives and village committees, among other organizations, which will allow such activities as entering into contracts. Civil subjects must be aware of the need to save resources and protect the environment in their civil activities, according to the provisions, which have an overall "green" tone, reflecting China's need to strike a balance between the needs of its people and the environment. The provisions protect the interests of heroes and martyrs, stipulating that those who harm their name, portrait, reputation and honor shall bear civil liability. "With the General Provisions, 1.3 billion people will feel more secure and enjoy more equal opportunities and dignity," said Sun Xianzhong, a national lawmaker and deputy head of the China Civil Law Society. Compiling a civil code, a decision made by the central leadership in 2014, is vital to rule of law and modern governance, and a crucial move in building China into a moderately prosperous society by 2020. A two-step approach has been designed for developing the code. The adoption of the general provisions is the first. The second, the compiling of five individual volumes that deal with property, contracts, torts, marriage and inheritance, started late last year. Farming bodies across the EU have stepped up action to call for glyphosate to be re-authorised for fifteen years after the EFSA gave a positive assessment. Ahead of talks next week, European farming bodies including COCERAL, Copa and Cogeca and the NFU have called on EU Member States to re-authorise the use of glyphosate. It comes as news that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) gave glyphosate a positive assessment. The EFSA's assessment, published on 7 September, found there is no evidence that glyphosate is having a harmful effect on human hormone systems. Copa and Cogeca, an EU farming cooperative, said it has "strong scientific evidence" from both EFSA and ECHA to support the re-authorization of the widely-used active substance for 15 years. The cooperative said there no safety concerns. Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said: Its use is also essential together with catch crops to prevent soil erosion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It puts our own farmers in a less competitive and uncertain position vis a vis their competitors in non-EU countries. COCERAL Secretary-General Teresa Babuscio said: Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the EU and worldwide, enabling farmers to produce safe, affordable, quality food. We urge Member States and the European Commission to re-authorise for the full fifteen years as set out in EU legislation. The statements come as the EU readies itself to discuss reauthorisation on October 5-6. Financial difficulty Indeed, a survey released shows a ban on glyphosate could force one in five British wheat farms into 'serious financial difficulty'. More than half of British farmers say they are concerned that a ban could cost them more than 10,000 every year. But a bitter transatlantic row over possible risks to human health has prompted investigations by congressional committees in the U.S. and in Europe. It has led the French government to reaffirm its commitment to phase out the use of glyphosate in a gradual manner, following complaints from farmers worried about a potential imminent ban. It intends to vote against and block the European Commission's proposal to reauthorize the chemical. This is despite the Canadian government concluding glyphosate to be safe, confirming the product's importance to Canadian farms. UK farming unions have been active on this issue, and have said they will continue to work to ensure the facts about glyphosates safety and its importance are 'fully understood' in the run up to the European Commission confirming its decision on the licence. After Party At Mannat A celebrity told Pinkvilla, "Post the show, Gauri and Shahrukh invited everybody over to their after-party at Mannat.'' Aishwarya Declined Politely ''While Karan, Kaajal and Shweta agreed to go, Ash declined politely.'' Abhishek Was Not There ''Ash didn't go to Mannat was because Abhishek wasn't there with her and she usually attends parties with him.'' Aishwarya Rai Loves Spending Time With Abhishek ''While it's not that the actress hasn't gone to parties without him, it's just that she loves spending as much time with him as possible and would rather be at home with him than at a party.'' Another Reason Was ''Also she is very conscious of her duties as a mother and it was already very late.'' She Had To Drop Aaradhya ''The next day she had to drop Aaradhya to school in the morning.'' Aishwarya Is Very Organised ''The actress is very organized and likes to plan her daughter's day around her.'' She Has Been A Hands-on-mother ''Aishwarya has always been a hands-on mother ever since her baby's birth and likes to spend as much time as her as possible.'' Aaradhya Is Always With Her ''Ash is spending lots more time with Aaradhya as she will soon get busy with Fanney Khan from October. So every time she comes to an event, it's post settling her daughter, who is always with her.'' She Put Aaradhya To Sleep Before Attending The Awards ''On that day, Aaradhya was with her while she was getting ready in the room, fed her dinner and put her to sleep before she stepped down for the event as it started very late."Aww! That's so sweet! Inside Details From The Award Function "Ash was pleasantly surprised to see so many Bollywood celebs trooping down to her table to greet and spend time with her. From Russian model, philanthropist and actress Natalia Vodianova (nicknamed Supernova), to Kriti Sanon, Shah Rukh Khan, Raj Kummar Rao and Padma Laxmi - all came to meet her.'' Shweta Bachchan Did Not Greet Aishwarya ''Karan Johar even escorted her up the stage when she was called to receive an award. Anushka Sharma and Ash were seated at the same table and both chatted away the whole evening. Yes, it's true that Aishwarya's sister-in-law Shweta Bachchan was seated at another table and didn't come to greet her'' Because... ''But one must understand, the Bachchans are a large family and it's tough to keep up with every family members plan.'' ''Earlier this year when the Vogue Beauty Awards 2017 happened, she had no idea that the Bachchans (Amitabh, Jaya and their grand-daughter Navya Naveli) were coming and she came to know once they shared the show flow with her as Aishwarya were stepping down." Tarak Film Leaked A few scenes from the film, Tarak, have been allegedly leaked by some malefactors. Fans of Darshan Thoogudeep are apparently upset about the whole episode. Rugby Scene Leaked According to a witness who watched the live video, Darshan's entry in the film along with 40 seconds of him playing the Rugby game has been leaked from an unknown theater. Who Has Leaked It? Rumour has it that the film might have been leaked by one of the Challenging Star's fans. But, nobody really knows who in exact did that. The recorded videos are being circulated over Facebook and WhatsApp. What Did The Director Of Tarak Say? Prakash Jayaram, who helmed Tarak said, "It has been brought to our notice that a few scenes of the film have been leaked on Facebook. We do not know who and why they are doing this but I feel we should be respected for our efforts, if not encouraged. Pirating the film is not lawful." What Is The Reason? While a few are wondering why this heinous act has been done, some of them are suspecting that people just want to show off their fandom to others around them. Others speculate that this is purposefully done to malign the film-makers. This Is Not The First Time Dhruva Sarja's Bharjari film, which released on September 15, too had been leaked online by a few wrongdoers by streaming the film live on Facebook. The film team had suffered huge losses due to this shameful act. The stakes couldn't be higher heading into Constellation Brands' (STZ -1.03%) earnings release on Thursday, Oct. 5. After all, the alcoholic beverage giant's stock recently set a new high and is trouncing the market with a 30% gain so far this year. To extend -- or even hold onto -- that rally, the company will need to post some impressive operating numbers this week. Here's a look at what investors can expect from its fiscal second-quarter report. Market share gains CEO Rob Sands and his executive team are targeting awesome sales growth of between 9% and 11% for its beer segment this year, which is an aggressive goal given that the broader industry isn't expanding. Beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD -1.07%), owner of the Bud Light franchise, posted flat revenue in the U.S. in its most recent quarter. Constellation Brands is expecting much stronger gains because its premium imported beers, anchored by the Corona and Modelo franchises, are in higher demand. The segment expanded at an 8% rate last quarter but depletions, a measure of volume, increased by an even stronger 12%. The company didn't fare nearly as well with its wine and spirits portfolio, which shrank by 6% and kept a lid on overall revenue growth. Executives said in late June that this figure should improve beginning in the current quarter, thanks to a range of marketing and innovation initiatives they have in place. Rising profitability Constellation Brands' strategy across its portfolio is to focus on the higher end of the market. That helps explain why average prices jumped in the booming beer division last quarter but also ticked higher in wine and spirits. These increases are pushing profitability to new records, as operating margin leaped higher by over 5 percentage points last quarter to 35% of sales. If Constellation Brands can keep that momentum going, it will easily reach management's efficiency goal of adding roughly 10 percentage points to operating margin since 2014. The company will also establish itself as among the most profitable businesses in the industry. Can Constellation keep on winning? Since fiscal 2014, Constellation Brands has improved earnings at an almost 30% annual clip as net sales soared by 15% per year. The bad news for shareholders is that market-thumping growth pace isn't possible to sustain for very long, and so investors should brace for relatively weaker numbers ahead. Specifically, management's long-term goals target high single-digit sales growth on the beer portfolio in each of the next three fiscal years and slightly lower, but still positive, gains in wine and spirits. Both segments should benefit from rising prices and from cost savings, including from the company's new Mexican breweries. These shifts should allow Constellation Brands to improve earnings at a double-digit pace through fiscal 2020 to mark continued healthy profitability improvements. Better yet, the company plans to reduce its capital spending outlay after wrapping up its Mexico capacity expansion program this year. That should clear that way toward the business generating over $1 billion of free cash flow in fiscal 2019 -- doubling the result from just three years back. Many things will have to go right for Constellation Brands to hit those aggressive financial targets. As a dominant force in the premium end of the industry, though, it has the wind at its back as it targets market share gains through innovation and increased beer and wine distribution over the next few years. The rise in oil prices has been, in part, attributed to confidence that OPEC will extend the cap on global oil production through 2018. In this segment of Industry Focus: Energy, show host Sarah Priestley and Motley Fool premium analyst Taylor Muckerman discuss how realistic that hope is. Oil-producing nations such as Nigeria and Libya are upping production and show no sign of wanting to participate in a cap. As crude approaches $60 a barrel, more and more U.S. shale producers will be tempted to frack the untapped potential of waiting wells. A full transcript follows the video. 10 stocks we like better than Wal-Mart When 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, the Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now and Wal-Mart wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of September 5, 2017 The author(s) may have a position in any stocks mentioned. This video was recorded on Sept. 28, 2017. Sarah Priestley: I'm interested to get your opinion, too, because as you said, everybody's focused on OPEC. But I'm wondering how much actually OPEC contributed to this rally. There's a ton of concerns right now over whether they're actually going to be able to cap production. If you look at, North Sea oil is coming back online, Nigeria and Libya were previously left out of the deal because civil unrest in those countries was thought to depress production. But now, Nigeria, the vice president arranged a ceasefire with militants in that area that have cut off the pipelines. Libya, the top official at Libya's National Oil Co. has no intention to cap its output. Between them, they only supply 7% of the world's crude. But this is just one example of many of, can they really impact the global production? Taylor Muckerman: Yeah, you mentioned North Sea. That's been an area in decline over the last decade or so. If that comes back, it was at one point one of the largest producing areas in the world. Then, UC Brazil, with the surprising move to allow foreign investment in their offshore oil, which at one point could have been one of the biggest economic boosts for this country that it's ever seen. Instead, it decided to keep its oil markets privatized, and that was when oil was trading above $100. Now they're starting to sell off some assets down there to companies like [Royal Dutch] Shell and Total, when oil prices are in the $40-$50 range. So they missed out, it seems. But if some companies go down there and can actually efficiently produce oil out of the sub-salt fields in Brazil, watch out. These are some gushers that are expected to produce upwards of 30,000 barrels of oil a day, over decades. It's not the shale wells that deplete rapidly. These are conventional offshore wells that would produce oil for a very long time. Islamic State (IS) militants recaptured the town of Al-Qaryataynin Syria's Homs Province in fierce counterattack. (AFP Photo) DAMASCUS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Islamic State (IS) militants have recaptured the town of Al-Qaryatayn in the eastern countryside of Homs Province in central Syria, pro-government al-Watan online daily reported Saturday evening. The recapture of Al-Qaryatayn comes as part of a recent large-scale counter-offensive by IS in the Syrian desert. The Syrian forces laid a siege to the town following its recapture by IS, al-Watan said. The Syrian army dislodged IS militants from the town in April. The recent attacks from IS aim to release the pressure on its fighters in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, where the army is tightening the noose on the terror group. On Thursday, IS militants launched an attack and cut off the road to Deir al-Zour, before the army recaptured it on Friday. The series of attacks reflect IS determination to survive at a time when it has become the target of international powers. It is feared that IS may launch more attacks in the desert region, which is not far from the Palmyra road linking the capital Damascus with Deir al-Zour. The United States ran a massive trade deficit of $485 billion in 2016. Economic data through July of this year show it will likely widen by a significant margin in 2017. That may hardly sound like news at this point given the gloomy discussions around the topic -- but what if we're having the wrong discussion to begin with? It may be difficult to believe, but there's a solid argument that America can make significant progress closing its trade gap, and much sooner than many people think. Incredible growth in energy exports and domestic chemical production in the next decade will provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebalance the country's trade. Best of all, there are several stocks that will allow you to piggyback on the coming shifts. By the numbers While the trade discussion often focuses on exporting and importing physical objects, otherwise defined as "goods", economists also track an economy's use of its knowledge base, otherwise defined as "services". So although America ran a $735 billion trade deficit in goods last year, it recorded a $250 billion surplus in services. The result: a total goods and services trade imbalance of $485 billion in 2016. That's...not so great. But the total trade imbalance has improved significantly in the last decade after hitting an all-time low at $762 billion in 2006. That's thanks to a steadily growing services surplus and a goods trade imbalance that has remained relatively constant. However, the totals hide real progress that's already well underway in specific sectors. As might be expected for a post-industrial economy with a leading higher education system, the United States dominates global services trade, which includes subcategories such as insurance, intellectual property, professional consulting, R&D, financial, and so on. Meanwhile, despite a goods trade deficit of $735 billion, there's a lot of reason for optimism. Why? America is in the process of flipping its former worst trade category into its absolute best. Consider that energy-related products accounted for 43% of the total goods deficit in 2010, with imports exceeding exports by $273 billion. But thanks to the shale revolution and growing exports, energy-related products accounted for just 8% of the total goods deficit last year, with an imbalance of only $58 billion. In fact, energy-related trade was the only category to see an improvement from 2010 to 2016 -- and it was massive -- although agricultural products was the only category to post a surplus in goods last year. Sector Net Trade, 2010 Net Trade, 2016 Difference Agricultural products $27.3 billion $9.3 billion ($17.9 billion) Forest products $1.9 billion ($5.2 billion) ($7.1 billion) Chemicals and related products $1.9 billion ($41.7 billion) ($43.7 billion) Energy-related products ($273.0 billion) ($58.6 billion) $214.4 billion Textiles and apparel ($84.8 billion) ($98.7 billion) ($13.9 billion) Footwear ($19.8 billion) ($24.3 billion) ($4.5 billion) Minerals and metals ($28.8 billion) ($55.0 billion) ($26.1 billion) Machinery ($13.6 billion) ($51.6 billion) ($38.0 billion) Transportation equipment ($27.7 billion) ($99.0 billion) ($71.2 billion) Electronic products ($141.4 billion) ($189.6 billion) ($48.1 billion) Miscellaneous manufactures ($62.0 billion) ($77.3 billion) ($15.3 billion) Special provisions ($15.2 billion) ($43.7 billion) ($28.5 billion) That's about to change. Stocks closing the trade gap While the massive gain in energy products from 2010 to 2016 was more than offset by decreases in the other 11 categories in the last decade or so, American energy export volumes are expected to rise significantly in the next few years alone. Couple that with falling imports and Uncle Sam is poised to be a net energy exporter sometime in the 2020s. Kinder Morgan (KMI -0.86%) is uniquely positioned to capitalize on increasing energy exports. It owns 70,000 miles of natural gas pipeline in North America, moves about 40% of American consumption, and owns 16% of the nation's storage capacity. That's all good news for investors, especially considering that the United States will go from having just 1.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of liquefied natural gas export capacity in 2016 to over 9.5 Bcf/d by the end of 2019. The company's fee-based business model should easily flourish as increasing amounts of natural gas are moved from the country's heartland to its shores. Investors are expecting big growth for another company with a unique position. Nearly one-third of America's expected LNG export capacity by 2019 will be owned by one company: Cheniere Energy. Natural gas will also be a boon for Uncle Sam's goods trade balance outside of energy related exports. Massive investments in chemical production facilities that use natural gas as a feedstock should easily allow the country to become a net chemical exporter once again. Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) (RDS.B) is building a world-class facility outside of Pittsburgh that will convert ethane found in shale natural gas to polyethylene, a key building block chemical for various polymers. The location puts it within 700 miles of 70% of North American consumption, the size will boost the company's total chemical production 10%, and the value created will be critical for boosting free cash flow. That facility likely squashed plans for Braskem, Brazil's largest chemical company, to build a cracker in Appalachia (in nearby West Virginia). So, the company is instead building a new polypropylene manufacturing facility in Texas. Not only will it be the first such plant built in North America since 2005, but it will be the largest in the Americas. Additionally, the company has secured long-term supply agreements to ship American ethane all the way to Brazil to diversify its feedstock options in its home country -- an extraordinary move. Why? A majority of its chemical inputs are sourced from its parent company, Petrobras, in Brazil. Cheap natural gas also gives the United States a formidable long-term global advantage in manufacturing -- one that potentially could be tapped to rebalance other trade categories in the coming decades. For instance, it may be possible to begin reinvesting in domestic auto manufacturing or electronic products manufacturing, the categories with the two largest deficits today. Indeed, Foxconn is in the preliminary stages of doing just that. The company has pledged to invest up to $10 billion to build an LCD panel manufacturing facility in Wisconsin, while it's poking around other states as well. What does it mean for investors? There are great reasons to be bullish about American trade. Services -- quietly the country's best export -- continue to soar. The country's ascension as a top global energy exporter in the next decade will lead the way to chipping away at the trade deficit. Intelligent policies targeting specific sectors could significantly reduce trade imbalances in other categories, perhaps even allowing the United States to breakeven on goods and services trade in the next 20 years or so. While much of the potential progress depends on the decisions made in the next decade, the opportunity to rebalance American trade is sitting right in front of us. Given the right national strategy that focuses on the long-term health of the economy, there's a solid bull case to be made that the United States can close its $485 billion trade gap. The stewards in Malaysia have decided to take no further action over the post-race coming together between Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel that left the latter with significant damage. The incident occurred on the slowing down lap as Vettel, who finished a fine fourth having started last on the grid, went around the outside of Strolls Williams at Turn 5. Heavy contact was made, but while the Canadians car escaped damage, Vettels car was rendered undriveable with the left-rear tyre ripped off the car. Vettel immediately pointed the finger at Stroll over team radio, saying the rookie hadnt been looking where he was going, while Stroll intimated that the German had sideswiped him. However, after examining video evidence the stewards determined neither driver could be considered wholly or predominantly to blame. On the approach to Turn 5 during the slow down lap after the end of the race, Car 18 (STR) was towards the middle of the track, Car 8 (GRO) was closing from behind on the inside of Car 18 and at the same time, Car 5 (VET) overtook Car 18 on the outside and in doing so, turned in slightly towards the apex of Turn 5, read the official FIA report. Simultaneously Car 18 was moving slight away from the apex. This resulted in contact between the left rear tyre of Car 5 and the right front tyre of Car 18. "Lance wasn't looking - it was completely unnecessary..." - Sebastian Vettel Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale is coming back again: Everything you should know News oi -Samden Sherpa Amazon has claimed that the four-day Great Indian Festival Sale was its biggest shopping event since it entered the Indian market four years ago. We already have witnessed several "sales" from popular e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart amongst others. However, it seems that these websites have tremendously benefitted during the sale and in fact, they have managed to sell a lot of products at a stipulated time. As far as the story goes, Flipkart even created a new record as it handled over 2 million packages in a single day at one hub during BBD 2017. Amazon has not been far behind though. Amazon has claimed that the four-day Great Indian Festival Sale was its biggest shopping event since it entered the Indian market four years ago. While e-commerce giants are focused on achieving even greater heights, and most taking inspiration from its earlier success, Amazon has announced that it will be organizing yet another Great Indian Festival Sale from October 4 which will go on until October 8. Moreover, with this upcoming sale Amazon has said that users will be getting great savings on the purchase of more than 10 crore products as part of the sale. As such the company will be offering 10 percent additional cashback to Citibank credit and debit cardholders. Users who shop on the website during the Great Indian Festival Sale with Amazon Pay balance will get 15 percent of the value back in return. Amazon will most probably be also offering No Cost EMI and exchange offer on products as part of its upcoming Great Indian Festival Sale as well. Talking about the brands, the company has confirmed that there will be "big deals" on products from brands like Samsung, Sony, HP, LG, Nokia, and Apple. In the promotional banner, you can actually see an iPhone and a PS4 and other brands like OnePlus, Dell, Honor, and Vivo. Reportedly smartphones and large appliances have been the best-selling products during Amazon's sale. And comparing the past sale, the company has managed to sell 2.5 times more smartphones, and four times more products in large appliances category this year. So we could expect more offers on these categories. In any case, for us as a consumer, it is quite exciting and always good to get the perfect deal on your desired products. Hopefully, Amazon comes up with enticing offers this time as well. That being said, what is the latest gadget or accessories or devices that you have bought? Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, Sept. 30, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 34 strikes consisting of 43 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 28 strikes consisting of 32 engagements against ISIS targets: -- Near Abu Kamal, three strikes engaged four ISIS units and destroyed three vehicles. -- Near Raqqa, 25 strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed 21 fighting positions, 17 vehicles and a heavy machine gun. Strikes in Iraq In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 11 engagements against ISIS targets: -- Near Qaim, a strike destroyed an ISIS staging area and an ISIS headquarters. -- Near Beiji, a strike suppressed an ISIS tactical unit and a mortar team. -- Near Huwijah, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two tunnels; and damaged four ISIS supply routes. -- Near Tuz, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a tactical vehicle, a heavy machine gun and a fighting position. Previous Strikes Additionally, 19 strikes consisting of 42 engagements were conducted in Syria and Iraq on Sept. 10-28 that closed within the last 24 hours: -- On Sept. 10, near Raqqa, Syria, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit. -- On Sept. 14, near Raqqa, Syria, a strike destroyed an ISIS fighting position. -- On Sept. 18, near Raqqa, Syria, a strike destroyed an ISIS fighting position. -- On Sept. 24, near Raqqa, Syria, a strike destroyed an ISIS fighting position. -- On Sept. 27, near Raqqa, Syria, four strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a vehicle, a logistics node and a headquarters. -- On Sept. 28, near Asad, Iraq, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed six vehicles. -- On Sept. 28, near Huwijah, Iraq, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed 29 vehicles, seven fighting positions, two tunnel entrances, two weapons caches, a command-and-control node, a staging area, a medium machine gun, a headquarters and an ISIS-held building. -- On Sept. 28, near Raqqa, Syria, eight strikes destroyed two ISIS fighting positions; and suppressed six fighting positions. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said. The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said. The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pearl Harbor Welcomes USS Chicago Navy News Service Story Number: NNS170930-03 Release Date: 9/30/2017 12:59:00 PM By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM (NNS) -- The Pearl Harbor submarine community welcomed the crew and families of the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Chicago (SSN 721) to Hawaii following a homeport change from Guam, Sept. 28. "The crew and I were sad to leave Guam, but at the same time we're excited to see our new home and start the next chapter for Chicago," said Cmdr. Brian Turney, commanding officer of the submarine. "We are very happy to finally be in Hawaii and reunited with our families." Shifting a boat from one port to another can be a complicated task involving, families, Sailors and many civilian and military organizations working together, and Chicago was no different. "It took a lot of planning and communication across many organizations to accomplish this change of home port," said Turney. Turney thanked the Chicago's ombudsman Kalyn Kasten for her hard work ensuring families were taken care of during the transition. "I just wanted to make sure all the families were squared away," said Kasten. "That meant ensuring things like their pay was up to date, and they were met at the airport by someone." Kasten also said that while she loved Guam, she was excited to be in Hawaii and try new activities. Chicago is scheduled for a maintenance period at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. Once complete, the boat will return to the fleet ready to support the nation as one of the most advanced submarines in the world. Turney noted how effective the Chicago has been in recent operations while maintaining a robust schedule. "Since 2012, Chicago served as the tip of the spear in Guam," said Turney. "She steamed hundreds of thousands of nautical miles in support of national and Pacific Fleet objectives, and participated in numerous national and international exercises." Now that the boat has arrived in Pearl Harbor and the focus of the crew will shift to work in port and capitalizing on local training opportunities. Chicago was commissioned Sept. 27, 1986, and is the Navy's 34th Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine. Measuring 360 feet long and displacing more than 6,900 tons, Chicago has a crew of approximately 140 Sailors. Chicago is capable of supporting various missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The submarine is now assigned to Submarine Squadron 7 headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 17:33:24|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close HARBIN, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The autumn fishing moratorium on two China-Russia border rivers, the Heilong (known as the Amur in Russia) and its tributary the Wusuli, started on Sunday. October is the spawning season for salmon, which migrates from the Pacific Ocean to spawn. The two rivers are the major birthplace of salmon in China. The China-Russia joint fishing moratorium has two phases a year, in summer and in autumn. The autumn ban will be in effect for 20 days, while there are a total of 55 closed fishing days in a year. Yu Zichun, a border police officer with Heilongjiang provincial public security department, said during the moratorium, patrols will be carried out to enforce the ban. Chinese fishery departments normally check fishermen's equipment and vessels during the off season, and organize the release of salmon fry in the rivers. About 2 million fry were released into the Heilong and Wusuli rivers every year. USS Wasp Rescues Airplane Crash Survivors Navy News Service Story Number: NNS170930-01 Release Date: 9/30/2017 10:41:00 AM By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW/AW) Andrew McCord CARIBBEAN SEA (NNS) -- A U.S. Navy MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 (HSC-22) attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) rescued two civilians from French Guadelupe and Antigua whose private plane crashed several miles off the coast of Dominica, Sept. 28. They sustained minor injuries and were transported by helicopter to Wasp where they received immediate medical attention. "We were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," said Wasp Commanding Officer Capt. Andrew Smith. "The teamwork demonstrated shows how everything on the ship comes together - from the engineers in the plant, to the medical staff, the watchstanders in the Combat Information Center, the air traffic control center, the bridge, the flight deck crews, to the helicopter crew. We all worked together to help these two gentlemen." Wasp has been transiting the Caribbean Sea since Sept. 4 as part of first-response humanitarian aid efforts after Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria swept through the area. When the mid-afternoon distress call was received, Wasp ordered one of the helicopters rendering aid on the island of Dominica back to the ship for refueling and a swift departure to the estimated coordinates of the crash scene. "We learned about the downed aircraft, we were passed a location, and as soon as we were fueled we took off and started transiting at max speed," said HSC-22 pilot Lt. Paul Nelson, who flew the helicopter to the stranded passengers' coordinates. "We got on station and started searching. For about an hour and a half we were seeing bits of debris and weren't sure if it was from the aircraft, but some pieces seemed to match the description." It was while hovering 70 feet above a piece of debris that by a stroke of luck, Nelson's fellow pilot Lt. Christina Lanouette initially spotted the survivors clinging to a yellow flotation device. "We approached the two survivors, which was difficult because it was a high sea state day, and visibility was low, and picking people out of the water was going to be difficult," said Nelson. "The fact that we saw them was a miracle, because it was not a good day to find people." After positioning themselves above the survivors, the Search and Rescue (SAR) swimmer Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Andy Blessing was hoisted 70 feet into the water, swam to the two survivors, and quickly investigated for injuries. Once the passengers were cleared for rescue, they were hoisted up and into the helicopter one at a time by Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Nicholas Glass, using a rescue basket - a metal-framed device specifically designed for water rescues. The team then returned to Wasp at max speed. "The rescue we had today was a great example of why training is important," said Nelson. "Every time we practice SAR, we try to put ourselves in the mindset of, 'What if this training were real?' because you know that if it happens in real life, you're not going to have the luxury of sitting and thinking things through in a comfortable environment. When someone is in the water, there is a ticking clock, and the sooner you can get there and effectively make the rescue, the more likely it is you're going to save a life." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indian troops kill 2 civilians, soldier in Kashmir: Pakistan army Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 09:33AM Pakistan says at least two civilians and a soldier have been killed as Indian forces opened fire on a village in the Islamabad-administered side of disputed Kashmir. The Pakistani army said in a statement on Saturday that Indian troops targeted civilians from across the border with heavy weapons a day earlier. The incident killed two villagers and a soldier, said the statement, adding that three soldiers were wounded while evacuating the village that came under attack. According to the statement, Pakistani troops gave a "befitting response" to India after coming under attack. India has not reacted to the statement yet. The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both since the two partitioned and gained independence from Britain in 1947. The two countries have fought three wars over the disputed territory. New Delhi regularly accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants and allowing them across the restive frontier in an attempt to launch attacks on Indian forces. Pakistan, however, strongly denies the allegation and accuses India of committing "war crimes" in Kashmir and "exporting terror" to Pakistan. Despite a ceasefire agreement that was reached in November 2003, sporadic skirmishes continue in the region. The cross-border clashes intensified following a spike in protests in the region last year which came after a senior militant commander was killed in the area. People in the Muslim-majority Kashmir have for years demanded independence or a merger with Pakistan. India has ignored the call and continues to police the region with a 500,000-strong military force. About 70,000 people have been killed in India's crackdown in Kashmir since 1989. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kyrgyzstan Detains Opposition Lawmaker Amid Coup Allegations RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service September 30, 2017 The Kyrgyz state security service has arrested opposition lawmaker Kanatbek Isayev on accusations of planning rioting before and after the country's upcoming presidential election. The GKNB security service announced on September 30 that Isayev had been arrested for conspiring with criminal groups to organize mass disturbances and "a violent seizure of power" around the October 15 election. "Certain members" of organized crime groups were also detained, according to the GKNB statement, although no other details were provided. The service said Isayev was planning a coup in the event that opposition candidate and former Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov loses the election. The security service alleged that Isayev had selected, paid, and prepared "young people, including members of criminal groups" to use them for illegal actions during and after the presidential election of the Kyrgyz Republic using as a pretext the falsification of the results of the voting," according to the statement. The statement also charged that Isayev had paid "a large sum of money" to organized-crime groups to carry out the alleged plot. The Prosecutor-General's Office announced the opening of the criminal case against Isayev earlier in the day. In May and in July, separate criminal cases were opened against Isayev on allegations of corruption during his time as mayor of Tokmak. In June, Isayev's Kyrgyzstan party nominated him as its candidate for the presidential election. However, election officials rejected more than 10,000 of the 37,000 signatures of support that he submitted, putting him below the required 35,000. There are 12 candidates vying for the presidency, with Babanov and former Prime Minister Sooronbai Jeenbekov, of the pro-presidential Social-Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan, seen as the main contenders. Under the country's constitution, a president can only serve one six-year term, so incumbent President Almazbek Atambayev is ineligible. Earlier on September 30, up to 1,000 people demonstrated in Bishkek calling for "fair and clean elections." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-arrests-isayev- opposition-coup/28766265.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military Aircraft Crashes in Congo: No Survivors Sputnik News 13:27 30.09.2017(updated 17:44 30.09.2017) At least 10 people were on board the military aircraft that crashed in the central African Democratic Republic of the Congo. "I can confirm the incident, it occurred early in the morning it was a military aircraft. There are no survivors," the director of the Regie des Voies aeriennes (RVA), the company responsible for controlling Congolese airspace and management of the country's airports, said the Actualite.cd media outlet Saturday. The incident occurred in one of the districts of the Congo's capital Kinshasa on Saturday morning. As representative of the international airport Georges Tabora reported, there were ten people on board the aircraft, none of the crew members survived. According to him, no one on the ground in the accident area was killed or injured. The radio station reports that the crash happened soon after the plane took off from the international airport of Kinshasa. Preliminary data suggests that the cause of the accident may be a technical malfunction. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has not provided any information on the citizenship of the crashed military plane's crew members so far, the Russian Embassy in DR Congo told Sputnik. "The embassy is revealing details of the incident and is in contact with local authorities. The authorities are carrying out an investigation and have not yet provided information about the citizenship of people on board of the jet. I can neither confirm, nor refute, who was on board of the plane," the embassy's representative said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Colombia President Signs Ceasefire Deal With ELN Rebels for 1st Time in History Sputnik News 06:25 30.09.2017(updated 08:41 30.09.2017) A deal signed on Friday by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos marks a significant milestone in efforts to end political violence in South America as it is the first ceasefire with the National Liberation Army guerrilla group in the history of its insurgency. MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Friday signed a ceasefire agreement with a large leftist guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN). "President Juan Manuel Santos has signed an order launching the ceasefire regime from October 1. This is the first bilateral ceasefire endorsed by the ELN in its history," the president's office tweeted. The radical Marxist movement has been in peace talks with the Colombian government since February, after more than half a century of armed opposition. Today ELN comprises thousands of fighters and is the second largest guerilla army in the country after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Too Slow for Major War: US Army Rejects Expected $550 Million Tactical Network Sputnik News 03:45 30.09.2017(updated 12:59 30.09.2017) The US Army abruptly announced that it does not want to procure a decade-old WIN-T tactical network, less than one month before the US Congress is set to approve the budget for the 2018 fiscal year. The Army suddenly informed Congress Wednesday that it doesn't want the 10-year-old tactical network known as WIN-T (Increment 2), and asked for the money designated for the network's procurement to be redistributed toward other purchases. "After almost a year of careful review we have come to the conclusion that the network we have is not the network that we need to fight and win against a peer threat in a congested or contested environment," Lt. Gen. Bruce Crawford, the Army's chief information officer, said. Testifying before the House Armed Services Air and Land subcommittee on September 27, Crawford informed the lawmakers that the army has come to the conclusion that WIN-T is way too vulnerable to hacking and jamming, its parts present too big a target for enemy artillery, and it takes far too long to get its equipment set up and running. The surprising conclusion is a result of a one-year review of various tactical networks not just WIN-T ordered by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. According to Breaking Defense, Milley believes that while WIN-T works okay in the low-tech "static" battlefield of Iraq and Afghanistan, for which it was initially developed, the system will become a liability in case of all-out war with China or Russia. Milley said WIN-T is far too susceptible to jamming, and the fact that WIN-T takes about 40-50 hours on average to get set up and running, doesn't work in the system's favor. That's two days, after all. Crawford revealed the speed issues in his testimony before the lawmakers. "That's not exactly the speedy, mobile, adaptable system you'd need on a modern battlefield against, say, the Russians, who can spot a target with drones and have artillery rockets inbound in minutes," Breaking Defense report reads. Testifying before lawmakers, Crawford said that the US Armed Forces are impeded by bloated and lengthy procurement operations that can take years decades at worst to buy new technologies. Because of that, the US struggles to keep up with its adversaries in terms of technological advancement. "We've also seen a commercial innovation explosion and exponential growth in technological advances that accelerated at a rate at which our standard acquisition processes could not keep pace," he said, according to DodBuzz. "Neither current nor future adversaries are inhibited by the same processes, allowing them to better exploit new technology to their advantage." As Crawford announced the Army's surprising decision, he asked the lawmakers to reshuffle the $544 million that was assigned for WIN-T's procurement for 2018. With FY 2018 starting in October, it's little wonder lawmakers were extremely displeased by the development. "Just five months ago, you requested over $400 million in fiscal year 2018 for the WIN-T program, and indicated that WIN-T Increment 2 was the foundation of your network modernization strategy and mobile mission command," subcommittee head Mike Turner (R-Ohio) fumed. "Now you are asking us to realign almost half a billion dollars from existing programs with only limited details as to what your long-term plan is for the network." According to DodBuzz, Crawford essentially failed to provide the panel with a plan of what the US Army is going to procure instead of the ditched program. Crawford mentioned that a system called Joint Battle Command Platform might serve as a replacement to WIN-T, but it is only expected to enter service by 2022. "The answer is we do not have an objective system," Crawford told Turner. "If there were an objective system on the shelf, sir, we would be trying to go and purchase that objective system." WIN-T emerged as Joint Network Node (JNN) in the first decade of the 21st century, when the US plunged into numerous invasions that we now know as the War on Terror mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan. After a restructuring in 2007, the program has been divided into four increments. So far, the US Army still relies mostly on Increment 1 technology even though Increment 2 underwent tests back in 2012. Increments 3 and 4 are nowhere to be seen. The program has already cost the US $6 billion. While lawmakers appropriately pointed out that money will be "squandered," since the Army wants to ditch Increment 2, Crawford argued that the US Army will still deploy "capabilities and elements" of Increment 2. Why would the Army ask to reshuffle half a billion bucks? According to Breaking Defense, the Army plants to apply $413.8 million "to fix the network's most pressing interoperability and security concerns", and the remaining $131.1 million to "adapt and buy" better systems. The problem is that the Army, as mentioned above, still does not know what the "better systems" are. So, apparently, the US Army needs money to plug holes in its decade-old system so badly it decided not to buy the newer version of the system without having a replacement system anywhere in sight. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deadly Fighting Rages in Afghan Province Bordering Iran By Ayaz Gul September 30, 2017 Dozens of Afghan forces are said to have been killed in repeated insurgent attacks over the past week in western Farah province, which borders Iran. Politicians and residents in the province have told local media that Taliban insurgents also have captured several security outposts in and around the Bala Buluk district. While officials have not yet discussed battlefield details, a provincial police spokesman told Ariana News channel Afghan forces, backed by airpower, have killed more than 30 Taliban assailants and destroyed a number of their military vehicles in ongoing counteroffensives. Farah also shares a border with Helmand province, Afghanistan's largest, where the Taliban controls or influences a majority of the districts. The fighting in the western Afghan province comes amid allegations Iran and Russia are providing support to the Taliban. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, while speaking on Thursday during his first visit to Kabul, warned both countries against such activities. "Those two countries have both suffered losses due to terrorism. So I think it would be extremely unwise to think that they can somehow support terrorists in another country and not have it come back to haunt them," Mattis said, but he declined to discuss specifics. Tehran and Moscow have acknowledged maintaining contacts with the Taliban to use the group to counter emerging threats from Islamic State in volatile Afghan regions. But both countries deny they are militarily supporting the insurgents. Stepped up insurgent attacks across most of the country's 34 provinces continue to inflict heavy casualties on Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). Earlier this week, at least 12 Afghan forces were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber detonated his explosives-packed vehicle in the Maroof district of southern Kandahar province. The Taliban has also ambushed and assassinated five Afghan district police chiefs in September. The Islamist insurgency has extended its control or influence to more than 40 percent of the Afghan territory since the U.S.-led foreign combat troops left the country in 2014. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Humanitarian Operations for Burundian Refugees Strapped for Cash By Lisa Schlein September 30, 2017 The U.N. refugee agency warns that funds for humanitarian assistance for hundreds of thousands of Burundian refugees have dried up, leaving only enough cash for the most essential needs. More than 420,000 Burundians, who have sought refuge in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance; but, the U.N. refugee agency says it has practically run out of cash. Only 19 percent of the agency's revised $429 million appeal has been received. UNHCR spokesman Andrei Mahecic tells VOA hard choices must be made. With so little money on hand, he says priorities must be rearranged to make sure life-saving needs are met. "But, there is a cost, there is a human cost attached to it," Mahecic said. "There simply is not enough aid to go around. The services are not kept up to the standards that they should be and, obviously, in many cases, we are now facing the situation where shelter is by now dilapidated. The tents would need replacing. Eighty-eight-thousand refugees are still living under plastic sheeting, obviously vulnerable to heavy rains and so on." Mahecic says many refugees risk catching communicable diseases, such as malaria and acute watery diarrhea. He says health care services must be urgently expanded. Because the money is not available, he says only 56 percent of identified survivors of sexual and gender-based violence are receiving the physical and psychological care they need. The World Food Program, which also is suffering from underfunding, has been forced to cut monthly food rations to 60 percent in Tanzania home to the largest number of refugees. The UNHCR is appealing for international support so it can maintain its critical humanitarian assistance for Burundian refugees in the countries of asylum. The Burundians fled their country after violence surged in 2015. Many of them are women and children. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spaniards Divided Over Catalonian Independence Vote By VOA News September 30, 2017 Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Barcelona to oppose Sunday's referendum on Catalonian independence from Spain. Waving Spanish flags, the protesters filled the square in front of Barcelona's regional government buildings Saturday. Madrid has declared the vote illegal, and authorities in Spain began sealing off polling stations and confiscating ballots. While the Spanish national government said there would be no Catalonian independence vote, Catalonia's regional government continued preparations for it. Hundreds of people supporting the referendum camped out in schools in an attempt to keep them open for Sunday's vote. Enric Millo, the highest-ranking Spanish security official in the northeastern region, said Saturday that police had already blockaded half of the more than 2,300 polling stations designated for the referendum vote. He said Spanish authorities also had dismantled the technology Catalan officials planned on using for voting and counting ballots, which he said would make the referendum "absolutely impossible." The president of the Catalan National Assembly appealed directly to the "conscience" of police officers deployed to the polling stations while speaking to reporters Saturday. "I am aware they have a job to do, that they have their orders and have to carry them out. We are aware of that. But we also know that they have feelings, conscience," he said. "So tomorrow, when they carry out their orders they will undoubtedly receive, I hope they keep in mind during the situations they find themselves in that these could be their children, their mothers or their nephews, members of their family who just want to be able to express themselves in freedom." Spanish Culture Minister Inigo Mendez de Vigo said Friday that the independence vote would violate Spanish law and that the government would not accept the results. "We are open to dialogue within the framework of the law. As you would understand, nobody can ask us to engage in dialogue outside the framework of the law. It's impossible," he said. "No European political leader can even consider dealing with an issue that is not in [Spanish] government hands." Catalan authorities said they would declare independence from Spain within 48 hours of the vote if residents there chose to secede. On Friday, Catalan farmers rode tractors through the streets of Barcelona, driving slowly and waving pro-independence flags and banners. The tractors eventually stopped, converging on the regional government building. At the same time, European Union officials said they would not mediate the dispute between Spain and Catalonia, calling it a matter of Spanish law. "[It is] a Spanish problem in which we can do little. It's a problem of respecting Spanish laws that Spaniards have to resolve," said European Parliament President Antonio Tajani. European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans called on Europeans to respect the constitution and rule of law in their countries. He said people in the EU need to organize themselves "in accordance with the constitution of that member state." "That is the rule of law you abide by the law and the constitution even if you don't like it," he said. Catalan authorities previously had appealed to the EU for help, saying the Spanish government undermined their democratic values. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address After Attack on Westerners, Cambodia's Foreign Minister Softens Tone By Sok Khemara September 30, 2017 Cambodia's foreign minister has launched a scathing attack on Western democracies, labeling them hypocritical and interested in promoting human rights and democracy only when it's in their own interest. Foreign Minister Prak Sokhon told the U.N. General Assembly last week that human rights and democracy issues were raised only "when the specific interests of certain major powers are at stake." "Otherwise, it is sheer silence, and often a conspiracy of silence," he added. The comments came amid a surge in anti-American rhetoric from the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, which has jailed the leader of the country's opposition on allegations he conspired with the United states to unseat the long-term premier. 'One-sided' presentation In an exclusive interview with VOA Cambodia, Sokhon softened his tone, saying Cambodia wants to "normalize relations" with the United States, "at least back to the original level." But Sokhon lashed out at the international media's portrayal of the crackdown on dissent in Cambodia. He told VOA, following the General Assembly meeting, that the international media had given a "one-sided" presentation of recent events in Cambodia. He said that the closures of the National Democratic Institute in Cambodia, the American-owned Cambodia Daily newspaper and numerous radio stations broadcasting U.S.-funded radio programs were "being done in accordance with the law." The government has come under heavy criticism from Washington and American allies, while China has lent Phnom Penh explicit support for its crackdown on dissent. As Sokhon was giving his speech at the General Assembly last week, Cambodian-American protesters gathered at the U.N. headquarters to oppose the government line. Steven Reach, a New York City resident, said he was unhappy with the "unreasonable" treason charges against Kem Sokha, the Cambodia National Rescue Party leader. He added that he hoped the U.N. could exert some influence over Hun Sen's government. Annie Van, a Cambodian-American from Massachusetts, said: "I and my colleagues came here to ask Prime Minister Hun Sen to free Kem Sokha ... as well as free the other political prisoners of the opposition party." China pivot In the interview with VOA, Sokhon said Cambodia's pivot toward China and away from the West was "for the benefit of the Cambodian people ... only because the relationship with China is based on mutual respect and mutual benefit." "We have received Chinese aid, Chinese cooperation, Chinese investment," he added, pointing to China's huge investment in key economic sectors, such as hydropower. "The relationship is considered in the interest of Cambodia, but it does not mean that Cambodia has become a satellite state of China," he said. Cambodia had proved its independence during the recent diplomatic tensions with North Korea, he added.. Cambodia has historically had a close relationship with North Korea, which it has repeatedly attempted to use as leverage in its bid to act as a mediator in military de-escalation talks. However, following recent missile tests by North Korea, Cambodia has publicly taken a stronger line against Pyongyang. "Although Cambodia has a good and special relationship with North Korea, Cambodia issued two separate statements last year and two more statements this year regarding the missile launches and underground nuclear test. So we had clearly stated to North Korea that if you want to maintain the friendship, you need to comply with the U.N. Security Council and comply with the resolution of the U.N. member states," Sokhon told VOA. "We ask [all parties] to consider the proposal of China and Russia" to halt nuclear and missile tests and military exercises, because U.S. and South Korean exercises are "a spark of fire, and that irritates North Korea." This report appeared originally on VOA Cambodia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A U.S.-made pilotless plane was shot down by a Houthi missile north of Yemen's capital Sanaa on Oct. 1. (Xinhua Photo) SANAA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A U.S.-made pilotless plane was shot down by a Houthi missile north of Yemen's capital Sanaa on Sunday morning, Houthi officials and residents said. The plane, seen by a Xinhua photographer at the scene, was very big and divided into two parts before it caught on fire. "The drone, General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, was shot down by a guided missile fired from our Rocketry Force," said a statement by the Houthi group, which controls the capital Sanaa. "The drone was more likely doing a regular spy mission over the capital," it said. Such drones were used mainly by the forces of the United States in fighting al-Qaida militants in Yemen. The same planes were also used by a Saudi-led coalition in fighting and spying over the Houthi rebel military positions since 2015, after the group seized much of the country's north. Saudi Arabia is leading a mostly Arab military coalition to fight Houthi rebels in Yemen in a bid to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by Houthis in September 2014. The war has killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, and displaced over 3 million, according to humanitarian agencies. USNS Comfort Departs for Puerto Rico Navy News Service Story Number: NNS170929-18 Release Date: 9/29/2017 4:46:00 PM From Military Sealift Command Public Affairs NORFOLK (NNS) -- The Military Sealift Command hospital ship, USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), departed Naval Station Norfolk today and is now underway and making final preparations to support relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. USNS Comfort can arrive in Puerto Rico as early as Oct. 3, but the final date and arrival location is to be determined. "The medical capability the ship can deliver can be done underway, it can be done in port, or it can be done at anchor. Between the helicopter capability we have and the boats we have, all of those things together give us the ability to be flexible in our mission," said Capt. Kevin Robinson, commander, forward command element aboard USNS Comfort. USNS Comfort departed Naval Station Norfolk with over 800 Navy medical personnel and support staff with the medical treatment facility (MTF), and over 70 civil service mariners. The medical personnel will provide a full spectrum of medical care to include general practice, family medicine, nephrology and pediatrics. The civil service mariners operate and navigate the ship, load and off-load mission cargo, assist with repairs to mission equipment and provide essential services to keep the MTF up and running. When not deployed, USNS Comfort is kept in a reduced operating status but can transition to full operating status in five days. "48 hours ago there were less than 100 people onboard this ship that included civilian mariners and medical treatment facility personnel. Over the past 36 hours, we have flown medical professionals and their support personnel from all over the country and the number of people onboard right now is over 800," said Robinson. Comfort's MTF is an embarked crew of medical personnel from the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery responsible for operating and maintaining one of the largest trauma facilities in the United States. "I can't tell you how proud I am of the MTF crew, many of whom just found out last night that they were deploying today," said Capt. Kevin Buckley, commanding officer, USNS Comfort's MTF. USNS Comfort's primary mission is to provide an afloat, mobile, acute surgical medical facility to the U.S. military that is flexible, capable and uniquely adaptable to support expeditionary warfare. Comfort's secondary mission is to provide full hospital services to support U.S. disaster relief and humanitarian operations worldwide. USNS Comfort is the second of two Mercy-class hospital ships. A converted San Clemente-class supertanker, Comfort delivered to the Navy's Military Sealift Command Dec. 1, 1987. Military Sealift Command operates the ships which sustain our warfighting forces and deliver specialized maritime services in support of national security objectives in peace and war. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address USS Wasp to Support Relief for US Territories in Caribbean Navy News Service Story Number: NNS170929-17 Release Date: 9/29/2017 3:02:00 PM From U.S. Southern Command MAYPORT, Fl. (NNS) -- U.S. Southern Command released the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) from support of post-Hurricane Maria relief operations in Dominica Sept. 29, and the ship will now join relief efforts for U.S. territories in the Caribbean. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet, through Joint Task Force-Leeward Islands (JTF-LI), was able to rapidly deploy Wasp to Dominica with critically-needed logistic capabilities. Wasp, which had been providing assistance to the U.S. Virgin Islands in the wake of Hurricane Irma, was re-positioned to avoid the path of Hurricane Maria. The amphibious ship arrived in Caribbean waters near Dominica Sept. 21, expanding JTF-LI support to the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In close coordination with those federal agencies, two embarked SH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters aboard Wasp evacuated U.S. citizens, and other storm victims, and supported U.S. foreign disaster assistance to the island nation. The airlift and transport capabilities of amphibious ships make them uniquely suited to support disaster relief operations in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. Wasp evacuated 126 people and delivered humanitarian aid. Wasp was also instrumental in the rescue of two survivors from a plane crash in the waters off of Dominica Sept. 28. Navy assets remaining in support of JTF-LI are USNS Spearhead (T-EPF 1), providing sea lift for cargo and personnel; a P8-A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, deploying out of Comalapa, El Salvador, providing aerial damage assessments; and two C-12 Huron logistics aircraft supporting JTF-LI personnel in the Leeward Islands. U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command's joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DoD Accelerates Hurricane Relief, Response Efforts in Puerto Rico DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2017 The Defense Department is accelerating relief operations and the deployment of additional response capacity to Puerto Rico to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency's need for a comprehensive commodities distribution network able to reach isolated communities and provide sustained medical support for the island's residents, Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement this morning. Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, who's in command of the DoD response effort in Puerto Rico, is working with FEMA and service components to get distribution priorities right, Davis said. Buchanan, assisted by his deputy, Army Brig. Gen. Richard C. Kim, assessed that the planned force flow will build the capacity necessary to support Hurricane Maria response priorities, the spokesman said. Army Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, Chief of Engineers and commanding general of the Army Corps of Engineers, is also in Puerto Rico overseeing the temporary power project, electrical distribution repairs and infrastructure improvements, Davis said. The Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp is now involved in response operations in and around Puerto Rico, the spokesman said. Davis provided the following updates and details of hurricane relief operations in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean region: Puerto Rico Situational Update -- FEMA reports assessments completed at 64 of 69 hospitals; 59 are partially or fully operational; five unassessed facilities are psychiatric hospitals that do not provide emergency care. -- Forty-five percent of customers have access to drinking water. Ninety-five percent of customers remain without power; power has been restored to San Juan airport and marine terminals. -- Eight hundred and fifty-one of 1,100 retail gas stations have reopened and purchase limits have been lifted. Forty-nine percent of grocery and big box stores are open. -- Erosion repairs to the Guajataca Dam are scheduled to begin Oct. 1-2. -- The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort departed Norfolk, Virginia, yesterday and it is estimated to arrive in Puerto Rico on Oct. 4. -- Five of six FEMA-priority sea ports are open or open with restrictions; surveys of Ponce and Roosevelt Roads are ongoing. U.S. Virgin Islands Situational Update -- An assessment of the main hospital on St. Thomas will be completed today. Details of DoD Response in Puerto Rico -- U.S. Northern Command is deploying enhanced logistics capacity, centered on commodity distribution and medical support, and designed around a sustainment brigade. Northcom is flowing five force packages into Puerto Rico focused on logistics, tilt/rotary wing lift, and medical units. Force Package 1 is on the ground with leadership in Puerto Rico for planning and assessment. Force Packages 2 and 3 will deliver logistical units and associated command and control and is deploying. Force Package 4 will follow and deliver helicopters, aviation command-and-control elements and medical units. Force Package 5 will deploy next and provide more robust medical capacity. -- The USS Wasp, carrying three MH-60 helicopters, is en route to Puerto Rico and will embark 10 additional aircraft. The Marine Corps has identified eight additional MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and two KC-130 fixed-wing aircraft that will self-deploy to support operations on Puerto Rico. -- U.S. military helicopters moved 3 HHS Disaster Medical Assistance Teams with 12,500 pounds of equipment to Mayaguez, Arecibo, and Ponce from Roosevelt Roads to support the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' "hub-and-spoke" concept for the delivery of medical care. Seven federal medical stations will be co-located with each of the seven hospitals identified as 'hub' hospitals. -- The Guajataca Dam spillway continues to erode; immediate risk reduction measures are ongoing to stabilize the dam spillway. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports two to three inches of rain has fallen, and an additional two to four inches each day over the next two days is possible. -- U.S. Transportation Command will deliver super sandbags for spillway stabilization today; sandbag installation will follow on or about Oct. 1. Foreign Disaster Assistance -- U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Leeward Islands continues evacuations on Dominica. Following the evacuation of priority U.S. citizen medical cases, the Hurricane Response Task Force will transition to on-call status today. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US halves diplomatic staff in Cuba over mysterious health 'attacks' Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 09:50AM US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Washington is withdrawing more than half of its personnel from the US embassy in Cuba in response to mysterious health "attacks" that have sickened American diplomatic staffers in Havana. In announcing the move on Friday, Tillerson said Washington would maintain diplomatic ties with Havana, which were only restored in 2015 during the administration of then President Barack Obama, and which have deteriorated since President Donald Trump took office in January. "Cuba has told us it will continue to investigate these attacks and we will continue to cooperate with them in this effort," Tillerson said in a statement. "We maintain diplomatic relations with Cuba, and our work in Cuba continues to be guided by the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States." The attacks of an unknown nature have targeted at least 21 US embassy staff in Havana over the past few months, Tillerson said. Those affected have exhibited physical symptoms including dizziness, headache, fatigue, hearing loss, difficulty sleeping and cognitive issues. The US State Department says "incidents" began affecting them in late 2016. Washington's withdrawal of its embassy staff is a new blow to fragile relations between the former Cold War foes. On Friday, Cuba slammed the US decision as "hasty" and warned the move would affect ties. "We consider the decision announced by the US government today, through the State Department, to be hasty, and it will affect bilateral relations," said the head of North American affairs at Cuba's foreign ministry, Josefina Vidal, quoted on state television. "The Cuban government has no responsibility in this case and strictly respects its obligations under the Vienna Convention" regarding the protection of diplomats as well as their families, she said. The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 and placed an official embargo against the country in 1962. The two countries became ideological foes soon after the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power and their ties remained hostile even after the end of the Cold War. The Obama administration re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba in 2015. Nevertheless, Washington continues to maintain its commercial, economic, and financial embargo, which makes it illegal for US corporations to do business with Cuba. Trump vowed in June to partially roll back the detente devised by Obama. Trump described Havana as "corrupt and destabilizing" in his address to the United Nations General Assembly earlier this month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US opens communication channels with N Korea: Tillerson Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 01:21PM US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the United States has opened channels of communication with North Korea and is investigating whether the government in Pyongyang is ready to enter negotiations on surrendering its nuclear weapons. Tillerson made the announcement on Saturday amid an escalating war of words between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "We are probing, so stay tuned," the top US diplomat told reporters after he held talks with Chinese officials in Beijing. "We ask. We have lines of communication with Pyongyang. We're not in a dark situation, a blackout, we have a couple, three channels open to Pyongyang." "We can talk to them, we do talk to them," he said. When asked whether China was acting as a mediator between Washington and Pyongyang, Tillerson said: "Our own channels." Tillerson is in China to meet China's top diplomats and President Xi Jinping in order to make preparations for Trump's visit to Beijing in November. North Korea has conducted several nuclear tests and missile test-launches in response to US threats against the country. The North Korean leader ordered the production of more rocket warheads and engines last month, shortly after the United States suggested that its threats of military action and sanctions were having an impact on Pyongyang's behavior. Pyongyang says it will not give up on its nuclear deterrence unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward the country and dissolves the US-led UN command in South Korea. Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan. The Trump administration has repeatedly said in recent weeks that all options are on the table, and has deployed a strike group and a nuclear-powered submarine to the region in a show of force. The United States has also imposed harsh financial sanctions on North Korea. Trump has said North Korea's nuclear and ballistics programs are "a grave threat to peace and security in our world." Trump warned North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a speech to the UN General Assembly last week that the United States would "totally destroy" the country of 26 million people if necessary. In response, North Korea said Trump's threat constitutes a declaration of war against Pyongyang. A North Korean state body that handles external propaganda has called Trump an "old psychopath" on "a suicidal act of inviting a nuclear disaster that will reduce America into a sea of flames." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address N Korea detected moving missiles out of Pyongyang facility: Report Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 07:33AM South Korean media say the North has been detected transferring several missiles out of a research facility in its capital amid speculations of a new test launch by Pyongyang. Citing an unidentified intelligence source, the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) reported late Friday that South Korean and US intelligence authorities spotted missiles being moved away from the Missile Research and Development Facility in Pyongyang. The facility, located in the northern Pyongyang neighborhood of Sanum-dong, has been dedicated to the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The report did not, however, mention time and target location of the alleged transfer, speculating that the missiles could be either intermediate range Hwasong-12 or intercontinental ballistic Hwasong-14. Moreover, Reuters also cited a source from the South Korean Defense Ministry as saying that he could not confirm the details of the report, and whether there have even been any unusual activities in the specified area. Authorities in Seoul have raised concerns that Pyongyang could carry out more provocative acts marking the anniversary of the founding of the country's communist party on October 10, or possibly when China holds its Communist Party Congress on October 18. Many fear the North could conduct an atmospheric nuclear test to mark the 72nd anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea. The South Korean government warned on Thursday that Pyongyang was "highly likely" to continue military provocations in the build-up to the October celebrations. Pyongyang caused an uproar when it conducted its sixth and biggest nuclear test on September 3. The nuclear test significantly raised already high tensions with the United States, South Korea and Japan. The North also recently fired two missiles over Japanese airspace, causing further tensions. North Korea is under growing international pressure over its missile and nuclear programs and has been subjected to an array of sanctions by the United Nations. However, Pyongyang says it needs to continue and develop the military programs as a deterrent against hostility by the US and its regional allies, including Japan and South Korea. Earlier this month, the US flew bombers over waters east of North Korea, and Pyongyang said afterwards that it had every right to shoot down those planes. Washington has deployed thousands of troops on South Korean and Japanese soil. It has also installed so-called THAAD missile systems in the South. Pyongyang wants its neighbors to end their close military ties with the US. Tillerson in China In another development on Saturday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in China for talks with senior officials of the country, with the North Korea issue expected to be on the agenda of the visit. Tillerson met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing, where they discussed US President Donald Trump's upcoming Asia tour. Washington has repeatedly urged Beijing to exert more economic pressure on Pyongyang over its military program. China has backed a slew of new United Nations sanctions against the North, but argues that restrictive measures must be coupled with efforts to organize a peace process over the issue. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tillerson In China Calls For 'Calm' Over North Korea Crisis September 30, 2017 13:28 GMT U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials on September 30 on issues including trade, the North Korean nuclear threat, and an upcoming visit to China by U.S. President Donald Trump. Tillerson called for calm in regard to the situation on the Korean Peninsula but said North Korea must stop its missile tests. "Obviously it would help if North Korea would stop firing off missiles," Tillerson told journalists in Beijing. "That would calm things down a lot." Tillerson also told journalists that the United States has "lines of communication to Pyongyang." "We're not in a dark situation, a blackout," Tillerson said. "We have a couple, three channels open to Pyongyang." The Reuters news agency quoted Tillerson as saying "we can talk to them; we do talk to them." Following Tillerson's remarks in Beijing, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told journalists in Washington that "North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested or ready for talks regarding denuclearization." In Beijing, Tillerson also said the United States would not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power, but added Washington has no intention of overthrowing the regime of autocratic ruler Kim Jong Un. Washington wants China to take tougher actions against North Korea in response to its nuclear-weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests. On September 28, China announced that all North Korean companies in China will be required to shut down by early January. But the notice said companies approved by the United Nations Security Council sanctions committee, including nonprofit and noncommercial infrastructure projects, would be exempted. That order is linked to the latest sanctions, passed on September 11 by the United Nations Security Council, in response to North Korea's missile and nuclear-weapons tests. Earlier, Tillerson said his visit gave him an opportunity to assess progress made between the two countries since Xi and Trump met in April in Florida for talks that established a 100-day plan for further trade discussions running through mid-July. He told top Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi that Trump and Xi had developed a "very regular and close working relationship." Tillerson also met with Foreign MInister Wang Yi who told the secretary of state that relations between the two countries "overall have a positive momentum and have arrived at an important opportunity to progress further." Other topics of Tillerson's talks in Beijing include the huge U.S. trade deficit with China and Beijing's military build-up around disputed islands in the South China Sea. Trump's first official visit to China is expected to take place in November. With reporting by AP, Reuters, South China Morning Post, and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/tillerson-china-talks-north- korea-trade/28765889.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tillerson Assures US Has Direct Channels of Communication With North Korea Sputnik News 15:11 30.09.2017(updated 19:16 30.09.2017) US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that the United States has some direct channels of communication with North Korea, not a 'blackout' situation, despite the growing tensions between the countries. He added that the US 'probing' to see if Pyohgyang is interested in a dialogue, as quoted by the Reuters news agency. Previsouly US State Secretary Rex Tillerson has already said that the United States would continue diplomatic efforts to resolve the North Korea crisis, but is not ruling out military options. US President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order expanding sanctions against Pyongyang, threatened to "totally destroy North Korea" if immediate threats emerge and described Kim as "Rocket Man." North Korea was quick to announce that it may conduct another hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific. Kim accused Trump of exhibiting "mentally deranged behavior" and threatened him with a harsh response. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address N Korea Seen Moving Missiles From Rocket Facility - Reports Sputnik News 07:36 30.09.2017(updated 12:18 30.09.2017) Reuters citing South Korea's Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) sources reports that several North Korean missiles were seen transported from a rocket facility dedicated to the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles in Pyongyang. Unnamed South Korean and US intelligence sources have reportedly detected several missiles being moved from North Korea's Missile Research and Development Facility at Sanum-dong in northern Pyongyang. The report does not provide any information on when the transportation occurred or where the missiles have been moved. The KBS report speculates that amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear program, such development could mean that North Korea is preparing to take additional provocative actions. However, a source from South Korean Ministry of Defense could not confirm whether there has actually been any suspicious activities in the area mentioned. South Korea's military is concerned that North Korea may carry out provocations on October 10, the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the ruling North Korean Worker's Party. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address State Department Says N. Korea Has No Interest in Talks By William Ide September 30, 2017 North Korea has shown no interest in pursuing talks on its nuclear and missile programs, the U.S. State Department said Saturday after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the United States was communicating directly with Pyongyang. "North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement, "despite assurances that the United States is not interested in promoting the collapse of the current regime, pursuing regime change, accelerating reunification of the peninsula or mobilizing forces north of the DMZ [Demilitarized Zone]." Tillerson was in Beijing on Saturday, seeking China's cooperation on a "maximum pressure" campaign against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Tillerson revealed the U.S. had opened a direct channel of communication with North Korea and was investigating whether the government of Kim Jong Un was interested in pursuing talks to give up its nuclear weapons. Speaking with a small group of journalists Saturday in Beijing after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials, Tillerson said, "We are probing, so stay tuned. We talk to them ... directly through our own channels." When asked what they talk about, Tillerson said, "We ask: Would you like to talk?" The United States and North Korea typically speak to each other through other governments or former officials. Direct interaction The remarks from Tillerson were the clearest to date about how the two countries interact, and they came amid rising tensions and a war of words between them. Over the past few weeks, following North Korea's sixth nuclear test its most powerful to date President Donald Trump has referred to the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, as "Rocket Man." Trump also said at the U.N. on September 19 that the U.S. would "totally destroy" North Korea if it carried out an attack. Kim responded by calling Trump a "dotard" and North Korea's U.N. ambassador said the U.S. would "pay dearly for his speech," threatening to carry out an atmospheric nuclear test over the Pacific Ocean. Tillerson said Saturday, "Actually, what we need is to calm things down. I think they are well overheated right now. I think everyone would like for it to calm down." He also added, "Obviously, it would help if North Korea would stop firing off missiles." One focus of Tillerson's whirlwind visit, which came just after Chinese and American officials met this week in Washington to host the Social and Culture Dialogue, was to discuss details of Trump's visit to Asia and China in November. National Day China has a weeklong holiday starting Sunday, and shortly after that the ruling Communist Party will host high-level political meetings and a once-in-five-years leadership reshuffle. Tillerson said he made the trip to discuss North Korea and Trump's trip before China got too busy with the party congress. There were concerns, however, that North Korea might use China's National Day anniversary and holiday or the upcoming meetings as an opportunity to carry out more tests. When asked whether an atmospheric nuclear test would trigger a military response from the United States, and whether that would cross a red line, Tillerson said Trump would make that decision. Tillerson added, though, that as far as he knew, the president had not drawn any red lines. Trump on Friday announced his forthcoming visit to Asia. In brief remarks to reporters Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he thought Trump's visit to his nation would be "special, wonderful and successful," and important to U.S.-China relations. Implementing sanctions Earlier Saturday, Tillerson met with China's top diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The U.S. is conferring closely with Chinese officials on Beijing's commitment to curbing imports of North Korean coal, iron, iron ore, lead and lead ore, and seafood. If fully implemented, the ban on those items could substantially reduce North Korea's revenues this year. North Korea earned $1.5 billion from the export of the items to China in 2016, according to the State Department. China is North Korea's No. 1 trade partner. Washington says bringing China on board is key to cutting off Pyongyang's ability to earn hard currency. Douglas Paal, director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Asia Program, said, however, that China's influence over North Korea is limited. "The North is very reluctant to take instructions from China. It will exploit whatever it can get from China, but it doesn't look for political guidance from China. So this is a problem we [the U.S.] and South Korea are going to have to handle directly with North Korea as we go forward," Paal told VOA. VOA State Department correspondent Nike Ching contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 18:28:36|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The world's largest developing and developed countries are preparing for U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to China in November. The visit is a major opportunity for the two countries to advance relations, which have been generally stable, and show to the world that they can focus on cooperation while handling differences. The visit comes as one country is at a crucial stage toward building a moderately prosperous society by 2020, and the other is determined to be "great again." There are a thousand reasons to make the China-U.S. relationship work, and no reason to break it. To name just a few: Top-level interaction: Leaders of the two countries are in frequent communication and have had in-depth exchanges on fundamental issues. Their face-to-face meetings, along with phone calls and letters, ensure that both sides understand each other's strategic intentions and can avoid making mistakes. New mechanisms: Although there remain differences and sensitive issues, including bilateral trade and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, these can be solved through dialogue and consultation, on the basis of respecting each other's core interests and major concerns. The two countries have agreed to establish high-level mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation in diplomacy and security, the economy, law enforcement and cyber security, and people-to-people exchanges. These mechanisms follow the principles of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation. Wide Pacific: Economic interdependence alone does not guarantee peace, but it is a strong force to prevent conflict. The Pacific provides enough room for both sides to develop. China and the United States are each other's largest trading partners. Two-way trade was 520 billion U.S. dollars last year. The figure was 2.5 billion dollars in 1979. The two are working together in areas such as energy and infrastructure. Global governance: If China and the United States cooperate, they can become the bedrock of global stability and world peace. There are many arenas where both sides need to, and can, cooperate, ranging from counter-terrorism to peace-keeping. Public foundation: People-to-people exchanges are already common where the two have the least disagreements and the most consensus. There is great potential for future cooperation in such areas as culture, education, health and innovation. A new agreement will allow China to send 100,000 government-sponsored students to the United States and permit 100,000 U.S. students to study in China in the next four years. All in all, China believes the common interests of the two far exceed the differences, and cooperation is the only logical alternative. There is no such thing as the so-called Thucydides trap, an expression explaining the likelihood of conflict between a rising power and the currently dominant -- as Athens and Sparta did in the 5th century B.C. As both China and the United States hold that healthy and stable relations are beneficial to a world in need of peace and prosperity, it is time to match these words with concrete action. The two countries are beginning a new chapter, which will take political resolve and wisdom. As long as the two understand the direction of the bilateral relationship, they can make history. The right time to do so is now. Iran, Iraq to hold joint military drills IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sep 30, IRNA -- Joint military drills will be held by Iran's armed forces and military units from neighboring Iraqi army on the border regions of the two countreis, an Iranian senior military official said on Saturday. Following an official request by Iraq's federal government on Iran's cooperation on establishing the authority of the government in border terminals of the two countries, a meeting by Iranian armed forces commanders was held, Armed Forces spokesman General Masoud Jazayeri told Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). Emphasizing the importance of Iraq's integrity and the illegal nature of the separation referendum held in Iraqi Kurdistan Region on Monday (September 25), the Iranian commanders agreed on holding joint wargames called 'Authority' (Eqtedar) by the two countries' forces along with border regions from Qasr-e Shirin to Parviz Khan in Kermanshah Province, Bashmaq border in Marivan, Kordestan Province, and Tamarchin border in Piranshahr, West Azarbaijan Province. During the meeting also a number of decisions on securing borders and receiving Iraqi forces to be deployed in the border terminals were made. Despite opposition of Iraq's federal government, international organizations and states of the region, the Iraqi Kordistan local government held a referendum in the northern parts of the country, including the disputed regions, such as Kirkuk. Baghdad has repeatedly said that it will not recognize the results of the referendum, and rejects any negotiations on the issue. 9156**1394 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran to hold joint military drills with Iraq along Kurdistan region border: Commander Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 02:02PM A senior Iranian military commander says Iran and Iraq will hold joint military exercises along their border with the Kurdistan region in the coming days in line with Tehran's policy to support Baghdad's central government, after the recent independence referendum in the semi-autonomous region. "The joint maneuver, [dubbed] Eqtedar (Strength), will be held by Iran's Armed Forces and units of the Iraqi army along the two countries' joint borders," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Saturday. In defiance of Iraq's stiff opposition, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on September 25 on secession from the central government in Baghdad. Official results showed 92.73 percent of voters backed the secession. Turnout was put at 72.61 percent. Major regional and international parties have voiced serious concern over the secessionist move, saying it would compound the problems of the country, which is already busy with counterterrorism operations against Daesh. Jazayeri further said high-ranking commanders of Iran's Armed Forces held a meeting, chaired by Chairman of the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri, earlier in the day to discuss the Iraqi government's official requests from Tehran in the wake of the referendum. He added that the meeting was "in line with the declared policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help safeguard Iraq's solidarity and territorial integrity and following a request by the central Iraqi government for cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran on the establishment of the central government's authority on the two countries' border terminals." Jazayeri emphasized that participants at the meeting once again stressed the importance of safeguarding Iraq's territorial integrity and voiced their opposition to the "illegal" referendum held in the northern Kurdistan region. They also adopted the "necessary decisions to establish security along borders and receive forces of the Iraqi central government for deployment at border posts," he added. The Saturday meeting was held three days after the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces and his Iraqi counterpart Major General Othman al-Ghanmi held talks in Tehran. The issue of terrorism, the Kurdish independence vote and matters of mutual interest were among the major topics discussed in the Wednesday meeting between the military brass of Iran and Iraq. Iran and Turkey have opposed the Kurdish referendum in Iraq, warning that the controversial vote could lead to further instability in the entire Middle East, a region already ravaged with numerous conflicts and terror threats. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia rejects US claim on Iran, IAEA Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 06:33AM A senior Russian official has dismissed a recent US claim that Moscow is trying to "shield" Iran from inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which Washington has been pushing to widen to Iran's military sites. Back in August, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley attempted to convince the IAEA to request access to Iranian military sites, in what was generally viewed as an attempt to undermine a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). That push failed when the IAEA said Iran was in full compliance with the deal and the agency had no reason to request access to Iranian military sites. Then, the US began invoking Section T of an annex to the JCPOA to justify a push for access to Iranian military sites. Section T bans any development activity on nuclear weapons technology and restricts dual-use items that could be used to research warhead design but gives no jurisdiction to the IAEA on the matter. Russia, which is a party to the deal, has thus been referring to the text of Section T to remind the US that the IAEA has no authority for inspections under that particular provision. On Thursday, Haley, the US ambassador, accused Moscow of trying to "shield" Iran from inspections. She did not refer to Russia by name, however. "It appears that some countries are attempting to shield Iran from even more inspections. Without inspections, the Iran deal is an empty promise," said Haley, who has been a loud advocate of US President Donald Trump's tough line on the JCPOA. Mikhail Ulyanov, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Non-Proliferation and Weapons Control Department, responded on Friday by saying that Washington's accusation against Moscow was short-sighted. The IAEA has no reason to request access to military sites in Iran or any other country, he said, according to IRNA. Ulyanov also said that Haley's Thursday comments proved that the US was attempting to impose its opinion on the IAEA as well as the other signatories to the nuclear accord. The IAEA, he said, is permitted to request access to Iran's non-nuclear sites, but it has to provide reasons for such requests. The Trump administration has been opposed to the Iran deal, which was negotiated by the former US administration. Trump himself has verbally attacked the deal numerous times and is reportedly planning to refuse to certify Iranian compliance at a mid-October deadline under an American law. But the IAEA is the official institution tasked with certifying Iranian compliance, and it has repeatedly confirmed that Iran is adhering to its obligations under the deal. All other signatories, including European countries, have stressed that the deal should be sustained and have cautioned against a potential US withdrawal. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday that Europe and Asian powers had to refrain from going along with the US if Washington decided to scrap the JCPOA and re-impose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. On Tuesday, Ulyanov, the Russian Foreign Ministry official, had expressed bewilderment at the US posture toward the deal. "There are no nuclear weapons in Iran. Nor are there any chemical or bacteriological ones. No such charges have ever been addressed to Iran. So what's the problem?" he said. The JCPOA was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany in July 2015 and took effect in January 2016, a year before Trump took office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraq to defend Kurdish people against threats: Premier Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 07:05PM Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has reaffirmed the country's determination to protect its Kurdish population against any threats, amid soaring tensions over the recent Kurdish independence referendum in the northern region of the country. "To our people in the Kurdistan region: we defend our Kurdish citizens as we defend all Iraqis and will not allow any attack on them," Abadi tweeted in English on Saturday. An Iraqi prime minister adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Abadi was referring to either an internal or external attack. "We will not allow any harm to you and we will share our loaf of bread together," Abadi wrote in another tweet. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of Baghdad's stiff opposition on September 25. Kurdish officials said over 90 percent of voters said 'Yes' to separation from Iraq. The voting stations were dotted across the three provinces of Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk that form the Iraqi Kurdistan Region as well as in the disputed bordering zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. While much of the international community, including the UN, the European Union and Iraq's neighbors, has opposed the referendum, Israel has been the only entity to openly support an independent Kurdish state, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backing "the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state" of their own. Political observers have warned that KRG President Massoud Barzani's referendum scenario is in line with Israel's policy of dividing the regional Muslim states. In another tweet on Saturday, Abadi said Baghdad wants to have control over the country's oil revenues "in order to pay Kurdistan Region employee salaries in full and so that money will not go to the corrupt." Following a 2014 dispute over oil revenues, Iraq suspended payment of 17 percent of Iraq's national budget to the Kurdish region. The transfers were worth nearly $12 billion annually and made up 80 percent of the region's budget. Following the move, wages, including those of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were slashed. After the Monday referendum, the Iraqi government ordered the KRG to hand over its international airports in Erbil, and the city of Sulaymaniyah, as well as its border crossings. It also asked the KRG to either cancel the result of the plebiscite or face potential sanctions, international isolation, and military intervention. A ban on international flights into and out of the Iraqi Kurdish region also took effect on Friday. The KRG has refused to either hand over the airports and land terminals or annul the outcome of the vote. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kurdish secession bid in Iraq threat to entire region: Hezbollah chief Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 06:13PM The secretary general of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement says the potential breakaway of the Kurdistan region in Iraq is a threat to the entire region. In a televised address from the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on Saturday evening, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned that the Middle East was facing a "dangerous scheme of division." "We say to our beloved Kurds that this is not about deciding your fate, but about dividing the region according to sectarian and ethnic lines," he said. "Regional nations bear the responsibility to confront this divisive scheme. There should not be any ethnic bias between Arabs, Kurds or Iranians. The problem is purely politically-motivated," he added. He stressed that wars and confrontations in the region "are in favor of Israel and the US, helping their weapons-manufacturing factories make a fortune." Elsewhere in his remarks, Nasrallah said the Lebanese resistance movement was now in its strongest position and this is even acknowledged by Israel, stressing that the movement seeks to preserve national security and stability in the Arab country. "Hezbollah is in its strongest position and even Israel also says that Hezbollah is the second military in the region," Nasrallah said. He also warned of plots that certain foreign countries are hatching in order to plunge Lebanon into conflict. He added that Hezbollah supports the incumbent Lebanese government led by President Michel Aoun, advising political parties and factions in the country to avoid defiance and avail themselves of dialogue in order to resolve local issues. The Hezbollah chief further stressed the importance of Lebanon's parliamentary elections, which are expected to be held next spring. "I totally agree with [Parliament] Speaker Nabih Berri that the parliament's term must not be extended. Legislative elections will be held on time and based on the agreed electoral law," Nasrallah pointed out. He also highlighted victories achieved by Hezbollah fighters and Lebanese army soldiers in the fight against foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants along the border with Syria, emphasizing that Lebanon was "one of the world's safest countries." Nasrallah then called on Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon to come back to their country, and take part in its reconstruction. "Your interest lies in going back to your country," he addressed them. The Hezbollah secretary general also pointed to discovery of Israeli spying devices in southern Lebanon, stressing that the Beirut government must lodge complaints against the Tel Aviv regime with international organizations. "The Zionist regime (of Israel) is violating international law and regulations," Nasrallah commented. He said days of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group are numbered, stating that Israel was seriously concerned about the terror group's defeat in the region. "Daesh is losing ground in both Iraq and Syria. It was created by the United States, and supported by Israel as well as their regional allies," Nasrallah said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel played role in Iraq's Kurdish referendum: Turkish president Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 04:22PM Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel's Mossad spy agency has played a role in the recent Kurdish independence referendum in northern Iraq. During a televised speech in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum on Saturday, Erdogan expressed sorrow that Iraqi Kurds had acclaimed the recent independence referendum with Israeli flags. "This shows one thing, that this administration (in northern Iraq) has a history with Mossad, they are hand-in-hand together," Erdogan said. "Are you aware of what you are doing? Only Israel supports you," he added. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of Baghdad's stiff opposition on September 25. Kurdish officials said over 90 percent of voters said 'Yes' to separation from Iraq. While much of the international community, including the UN, the European Union and Iraq's neighbors, has opposed the referendum, Israel has been the only entity to openly support an independent Kurdish state, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backing "the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state" of their own. Erdogan vowed that Iraq's Kurdistan "will pay a price" for the "unacceptable" independence referendum. "An independent state is not being founded in northern Iraq, but on the contrary a continuously bleeding wound is being opened," he said. "To ignore this reality benefits neither us, nor our Kurdish brothers in Iraq," Erdogan said, urging Iraqi Kurds to "wake up from this dream" of independence. Ankara has threatened a series of punitive measures against Iraqi Kurds, including shutting the land border between Turkey and the region and stopping the transit of oil from Iraqi Kurdistan to the southern Turkish port of Ceyhan. Turkish carriers Turkish Airlines, Atlas and Pegasus suspended their flights to Iraqi Kurdistan for an unspecified period of time on Friday. Before the Kurdish referendum, Ankara was boosting its trade ties with Iraq's Kurdistan region, with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani becoming a frequent visitor to Turkey. In 2016, the business boom with Iraqi Kurds made Iraq, including the Kurdish region, the second-largest market for Turkish exports after Germany. However, economists have warned that closure of Habur border gate between Turkey and Iraq's Kurdistan could undermine the $7billion trade between Ankara and Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region. After the Monday referendum, the Baghdad government ordered the KRG to hand over its international airports in Erbil, and the city of Sulaymaniyah, as well as its border crossings. It also asked the KRG to either cancel the result of the plebiscite or face potential sanctions, international isolation, and military intervention. A ban on international flights into and out of the Iraqi Kurdish region also took effect on Friday. The KRG has refused to either hand over the airports and land terminals or annul the outcome of the vote. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi army forces, allies achieve fresh territorial gains near Hawijah Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 01:16PM Iraqi government forces, backed by allied fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, have registered more territorial gains near the town of Hawijah as they continue their joint operations to push Daesh Takfiri terrorists out of their last stronghold in the country's oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk. The commander of the Hawijah liberation operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, said on Saturday that army troops, soldiers from the Federal Police Force, the Interior Ministry's elite rapid response forces and pro-government fighters, better known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha'abi, had liberated 26 villages, including al-Ahnaf, al-Tariqiyah, al-Arsah, al-Mutawakiliyah, Tal al-Lahm, al-Ja'fariyah and al-Sa'adiyah, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network reported. Yarallah added that army soldiers and their allies also reclaimed control over the villages of al-Waridiyah, al-Sabti, Upper al-Hawaij, Lower al-Hawaij, Upper Tal al-Zahab, Lower Tal al-Zahab, al-Suwaid, Tal Ubaid, Tal Saeid and Albu Sakhrah. The report came a day after Iraqi forces completely retook 11 villages, including Gharib, al-Karnah, al-Hajamah, al-Shajarah and Namilah. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Friday announced the start of the second phase of an offensive to liberate Hawijah from the grip of Daesh Takfiris. "We announce the start of the second phase of the liberation of Hawijah and all the surrounding areas to the west of Kirkuk, and as promised the sons of our country are continuing to liberate every inch of the land of Iraq and crush the gangs of the Daesh terrorist group," said Abadi in a statement. The first phase of the operation to liberate Hawijah was launched on September 21. The operation to free Hawijah came as tensions are running high between Baghdad and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan after the region held a controversial referendum on independence of Kurdistan and disputed areas, including Kirkuk, from the rest of the Iraqi territory. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran bans oil products shipment to Iraqi Kurdistan Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:37AM Iran's Ministry of Roads and Urban Development has warned companies against shipment of oil products to and from the Iraqi Kurdistan "until further notice," Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday. The decision is in line with Tehran's series of measures in response to a referendum held in the semi-autonomous region on possible secession from Iraq which has drawn international criticism. "Given the recent developments in the region, it is suitable that international transportation companies and drivers active in this field avoid loading and carrying oil products to and from the Iraqi Kurdistan Region until further notice," a directive by the ministry's Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization said. "It should be noted that the consequences of any action in this regard would befall the relevant company," it added. The transportation is mostly carried out by tanker trucks which take crude oil from the Iraqi Kurdistan to Iran and carry back refined products to the region. The Iraqi Kurdistan is one of Iran's major trade partners, with annual transactions running to $4 billion a year. Iran's first concrete reaction to the plebiscite came on Sunday when the country halted flights to northern Iraq and closed its airspace to flights originating in the Kurdish region. The Islamic Republic has rejected the referendum and asserted its support for Iraq's sovereignty over the entire country, including territories run by the regional Kurdish government. On Friday, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said it was taking over the control of its borders in the northern Kurdistan region in coordination with Iran and Turkey. A ban on international flights into and out of the Iraqi Kurdish region took effect on Friday but the Iraqi central government says local Kurdish authorities should also give back the control of airports and border crossings. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraq 'to take control of Kurdistan borders' Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 08:07AM Iraq says it will be taking control of the borders of its northern Kurdistan region which has voted controversially to break away from the country in coordination with Iran and Turkey. The Iraqi Defense Ministry said on Friday that the implementation of the central government's decisions to take over all of Kurdistan's border posts and airports was "going as planned." The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of Baghdad's stiff opposition on September 25. Kurdish officials said over 90 percent of the voters said 'Yes' to separation from Iraq. With the exception of the Israeli regime, all major regional and international parties have voiced serious concerns about the secessionist move, saying it would compound Iraq's problems as the country is busy fighting the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group. After the referendum, the Baghdad government ordered the KRG to hand over its international airports in its capital of Erbil, and the city of Sulaimaniya, as well as its border crossings. It also asked the KRG to either cancel the result of the plebiscite or face potential sanctions, international isolation, and military intervention. A ban on international flights into and out of the Iraqi Kurdish region also took effect on Friday. The KRG has refused to either hand over the airports and land terminals or annul the vote's outcome. The Iraqi Defense Ministry said the move to take over the borders would go underway "in coordination with the relevant authorities and neighboring countries, and there is no delay in the procedures." An Iraqi force has been deployed on the Turkish side of the border as part of joint drills with the Turkish army. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kurdistan Government Views Suspension of Flights by Iraq as Blockade Sputnik News 21:01 30.09.2017(updated 21:39 30.09.2017) The Kurdistan Regional Government reacts the Iraq's suspension of all international flights to and from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports. ERBIL (Sputnik) The Kurdistan Regional Government considered the decision of the Iraqi authorities to suspend flights to the autonomous region as a "collective punishment" and a blockade, according to a statement published on the government's website on Saturday. On Friday evening, all international flights to and from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports were suspended by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA). The decision to ground flights followed the refusal of the Kurdistan government to transfer control of Kurdistan regional border posts and airports to the Iraqi central government after a referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan's independence, held earlier this week. "The closure of the Kurdistan Region airports is a collective punishment and a blockade against the entire population of Kurdistan. It demonstrates the continued legal and humanitarian violations against the people of Kurdistan, under the pretext of enforcing Iraqi federal authority," Kurdistan government spokesman Safeen Dizayee said, as quoted in the statement. Dizayee stressed that closure of Kurdistan's airspace would prevent transportation of civilians and soldiers wounded in battles with the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, outlawed in Russia) operating in the region. Many Kurdish, Christian and Sunni Arab families will not be able to reunite with their relatives, he added. The vote on Iraqi Kurdistan independence took place on Monday and resulted in 92.7 percent of voters casting their ballot for the autonomous region's independence from Baghdad. The referendum was initially strongly opposed by Baghdad, as well as by Iran and Turkey. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 18:38:42|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close HONG KONG, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The continuous development and prosperity of the motherland not only gives Hong Kong strength to rise to challenges, but also provides opportunities for Hong Kong to explore new directions for its development, Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Sunday. Lam made the remarks at the National Day Reception in Celebration of the 68th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Recalling her personal experience when she visited Beijing as a university student in 1979, Lam described the pace of development of the Chinese mainland during the past decades as "astonishing." "After nearly 40 years of reform and opening up, China has made big strides forward: from managing to stand on its feet to becoming prosperous and strong, and is now the second largest economy in the world," she said, "The quality of life of its people has continued to improve. Internationally, China plays a very important role in various areas such as politics, economics, technology and environmental protection." Lam said that during the past 20 years, leveraging its position as a special administrative region of the PRC, "Hong Kong has witnessed, participated in and benefitted from the continuous reform and opening up of our country...Hong Kong people have acquired a better understanding of our country and fostered deep emotional bonds with the people in the Mainland." "As long as we capitalize on our strengths, stay focused, seize the opportunities before us and stand united, I am sure that Hong Kong can reach even greater heights," she said. Norway offers to allow in Israeli nuclear whistleblower Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:03AM Norway has offered to allow Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu and his Norwegian wife to immigrate to and live in the Scandinavian country. Kristin Joachimsen, Vanunu's wife, said on Friday that she had applied for his husband to be allowed to come to Norway under rules for family reunification. "Family values have prevailed," she told Norway's TV2 channel. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration confirmed that permission had been granted to the Israeli nuclear whistleblower to live with his wife. Vanunu, a former nuclear technician, served 18 years in prison for leaking details and pictures of Israel's nuclear weapons program to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper in 1986. He was released in 2004 with a stringent set of restrictions, including a ban on speaking with foreigners and leaving Israel. Joachimsen said the Israeli restrictions on his husband were up for review in November and expressed hope that they would be lifted. Israel is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, but its policy is to neither confirm nor deny that it has atomic bombs. It has refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and denied international access to its nuclear facilities. The regime is estimated to have 200 to 400 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. In addition to its nuclear activities, Tel Aviv has come under fire over its settlement activities in the Palestinian lands. Back in May, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), Norway's biggest and most influential trade union, approved an international economic, cultural, and academic boycott of Israel. The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which campaigns for Palestinian rights, hailed the LO's move as "courageous," saying that the union had joined "some of the world's most important trade union federations in calling for meaningful BDS pressure on the corporations and institutions that have enabled decades of Israeli occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid." There was no immediate reaction from Israeli officials to the Norwegian government's offer to Vanunu, and it is unlikely that he would be allowed to leave. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kazakh peace flotilla leaves Iranian northern port IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Anzali, Sep 30, IRNA -- The Kazakh peace and friendship flotilla that had docked in Anzali port on Wednesday, left Iran's waters in Caspian See for Kazakhstan on Saturday. The flotilla comprised of Oral and Saryarka warships, under the command of Captain Niyaz Bekov arrived in the city of Bandar-e Anzali (Anzali Port) in Iran's northern Gilan Province. Strengthening the international cooperation among the Caspian Sea littoral countries was announced as the purpose of the visit by the Kazakh flotilla to the Iranian shores. The commanders of the flotilla met with Iranian navy commanders and the Gilan governor, and visited historical sites and tourists attractions of the Province. The visit was a response to an invitation by Iran and following a visit by Iran's flotilla to Kazakhstan. Iranian flotilla visited Kazakhstan in April this year. This was the sixth visit to the Iranian shores by flotillas form the Caspian Sea countries. Several Russian flotillas have docked in Anzali port during the past years. Also, five Iranian flotillas have visited port cities of Iran's neighbors on the Caspian Sea. 9156**1394 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Islamic State Regrouping in Libyan Desert, Experts Warn By Rikar Hussein, Nisan Ahmado September 29, 2017 As the Islamic State group faces military defeats in Syria and Iraq, the group has an eye on war-torn Libya, hoping to re-emerge there and organize in the country's desert, officials and experts warn. Siddiq al-Soor, the head of the Public Prosecutor's Office in Tripoli, told reporters on Thursday that IS militants in the country were mostly operating through "a desert army" unit they set up after being pushed out of their stronghold of Sirte on the Mediterranean Sea last year. "Now they are being monitored in the territories south of Libya," al-Soor said during a news conference. Al-Soor said IS militants in the desert area were being led by Iraqi national Abdul Qader al-Najdi, also known as Abu Moaz Al Tikriti, with support from other IS leaders, including Mahmoud Al Bur'si and Hashim Abu Sid. "Most of those leaders were members of al-Qaida and traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the fight before returning to Libya," al-Soor said. He said Libyan prosecutors obtained information about the whereabouts of the group's desert army from an IS fighter who was wounded and captured after U.S. airstrikes in the Wadi Skir region last week. Series of strikes The U.S. military has conducted airstrikes against IS in Libya this week. Two airstrikes 100 miles southeast of Sirte on Tuesday left "several" IS fighters dead, the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which oversees American military activities on the continent, said in a statement. Six other U.S. airstrikes last Friday killed 17 IS members and destroyed three vehicles in a desert camp approximately 150 miles southeast of Sirte, according to AFRICOM. IS considers southeast Sirte an important region for its operations because it is home to several major oil fields like al-Bayda, Mabruk, Bahi and Fida. A country of about 6.4 million people, Libya descended into chaos in 2011 when an uprising and international intervention led to the overthrow and subsequent execution of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The civil war has divided the country into two governments, the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord in Tripoli and the Russian-backed Libyan National Army in Tobruk, with each laying claim to power. Fragile peace After continued clashes, the two sides finally agreed on a cease-fire in July. Nonetheless, peace between them remains fragile. Both sides continue to accuse each other of allowing terrorists to operate under their watch to further their own military objectives, with IS taking advantage of the situation to regroup in the country, according to Libyan militias fighting IS in Libya. They warn that IS is reorganizing in the southern Sirte countryside and the desert valleys and inland hills extending to the south of the country. U.S. officials have echoed those concerns, adding the terror group is trying to use the spaces to recruit and facilitate the movement of foreign fighters. "[IS] and al-Qaida have taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Libya to establish sanctuaries for plotting, inspiring and directing terror attacks," AFRICOM said in a statement on Monday following its last Friday airstrikes. AFRICOM has estimated that nearly 500 IS fighters remain active in Libya, a decrease from a peak of about 6,000 in 2016. Anti-IS militias say the remaining IS fighters in the country have been mainly operating in smaller groups at night to avoid being detected. They say the fighters are setting up temporary checkpoints to kill and kidnap those opposed to the group. An IS attack on a checkpoint 300 miles south of Tripoli in August left nine fighters of the Libyan National Army and two civilians dead. Threat to Europe Observers say Libya will continue to remain a hotbed for IS activities and other terrorist groups in years to come because of the divided government. "They are unable to control their borders, unable to police inside the country effectively, and their large geographic area is relatively easy for not just terrorist elements but also criminal elements to operate across the borders," David Mack, an expert at the Middle East Institute and a former U.S. diplomat to Libya, told VOA. Mack said the U.S. and EU must not let Libya move to their blind spot, because a stronger IS in Libya would threaten Europe, which is only a few hundred miles away across the Mediterranean Sea. Jonathan M. Winer, a former U.S special envoy for Libya, told VOA that IS has an eye on Libya for a reason. "They have been under so much pressure that they have to demonstrate that though they are shrinking and weakening, they still have power, and they want to demonstrate they can do it again in some other locations," Winer said. He added the U.S. and its allies must provide the necessary help. "The Libyans themselves did all the fighting and all the dying to get IS out of the region of Sirte, and United States and other countries owe it to the Libyan people to continue to assist them in keeping IS from controlling the Libyan territory." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN warns of humanitarian 'nightmare' in camps hosting Rohingya refugees Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:20AM The United Nations has warned of a humanitarian "nightmare" in the refugee camps on the Bangladeshi border, which are sheltering over half-a-million Rohingya Muslims fleeing horrifying state-backed violence at home in Myanmar. With more refugee arrivals in the already overcrowded camps that lack clean water and toilets, aid workers insist that a major health catastrophe is imminent. Karim Elguindi, the head of UN World Food Program office in the border city of Cox's Bazar, has described the mass inflow of exhausted refugees on Friday as "distressing." "There's more and more people coming and there's not enough space in the existing camps" to accommodate them, said Elguindi, who was touring the area after hearing a new influx was underway, according to an AP report. "I don't know how many Rohingya are left in Myanmar ... but there's more on the way," he added, underlining that many of the refugees had been traveling for five days or more without carrying food. "These people are very vulnerable, very hungry ... they need shelter, they need water," said the WFP official. Meanwhile, the Red Cross also reported that the refugee camps in Bangladesh were reeling on the precipice of a full-scale health disaster. Health experts believe conditions in the grossly deficient camps are ripe for disease outbreaks such as cholera. "The risk of there being an acute, watery diarrhea epidemic is real and serious," an international health and sanitation expert told AFP on condition of anonymity. "If the current situation stays the same, I guarantee it. It's not if, it's when," he added. This is while Heavy monsoon rain in the region is compounding the risk of a disease outbreak, with field doctors reporting a huge surge in cases of severe diarrhea, especially among refugee children. The AFP report also highlights a severe shortage of healthcare staff at the camps, saying at a field clinic, a long queue of refugees waiting to see the only doctor available stretched beyond the tent into the pouring rain. The doctor, Alamul Haque, sees more than 400 patients, including a spiraling number of children with water-borne illnesses. The doctor, who is with Bangladeshi charity SDI, also stated, "Earlier parents were bringing one or two children with them. Now it's three to four." "It's been raining, so human waste is running everywhere. There is a high chance of a diarrhea epidemic here," he added. Meanwhile, new groundwater wells are rapidly being dug across the camps, which stretch along the Cox's Bazar district bordering Myanmar. However, there remains a serious shortage of fresh water, with the sheer scale of the disaster -- described as one of the fastest-growing refugee crises in years -- outpacing aid efforts on the ground. On Saturday, Bangladeshi media also reported that over 2,000 Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine State have massed along Myanmar's coast to join the refugee exodus to Bangladesh. The exodus first erupted on August 25, when the Myanmar government unleashed a fresh military crackdown on Rakhine State. The UN and prominent human rights groups have denounced the violence as an "ethnic cleansing" campaign against Myanmar's minority Muslim community. In the latest of such expressions of outrage, Iran voiced alarm over the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Rohingya refugee camps, criticizing the international community's inaction on the crisis. As time goes, the problems plaguing the minority Muslim group are getting more complicated, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi, stressing that such a situation puts an even heavier responsibility on other countries and international institutions. "Such complex and difficult circumstances could lead to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the current era," he warned. The Iranian official further slammed as "unacceptable" the Myanmar government's indifference towards international calls for its military to end the violence against Rohingya Muslims. Iran has repeatedly requested the Myanmar government to facilitate the dispatch of an Iranian humanitarian mission along with relief aid for the refugees, but it has so far let down such requests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Militant Groups in Pakistan Rebrand Themselves as Political Parties By Noor Zahid, Madeeha Anwar September 30, 2017 As international pressure is mounting on Islamabad to do more against militant groups operating from its soil, some militant groups are rebranding themselves as political parties. "The Pakistan military is allowing militant, virulently anti-Indian groups to enter the political process to enable a vocal political voice against any Pakistani civilian warming relations with India," Thomas Lynch, a research fellow at the National Defense University in Washington, told VOA. "The aboveground voices of [Hafiz Mohammad] Saeed and [Kashmiri militant leader Fazlur Rehman] Khalil as political figures will meld with their enduring role as leaders of virulently anti-India armed groups in a way that will further constrain Pakistani political leaders from easily undertaking any moves toward rapprochement with India," Lynch added. New party Saeed, the leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa group (JUD), which has been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. and is widely considered a front group for Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, launched a new political party last month. Saeed was accused of masterminding Mumbai's 2008 terror attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The U.S. government has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest. JUD's newly established Milli Muslim League party came in third in a by-election in Punjab last week, securing more votes than Pakistan's People's Party contender did. Lynch said he thought that without the military's blessings, the militants-turned-political parties cannot thrive. "Nothing of consequence inside Pakistan security, politics or economics happens without the Pakistan military's concurrence, either by direct support or indirect acquiescence," Lynch said. "This mainstreaming of longtime militant-terrorist groups led by Saeed and Khalil is of consequence [and] therefore must be supported by the Pakistan military," he added. Last week's by-election was also contested by the Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah, a party of the followers of Mumtaz Qadri, who was sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering Punjab's Governor Salman Taseer, the same person he was paid to guard. Qadri killed the governor in 2011 because he advocated for reforms in the country's controversial blasphemy laws. The two parties of militants-turned-politicians reportedly secured 11 percent of the total votes in last week's election. Increasing pressure The politicization of militancy coincides with increasing international pressure on Pakistan to take action against militant safe havens in the county. Announcing his South Asia strategy, U.S. President Donald Trump last month put Pakistan on notice to stop harboring militant groups that use Pakistani soil to plan and launch attacks against Afghan and U.S.-NATO forces in Afghanistan. Leaders of BRICS, an economic bloc composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, also expressed concerns this month about Pakistan-based militant groups and cited them as a problem for regional security. Pakistan has long denied that militants enjoy safe havens in the country and has proclaimed itself as a victim of terrorism. The country's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, however, this week admitted that Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba were liabilities for his country. "Saeed, LeT, they are a liability, I accept it, but give us time to get rid of them," Asif said at an Asia Society event in New York on Tuesday. Optimism Some analysts, however, see the new trend of pushing militants to mainstream politics as a good development. "Unless these parties and individuals are allowed to be a part of the political system, they might never change their way and will go underground, which will be much more dangerous," said Zubair Iqbal, an analyst at the Middle East Institute in Washington. The question is: Can violent extremism and politics co-exist? Pakistani-based political analyst Khadim Hussain has his doubts. "The 'mainstreamed' extremist organizations have not publicly revoked their ideology. They have not yet dismantled their militaristic, welfare and ideological infrastructure. This seems to be legitimizing extremist violence in Pakistan," Hussain said. Hussain added that " 'mainstreaming ' and 'integration' seem to be a tactic to divert the U.S., BRICS and other regional and international stakeholders' attention from the core issues of policymaking in Pakistan." Lynch of NDU echoed Hussain's analysis and said it was unlikely that the move would help curb extremism. "I do not see this move helping to curb extremism in Pakistan over the short term," Lynch said. As Pakistan is holding national and provincial elections in 2018, analysts fear that militant groups will attempt to use the new platform to influence legislation. "These groups will inject xenophobia and extremist views in the body politic if given free hand in politics," Pakistani activist Marvi Sirmed wrote in an op-ed in Lahore's Daily Times, urging the state to halt any kind of support to these groups. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S Korea Fears Provocations From N Korea During Traditional Harvest Holiday Sputnik News 14:04 30.09.2017(updated 14:07 30.09.2017) The Yonhap news agency said Saturday citing a military source that the South Korean military was on high alert in view of possible provocations from the North. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The South Korean military is on high alert amid potential provocations by Pyongyang during the traditional Chuseok holiday, which coincides with North Korean ruling party's founding anniversary, local media reported Saturday, citing a military source. "Since North Korea can carry out provocations at any time, we are constantly on alert and ready to respond immediately We are closely monitoring any movement in the North's military, under the assumption that the North can destabilize the conditions on the Korean Peninsula with a major provocation even during Chuseok, which is one of our biggest traditional holidays," the official was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency. The Chuseok is a traditional autumn harvest holiday lasting for 10 days. The holiday starts on Saturday and will last through October 10, which is the 72nd anniversary of Workers' Party of Korea. The situation on the Korean Peninsula has become aggravated due to Pyongyang's missile launches and nuclear tests, conducted in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. In the most recent case on September 15, North Korea launched a ballistic missile, which flew over Japan before falling into the northern Pacific some 20 minutes after the launch. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Charges Opposition Leader for Unsanctioned Protests By Daniel Schearf, Danila Galperovich September 29, 2017 Russian police released opposition leader and would-be presidential candidate Alexei Navalny on Friday after several hours in detention. Police charged Navalny with repeatedly organizing unauthorized rallies, an administrative offense punishable with a fine of up to a 300,000 rubles ($5,200) and compulsory work for up to 200 hours. "We were finally presented with a charge and released, and the trial will be on October 2 at the Simonovsky Court of Moscow at 15:00 Moscow time," Navalny's lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, told Interfax. Police had stopped Navalny early Friday as he was headed to a campaign rally in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, where at least one other rally leader was also detained Navalny's campaign chief, Leonid Volkov. "I'm in a police station now and they're going to accuse me of repeated violation of the procedure for holding a mass event," Navalny told VOA's Russian service reporter Danila Galperovich earlier Friday. "It means almost for sure they will arrest me after the court will hear my case. I don't know when." Police in Nizhny Novgorod, about 260 miles (417 kilometers) east of Moscow, had cordoned off the campaign rally site hours before the event was to begin and removed a Navalny campaign tent. Despite the police actions, hundreds of Navalny's supporters rallied Friday in the provincial city in protest. Images from social media showed protesters walking on a central street while loud music from an officially sanctioned concert blared nearby. Call for reform Navalny's detention came as the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights issued a memorandum saying Russian authorities should revise the country's freedom of assembly law, which, he says, has become more restrictive in recent years. "As a result, the authorities have rejected a high number of requests to hold public assemblies," said Commissioner Nils Muiznieks in the published memorandum. "Over the past year, there have been many arrests of people participating in protests, even if they did not behave unlawfully, as well as a growing intolerance toward 'unauthorized' events involving small numbers of participants and even of single-person demonstrations. "This runs counter to Russia's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and it weakens the guarantees contained in its own Constitution concerning the right to freedom of assembly," Muiznieks said. Russia is one of 47 member countries in the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organization, but routinely dismisses its criticism. 'Trend toward deterioration' Navalny and his anti-corruption campaign team have been harassed and attacked numerous times by police and Kremlin supporters. In April, a man threw a chemical sanitizer in the Russian opposition leader's face, causing a chemical burn that required eye surgery and left him partially blind. Navalny supporter Nikolai Lyaskin was reportedly attacked in Moscow this month with an iron pipe. In an exclusive interview with VOA reporter Galperovich on September 26, Navalny expressed dismay at the repressive trend. "We currently see a trend toward deterioration: At first it was fines, then administrative arrests, and now it is fabrication of criminal charges [and] house arrest," he said. Navalny said the trend is reminiscent of how Soviet leader Josef Stalin's Great Purge began in 1937. "The capabilities of propaganda are mostly exhausted: You turn on the TV, which from morning until night is talking about beautiful North Korea, awful Ukraine, 'gay' Europe, et cetera. It is already impossible there [on TV] to fan the flames higher. Therefore, they are using repression to take people off the streets, to intimidate them," Navalny said. Challenging Putin Navalny plans to challenge Vladimir Putin in Russia's March presidential election, though Putin has made no official announcement to run in a bid to continue his 17 years as leader. The Russian opposition leader has been campaigning in cities across the country despite the central election commission declaring him ineligible because of a suspended prison sentence. Navalny's supporters and numerous independent analysts back up his view that the sentence was politically motivated. The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers on September 21 demanded that Navalny be allowed to take part in the elections and that the fraud case against him and opposition politician Pyotr Ofitserov be re-examined. In the interview Tuesday with Galperovich, Navalny expressed doubt that Russian authorities would act on the European ministers' demand. "I do not think that international structures can affect that much; at least, we have not in recent years seen international structures somehow straightforwardly affecting the internal political situation in Russia," Navalny said. But he said the resolution was satisfying nonetheless. "It is probably the best of all possible rulings we could hope for," he said. "It quite clearly and distinctly shows that, first of all, the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights was not implemented and, secondly, that there is a demand there for my admission to the elections." The European Court of Human Rights had demanded Navalny's 2013 fraud case be retried because it violated the defendant's right to a fair trial. Russia's Supreme Court ordered a retrial in July that resulted in the same verdict and a suspended sentence. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Top Republican, Democratic Senators Warn Trump On Enforcing Russia Sanctions RFE/RL September 30, 2017 WASHINGTON -- Two leading U.S. senators are warning President Donald Trump to enforce the Russia sanctions that Congress recently passed into law over Trump's objections. A letter released on September 29 by Republican John McCain and Democrat Ben Cardin said Congress would conduct "vigorous oversight" of the law, which cements in place existing sanctions, adds new ones, and makes it harder for Trump to lift them unilaterally. Trump is obligated to demonstrate "from the highest levels that any effort to undermine U.S. sanctions will not be tolerated," the letter said. Trump, who has repeatedly called for better relations with Moscow, signed the legislation into law reluctantly on August 2. But in an accompanying signing statement, he complained that Congress was interfering with presidential powers, and left open the possibility he wouldn't enforce the measures fully. Among other things, the measure imposes restrictions on companies engaged in Russian energy projects and on foreign banks that help finance such projects. The law also requires Trump to notify Congress if he makes changes to Russian sanctions policy. Lawmakers are authorized to block such changes. The letter notes an October 1 deadline for the administration to issue "regulations or other guidance" to identify anyone operating on behalf of the Russian defense and intelligence sectors for potential sanctions. The White House issued a presidential memorandum on September 29, taking the first step in implementation by designating the different agencies to start the process of putting the law into effect. Both McCain and Cardin have long been vocal in their criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian foreign and domestic policies. McCain sits on the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, while Cardin is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-senators-warn- trump-enforce-russia-sanctions /28765129.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Moscow Refutes Claims of Russian Troops Remaining in Belarus After Joint Drills Sputnik News 12:41 30.09.2017(updated 15:48 30.09.2017) According to a statement issued by the Russian Defense Ministry, no Russian troops remained in Belarus after the Zapad-2017 joint drills. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday refuted Ukraine's allegations that some Russian troops remained in Belarus after the Zapad-2017 joint drills, held on September 14-20. "As regards Russian units that took part in the joint strategic drills Zapad-2017, all of them returned to their permanent bases," the ministry said in a statement. On Friday, Ukraine's Chief of General Staff Viktor Muzhenko told the Reuters news agency that Russia had not withdrawn all its troops from Belarus after the end of the joint drills. The Zapad-2017 military maneuvers were held on September 14-20 on the territory of both Russia and Belarus, involving some 12,700 servicemen, up to 5,500 from Russia and about 7,200 from Belarus. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Clearing Areas Near Highway Between Palmyra, Deir ez-Zor Sputnik News 11:27 30.09.2017(updated 14:04 30.09.2017) A source told Sputnik that the Syrian army supported by allied forces were clearing areas near the roadway connecting the cities of Palmyra and Deir ez-Zor. DEIR EZ-ZOR (Syria) (Sputnik) The Syrian army and allied forces are clearing areas near the roadway connecting the cities of Palmyra and Deir ez-Zor, a source in Deir ez-Zor operational headquarters told Sputnik on Saturday. "Some IS [Daesh] terrorists fled to the desert after the attack had been repelled. Now the army and allied forces are chasing the enemy and clearing the areas near the highway," the source said. Earlier in the day, a source told Sputnik that the Syrian government troops and allies had repelled a massive counterattack of jihadist forces on a key supply route linking Palmyra and Deir ez-Zor. The source pointed out that the main operation took place between the settlements of Ash Sholah and As Sukhnah and was aimed at ensuring the security of highway traffic. The highway between Palmyra and Deir ez-Zor has recently become passable for humanitarian convoys after the Syrian government forces breached the three-year siege of Deir ez-Zor by Daesh on September 5. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 19:23:49|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close KABUL, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Afghan Muslims, mostly Shiite sects observed Ashura (10th of Muharram) the first month of the Islamic calendar, on Sunday to pay homage to Imam Hussain the grandson of Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and his 72 comrades who were martyred in Karbala of Iraq about 1500 years ago. Massive mourning processions have been held in Kabul and other Afghan big cities, amid tight security where police and sister law enforcing agencies' personnel were deployed around mosques and sensitive areas to foil any untoward incidents. Earlier on Friday, a terrorist attack blew his explosive device next to a mosque in Qala-e-Fathullah neighborhood of Kabul claimed the lives of six worshipers and injured around 30 others. Early last month, a similar attack on a mosque in Kabul for which the hardliner Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility, more than 100 worshipers were killed and injured. However, since Sunday morning, no security incident has been reported from Kabul and other parts of the militancy-plagued Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the religious scholars and speakers in the mourning processions here in Kabul on Sunday, besides condemning terrorist attacks as a breach of Islamic teaching, called upon Muslims, especially the Afghans to get united, demonstrate desire for peace and live in harmony and peaceful co-existence. 28 Civilians Killed in Rebel-Held Village in Syria By VOA News September 30, 2017 A human rights monitoring group says at least 28 civilians, including four children, have been killed in airstrikes in a rebel-held village in northwestern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday the strikes were carried out on the town of Amanaz, located in Idlib province near the Turkish border. The Britain-based group said it was not immediately clear if the strikes were carried out by Syria or Russia, a key ally. Rescue workers have said, however, that Syrian and Russian airstrikes have killed scores of civilians since September 19, when insurgents launched an offensive against government-controlled areas in northwestern Syria. Syrian and Russian military officials have denied killing civilians, maintaining they only target rebel forces. Until the recent escalation, the Idlib region had been relatively quiet for six months. It is currently controlled by a jihadist group formerly known as the Nusra Front. Russia, Turkey and Iran brokered a safe zone agreement for the area in May but the jihadists are not covered by the deal. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Thursday to escalate efforts to establish a safe zone in Idlib as part of the broader deal reached in May. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey opens military base in Mogadishu Iran Press TV Sat Sep 30, 2017 05:32PM Turkey has opened its largest military base in Africa, in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, as the African country struggles in a protracted war against militants. The training base was inaugurated on Saturday in the presence of the Turkish chief of staff General Hulusi Akar and Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre. The newly-constructed facility includes army dormitories, training grounds and prisons and will serve as a training ground for 10,000 Somali soldiers. Some 200 Turkish military officers will be deployed to the base to oversee the training. During the opening ceremony, Khayre hailed Turkish "unwavering" support to Somalia as Mogadishu tries to rebuild the fractured army and stabilize the war-torn country. The Somali military, backed by a 22,000-strong African Union army, have managed to purge al-Shabab, a militant group that has been wreaking havoc in Somalia for more than two decades, from the capital and major urban centers. However, the al-Qaeda-linked militants still pose a serious threat to Somalia and neighboring countries, notably Kenya. Somali officials have vowed to take back control of the country's security by the end of next year, when foreign troops leave the country. However, it seems a tall order for the Somali government as al-Shabab militants continue launching high-profile attacks, even in Mogadishu. The United States' intensified military involvement in the war in Somalia has further provoked al-Shabab, as the group has always claimed to be fighting foreign interference in the country. Washington claims it has killed dozens of militants over the past weeks through its drone attacks although reports on the ground and accounts by al-Shabab say the fatality includes civilians. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Prosecutor Says Suspects Detonator Triggered Munitions Blast RFE/RL September 30, 2017 Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko said investigators are operating under a theory that saboteurs may have used a detonator to trigger a massive explosion and fire at a munitions depot in central Ukraine this week. Investigators do not believe, however, that a drone was involved in setting off the explosions in Kalynivka in the Vinnytsya region, Lutsenko told the Inter television channel late on September 29. "We have no proof that it was an unmanned aerial device in Kalynivka, but we have all the facts of a possibly planted detonator, which likely caused the explosion," he said. Lutsenko said Ukraine earlier this year detected a drone that investigators believe set off a massive explosion and fire on March 23 at a munitions depot on an army base in Balakliya, near Kharkiv. "We see all signs of sabotage... We detected an unmanned aerial vehicle's flight across the Russian-Ukrainian border in Balakliya to drop thermobaric charges, which caused the explosions near Balakliya. Therefore, this is an act of sabotage on the part of Russia, which is destroying our military capability," he told Inter TV. The Balakliya base is near the Russian border and about 100 kilometers from the front lines in the conflict between government forces and Russia-backed separatists further southeast. Lutsenko told Inter TV that although he believes negligence by Ukrainian security forces guarding the depot in Kalynivka may have contributed to the incident there, "we are inclined to presume that all recent blasts are part of the Russian Federation's warfare." The explosions and fire in both Kalynivka and Balakliya occurred late at night and thousands of people had to be evacuated from the surrounding areas. The Kalynivka incident, which began late on September 26, forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 people and resulted in two injuries. The Balakliya incident resulted in two deaths, including a woman who died at the scene and another victim who died later in the hospital. Ukrainian authorities said that almost all evacuees in Kalynivka by September 28 had been allowed to return home, despite some continuing explosions of ammunition in the depot warehouses, which authorities said no longer constituted a threat to the population. With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Interfax Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-prosecutor general-lutsenko-says-suspects-detonator-triggered- munitions-blast-inter-tv/28765597.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 19:33:52|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close NAIROBI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A film festival will roll out in Nairobi on Monday featuring 2,600 entries from 120 countries, many about slum lives or shot by slum communities. Organizers of the annual Slum Film Festival, now in its seventh year, said on Sunday that the films will be screened in two of Kenya's largest slums, Kibera and Mathare. George Karanja, the Director of the Film Festival, said the bulk of African entries were received from Nigeria, Cameroon and Kenya, which will be screened alongside non-African films from the United States, India, Pakistan and others. The community-based film event features stories by, and about people living in urban slums globally. The highlight of this year's event is the award-cum-closing ceremony set for October 6 and which will be graced by influential players in the film industry, both local and foreign. He said winners from nominated entries in over 10 categories ranging from best African film, best international film, best cinematography, best director to best sound, will be awarded during on the gala night. The festival aims to offer a platform for films from slum communities to reach broader audiences as well as promoting dialogue about life in slums by using stories from such communities. "The festival demonstrates that slums are also a home for very talented, creative and culturally active artists," said Karanja. Spanish Ambassador to Kenya, Javier Garcia de Viedma, said the embassy, a key sponsor of the festival, will continue supporting the festival as it has a positive impact on people living in slums. "Some big cities around the world started as slums and telling the slum story helps authorities understand the situation in slums and consequently make the right decisions," he said. Officers raced into burning building to save lives Flames engulfed one of the buildings at the Sixth Avenue Apartments at 3 a.m. Sunday. [CONTRIBUTED IMAGE] A predawn fire engulfed an eight-unit apartment building on Sixth Avenue early Sunday, endangering residents who were inside sleeping when the blaze swept through. Thanks to the quick response of Hendersonville police officers and firefighters from four departments, everyone got out and no one was hurt. Firefighters were able to rescue a dog and a cat as well. Related Stories It was like so raging, said Marta, who lives in another of the apartment buildings in the Sixth Avenue Apartments between U.S. 64 and the back of the post office on Fifth Avenue West. She did not want her last name used. For over an hour and a half we were standing outside. My apartment, everything smells like smoke. Marta said her boyfriend got up at 3 oclock in the morning and immediately saw the flames. He could see red light in our window, she said. It was super bright, so we came outside to see what was going on and the place was just up in flames. Thats where most of the flames were and then it spread to either side. I heard that everybody got out. Watch the video here. After a police officer on patrol reported the blaze at 3:15, the fire department was dispatched at 3:16 and on the scene two minutes later, said Hendersonville Fire Chief Joe Vindigni. When they arrived on scene fire was already in the attic, it had already ran the whole length of the building so the whole attic area, division 2 second floor was pretty much fully involved, he said. We laid 5-inch lines for water supply and then we called different departments to assist because of the size of the fire. City police officers arrived even before firefighters and raced through the two story building banging on doors and getting people out. Sgt. Bruce Darrah, who was driving by on Sixth Avenue, saw smoke pouring from the roof and called the fire in, Capt. Bruce Simonds said on Monday. I was working on Main Street when I heard the whole thing, said Simonds, who was on off-duty work protecting the Art on Main exhibits overnight. He immediately when into the burning building and started beating on doors and getting people out. Officers Michelle Hoyle and Jeffery Childress arrived in minutes and raced into the building next to the one on fire to get people out. Lt. Dale Patton and Officer Josh Buckman also assisted in the evacuation. Once the fire department arrived they set up in assist mode and kept people from driving hoses, pulling hoses for the fire department and that sort of thing, he said. They did a tremendous job saving some lives that night, Simonds added. They actually evacuated all of the apartments around there. They did an awesome job. Im very proud of them. So is the chief. Im in the middle of writing a commendation for them right now. Vindigni credited the officers with saving lives. They started evacuating people before we got here. That really made a big difference getting everybody out of the building, he said. The only lives remaining inside were two pets. We actually pulled out a cat and a dog from the structure and got those back with their owners, Vindigni said. Firefighters got the fire under control one hour after they arrived, at 4:16 a.m. Its not expected that the brick-and-frame structure can be repaired. The fire burned through roof from end to end and caused extensive damage throughout. Theres significant fire damage in the attic access and of course all the second floor and theres significant water damage all on the first floor, Vindigni said. But the important thing, none of the occupants were hurt, no fatalities, none of the firefighters were injured during the fire. City fire marshal Justin Ward is investigating. Were confident it started on the second floor in the center somewhere, Vindigni said. Were just not a hundred percent sure which one yet. Were hoping we can kind of pinpoint that in the next couple of hours. He said it was too early to say whether the cause may have been related to an overnight cold snap that plunged lows into the 40s. No, not yet. The damage is so significant up there that its going to take us a while to kind of break through the debris, he said. Nothing like that at this time. Bill Grieme, who was staying in a downstairs apartment, got out safely with his girldfriend. Theres a lot of water damage, he said. Red Cross has been out here helping people out, offering a hotel and all that. Were fine. They got all the cats and dogs out, said Amanda Govern, who came to the scene to help three friends that live there. Two downstairs and one upstairs and they all are with parents or siblings. They said we can get in a little later to get some more stuff. Responding to the three-alarm blaze were Blue Ridge and Mountain Home, both with ladder trucks, which were badly needed. Valley Hill Fire & Rescue, the Rescue Squad and Henderson County EMS also responded. Definitely appreciate the mutual aid, he said. It was vital to this call because our ladder truck is down right now, in the shop. We had one on the back side and one on the front side. It was definitely hot. Had a lot going on, had a lot of occupants here who were evacuated. We were laying 5-inch hose in the street so we had to worry about cars running over them. The city fire department got a second structure fire call around 8 a.m. on Somerset Drive off Asheville Highway while the entire on-duty force was still at the Sixth Avenue Apartments. Fletcher, Valley Hill and Mountain Home units responded to that call. Luckily that wasnt nothing major but I believe we had someone burned in that call, Vindigni said. Barb Pearson stood at her four-shaft loom Saturday inside the Shrine Auditorium, weaving a vivid blue scarf as she explained how it is done. Pearson and her husband, Craig, co-owners of Side by Side Weavers in Powell, Wyoming, were one of more than 30 vendors at the venue for the daylong Prairie Handspinners Fiber Fest. The second annual event is sponsored by the Prairie Handspinners Guild of Billings. She pointed to the shafts at the top of the loom and the metal heddles through which she threads the yarn. She passed the shaft first with her right hand and then back the other way with her left. And depending upon how she puts it all together, she could create a variety of weaves. On this day, she chose a basic weave because you get interrupted and its hard to keep track. But Pearson pulled out another scarf with a much more complicated weave. This pattern is called cats tracks and snails trails, and both the paw prints and the twisting trails were easy to see. All around the room, vendors from around Montana and northern Wyoming showed off the fruits of their labor, from fiber ready to be spun into yarn to a rainbow color of yarn skeins, as well as the finished products. Hats, scarves, sweaters, rugs and other items were for sale. Others, like Pearson, demonstrated how to weave or spin, and gladly shared their knowledge with visitors to the fiber fest. Almost all the vendors returned from last year, said event co-char Julie Norman, and the total number is up. Which says theyre supportive and its a venue that was needed, Norman said. Some of them said one of the big things was they got to meet and see people all at one event. The guild has about 40 active members, she said. They have been the biggest social outlet group that Ive found yet, said Norman, who moved to Billings a couple of years ago. Theyre very down-to-earth, welcoming people. Norman started knitting before she was a teen, and about eight years ago she began to spin, as well. When you start working with yarn its kind of a gateway to other things, she said. It kind of feels like youre connected to the past. Heather Johnson, the other co-chair, is a registered nurse who works in a hospital emergency department. She looks forward to spinning fiber into yarn when she gets off her shift. For me its very soothing, Johnson said. I can have the most horrible day, come home and sit down and spin for 10 minutes and all of the tension and stress is just gone. A spinner for 35 years, Johnson finds a deep satisfaction in taking the fiber and making a yarn and then knitting that into a piece to give away. Youre giving a gift of love, or youre purchasing a gift of love because its so labor intensive that its just very special, she said. Johnson stepped over to a table labeled the petting zoo, which contained different types of wool that can be spun into yarn. They included sheep, yak, angora goat, alpaca, buffalo, camel, rabbit, bamboo and flax. You can spin anything, Johnson said. I actually have spun cotton of a cottonwood tree, just for the heck of it. Anya Johnson, 17, (no relation to Heather Johnson) who lives in the Lavina area, is the youngest member of the Prairie Handspinners Guild. She was at the fiber fest Saturday with her mother, checking out the variety of yarns. Johnson watched spinners and learned from her mom to take up the hobby herself. She, too, finds spinning relaxing. And she also enjoys demonstrating the skill at the annual Renaissance Festival in Billings and the county fair. Mainly people ask me how old I am, and the kids, their eyes just pop and theyre like what are you doing? she said. When I say Im spinning, they go are you spinning straw?' Johnson, who also enjoys crocheting, has used fiber from her own sheep to make hats, scarves, blankets and baby booties. She likes the idea of the full-circle gifts she makes. It goes from our sheep, something that weve raised, to something that we sheared, processed, spun and then made ourselves, she said. Craig Pearson stood in the booth he shared with his wife, talking to passersby about the rugs he weaves. Some are made out of washable material, like cotton and polyester, and others out of Pendleton wool. It takes almost 10 hours for him to load his loom and then another eight to weave the rug. But he enjoys the work, as well as getting out to events such as the fiber best. "I like things like this because I like talking to people, especially when they buy my rugs," Pearson said, smiling. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 19:43:55|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close HONG KONG, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine House of Representatives delegation arrived in Hong Kong Sunday for a dialogue with the Overseas Filipinos Workers (OFWs). Head of the seven-member delegation Pia Cayetano, who is one of the 14 deputy speakers of the Philippine House of Representatives, told Xinhua that their main purpose is listening to the OFWs who have concerns on their family relations and other issues and the delegation has met representatives of the OFWs. The Philippines is a major source country for domestic helpers in Hong Kong. Latest data shows there are about 189,000 Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong by 2016, accounting for 54 percent of the overall foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government recently raised the minimum allowable wage for FDHs in Hong Kong by 2.3 percent to 4,410 HK dollars (about 565 U.S. dollars) per month. Cayetano said she is happy with the wage increase as it reflects the hard work and service of the FDHs have been recognized. The delegation will leave Hong Kong on Monday. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 19:53:57|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Syria's war killed at least 3,000 people including 955 civilians in September, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday. Over 70 percent of the civilians were killed in airstrikes, the monitor's head Rami Abdel Rahman said. The forces of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad are pressing a battle to retake Islamic State-controlled areas in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour. A U.S.-led coalition has been providing air support to a Kurdish-Arab alliance also fighting the jihadists in its former northern bastion of Raqa city and Deir al-Zour. The number of people killed in September was higher due to increased fighting and "intensified air raids against jihadist bastions in the north and east of Syria, Abdel Rahman said. The 955 civilians killed in September included 207 children, said the observatory, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria for its information. Syria's conflict has killed more than 330,000 people and displaced millions since it broke out in 2011. Rachel Carson's expose shocked the world. And we're better for it Comedian and actor Dave Chappelle has officially been granted the esteemed honor of receiving the Key to The City in his hometown of Washington D.C. It was on Friday [September 29] that Chappelle was awarded by Mayor Muriel Bowser at his alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, from which he graduated in 1971. Some very special native Washingtonians have dedicated their lives to making Washington, D.C. better, and theyve gone above and beyond to show others what makes the nations capital the best city in the world, said Mayor Bowser during the ceremony. Dave Chappelle reminds us what it means to live a life filled with purpose, meaning, and laughter. While Chappelle received the honor, he also presented the school with a gift of his own, giving the institution his very first Emmy, an award he won this year in the category for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance during his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live. I want you guys to have this, Dave said as he addressed the group of students and spectators gathered at the school during his acceptance of the Key to the City. Just so you know that even though the odds are widely against you, this can happen for you if you guys just stay true to yourselves. So this is the peoples Emmy, and every once in a while, just take a look at it and just know I started earning this Emmy at this school. The episode in question featured his controversial opening monologue on the heels of the 2016 election in which he referred to the newly-elected president as an internet troll, and stated (and later recanted) that he would give Donald Trump a chance while tactically and seamlessly touching on topics that included the years tragic mass shootings, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the death of Harambe the silverback gorilla. Right now, you guys are making your future and this is a very important time in your life, Chappelle added. And you guys got to be kind to each other and you guys have to help each other get through these times, so youll be successful. DC Louisiana rapper Kevin Gates is currently sitting in a Chicago prison, serving 30 more months in jail due to gun possession charges. The last project Gates dropped was Murder for Hire 2 back in May of 2016. Despite being behind bars, the rapper has still been able to give his fans with music, thanks in part to his wife and business partner Dreka Gates. She vowed to put the project together while her husband was in prison. She took to Twitter and divulged how she felt about the responsibility of putting By Any Means 2 together while maintaining Kevin Gates artistic integrity. By Any Means boasted no features, the sequel continues in that same vein, containing only one feature from PnB Rock on the R&B-leaning Beautiful Scars, which he dropped last week. The 14-song project also includes previously-released singles like No Love and What If. Before the announcement of his new mixtape, Gates released a music video for What If as an open letter to his fans. The letter read, Dear loyal family, Disallow yourselves to be troubled in my time of absence. All of the great ones who came before and will come after me: Have had to go through this. by this I am speaking in reference to hardship. A great person is measured by all of the great test they can undergo and still remain to to who they are. What that being said, Im home. I love you all. In closing I remain the same. Forever, Kevin Gates. Gates spits introspective wisdom and poetic imagery that keeps the listener hooked on each verse. Each track weaves into the next to create a cohesive story. While there have been no announcements of any more releases, Gates isnt up for parole until June 2018, so hopefully By Any Means 2 will tide you over until then. Take a look at Gates most introspective lyrics on By Any Means 2 below. No Love Niggas want a feature, they gon holler Gates Niggas want protection, they gon say my name Niggas want some fame, stand on side of Gates I can see the snakes, nigga you too late The first taste we got from Gates mixtape was spicy. Its clear Gates has No Love for his haters while hes behind bars, a feeling that is enhanced by the dynamic production, over which his menacing lyrics create a compelling vibe. Reaffirming his boss status, Gates may not be leaving prison anytime soon, but that wont stop him from giving his fans new music. What If What if God is one of us (What if God is one of us) Just a thug like one of us (Just a thug like one of us) Getting it out the mud like one of us (Out the mud) Making calls to the plug like one of us Trapping Joan Osbornes One Of Us, Gates raps about his personal life, the media, and his relationship with God. The beautiful music video was directed by Walu and includes a scene of confrontation between a group of young black men and police officers while Gates sings What if God is one of us/ Just a thug like one of us. The video ends with an image of the handwritten letter Gates wrote to his fans. Had Too Hoes only know that you a lie Stunt on all ten like you a tall one One thing you are not is a coward Speaking to his son Khaza, Gates tells him not to be afraid of anyone and to trust in his own strength. Gates has stated in that past that he takes care of himself and doesnt need security or an entourage. That aura only strengths his image as a complete boss, unafraid of anything that may come across his path. Beautiful Scars If I had to I would do it again My partner died but on my arm he still lives I wear my heart on my skin, cant forget where I been You gave me scars Beautiful scars Reflecting on the tough lessons that have influenced his life, Gates verses detail how those teachings that came to him on the streets or from the soul of a woman have affected him. The song features PnB Rock as well, who delivers the hook embodying Gates emotions. He wears his heart on his sleeve and, if that wasnt made clear from his lyrics elsewhere on the project, the sentiment is felt sharply on this track. Imagine That When Im alone in my room Sometimes I stare at the wall And in the back of my mind I hear my conscience call Quoted from LL Cool Js 1987 I Need Love, Gates refers to the time hes spending in his cell reflecting on his past, present, and future. These lines have been quoted in songs like Make It Go Right, by Childish Gambino, Commons Sum S**t I Wrote, and many more. It also lets us see a softer, more vulnerable side to Gates who normally gives off a hard, seemingly impenetrable vibe. No Trust I cant even trust my heat, cause sometimes that bitch jams And everybody that I meet swear that they gon hold it down And every bitch I thought I loved took my heart and went crash And every time I was away, she had dealings with the past Reaffirming the sentiments that he shared with fans and listeners on No Love, Gates clearly hasnt got time for bullshit. Keeping to himself, his guard is high realizing he cant trust his gun, friends, or women. Its a portrait of how lonely and isolated the rapper, who keeps up a powerful outer shell, can be at times. Jus Wanna And I just wanna take you home and lay you down And I used to deal with your padre, a long time ago Since then I moved on, but I still deal dope Takin trips out to Bogota, I used to catch hard sales I was in love with your madre comida Now I got my own cartel This song digs deeper into another Kevin Gates song called Plugs Daughter. While Plugs Daughter, focuses on the hustle, Jus Wanna, is a reflection of a relationship Gates had when he was younger. Feeling nostalgic, Gates talks about where they used to play as kids and how he learned the trade (and possibly the hustle in general) from her father. D U Down Ran off on the plug, I was touching her to Plies Referencing Plies song Ran Off The Plug Twice, Gates is feeling the central female character. While one may think that the song is talking about a drug supplier, when Plies says running off the plug, it means to congratulate someone on a smart move. Including meaningful rhymes around nearly every corner of this album? Smart move by Gates indeed. Young Dolph has delivered a short but encouraging message to fans after being shot in L.A. last week. Its DOLPH! the rapper wrote on Twitter along with a collection of dolphin emojis, suggesting that he is in good spirits after being hospitalized for multiple gunshot wounds. Its still entirely unclear where Dolph is in the recovery process, but the tweet seems like a good sign that his health has improved. On September 27th, one day after Dolph was shot, FOXs Bill Melugin reported that the rapper would recover from his injuries. LAPD said Young Dolph will likely remain critical for a couple days after taking gunshots to torso, but will survive, he wrote. While it was initially reported that Dolph was hit in the torso area, TMZ later cited sources that claimed Dolph was hit at least twice in one of his arms and his butt. He underwent surgery the night he was shot. Shooting suspect, 43-year-old Corey McClendon, has been released after being booked for suspicion of attempted murder Wednesday. Under California law, if you are arrested and booked and no charges are filed within 48 hours, you have to be released, said spokesman for the Los Angeles District Attorneys office, Greg Risling. According to the report, McClendon was released after prosecutors asked for further investigation. While it was initially reported that fellow Memphis rapper Yo Gotti had been named a person of interest in the shooting, Detective Megan Aguilar stated that the information was inaccurate. According to Aguilar, there has not been solid evidence to suggest the men who were present when Dolph was shot are affiliated with Gotti. In February, Dolph escaped unharmed after he was shot at over 100 times in Charlotte. Page Content While in New York on 27 September to deliver an aviation security briefing to the United Nations Security Council, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres. Secretary General Guterres greatly appreciated how unified the Security Council States had been regarding ICAOs global activities and leadership in the field of aviation security, and how this unity so exemplified the spirit and effectiveness of the multilateralism on which the UN is founded. Dr. Liu expressed in turn how essential multilateralism is to everything which ICAO works toward, whether in the fields of aviation security or the optimizing of the socio-economic benefits of aviation connectivity in aid of governments achievement of Agenda 2030. She and SG Guterres discussed how States ICAO compliance and level of aviation development can greatly aid their achievement of the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and ICAOs many efforts being undertaken to optimize this healthy cycle of investment and enhanced prosperity. Also discussed were UN gender equality objectives and the respective progress being made in ICAO and UN-wide towards the current targets and priorities established. SG Guterres was grateful for an update on ICAOs numerous gender equality programmes and initiatives, and the secretaries general further discussed the overall efficiency and effectiveness by which UN agencies are currently delivering services to Member States, enhanced ICAO/UN cooperation in areas related to security and the environment, and recent geopolitical concerns in ICAOs Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East (MID) Regions. File photo shows students at a primary school in Kajiado county, Kenya, on Oct. 28, 2016. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) by Ejidiah Wangui NAIROBI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The youth clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) that happens to be Kenya's largest referral health facility, was full of young adults busy on their cell phones as they chatted with friends. Caroline Pulei was one of the parents accompanying her 15-year-old daughter to see a psychiatrist. It happened to be her daughter's fifth mental review by the psychiatrist. "Our journey to the clinic begun late last year, my daughter was initially diagnosed with anxiety disorder but the situation worsened in January when the schools re-opened after the long December holidays. I had to move her from a boarding to a day school as at some point she was put on suicide watch," Pulei told Xinhua. According to Silas Kiriinya, a counseling psychologist, Pulei's daughter is among a growing number of Kenyan teenagers sinking into depression every passing day. Out of every five of the teenagers he counsels, Kiriinya told Xinhua, one has a worst case of depression. "It is very sad that our children are getting depressed and the situation is worrying as these cases are on the rise," he said. Unlike a few years ago when such cases in the East African nation were mostly prevalent among the adult population, the cases have now shifted to teenagers. Kiriinya cited academic performance as one of the greatest contributors to the rising numbers, a reason Pulei concurred with. "There is too much pressure in our education system and the expectations on these children is too high. Like in my daughter's case, the psychiatrist linked her case to the pressure she was getting in school as she was in a national school where reputation and performance go hand in hand," she added. But even as much of the blame goes to academic pressure, Kiriinya says parents' absence in their children's lives especially in the formative stages can trigger depression later in life. "There are isolated cases of drug and substance use which can induce depression, but there are so many cases caused by the emptiness that crops up from the mere lack of parental connection while growing up. One of the things I encourage most of my clients to do is to spend more time with their children and be open-minded," explained Kiriinya. Majority of depression cases in Kenyan children and the youth can be traced to school, where children are bullied by their colleagues and punished by teachers. Symptoms of depression in children and the youth are irritation and anger, always misinterpreted as bad behavior. In any given week, a Kenyan teenager is put on suicide watch. According to John Kirui, a science teacher at a school based in Kenya's Capital Nairobi, the depression and anxiety disorder cases among Kenyan teenagers is a ticking time bomb. "I have dealt with more than 10 depression cases in the last two years in our school, and these were the worst ones that called for immediate intervention. The situation is worrying as it is," Kirui told Xinhua. He further stated that denial by parents that their children need psychiatric help is also partly to blame for the rising suicide cases. "Parents aren't always ready to face the reality. Not many receive the news that their children need mental check-up well, most of them go for other health interventions that don't matter and by the time, they are agreeing to take the mental check-up route, the situation is almost getting out of hand," explained Kirui. Early this year, Kenya was ranked sixth with the highest number of depression cases among African countries by a World Health Organization report. The report indicated that the number of people with depression had increased by 18 percent from 2005. Nigeria was leading in depressive disorders cases, with more than 7 million people affected, followed by Ethiopia with 4 million, Democratic Republic of Congo was in the third position with 2.8 million cases. We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector We work towards an equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 20:29:05|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close SUVA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama on Sunday congratulates China for celebrating the 68th anniversary of the founding of the country. "I am delighted to be here this morning to celebrate this special day on the Chinese calendar, as you mark 68 years since the establishment of the People's Republic of China," Bainimarama said at the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations held by local Chinese Fijians. "I am honored, on behalf of the Fijian people, to take part in this special occasion surrounded by so many members of our Chinese Fijian community," he said. Describing the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival as "a proud Chinese tradition" that gives people all the chance to reflect on the bonds of family, friendship, community and thanksgiving, the prime minister said that these are values that every Fijian cherishes. He also thanked Chinese Fijians for the contributions they have made to help develop the South Pacific island state's prosperity. "Thank you for your contributions to our national life, and I hope that our future, as fellow Fijians, is filled with blessings and even greater prosperity," he said. For his part, Chinese ambassador to Fiji Zhang Ping said China and Fiji share profound friendship. The two countries have long endeavored to develop friendly exchanges and cooperation based on the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit with the aim of promoting common development. The ambassador expressed his appreciation and thanks to the Fijian government and Prime Minister Bainimarama for the care and support that they have given to the Chinese community as well as to the China-Fiji relations. Organized by the Chinese Association of Fiji, the celebrations were attended by over 700 Chinese Fijians and guests from the Fijian government. Piyush Goyal Twitter Handle New Delhi, Oct 1 (IBNS): After 23 people were killed in Mumbai's Elphinstone railway station stampede, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has declared a series of safety measures putting passenger safety as a top priority. The declared decisions were taken in a high-level meeting on Railways Safety in Mumbai on Saturday. As a part of the decisions taken, Goyal said that Foot Over Bridges (FOBs), platforms and pathways on platform end to have highest priority as safety items with no budgetary restriction. After the stampede, additional escalators have been sanctioned at crowded Mumbai suburban stations and thereafter for all high traffic stations. During the meeting, Goyal said: "Every commuter of Mumbai Suburban is as important as a Rajdhani Passenger and should be treated like one." "With actionable measures, Govt. will ensure that every Mumbaikar get the best of "Suraksha" & "Suvidha" while travelling in suburban trains," said he. The toll in Mumbai's Elphinstone railway station stampede rose to 23 on Sunday after a person succumbed to his injuries on Saturday. The tragedy occurred on Friday morning on a narrow footbridge linking Elphinstone Road and Parel suburban railway stations. Altogether 38 people were also injured. Police officials attributed the stampede to the rains and overcrowding. TV grab Guwahati, Oct 1 (IBNS): The Assam Police has registered a case against a retired soldier, who served the country for 30 years, after he has been accused of being an illegal migrant from Bangladesh. The case will be heard by the foreigners' tribunal on Oct 13. Mohd Azmal Haque, who lives in Chayyagaon in Assam, retired as a Junior Commissioned Officer last year. Speaking to NDTV channel, he said, "I am very sad, I cried a lot. My soul is broken... After 30 years of service I have to face such insult. If I were an illegal Bangladeshi, how could I serve the Indian army?" He said that before joining the Indian Army police verification is mandatory, which was done in his case as well. Guwahati, Oct 1 (IBNS): An ex-army serviceman in Assam, who served the Indian Army for 30 years, has been asked to prove that he is an Indian citizen. The reports came to light after the foreigners tribunal in Assams Kamrup district has summoned Mohammad Azmal Haque, who was appointed as the Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Indian Army by former President APJ Abdul Kalam , to appear before the court on October 13 next with documents to prove that he is an Indian citizen. Azmal Haque, a retired ex-army engineer, received a notice from the foreigners tribunal last month asking him to appear before the court with documents that he is not an illegal migrant from Bangladesh living in India and an Indian citizen by birth. The foreigners tribunal asked Azmal to appear before the court before Sept 11 in the case no BFT 1082/2016, but he received the notice after the expiry date. Later, Azmal received another notice from the foreigners tribunal and asking him to appear before the court on October 13 next. Earlier Azmals wife Mumtaz Begum had also to go through the same process in 2012, when Azmal was serving in Chandigarh as a mechanical engineer. The notice sent to Azmal Haque states that he was came in India illegally after 1971 from Bangladesh. But, Azmal Haque said that, his father Maqbool Ali was an Indian citizen. This incident has saddened me a lot. My fathers name was in the 1966 voters list and have the kheraj patta from 1963. My mother Rahimon Nesas name was also included in the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC). I was served the Indian Army for 30 years. I am an Indian, Azmal Haque said. On the other hand, a Guwahati based lawyer Aman Wadud has shared some documents of Azmal Haques family on Twitter and said that Azmal Haque was born in Kamrup district in 1968. The lawyer also mentioned that, Azmal Haque now lives at Kolosikash village under Chaygaon police station in Kamrup district. Azmal Haque joined the Indian Army in 1986 as a mechanical engineer and he was appointed as a JCO by former President APJ Abdul Kalam on January 19, 2003 in the rank of Naib-Subedar. The lawyer said that, Azmal Haques son studies in the prestigious Rashtriya Indian Military College in Dehradun. Earlier, a foreigners tribunal had summoned an Assam Police constable Abu Taher Ahmed from South Salmara police station in Assam-Bangladesh bordering district Dhubri, to prove that he is an Indian citizen. Later the tribunal held him an Indian citizen. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) Chennai, Oct 01 (IBNS) Southern superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Hasaan, both of whom are likely to begin a new chapter in their lives as rival politicians, on Sunday shared the stage at the inauguration of late movie star turned politician Sivaji Ganesan's memorial in Chennai. The two actors spice up the event with their jokes while Rajinikanth said fame and money alone were not enough in politics. Speaking on the occasion he said "if you have to succeed in politics, merely name, fame, and money are not enough, it is something else that is required." He said something bigger transforms an actor into a politician and then went on to say in a lighter vein that "may be Kamal Haasan knows what it is." In his humorous best, the actor said "may be two months ago if he had asked this question he [Kamal] would have answered but now, when I ask him, he says come with me, and Ill tell you." Later speaking at the occasion, Kamal Hassan took a dig at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Palaniswami for his absence at the inauguration in which deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam was present. Kamal Hassan said there is no need to pressurize anyone to respect Sivaji Ganesan. He said he would have come here even if he was not invited and would have waited outside. Sivaji was an actor whose popularity and influence goes beyond politics. We need not request or beg anyone to unveil this statue," he said. Sivaji Ganesan memorial is a memorial for late Tamil actor Sivaji Ganesan, located on Durgabai Deshmukh Road in Adyar, a southern neighbourhood of Chennai. The memorial was built by the Public Works Department in 2017 at a cost of INR 28 million. The memorial is spread over 28,300 square feet. The building is built in the Dravidian style of architecture, adorned with domes. The memorial also houses a statue of the actor. The memorial complex also consists of a reverse osmosis plant for drinking water needs. The 2.35-metre-high bronze statue of the actor previously installed on Kamarajar Salai (Marina Beach) in 2006 was shifted to the memorial in August 2017. Patna, Oct 1 (The Bihar Post/ IBNS): Angry villagers lynched a criminal accused of shooting dead RJD leader Minhaj Khan in Siwan district of Bihar last night. Khan, who was district general secretary of the RJD (Youth Wing), was shot dead in July last. He was considered close to Mohammad Shahabuddin. According to reports in the local media, the local villagers tried to catch the main accused Raja Khan after they saw him going on a bike but seeing them chasing, he jumped into a pond. Subsequently, he took shelter in the house of a local villager but the police surrounded the house from all sides. Reports said when the police asked him to surrender, he resorted to firing on the police. One of the bullets later hit a village as a result of which the local villagers went berserk. Angry villagers then broke open the house, caught the accused and beat him to death. The victim was wanted in many cases lodged with the police. thebiharpost.com Nuclear Shutdown News September 2017 blackrainpress [at] hotmail.com) by Michael Steinberg Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear power industry in the US and abroad and highlights the efforts of those who are working for a nuclear free world. Here is our September 217 report. As Hurricanes Batter the Caribbean and Southeast US, Nuke Plants in Texas And Florida Refuse To Shut Down, Heightening Risk To Already Devastated Communities. On September 19 the Austin (TX) American-Statesman ran this story "South Texas Project stayed open during Hurricane Harvey." South Texas Project is a nuclear plant with two reactors near Bay City, TX on the Gulf Coast, 90 miles from Houston.It has been operating since the late 1980s. Austin Energy is one of three utilities that owns it. The newspaper article's subtitle was "Some question decision to keep Texas nuclear plant open during Harvey." The American Statesman reported, "An evacuation of surrounding areas and flooding fears kept the plant's storm crew in the plant for nine days." But management had planned for a stay of only three days and the A-E also reported "the Colorado River is only two miles away" and "it was forecast to crest a week after the storm hit." Fortunately the floodwaters didn't reach the plant, so the nuke kept operating at 100%. But Kathy Hedden, director of Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) told the American-Statesman "the risk wasn't worth keeping the plant running." And although winds "topped off at 40 mph--well below the 73 mph that would have triggered mandatory shutdown for the nuke, the paper reported. "tornadoes touched down just miles from the site." Kathy Hedden asserted "The South Texas Plant nuclear reactors, 90 miles south of Houston, could have shut down to ensure our health and safety, but instead played radioactive roulette. They prioritized profit and continued operating. Picture a nuclear disaster on top of that." The situation was much the same in Florida as Hurricane Flora roared in. Florida Power & Light, owner of the Turkey Point and St. Lucie nuke plants, each with two reactors, was preparing to shut them down during the storm. But when winds fell to less than hurricane force, and the utility wasn't required by law to take them offline, FPL kept them running full force, except when a faulty valve at one Turkey Point reactor closed it down. By the way, both reactors at Turkey Point are over 40 years old, as is one of St. Lucie's. On September 11 Newsweek reported that FPL had been "operating during Irma although the plant had not met federal safety requirements implemented after Fukushima." The Fukushima catastrophe in March 2011 followed a severe earthquake and tsunami, resulting in the meltdown of three of its reactors and a disaster that continues today. Although nuclear plants produce electricity, they are also dependent on outside sources for electrical power as well. If the grid is down, the risk of serious accidents can increase.Newsweek consulted two nuclear experts on this matter. David Lochbaum is director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The pump room is the Achilles Heel at Turkey Point," he commented. "Without Cooling Water during an accident, workers must deploy backup to the backup system. At Fukushima workers were unable to accomplish this task in time to prevent the reactor core from overheating." And Maggie Gundersen, co-founder of Fairewind Energy and Education, like Lochbaum a former high level nuclear employee, added ""When there's a possibility to lose power, why would you take the risk of that? That's just hubris and a hug risk to the population." Sources" Austin American-Statesman, mystatesman.com; Newsweek, newsweek.com Tuesday, Apr 7th, 2015 (2:31 am) - Score 319,503 Sigh, it happened again, I was in the middle of streaming a movie over the home WiFi network while simultaneously making toast in the kitchen, and suddenly it stopped. Moments later a little icon pops up to torment me with the news, Internet Connection Lost!, it exclaims while clearly oblivious to my snorting sounds of frustration. Where did it go? Who took my Internet? And if its lost, how can I find it again? Thankfully the answer soon presented itself in the form of a shrill cry from my wife upstairs, Keith, I cant get online and oh.. the cat is sitting on our router again!. Eureka! You see if theres one thing that wireless radio signals dont like, its penetrating through the thick fleshy torso of a mildly overweight, if tremendously cuddly, feline called Pebbles, who over the years has developed somewhat of a fondness for the flashing lights and warm curved outer surface of our router. Im pleased to report that we have since solved this problem, largely by encircling the router with orange peel and removing Pebbles to a new location under the radiator (apparently inside a pair of my trousers.. and yes, they are clean). But lately Pebbles has taken to eating the Orange peel and so going forward we might require a new solution. But the episode did get me to thinking, what other ways might there be to improve the reception of our home wireless network? After all, lets face it, WiFi connectivity problems are perhaps one of modern technologies most common plagues. But there are quite a lot of things you can try in order to resolve this and most of them are free. The Top WiFi Performance Tips Before we get started I feel as if an important piece of general advice is not to buy the cheapest kit you can find and never buy an imported router with an unrecognised brand name. Many of the cheapest WiFi routers are poorly built and often struggle to handle more than 5 devices at any one time, which can result in repeated disconnections or other performance woes. Some routers from other countries may also harness different power levels that arent strictly allowed in the UK. Generally good routers can be had from around 30+ and so for most people theyre not going to break the bank, although this will somewhat depend upon precisely what you want to do with the kit. The top-end home routers will set you back up to 200 for lots of features and the highest specifications, but most people dont need all the extras. But if you dont fancy using WiFi at all and want something different then have a read of our earlier article The Best Home Alternatives to WiFi Wireless Networks. Take note that WiFi also adds a little extra latency to your Internet connection (slightly slower response times), although this is less of an issue with modern kit. 1. Consider the Radio Spectrum Choice Generally speaking home WiFi networks most typically operate over two radio spectrum frequency bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz (Gigahertz). Future networks may also make use of the 60GHz (802.11ad) band but weve yet to see those. Some routers will allow you to use either 2.4GHz or 5GHz, while others make an automatic decision on your behalf, but in both cases you need to know the key difference. Lower frequency spectrum like 2.4GHz is the most commonly used and also penetrates further through walls, although it cant carry as much data. In other words youre more likely to connect using 2.4GHz and thats especially true at the edges of your networks reach. Meanwhile if you live in a busy urban area then there could similarly be a lot of congestion in the airwaves and this can hamper performance. By comparison 5GHz can carry more data (faster), yet the higher frequency means that it will struggle to penetrate through walls and thus the coverage is lower. On the other hand, fewer people currently have 5GHz capable kit than 2.4GHz. Put another way, if your router gives you the choice and the lower coverage still works for your needs, then it may be better to use 5GHz as fewer nearby networks will conflict (this is also a bonus for security and lowers congestion for your neighbours). However, in order to take advantage of the above selection, your adapter, laptop, smartphone, tablet computer or other WiFi capable device will need to also support the chosen spectrum band in order to benefit. For example, selecting 5GHz is pointless if your Smartphone only supports 2.4GHz etc. But remember, the performance of your network will reduce based upon how far you are away and how many physical obstacles (walls etc.) are placed between you and the router. Well come back to discuss spectrum again when we talk about channel choice in point no.4. Pro Tip: When buying a router the WiFi speed claim they give (e.g. 300Mbps, 900Mbps, 2.3Gbps etc.) is usually a combined aggregated score for both bands together, but if you cant make good use of the 5GHz band or vice versa for 2.4GHz then a big chunk of that may not be available to you. 2. Pick the Right WiFi Specification One of the single most frustrating things about WiFi is the often perplexing array of different standards and performance claims involved. Apparently it was too much to have a simple version number designation like 3G and 4G on mobile networks (4G is newer than 3G etc.), so instead we get things like 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ac-2013 and so forth. The Fixed Broadband Wireless page explains this in more detail, but as a general rule the most commonly sold hardware today goes a bit like this (experiences do vary due to different implementations and custom enhancements): 802.11g (up to 54Mbps+), 802.11n (up to 300 600Mbps) and 802.11ac (Gigabit / 1000Mbps+ speeds). With Cygnett's USB-C ChargeUp Pro Power Bank able to easily charge MacBook and MacBook Pro, Lenovo Yoga, HP, Dell, Galaxy S8, Note 8, Google Pixel and more, does the C stand for USB-Cygnett? When it comes to reliable power and quality accessories, Cygnett has has always been a solid and reputable brand, with great products at realistic prices, from cases to battery packs to Apple Watch bands to in-car accessories and plenty more, with the company's products even designed in Melbourne, Australia! You only need look at Cygnett's site to confirm this for yourself the company and its staff clearly aren't spending their days swanning around, but are hard at work creating the next generation of products consumers take for granted will be available in stores for them to buy. Of course, many of Cygnett's competitors are hard at work, too, and I've written about them before, and will again, but today we're taking a look at Cygnett's latest product, a claimed Australian first, not just with enough power to juice up not just the the latest range of USB-C powered smartphones and tablets, but MacBooks and Windows PCs, too. That device is Cygnett's USB-C 20,000 mAh ChargeUp Pro Power Bank with an impressive 45W USB-C output allowing you to easily and safely charge up on the go. Indeed, it's has three USB outputs two USB-A outputs one of which delivers QuickCharge 3.0 compatibility, delivering 75% faster charging times, and a USB-C connector with Power Delivery (PD), with all three outputs naturally able to be used at the same time. Power Delivery delivers enough power to charge laptops with 45W of power, three times the 15W power of a standard USB-C port, with the following devices PD compatible: MacBook 12 MacBook Pro 13 MacBook Pro 15 HP x360 Dell XPS 13 Lenovo Yoga iPad Pro 10.5/12.9* Google Pixel Nintendo Switch Google Chromebook Pixel Google Pixel XL Huawei P8 Huawei nova Huawei Mate 8 Huawei P9 LG G5 HTC 10 Nokia N1 Tablet Google Pixel C And many others I looked at Cygnett's site, but can't see what the asterisk for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro indicates, but I'll find out and update this article accordingly. In addition, given the fact that Apple sells a USB-C to Lightning charger, Cygnett's new power bank may even enable iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X fast charging again, I'll have to check with Cygnett to confirm, but it does sound like it would be compatible with that feature. As for devices supported by QC 3.0 and/or 2.0, these include: Samsung Galaxy S8/plus Samsung Galaxy S7/Edge Samsung Galaxy S6/plus Samsung Tab S3 Galaxy Note 8 Galaxy Note 5 Galaxy Note 4 Google Nexus 5X/6P HTC U11 HTC U Ultra HTC One A9 Microsoft Lumia 950/XL LG G5 LG G6 Sony Xperia XZ, Sony Xperia X Sony Xperia Z2 Sony Xperia Z3 Sony Xperia Z4 Sony Xperia Z5 And many others. As you'd expect, the ChargeUp Pro Power Bank automatically detects the device it has been plugged into and delivers the exact amount of power required, enabling the fastest and safest charge possible. It delivers a total 63W output (max) across three USB outputs 1 x 45W USB-C (PD), 1 x 18W USB-A (QC3.0 is delivered via the blue highlighted port on the unit) and 1 x 10W USB-A port. The aforementioned Nintendo Switch Rapid charging happens at 39W. You can do an impressive "10 smartphone charges, 2 tablet charges and 1 laptop charge before it needs recharging" thanks to the capacious 20,000mAh Lithium Polymer battery, and with a 4-LED display, you'll know how much charge is within before needing to recharge. Now available at $169.95, this may well be the best and most versatile pocketable charger on the planet, and is sure to be a very popular item on the market. Some product specs are below, but check out Cygnett's Charge Up Pro Power Bank page for more. Turn phone sideways to see full image when viewing on mobile: Product Specifications: Reddit Email 88 Shares By Zoran Radosavljevic | EURACTIV.com China announced on Thursday (28 September) it would start phasing out fossil fuel cars and set a 10% minimum quota of new energy vehicles in 2019, in a move European industry groups called a game changer and a wake-up call for Europe. China, the worlds largest car market, has set the 2019 new energy vehicles sales quota for automakers at 10% of their annual vehicle sales for that year. In 2020, the quota will rise to 12% of annual sales. Chinas ministry of industry and information technology said that producers, as well as importers, would need to prove that at least 10% of the cars they sell in 2019 are new energy vehicles or pay hefty fines. These comprise electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Todays announcement by Chinais a game changer in decarbonising transport and a wake-up call to the EU to not be left behind in cleaning up its car fleet, the sustainable transport group Transport & Environment (T&E) said in a statement. This is the single most important piece of EV legislation globally, said Colin McKerracher, a London-based analyst at research organisation Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Its time to switch gears on electric vehicle uptake across Europe Next weeks European Mobility Week in Brussels provides a good opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved to date, and what is still required to enable and accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles in Europe, write Hans De Keulenaer and Diego Garcia Carvajal. Julia Hildermeier, clean vehicles and e-mobility officer at T&E, said Europes car industry was over-relying on diesel and changing too slowly. European carmakers obsession with diesel means theyre now scrambling to comply with the Chinese rules. If Europe wants to keep a strong, competitive car industry, well need to make sure investments and manufacturing in plug-in cars happen in Europe, not just in Asia. Thats why a European sales target for zero-emission vehicles is essential, she said. The European Commission is expected to reveal a draft EU CO2 emissions standards for cars in November. In 2016, average CO2 emissions in the EU stood at 118 grams per kilometre, making it difficult to reach the 2021 target of 95 grams, according to ACEA, the association of European automakers. ACEAs secretary-general Erik Jonnaert told reporters on Wednesday the group was pushing for a further 20% reduction in CO2 emissions from the 2021 baseline, as a target for 2030. Preferably, he said, there should be a mid-term review in 2025, conditional on the real market uptake of electric rechargeable vehicles, which will in turn depend on the accessibility and availability of the charging and refuelling infrastructure, as well as on the prices of electric car batteries. Study: Poor marketing and choice of electric vehicles undermines Europe sales Ask any electric car lover in Europe why the car of the future is making such a slow advance on the Old Continent and they will probably point to a lack of charging networks and high prices. T&Es Hildermeier said Chinas decision was a sure sign that zero-emission vehicles are the future. Jonnaert said European car industry was not living in denial but things should not happen overnight. We need to embrace decarbonisation, everyone is doing that. You will see the market changing big time, but there has got to be a role for diesel. In the bigger picture of the entire transport sector, diesel will certainly have a role to play for commercial vehicles, trucks. He also said the European industry feared unfair competition from some of the Chinese players on the European markets. They are heavily subsidised back home and can come to European markets with products at lower prices. But he stressed that although China was moving faster, Europe continues to lead the pack in terms of technology. Patents prove that. We are confident that with all the expertise and know-how we already have, our industry will do extremely well and will see its models bought in the US and in China, he concluded. A new German law hopes to make it more attractive to drive electric cars in Germany. [EON Vertrieb/Flickr] EU car makers join others in pleading for slower electric vehicle action by China The European car industry may soon face a stiff challenge at home and abroad from Chinese electric vehicles. Faced with Chinas unwavering plan to accelerate the introduction of electric and hybrid cars, European manufacturers have joined forces with other global producers to plead with Beijing for a less ambitious roadmap. Via Euractiv.com Related video added by Juan Cole: Financial Times: Electric cars put pressure on oil demand | Markets Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 20:39:08|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close MANILA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Philippine security forces have failed to meet its announced Sept. 30 deadline to retake the southern city of Marawi from the pro-Islamic State (IS) fighters that laid siege to the city more than four months ago, an Army commander said on Sunday. Army Col. Romeo Brawner, the deputy commander of the military's joint task force in Marawi, said fighting between the troops and some 50 Maute militants continue to rage on Sunday, saying the remaining IS fighters continued to put up a stiff resistance. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte predicted last Sept. 19 that the battle to recapture the city will be completed by Sept. 30. Duterte's Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana expressed optimism last week that the war would likely end on Sunday. In fact, both Duterte and Lorenzana said that military troops have started clearing up some parts of the city, indicating that the conflict is ending soon. But Brawner said the military could not say when the war will be over. "(The fighting is) still ongoing. Definitely, it's not going to end today," he said. The conflict has destroyed many of the city's infrastructures. Reddit Email 15 Shares Histyar Qader | Erbil | (Niqash.org) | In the end, the Kurdish people and politicians united around the independence referendum. But what happens next? Some senior politicians believe negotiations with Baghdad will begin again. While many uncertainties remain about Iraqi Kurdistans referendum on independence, there is one thing that seems clear to the people on the streets: On the day, the semi-autonomous region felt united in a way that it has not been for a long time. Part of the reason Iraqi Kurdistan has remained an oasis of relative calm and security, while the rest of Iraq fell apart during the recent security crisis caused by the extremist group known as the Islamic State and earlier, is that the Kurdish people have always considered their ethnicity more important than the religious sect they belong to. Ethnicity has trumped religion in their case and, despite infighting, has tended to unite locals in this area, with the long-term goal being to form their own nation. In many other situations recently, the Kurdish have been divided often between the two zones that basically make up the semi-autonomous northern region, which are run by the two major political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, or KDP, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK. Up until the very last minute some of the regions political parties remained opposed to the referendum. The KDP, the PUK and the Kurdistan Islamic Union had supported the referendum while the Change movement, also known as Goran, and the Islamic Group of Kurdistan wanted it postponed. Just one day before the referendum though, when it became clear it was going ahead, the Islamic Group of Kurdistan relented and senior members said they would be voting yes in the poll. Even the Change movement, a long-time opposition group in the region that formed on an anti-corruption platform, told members to follow their own consciences. Then the movement also told members they should vote, and that they should vote yes. The Change movement had previously been very opposed to the referendum. On the morning of the referendum, Omar Sayed Ali, the general coordinator of the Change movement, confirmed his participation and said that he would be voting yes too. We expect a better and more positive internal situation when it comes to relations between the political parties in Kurdistan after the referendum, Mohammed Elkhani, a Turkmen member of the High Council on the Referendum, tasked with negotiating with Baghdad on the subject. It brought the different political parties together for a common cause. The population of Iraqi Kurdistan also appear united on the issue. The most recent count indicates that around 92 percent of locals voted for independence; thats around 3.3 million people. On local social media, even those who had argued against holding the referendum now posted smiling pictures of themselves voting yes. However, celebrations may prove short lived. Almost immediately the Iraqi government presented the Iraqi Kurds with a post-referendum list of demands, saying they needed to give up control of their border posts, including airports, as well as oil exports. They also demanded that the results of the referendum be annulled and said they would not recognize said results, although as some pundits have pointed out, the referendum was always non-binding. As Abdullah al-Zaidi, a representative of the ruling Shiite Muslim political alliance that runs the country, told NIQASH, the Kurds should have been expecting that kind of reaction. We will not negotiate on the basis of the Kurdish independence referendum and we informed the Kurds of this position before the referendum was held, says al-Zaidi, who is responsible for the Kurdish portfolio in Baghdad. We also told the Kurdish delegation that negotiations before the referendum would be different from negotiations after the referendum. Asked what would bring all parties to the table, al-Zaidi told NIQASH that Iraqi Kurdistan needed to annul the referendum results and the consequences, or face internal isolation. There have also been threats of external isolation from neighbouring countries upset by the referendum, such as Turkey and Iran. We consider that any kind of collective punishment by these countries against the Kurdish region to be illegitimate, Safeen Dizayee, the spokesperson for the Iraqi Kurdish government, told NIQASH. We hope these threats do not become reality. In fact, Dizayee believes that shared economic, security and political interests will prevent Iraqi Kurdistan from being isolated by international allies and enemies alike. However, he concedes that the regions relationships with Iran and Turkey are going to be more complicated from now on, and that certainly they will be different than before the referendum. Other politicians in Iraqi Kurdistan have different concerns. A senior member of the Change movement, Samal Abdullah, says that his party is now engaged in discussions about the future of Iraqi Kurdistan after the referendum. They have not forgotten their misgivings about the process either, he added; the Change movement have long said that the current president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, the prime mover behind the referendum, is holding the position illegally. Our views on the regions law, government reforms and the legal situation regarding the presidency have not changed, Abdullah told NIQASH. But as has often been the case in the past in parliament in Baghdad, the Kurdish cause overrides all other considerations and the Kurds will be sticking together in the face of foreign aggressors. Internal conflicts and the patriotic, national cause are separate issues. But we will stand together, when It comes to any threats against the Kurdish region, Abdullah added. For now, it seems the Kurdish are willing to wait and see, even as foreign governments and the Iraqi government continue to make threatening noises. During the coming days, there will be new issues arising and we will get a better idea of the full picture, the Assyrian and Chaldean envoy to the High Council on the Referendum, Romeo Hakari, told NIQASH. We will wait for this threatening language to calm down; all indications suggest to us that negotiations can begin again. Of course, negotiations will be different now that the referendum has been held, Hakari says, but it is important to remember we are not declaring independence. As yet, Hakari was uncertain as to whether the referendum would even be discussed in Baghdad again or whether the region would simply start to try and work its way toward independence. In the beginning, we are going to negotiate with Baghdad about the referendum results and about the various problems we have between us, Hakari posits. But if we run into problems, we will do as the old Arab proverb says: There is a hadith [Islamic prayer or religious verse] for every occasion. Via Niqash.org Related video added by Juan Cole: Wochit News: Iraq Presses Case to Receive Kurdistan Oil Revenue Reddit Email 145 Shares TeleSur | Domestic flights are still allowed, so travelers are expected to travel to Kurdistan mostly via Baghdads airport. The last international flight left Erbil airport on Friday as the Baghdad government imposed an air ban on Iraqi Kurdistan in retaliation for an independence vote that has drawn widespread opposition from foreign powers. Iraqs Kurds overwhelmingly backed independence in Mondays referendum, defying neighboring countries, which fear the vote could lead to renewed conflict in the region. Foreign airlines suspended flights to Erbil and Sulaimaniya in the autonomous region, obeying a notice from the government in Baghdad, which controls Iraqi airspace. Erbil airport was busier than usual as passengers scrambled to catch the last flights out before the ban went into force at 6 p.m. on Friday. Domestic flights are still allowed, so travelers are expected to travel to Kurdistan mostly via Baghdads airport, which will come under strain from the extra traffic. Maintaining the travel curbs is likely to discourage visits by businessmen and Kurdish expatriates, and affect industries including hotels, financial services, transport and real estate. More than 400 Kurdish travel and tourism companies are directly affected by the flight ban and 7,000 jobs are at risk in the sector, Erbil-based Rudaw TV said. The Kurdistan Regional Government, meanwhile, refused to hand over control of its border crossings to the Iraqi government, as demanded by Iraq, Iran and Turkey in retaliation for the independence referendum. Via TeleSur Related video added by Juan Cole CGTN: NGOs peacefully protest international air ban over Iraqi Kurdistan Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 20:39:09|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close People standing in line wait to vote at a polling station in Lisbon, Portugal, on Oct. 1, 2017. Voters across the country are being balloted on the formation of Municipal Chambers, Municipal Assemblies and Parish Assemblies on Sunday. There are 308 municipalities and 3,091 parishes. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) LISBON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese voters have been turning out in good numbers to participate in local elections on Sunday. Voters across the country are being balloted on the formation of Municipal Chambers, Municipal Assemblies and Parish Assemblies. There are 308 municipalities and 3,091 parishes. With the sun shining throughout mainland Portugal, the early signs are of a high turnout. At the Patricio Prazeres school polling station in the Penha de Franca parish of Lisbon, an array of topics was on voters minds. For Elisabeth and Nuno, a couple in their late 30s with a young daughter, one issue dominated all others. "Making sure this city is fit and affordable for people to live in, not just for tourists to visit," said Elisabeth. Lisbon has undergone a tourist boom in the past five years and the town hall has struggled to find a balance between catering for tourists and providing affordable housing. "All the big parties talk about tackling the problem, but it's superficial," Elisabeth continued. "Only the smaller parties seem genuinely intent on doing something." For older voters, such as Fernando, in his late 50s, managing tourism is just one of many pressing concerns. "The main issues at these elections are social security, education, public transport and justice," Fernando said. "They always are, the main parties promise to do good things about them but end up doing them badly," he added, "I've come round to favoring coalitions." But for Maria, in her 70s, only the big parties can get things done. "I've voted for the same party for forty years and I see no reason to change now," she said. Isabel, her contemporary, had a very different perspective. "They're all terrible," she said, "I've been to vote, but I refuse to back any party, they're all the same." The latest opinion polls suggest the ruling center-left Socialist Party (PS) will triumph in Lisbon, with Fernando Medina expected to hold onto to his mayorship. A bad showing is predicted for the main opposition center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD). The PSD is expected to have a rough ride throughout Portugal and finish third in Lisbon, behind conservative rivals the CDS-PP. Polling booths close at 7 pm local time with the first results expected an hour or so later. Although several studies have pointed to oxytocin, or the love hormone, as an important factor in promoting sociability, the mechanisms behind this remain unknown. Researchers from Stanford University have now looked into how oxytocin regulates the social reward mechanism in the brain. Share on Pinterest Oxytocin, the love hormone, is a key factor of our social abilities, but not much is known about the mechanisms in which this hormone is involved. Oxytocin, which is sometimes referred to as the love hormone, is a hormone and neuropeptide or neurotransmitter, carrying information through the central nervous system involved in sociability and sexual interaction. It also plays a role in facilitating biological processes related to childbirth, and bonding with the newborn baby. Oxytocin is mainly produced in a brain region called the paraventricular nucleus, which is located in the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is involved in various metabolic processes, including regulating body temperature, determining states of hunger and thirst, and some social behaviors, such as attachment. Recently, much has been made of oxytocins role in promoting social behaviors, especially with a view to harnessing its potential in managing conditions such as autism, which impairs social interaction. Medical News Today, for instance, have recently covered a study suggesting that the hormone could improve sociability in some children with autism. Now, a new study conducted by Dr. Robert Malenka and a team of researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California now looks at the mechanism behind the social reward system of the brain, pinpointing oxytocins role in this process. [D]eficits in social behavior [due to brain disorders such as autism] profoundly affect [] quality of life, Dr. Malenka told MNT, and thus it is critical to understand the underlying abnormalities in brain function that cause [them]. He continued, saying, The findings in this paper suggest that one factor contributing to social behavior deficits may be abnormal modulation of the brains reward circuitry by oxytocin. A paper detailing the researchers findings has been published in the journal Science. The brains reward mechanism In the brain, a region called the ventral tegmental area (VTA) communicates with the nucleus accumbens to regulate the systems reward response, which is a circuit telling us that certain activities such as eating, drinking, and sex are pleasurable. Thus, they encourage us to keep performing them. This reward mechanism is, in part, what ensures that we thrive and keep on reproducing. The nerve cells that make up the VTA secrete dopamine, another neurotransmitter, which regulates the sensation of pleasure. Dopamine released in the brain makes us feel good when we perform activities correlated with survival, but abnormal levels of this neurotransmitter have also been linked to addiction and substance abuse. Dr. Malenka and team were interested in understanding why dopamine is sometimes released abnormally, causing undesirable effects, and what other factors are implicated in the complex reward response mechanism of the brain. Oxytocin impacted dopamine neurons Since the reward circuit of mice is similar to that of humans, the researchers used the rodent model to study the mechanisms intricacies in more detail. In a previous study on mice conducted by Dr. Malenka and colleagues, it became apparent that oxytocin plays an important role in determining social reward responses alongside dopamine. However, it remained unclear exactly how oxytocin impacted the functioning of this circuit. Now, the researchers reveal that the paraventricular nucleus releases oxytocin in the VTA, which is crucial for promoting prosocial behaviors. Conversely, when the release of oxytocin into the VTA is inhibited, social interaction is impaired. Dr. Malenka and team noted that oxytocin released in the VTA stimulates a group of neurons called dopamine neurons , which function via dopamine signaling. Moreover, while inhibiting the release of oxytocin in that region of the brain did impact sociability negatively, it did not stop the animals taste for pleasure-inducing drugs such as cocaine. This is possibly the first study to confirm the existence of this mechanism, showing that oxytocin directly affects dopamine neurons in the VTA. Researchers have analyzed the chemical composition of the vapors released by butane hash oil a cannabis extract commonly used in dabbing, or vaporizing and found carcinogenic substances. Share on Pinterest Butane hash oil is a cannabis extract made using butane. In light of cannabis being legalized in several states across America, more and more people use marijuana recreationally. The practice of dabbing has also gained popularity; users think that dabbing is safer and gets them a cleaner high. In dabbing, consumers place a small amount, or a dab, of concentrated cannabis on a hot surface (usually a nail) and inhale the resulting vapor. But while dabbing cannabis extract is perceived as being less harmful than smoking it, new research suggests that the practice exposes users to various carcinogenic toxins. The researchers led by Dr. Robert Strongin, a professor of organic chemistry at Portland State University in Oregon examined the composition of the vapor produced by butane hash oil. Butane hash oil is the cannabis extract typically used in dabbing. The extract is made using the solvent butane to extract the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the cannabis leaves and flowers. The study focused on the chemistry of terpenes, or the oils that give cannabis its unique fragrance. Terpenes are ubiquitous; they are naturally found in plants, condiments, and the food we eat, but they can also be found in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, due to their therapeutic effects. Although generally recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), terpenes can drastically enhance the psychoactive effect of cannabis in a phenomenon known as the entourage effect. This along with the widespread presence of terpenes and the fact that they have recently been added to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) prompted the researchers to look at them more closely. The first author of the new study is Jiries Meehan-Atrash, of Portland State University, and the findings were published in the journal ACS Omega. Padres right-hander Jhoulys Chacin threw 180 1/3 innings of 3.89 ERA ball and contributed upward of two wins above replacement this season, making him one of the top bargain signings of 2017. Chacin inked a $1.75MM deal with the Padres last winter and should fare much better on his next contract, one that might come from another organization. But Chacin told AJ Cassavell of MLB.com and other reporters Saturday that hed be willing to continue his career in San Diego (Twitter link). Its hard to tell, Chacin said of his future. But I would be really happy to come back here. Re-signing the capable innings eater would make a lot of sense for the rebuilding, starter-needy Padres, as MLBTRs Jason Martinez wrote Friday. More from San Diego and a couple other cities: The Chamber Of Commerce and Industry France Ghana (CCIFG), has organized its first wine tasting event for wine importers, hotels and restaurant owners in the country. The event was in collaboration with Business France. Speaking at the event which was dubbed Tastin' France, the Executive Director at CCIFG, Delphine Adenot-Owusu, said the objective was not only to promote France businesses in Ghana, but to make French wines and French houses more known on the different markets available. According to her, CCIFG in partnership with Business France is organizing a tour for the French house to showcase their product. We plan to travel everywhere. We have been to Asia, Europe and now we have stopped in West Africa. We will visit a total of five countries that is; Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana and finally Senegal. Our plan is simple, to educate people on wine shopping and boost France businesses abroad. Describing the reception to Citi News, the Executive Director was optimistic the country will embrace the products. We made a lot of impact in all the countries we have been to, and we are expecting same in Ghana. We have invited importers; restaurants and hotel owners over today so our French houses can showcase their productx to them. The French house present at the event included Champagne Philippe Fourrier, Bouvet Ladubay, Veuve Ambal, Domains CGR, Vignobles Raguenot, Cad'Export, The Wine Merchant and Distillerie Vinet-Delpech. One of the many experiences we Nigerians dread is the encounter with the sometimes overzealous RRS police officers. Unfortunately, rapper Joulsey is among the long line of Nigerians who have had their own fair share of frustrating situations with these law enforcement agents. On his new single titled "RRS" produced by fast rising producer Illkeyz, Joulsey links up with two other bad boys; ComedianEbiye and Ajebutter22 to narrate his ordeals with these officers of the law. Listen and enjoy. YouTube: "RRS" at iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1288782945 Google Play: http://smarturl.it/TSRodeoGP Tidal: https://listen.tidal.com/album/79120134 About JoulesDaKid Kayode Joules Oguntayo (born October 31, 1993), better known by his stage name JoulesDaKid, is a Nigerian hip hop recording artiste and songwriter. He was born and bred Raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He received his major recognition from the mixtape JoulesDaKid - LazyGNius in 2010 and then his single, Aunty Dupe in 2012 before he signed with Born Kings Management. Aunty Dupe peaked at number 5 on the Nigerian airplay charts. He is set to release his Young Joulsey and Mo Bet two singles off his 2016 EP Home Coming. Lome (AFP) - Opposition groups in the West African state of Togo on Saturday called for fresh protests next week to maintain pressure in their campaign to unseat President Faure Gnassingbe. In power since the death of his father in 2005, Gnassingbe is the scion of Africa's oldest political dynasty, which has ruled Togo for more than half a century. In a statement, a coalition of 14 opposition parties urged supporters to turn out "in even greater numbers" on Wednesday and Thursday in rallies in Lome, in towns outside the capital and among the Togolese diaspora. Wednesday's protest is described as a "final warning" to the regime, and Thursday's as a "march of anger." The opposition has mustered tens of thousands of people to demand Gnassingbe leave office -- a turnout that has surprised many commentators. Rallies on September 6 and 7 alone drew more than 100,000. At least four people were killed and dozens were injured in a crackdown on protests in the north of the country, a region previously seen as reliably pro-government. Responding to the pressure, the government has put forward a bill that proposes presidents can only serve a maximum of two five-year terms. But Gnassingbe is on his third term. The opposition want the two-term restriction to be applied retroactively. Gnassingbe was re-elected in 2010 and again in 2015, in votes that the opposition denounced as unfair. If the two-term limit applies from the next elections, scheduled in 2020, he could theoretically remain in office until 2030. According to a source close to the presidency, the proposed change to the constitution will be put to a referendum "by the end of the year." The president's father, General Gnassingbe Eyadema, ruled the country with an iron fist from 1967 until his death in 2005. Transparency International ranked Togo 116th out of 176 countries in its annual corruption Perceptions Index last year. Togo was 166th out of 188 countries in the UN Development Programme's human development report, which looks at areas such as levels of income, health and education. Khartoum (AFP) - UN humanitarian air operations in Sudan face being grounded because of an acute cash crunch, aid officials say, affecting the delivery of relief to thousands of people in conflict areas. The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has funding that will barely keep it flying until the end of November, raising the possibility that operations may have to cease from December. UNHAS has two fixed wing aircraft and three helicopters, but has already stopped flying to five out of 41 locations in the African country. "We are currently funded until end of November and we require one million dollars more to continue operations until the end of the year," Bianka Zyra, Sudan spokeswoman for the World Food Programme which manages UNHAS, told AFP. "If we don't receive that one million dollars then operations will cease." Aid workers say UNHAS is a vital service for delivering humanitarian supplies, especially medicines, in Sudan's conflict-wracked regions such as Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The UN helicopters can access deep field locations that are extremely difficult to access by road. "Although primarily a passenger service for aid workers, UNHAS delivers perishable vaccines which by road either take too long or due to bumpiness would shatter," Zyra said. A June 19, 2017 picture shows Steven Koutsis (L), the top US envoy in Sudan, arriving in the war-torn town of Golo in central Darfur UNHAS also ferries international delegations, foreign diplomats and Sudanese officials to war-wracked areas to assess relief work. 'Full funding' needed The current financial situation is critical for UNHAS as it now has to raise funds almost on a weekly basis. "We are getting $500,000 from here or $250,000 from there," Zyra said when the service needs about $1.4 million a month. "What UNHAS really needs is full funding, not only to the end of the year but extra money in terms of being able to plan strategically to be able to meet rising needs." Those needs are increasing in part because the Sudanese authorities are offering relief workers more access to several previously no-go areas after Washington made it a condition that Khartoum must meet for a permanent lifting of decades-old US sanctions against Sudan. On October 12, US President Donald Trump is to decide whether to permanently lift the sanctions imposed in 1997 over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups. UN officials say there would be huge delay in delivering aid to tens of thousands of people if UNHAS stops flying. "In a country like Sudan this would imply huge delays due to the distance and poor condition of the roads, as well as potential inaccessibility in certain parts of the country where insecurity is still high," the top UN aid official in Sudan, Marta Ruedas, said, citing carjackings in the past. "The areas that have been made accessible recently are particularly difficult to reach and therefore this is especially true of these areas." Shortfall could mean chaos Khartoum has allowed more access in recent months to remote areas such as the mountainous Jebel Marra region in Darfur, which for years witnessed fierce fighting between government forces and rebels. UNHAS fell off the radar of global donors amid an overall shortage of funds faced by aid agencies in Sudan. The UN's 2017 humanitarian response plan had aimed to raise $804 million from global donors, but as of September 24 it had received $304 million, just 38 percent of the total amount, says the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA. Aid officials say that almost every relief operation has been affected by the funding shortage, but the situation could become chaotic if UNHAS flights cease. "Half of the humanitarian community will be stranded and many projects will have to scale down," said Zyra. "In the short term the chaos will be great." Michael Okyere Baafi, CEO Of Ghana Free Zones Board 01.10.2017 LISTEN The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Free Zones Board (GFZB), Michael Okyere Baafi, has thrown a challenge to the youth to be Doers in all endeavours of service. Mr. Baafi explained that inspite of their young age, the nation is eager to have their input and inspire them to do more. Most importantly, as nation builders, he said it was needful for them to be committed to defining their vision. It is significant to create a vision whereby your name becomes synonymous with outstanding performance, honour and above all integrity." The Free Zones Boss was speaking at a just ended encounter with the leadership of the University of Ghana Parliament. Okyere Baafi, who spoke on the theme: 'Youthful Participation In Active Partisan Politics And its Implications on National Development' indicated that development is a process that creates growth, progress and positive change and must therefore be seen as useful and should include conditions for a continuation of that change agenda. "It is good to dream big, but it is better to keep your vision simple and remain focused. The future of this country lies in your hands, promise less and deliver more," he added. The University of Ghana Parliament has a mentoring series program with the Parliament of Ghana, to bring in members of Parliament as well as established politicians in the country to the house. It is against this background that Michael Okyere Baafi was invited to impact student parliamentarians in many directions as far as the political landscape is concerned. Referring to the issue of how citizens view young leaders, he stated that gradually, many people in this country are accepting the fact that the youth can perform political task diligently as older persons and therefore there is a necessity for the youth of this country to push the agenda of taking discussions beyond a person's age and also prepare themselves to take over the reins as soon as the opportunity arises. Okyere Baafi who is currently the Chairman of the Finance Committee of the National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dealt with young people with different perspectives and has a host of different ideas. He has a strong opinion that if we allow the youth to voice their opinion on most national issues, it will move the political world forward. "As politicians, our role is to make society a better place, so dont give up. Research on the people you want to lead, identify their needs and support them with the little energy you have," he emphasized. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 20:59:15|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping and other 47 leaders of Communist Party of China (CPC) membership have been elected delegates to the Party's 19th National Congress that is to open on Oct. 18. Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was elected delegate by a unanimous vote at the 12th CPC Guizhou provincial congress in April. The announcement of Xi's election by more than 730 provincial congress delegates won long and warm applause. Other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, were elected delegates in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province, Hunan Province and Shaanxi Province, respectively. They were all nominated by the CPC Central Committee as candidates for delegates. These places are either major battlefield of poverty alleviation, important points on the "Belt and Road" or ethnic minority regions. The choice of places or electoral units where Party and state leaders participate in elections should strengthen Party governance, assist in implementing national development strategies and allow the voices of grassroots Party members and the people to be heard. Party and state leaders did not participate in elections in places such as their native homes or where they have worked, except for that they hold concurrent posts as Party secretaries of electoral units. Leaders from ethnic minority regions can participate in autonomous regions, according to the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee. The fact that Party and state leaders, especially members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, participate in elections in underdeveloped provinces and regions densely populated by ethnic minorities sets an example in the implementation of the Party and state's major development strategies, said Professor Zhu Lingjun with CPC Central Committee Party School. The leaders are the "key few" of the Party's "key few." The arrangement is important to forming a sound political atmosphere and motivating cadres and citizens, said Professor Wang Yukai, with the Chinese Academy of Governance. "We will try to translate General Secretary Xi's concerns and the CPC Central Committee's poverty eradication policies into better lives which the people can see and enjoy," said Yang Bo, a provincial delegate and a village official in Guizhou, adding that he is confident of leading his village out of poverty. The election of the 48 leaders shows the people's support for the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core, recognition for the leadership's capability and shared aspirations for the future of socialism with Chinese characteristics. A total of 2,287 delegates have been elected to attend the five-yearly national congress on behalf of more than 89 million Party members and 4.5 million grassroots Party organizations. Delegates will decide on a new blueprint for development. They will also elect a new central committee and a new anti-graft body. 01.10.2017 LISTEN Korle Bu Teaching Hospital managements decision to rescind the termination of the contract it had with UniBank for onsite banking services has essentially compromised the hospitals revenue collection. The issue to do with the contract with UniBank, is tied to corruption allegations made by Kwame Asare Obeng, also known as A-Plus, against two presidential staffers, Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor. A-Plus allegations had to do with a petition by Unibank Ghana Limited to the effect that the management of Korle-Bu had abrogated an existing MoU with them without any reason, thus treating them unfairly. A-Plus held that the two presidential staffers played a role in the matter, but his allegations were later deemed to be baseless . In a statement to clarify distortions carried in sections of the media in respect of the onsite banking services, the hospitals management revealed that, events thereafter [the abrogation] have made Management to rescind the decision to terminate the contract with UniBank. So Korle Bu is currently in a stalemate where it continues to lose all the benefits of the End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software, the hospitals management conceded, the statement added. The software was intended to plug revenue leaks at the hospital. Background The onsite banking services were needed to deal with the chronic revenue leakages bedeviling the Hospital which a number of banks had been unable to solve since 2008. Government directed that all public institutions should cede the collection of their revenue to selected banks. In 2015, six banks were shortlisted to undergo a competitive selection process where Stanbic Bank emerged first and UniBank was fourth, the statement recounted, and a decision was taken to select Stanbic Bank that was first and UniBank that was 4th to partition the collection of revenue in the hospital. But when the hospital submitted the names of the two banks to the Controller and Accountant General's Department for approval, issues were raised about weaknesses in UniBank's operations in two other hospitals. The issues had to do with reconciliation challenges, delays, non-provision of real-time access to relevant stakeholders. In spite of the advice of the Controller and Accountant General's Department, an MoU was signed, appointing UniBank to simultaneously collect revenue in the Hospital with Stanbic Bank with the provision that any party can terminate the MoU giving 90-days notice of termination. As the two banks started the onsite banking services, the leakages persisted. Management decided to search for an End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software to integrate and network its operations, and Stanbic Bank and UniBank were both requested to submit proposals for an End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software in 2015. Stanbic Bank successfully presented an efficient software, while UniBank failed to turn up during the two presentation sessions thus the hospital awarded a contract to Stanbic Bank to pilot the new software in the entire hospital which is valued at USD240,000. The software if implemented is expected to simultaneously reduce revenue leakages and increase revenue. The Stanbic Bank approved End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software was obviously not compatible with the UniBank's software. Management, therefore, decided to discontinue the MoU with UniBank in order to enable Stanbic Bank deploy the new software throughout the entire Hospital covering areas where Stanbic and UniBank were collecting revenue. In view of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Korle Bu and the banks for the onsite banking services, in which either party can terminate the contract by giving a 90-day notice, a Management decision, a notice of termination was given to UniBank on 12th July 2017, the statement explained. But this was followed by the hospital rescinding the decision for reasons not disclosed in the statement. Find below the full statement SUBJECT: CLARIFICATION OF DISTORTIONS IN RESPECT OF THE CONTRACT FOR ONSITE BANKING SERVICES IN KORLE BU RELEASE: IMMEDIATE On behalf of the Hospital, I wish to clarify distortions carried in sections of the media in respect of the onsite banking services in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The Hospital's decision to outsource its revenue collection followed a directive by Government in 2008 that all public institutions should cede the collection of their revenue to selected banks in the country. With the support of the Ministry of Finance and the Controller and Accountant General's Department, the then Merchant Bank was selected for this exercise for the first time in 2008. Following a review of their operations, Merchant Bank's performance was found to be below par. This led to the abrogation of the contract with them and the selection of the HFC Bank, through a competitive process, to take over the onsite banking services in Korle Bu. Again in 2015, a review of HFC Bank's operation was conducted and it was established that its performance was not meeting the requirements of the Hospital. This was communicated to them and the process for searching for another bank that will provide a solution to the chronic revenue leakages bedeviling the Hospital. A total of six banks were shortlisted to undergo a competitive selection process which was scored in 2015. Stanbic Bank emerged first and UniBank was 4th. A decision was taken to select Stanbic Bank that was first and UniBank that was 4th to partition the collection of revenue in the hospital. Revenue Leakages When the Hospital submitted the names of the two banks to the Controller and Accountant General's Department for approval, it raised issues about weaknesses in UniBank's operations in two other hospitals in the metropolis. These issues were: Reconciliations challenges, delays non-provision of real time access to relevant stakeholders. In spite of the advice of the Controller and Accountant General's Department, an MoU was signed, appointing UniBank to simultaneously collect revenue in the Hospital with Stanbic Bank with the proviso that any party can terminate the MoU giving 90-DAYS NOTICE OF TERMINATION. As the two banks started the onsite banking services the leakages persisted, Management decided to search for an End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software to integrate and network its operations. Stanbic v UniBank Stanbic Bank and UniBank were both requested to submit proposals for an End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software in 2015. The two banks were invited to make presentations on the End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software on two different sessions in 2015. Stanbic Bank successfully presented an efficient software while UniBank failed to turn up during the two presentation sessions. Management thus awarded a contract to Stanbic Bank to pilot the new software in the entire hospital which is valued at USD240,000. The software if implemented will simultaneously reduce revenue leakages and increase our revenue base while improving the hospital's operations in several other areas, both operational and clinical care. The Stanbic Bank approved End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software was obviously not compatible with the UniBank's software. Management therefore decided to discontinue the MoU with UniBank in order to enable Stanbic Bank deploy the new software throughout the entire Hospital covering areas where Stanbic and UniBank were collecting revenue. In view of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Korle Bu and the banks for the onsite banking services, in which either party can terminate the contract by giving a 90-day notice, a Management decision, a notice of termination was given to UniBank on 12th July 2017. Losses Events thereafter have made Management to rescind the decision to terminate the contract with UniBank. So Korle Bu is currently in a stalemate where it continues to lose all the benefits of the End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software. It is important to stress that the management decision to engage Stanbic Bank as the sole institution for the onsite banking services in 2016 predated the appointment of the current Acting Chief Executive who started work in June 2017. MUSTAPHA SALIFU HEAD OF PUBLIC RELATIONS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana A Deputy National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fred Agbenyo, has suggested that the relevant telecom company be contacted to provide the transcript between the Deputy Director of the CID, ACP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah and Kwame Asare Obeng, also known as A-Plus. His suggestion is in connection with the alleged telephone recording implicating ACP Addo-Danquah in a cover-up of the probe of President Akufo-Addo's two Deputy Chiefs of Staff. A-Plus had made corruption allegations against two presidential staffers, Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor, but they were found to be baseless after the CID's investigations into the matter. But in the latest audio recording said to be a leaked recording of a conversation between the two, the police officer was heard advising the A-Plus to go soft on the allegations because is a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The CID officer subsequently accused A-Plus of doctoring the conversation she had with him for malicious intents. CIDs image must be redeemed Mr. Agbenyo recounted that, initially he was satisfied with the CIDs handling of the investigation, but the leaked recording had given him cause for doubt. Despite the claim that the recording was doctored, he observed that the chronology of the discussion [on the telephone recording] is so smooth that you struggle to tell at what point somebody interfered with the discussion. The transcript of the conversation from the telco could settle all doubts as the leaked tape nullifies it [the initial investigation] completely. Maybe what we should do now is to get a body to appeal to whatever telco they spoke on to produce the transcript of the discussion between the madam [ACP Addo-Danquah] and A-Plus, so that we can put the two documents side-by-side, because if you hear the issues that were said on that tape, you struggle to believe in the credibility of the CID, Mr. Agbenyo said. As it stands now, the image of the CID needs redeeming, according to the NDC executive This issue is a very serious issue and we need to redeem the image of the CID. Their image has been so badly bastardized by this particular issue Maybe we can constitute another bipartisan body from parliament; pick some parliamentarians, pick a few media guys and just get to the bottom [of things]. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana IMANI Africa President, Franklin Cudjoe, believes Ghana would be better of if other state institutions went by the book in the manner the National Communications Authority's (NCA) has done in its sanctioning of 131 radio stations, for various offenses. Speaking on The Big Issue, he said it was a wakeup call and I suspect if every institution is doing that, without any political motive, it's the best way to go. 131 radio stations faced sanctions for various offenses including operating with expired licenses. 34 of them have already had their licenses revoked by the NCA for not renewing them even after several notices. Owners of the radio stations sanctioned for operating with expired licenses, among others, will have to cough up about GHc1.18 billion. During the inauguration of a nine-member governing council for the NCA in July, the Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu, gave an indication that a day of reckoning was coming for most of these stations. The NCA board members with the Ministers of Communication These sanctions were met with criticism from some sections of the public, including the opposition National Democratic Congress, but Mr. Cudjoe lauded the NCA for putting its foot down. What was the previous NCA doing that this new NCA wants to undo? It speaks volumes of the professionalism of the current NCA and its management, he observed, given that some of the stations were found to have been operating illegally for over 15 years. The IMANI President acknowledged the criticisms and calls for more leniency from the NCA, but insisted that the Authority could not be seen to be soft when it initially announced the sanctions. He added that there was still room for some further arbitration between the offending parties and the NCA. The statement from the NCA cannot contain appeals for a settlement. It needs to be seen to be cracking the whip. I'm not sure the NCA is not open to arbitration and all those settlements. I am sure they will allow all these stations to come and have those conversations. Despite the concerns of a witchhunt of pro-opposition stations because of the partisan nature of some sections of the media space, Mr. Cudjoe added that,the responsibility also lies on the owners of these media houses to yield to the rules. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), has expressed worry with the threatening signals the National Communications Authority's heavy sanctions on 131 radio stations send to other radio stations. The Association said it was alarmed by the effects of the heavy sanctions on the stations, the extent these actions have on investments and the employment security of their workers. The Executives believe the situation as it stands now is rigid, harsh and can affect the morale of others in doing legitimate business knowing the unpredictable terrain of business in Ghana, GIBA stated in a released. GIBA used its statement to encourage the affected parties to continue exploring all avenues in opening discussions and engaging the authorities of the NCA to arrive at an agreeable solution to the matter. In this stead, GIBA will be holding an emergency Council meeting with its Council of Elders on Monday, October 2, to discuss a common ground and the way forward with the matter. 34 of the sanctioned stations had their licenses revoked because their authorizations had expired and were operating illegally. Other affected stations have been fined and given 30 days to settle their indebtedness. Radio Gold and Atlantis Radio picked up the heftiest fines with GHc 61,330,000 and GHc 60,350,000 respectively. In all, the fines build up about GHc1.18 billion for stations cutting across all regions of the country. Find below the full statement Re NCA SANCTIONS 131 RADIO STATIONS The Executive Council of GIBA has noted with great concern the actions of the National Communications Authority (NCA) in sanctioning some radio stations and the heavy fines imposed on others for various infractions. As much as GIBA wants to encourage state institutions to be actively exercising all mandates in performance of their duties, GIBA is alarmed by the effects of the heavy sanctions on the stations, the extent these actions have on investments and the employment security of their workers. The Executive believes the situation as it stands now is rigid, harsh and can affect the morale of others in doing legitimate business knowing the unpredictable terrain of business in Ghana. The Executive Council and leadership wish to encourage the affected members and all other members to continue exploring all avenues in opening discussions and engaging the authorities of the NCA to arrive at an agreeable solution to the matter. GIBA will also continue to offer support and open discussions at all levels of authority / governance to safeguard the interests of affected members. Members are encouraged to remain calm, open minded, tactful and to contact the secretariat for further consultations in finding a solution to the situation. Meanwhile an emergency Council meeting with the Council of Elders of GIBA has been called for Monday 2nd October, 2017 in Accra to discuss a common ground and the way forward with the matter. The Council believes the associations relationship with NCA remains good and the doors for negotiations still opened. A full statement on GIBAs stand will be issued on Monday after the crucial meeting with the Council of Elders. Members are entreated to continue trusting in the efforts of the leadership and the association and to cooperate with information flow for a successful end to this matter. Signed. (Andrew Danso-Aninkora) President (0242174333) By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana The oldest Arabic and English school in the Tamale Metropolis, Nuri-Islam, has celebrated its 60th anniversary with emphasis on the need to depoliticize the nations educational reforms. The schools continuing students in a drama show called for national consensus on the successful implementation of the free SHS policy. The Northern Regional Director of Education, Alhaji Mohammed Haroun Cambodia, lauded the anniversarys theme dubbed, The role of Islamic and circular education in eliminating ignorance among the youth. Alhaji Haroun Cambodia stressed the need for parents to invest in their childrens education. He eulogized the forbearers of circular education in the region, and implored the current duty bearers in the education sector to double their efforts. According to him, the products of circular education are the most brilliant in all spheres of life, hence the need to allocate enough resources for that sector. He commended a former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Nashiru Issahaku, and former students of the school for improving infrastructure at the main premises at Worizhehi in Tamale. He condemned the increasing spate of armed robbery, drug abuse and internet fraud gaining notoriety in the region. The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed, said government is committed to promoting circular education. He advocated stronger ties between government and circular education management, saying,I challenge all leaders of circular education authorities in the region to formulate a policy for circular education to attract governments attention. He encouraged parents and guardians to take advantage of the free SHS policy to produce more scholars. The free SHS has come to stay and government will sustain it at all cost he said. Salifu Saeed posited that, the Zongo Development Fund and free SHS policies formed part of governments poverty eradication strategy. By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. 01.10.2017 LISTEN Cape Coast, Sept. 28, GNA - The Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is demanding from Government their redundancy packages before the nation's premiere power distribution company was handed over to concessionaire. The workers demands were sparked by Government's agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact Two, which seeks to privatize the operations of the ECG for 20 years. The workers, who turned up in their numbers on Tuesday, wore red T-shirts and arm bands, chanting war songs and calling on the Government to properly engage the PUWU on their welfare. Addressing the media after hours of demonstration, Mr Enoch Paul-Hayes, Regional Chairman of PUWU, called on the Government to fully engage and collaborate with the workers of ECG on their severance packages on the 20 years concession of ECG. He bemoaned the lack of proper consultation on the concessional processes saying, the objective of Government to privatize ECG could have been done without a foreign entity to manage it. They stated categorically that, they were not in support or against the privatisation of ECG, adding that, the country has enough competent brains to steer the affairs of the Company for profit. According to them, several appeals to the Government to rescind its decision on giving ECG on concession had fallen on deaf ears, therefore, it was incumbent on Government to adhere to the strict dictates of the labour laws for their severance packages. "All we are saying is that, we need our severance packages because we were engaged by Government so if there is any change of ownership and management, we deserve every right to seek for redundancy packages from the one who employed us." "Once the Government had decided to put ECG on concession, it is obvious that some employees would be dismissed or reassigned by the new Company, therefore there is the need to pay such staff as stipulated in the labour Act." The Regional Chairman of PUWU further expressed their deep displeasure with the ECG concession saying: "We want to register our strong reservation at the refusal of the Ministry of Energy to come clean on the issue of severance payments to employees in the absence of any contract engagement with PUWU." In view of that, he pointed out that they were poised to go all out to ensure that workers welfare were held paramount and not shortchanged, particularly potential job losers. Mr Hayes assured the Government that they will use all legitimate means applicable to protect and defend the interest of the workers of ECG." They contended that the major problems facing the ECG was Government indebtedness to the organization, and that, it was a big fallacy that just giving ECG out will address the challenges facing the sector. They also blamed the lack of political will to appoint well experienced and competent individuals to manage ECG and stressed the need for President Nana Akufu-Addo and the Ministry of Energy to show commitment to the welfare of the workers of ECG by addressing their concerns. 01.10.2017 LISTEN Accra, Sept. 28, GNA - Mr Adam Mutawakilu, Ranking Member, Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, says it is incumbent on the public to identify legacy projects from the proceeds of revenue emanating from oil and gas. He said there were currently over 160 projects, which proceeds from oil and gas were to be used in executing. However, he said, monies used in all those projects were not adequate enough to complete them hence the public was unable to evaluate their impact on the people. Mr Mutawakilu was speaking at the launch of a project dubbed: 'Enhancing the Role of the Media to Promote Oil and Gas Sector Transparency and Accountability,' in Accra on Wednesday. Under the project 10 journalists are being trained for 10 days and equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to better inform the public and civil society on oil and gas issues. It also aimed at increasing transparency and accountability through effective oversight on oil and gas resources and revenue management. It was organised by Penplusbyte, a new media hub in Accra, in collaboration with Ghana Oil and Gas for Inclusive Growth (GOGIG). Mr Mutawakilu said the public should also be involved in identifying those legacy projects adding that discussions on them should not be conducted along political lines. He, therefore, said government must prioritise legacy projects instead of embarking on numerous projects simultaneously as that did not augur well under the Petroleum Management Act. Comparing the Gas Infrastructure projects and those under the oil sector, Mr Mutawakilu said it was easy to quantify those projects under the Gas Infrastructure but the situation was different under the oil sector. Much resources were pumped into the oil sector as a result of exploration, appraisal and production and so it was important the nation got things right, he said. 'If you don't get things right you end sinking so much money in the sector and in the end get little money from oil and gas,' he said. He said he was happy that Ghana had put in place Legal and Legislative Instruments (LIs), which has spared the country of scandals in the oil and gas sector. 'We are also operationalising more LI's to respond to every activity,' he said. Mr Mutawakilu underscored the critical role the media played in oil and gas revenue noting that 'without the media, we will be in the dark in terms of information. It is only the media that get the public to listen to how our revenues are managed'. He, therefore, commended the organisers for empowering the media to bring up issues so that the nation would be known as a hub of accountability and transparency. Mr Mutawakilu declared his support for laws that would prosecute people who do not use revenue of oil and gas for stated projects. Mr George Sarpong, the Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), lauded the organisers for equipping journalists with the requisite skills to report on Oil and Gas revenue accountability and transparency. Mr Kwame Ahiabenu, the Executive Director of Pensplusbyte, said the public ought to be informed of how revenue from Oil and gas were managed adding that skills of journalists must be sharpened so they could report accurately. GNA By Joyce Danso, GNA 01.10.2017 LISTEN Ho, Sept. 29, GNA - Mr Jacob Wumbei, President, Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetists (GACRA) has appealed to Government to establish 'sub-specialities' of the practice to enhance knowledge and increase the competence of professionals. He said the lack of 'sub-specialities' such as paediatric anaesthesia, obstetric anaesthesia and intensive care were the 'greatest disincentive' to the profession. Mr Wumbei said the profession was introduced in Ghana in 1945 after the Second World War and was a crucial service during general surgeries, maternal deliveries and other emergencies, yet the nation could only boast of about 50 doctor anaesthetists. He was addressing the Association's 12th Biennial Congress and Scientific Session in Ho, which was on the theme: 'The Role of Anaesthesia in Surgery for National Development'. He said very few hospitals delivered specialised anaesthesia services, a situation which had burdened the already ill-remunerated professionals. Mr Wumbei said the Greater Accra region remained the only region with doctor anaesthetics yet almost all hospitals in Ghana were surgically operational. He cried foul over the poor carrier path ways, 'obsolete' job description, the lack of anaesthesia equipment, and the lengthy periods it took for house officers to be granted anaesthetic professional statuses. Mr Wumbei further said key players such as the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, at all levels, had refused to 'recognise anaesthetic professionals within the administrative set' and asked that the 3013 Act of Parliament granting them professional status be respected. 'Any attempt to amend the Act would not be tolerated. We shall fight till the last breath, any attempt to be given a name that does not befit us', he stated. Mr Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Minister of Health, in a speech read on his behalf said, the availability of anaesthetic services at first referral level facilities could help reduce complications and fatalities. He said efforts to improve anaesthesia services must include increasing awareness on their 'critical and important' role, and also their contributions to reducing mortality and morbidity. Mr Manu said Government would implement policies to retain an anaesthetic workforce even in the remote areas, and would as well introduce a multi-sectional approach to address the 'inadequately trained and insufficient' workforce. He also underscored the need for the Health Ministry to ease access to higher education for Certified Registered Anaesthetists and help address the issue of sub-specialization. Mr Manu gave the assurance that the MOH would endeavour to provide serviceable environment with well-resourced training programmes, equipment and befitting remuneration. Accra, Sept. 29, GNA - The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) in collaboration with the Partnership for Health Improvement (PHI) and the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), has launched Medical Laboratories - Requirements for Quality and Competence manuals. The two manuals dubbed: "Ghana Standards GS/ISO 15189: 2017' and 'A Guideline for Implementation in Medical Laboratories in Ghana' would help implement quality standards in medical laboratories through the adoption of standards. Professor Alex Dodoo, the Director General, GSA, in his address at the launch in Accra said: "In modern medical care, the medical laboratory plays essential role that cannot be overlooked. "Medical doctors greatly rely on test results from the medical laboratories for the treatment of patients". He said quality medical care, therefore, depends on reliable results that give relevant clues to what doctors are expected to look out for before administering any medication or to the patient. 'This means that the performance of medical laboratories forms a crucial part of quality medical care,' he said. The Director General said test results from one laboratory, when compared with another, must not be different from each other, but conform to the same results. He said the purpose of GS/ISO 15189 was to ensure that laboratories in the country come up with the same credible results from samples submitted for analyses. He noted that the GSA was working hard to ensure that the implementation of this adopted International Standard by all medical laboratories in Ghana was carried through in all parts of the country. Prof Dodoo said the collaboration between the GSA and the PHI was meant for a good purpose; which would ensure efficient and quality laboratory performance as well as quality healthcare. 'This is because, if all medical laboratories in Ghana are made to use this standard, the quality of laboratory tests will be greatly improved at all levels,' he stated. He said the GS/ISO Standard 15189 was meant to assist medical laboratories not only to develop their quality management systems, but also help them asses their own competence. He explained that similarly, regulatory authorities, accreditation bodies and all those who patronize laboratory services could also use the standard to confirm the competence of such medical laboratories. Prof Dodoo said there was no doubt that medical laboratory services were very essential to the care of patients; declaring that 'for this reason, we need quality medical laboratory service to perform satisfactory work'. He mentioned that these services include arrangement for examination requests, preparation and identification of patients as well as collection, transportation, storage and processing of samples. He said the offer of quality laboratory services had become such a delicate matter that it requires carefulness, patience, accuracy, competence of laboratory staff as well as reliability of results to be able to deal with the health issues as stake so as to effectively apply the appropriate corrective measures for cure. Dr Samuel Duh, the Chief Executive Officer of PHI, said up to 80 per cent of all medical diagnosis decisions were dependent on laboratories tests. He noted that there was therefore, the urgent need to strengthen laboratory services and systems in Ghana. He said the PHI was an indigenous Ghanaian organization dedicated to improving the health status of Ghanaians by working in partnership with the government, civil society, the private sector and the CDC. Dr Chastity L. Walker, Global Health Security (GHS) Programme Director Ghana, said her organization together with the CDC and other development partners would continue to invest in Ghana's laboratory strengthening efforts; declaring that 'I am certain that Ghana will improve the quality of laboratory services'. Mrs Beatrice van der Puije, the Programmes Manager, PHI, who gave an overview of the two manuals said the PHI had recently been focusing on strengthening laboratory systems for effective clinical diagnosis. She said PHI was the only non-governmental organization in Ghana that was dedicated to and working in the area of laboratory strengthening. GNA By Iddi Yire/Thelma Abbey, GNA Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 21:04:16|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 337 people have been injured and treated in Spain's Catalonia region on Sunday as Spanish police charged protesters and fired rubber bullets at voters in front of polling stations, set up for an independence referendum. The emergency service said they had attended to 337 people, but none of them are seriously wounded. Most of the injured were treated for "bruises, dizziness and panic attacks", according to the Health Department of the Catalan regional government. A total of 11 Spanish police officers were slightly injured on Sunday in clashes with protesters as the banned Catalan independence referendum gets under way. "For now in total, 9 police officers and two Civil Guard officers have been injured when they carried out the order of the judges" to stop the independence poll, Spain's interior ministry said in a tweet. Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said in a statement that law enforcers have "neutralized" about 70 polling stations, adding that their actions have been "proportionate". Lashing out at Catalan regional leader Carles Puigdemont for the clash, Zoido said Puigdemont is "solely responsible for what is happening in Catalonia" and "can not pretend to throw his guilt to others". Zoido added that Puigdemong should not "blame those who only want to restore security". Spanish National Police and Civil Guards entered a number of buildings used as polling stations, including the one in northeastern city of Girona, some 100 km north east of Barcelona, where Puigdemont is expected to vote in the banned referendum on Catalonia's independence. According to the EFE news agency, more than 100 people gathered outside the station to prevent the police from entering. However, the police broke the glass of the door and entered the station to search for ballot boxes and voting materials. The EFE quoted some members who prepared the material for the vote as saying that the ballot boxes for the referendum had been kept overnight at a nearby church. It is also reported that the regional leader Puigdemont has cast his ballot at another polling station. The referendum has been declared illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court with police given orders to seize anything used to promote the referendum or allow it to be undertaken. Many people had slept overnight in the buildings to allow them to be used to vote, but the Spanish and local media reported that in some buildings the internet connection was cut to prevent voting, while in others, police forced their way in to confiscate ballot boxes and ballot papers. Around 50 riot police forced their the Ramon Lull school in Barcelona, as well as the Jaume Balmes school in the street Pau Claris in the same city, where a police line was formed to stop voters entering the building. 01.10.2017 LISTEN Azuleloenu, Sept. 29, GNA - Thirty three communities in the Western Region have been provided with potable drinking water systems to improve upon the health and well being of the people in those areas. The small town water systems provided by Tullow Ghana Limited to Azuleloenu and other adjoining communities in the Ellembelle district of the Western Region formed part of Tullow's quest to invest back in its operational area. The Tullow Clean Water Project, which started in 2007, according to Mr. Akwasi Boateng, the Public Affairs Manager, was launched to improve on the sanitary conditions in the beneficiary communities. Mr Charles Darko, General Manager of Tullow Ghana, who did a symbolic commissioning of all the thirty three facilities at the Azuleloenu water system Site, said the company, as part of it progress agenda, developed a plan in line with the company's objectives of ensuring healthy working communities. Some of the beneficiary communities include, Annor Adjaye, Diabene, Agyeza, Half-Assini, Asanda, Allengenzule, Jaway Kenten, Mangyea, Mpeasem, Azuleloanu and Atuabo. He said the commitment to quality and excellence is unparalleled and continued to reflect in all activities that the company undertook, adding that, "this is why we had to destroy initial systems and start all over again due to its poor design and construction works". Mr. Darko said the drilling of new wells by the company represented additional opportunities for both the company and it's operational areas. Mr Bonzo Kwasi, the District Chief Executive of Ellembelle lauded the relationship that existed between the company and the district. The DCE said the cassava cultivation project, initiated by the Tullow group as alternative livelihood project, was yielding tremendous results and 'we are now the largest producer of cassava in the Region and well prepared for the one district on factory project'. Nana Kobina Bentum, Chief of Salman, was grateful for the support to improve good hygienic practices in the area and called for more support in terms of educational scholarship to increase the human capital base of the area. Accra, Sept. 29 GNA - The Joint regional workshop for Rural Workers' and Small Producers' organizations to exchange experiences against child labour opened in Accra with a call on partners to join the fight to eliminate the menace. Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, who made the call, said the scenario of child labour in Africa is frightening and called for renewed, intensified and concerted effort to achieve SDGs target 8.7 and eradicate all forms of child labour by 2025. Thirteen African countries and representatives from four organizations are participating in the three-day joint regional workshop is being organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Food and Agricultural Organization and General Agricultural Workers' Union (GAWU) to exchange ideas, experiences and find a solution for the elimination of child labour in the sub region. The countries include: Benin, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The organizations are ILO, IUF, FAO and NECPAD. Mr Awuah said the ILO estimated that almost half of child labourers about 72.1 million of the 152 million. He said it was worrisome to note that in terms of prevalence, one in five children in Africa (19.6 per cent) are in child labour, compared to between three per cent and seven per cent prevalence in other regions of the world, with an overwhelming concentration in agriculture including fishing, forestry, animal husbandary and aquaculture, which are the predominant Occupations in almost all African countries. 'In Ghana for example, issues of child labour have further been mainstreamed in the national and sub national implementation plans, including sector-specific programmes and projects driven by government and private sector partners to address the menace. He said the onus lies on the government, employers, Workers', parents, Civil Society Organizations, the media and the international community to support policy responses that strengthen social protection and fundamental human rights. 'Indeed part of the way forward, lie in the much talked about Torkor Model that seeks to strengthen the capacity of informal economy Workers' to combat child trafficking through enhanced social responsibility, occupational safety and health and improved productivity, which we are piloting in Ghana can be a starting point,' he said. The Minister commended GAWU and its foreign partners for organizing the workshop and also championing the elimination of child labour in the country and pledged the ministry's support in that direction. Mr Edward Kareweh, General Secretary of GAWU, said GAWU being a union of change started the child labour struggle way back in the year 2004 and expressed the hope that the workshop would provide all participants the opportunity to share experiences, brainstorm, diagnose and propose ways of integrating and addressing child labour in the sector. He said GAWU initiated the Torkor Model, which seeks to address the key component of SDGs target 8.7, on forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and migration. The model, he said, uses Torkor as an example try point to address the endemic nature of child labour on the Volta lake by applying its three components of organization of informal Workers; social mobilization through capacity building and sensitization, and knowledge sharing. He said the hazardous Nature of agricultural work makes it crucially important to integrate. Hold labour and youth employment concerns in the organizing and bargaining agenda of rural Workers' Producers' Organizations, including cooperatives and Unions. He said amidst the risky nature of agriculture, only about two thirds of all child labour, occurred in agriculture and its various sub-regions, including fishing, aquaculture and forestry. Mr Kawereh said that notwithstanding, harnessing the rural economy's potential to create decent and productive jobs and shared prosperity is imperative to achieving sustainable development and equitable economic growth. He said however, rural areas in many economies and in all regions are characterized by significant decent work deficits, adding, 'Unions therefore cannot pretend not to notice what is happening'. Mr Joseph Kingsley Amoah, Head of Internal Relations, Ghana Employment Association, said child labour denied children their childhood, regular education and good health as well as putting the quality of the labour force under threat. He said the major causative agent of child labour, from the days of old till date, has been poverty and to raise incomes and make child labour redundant, advance technology need to be intensified in the sector. He emphasized the need to mechanize agriculture to ensure high production, income stability as well as making child labour necessarily inferior. 'This we believed will empower parents to increase their labour supply at the expense of their children GNA 01.10.2017 LISTEN Accra, Sept. 29, GNA The Reverend Daniel Nii Teiko Tackie, Resident Pastor of the Pentecost International Worship Centre, has called on the regional peace stakeholders to mediate in the political crises in Togo and help prevent the violence from escalating. He said the intervention of the United Nations, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) would help bring under control the rift between the Togolese Government and the populace. Rev. Tackie made the call at the end of this year's Fire Conference of the Church at Dome in Accra. The seven-day conference aims at equipping the participant with the word of God and pray for the rapid development of the nation and peace for the West African Sub-Region. Rev. Tackie said: 'We should not wait for unarmed innocent citizens to die before these powerful international organisations act.' He said the Church was not behind or against a particular party in Togoland but was only concerned about the killings of innocent people and regretted that the international community had been silent. Rev. Tackie said because the Church wanted peace to reign in Togo and the Sub-Region, it embarked on intercessory prayers so that the Almighty God would wipe the bitterness and sorrows that had engulfed Togo. He said the Church had set up a foundation to support widows and also offering scholarship for 15 students in the tertiary level. He urged religious leaders to desist from all forms of negative tendencies that may tarnish the image of the clergy. Abuja (AFP) - President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday railed against separatists seeking Nigeria's "dismemberment" as it marked its 1960 independence from Britain and said corruption remained the African oil giant's "number one enemy". Buhari, who fought in the 1967-70 Biafran war, said those seeking to carve up the country had no idea of the havoc they could potentially wreak. "As a young army officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about two million lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. "Those who are agitating for a rerun were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through," he said. "I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly." The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement wants an independent state for the Igbo people who dominate the southeast region. Tension has been building since October 2015 when the group's leader Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and held in custody until he was released on bail in April this year. His trial on charges of treasonable felony is expected to resume this month. The army earlier this month flooded Abia state with troops, ostensibly as part of an operation against violent crime, but IPOB suspected it was an attempt to curb its activities. Supporters clashed in Abia and neighbouring Rivers state, while the violence threatened to take on a wider ethnic dimension when unrest flared in the central city of Jos. Nigeria's government has since formally proscribed IPOB as a terrorist organisation and accused it of stoking tensions by making false claims online of genocide against Igbos. Buhari called for "proper dialogue" in the provincial and national legislatures to defuse the tensions, saying: "These are the proper and legal fora for national debate, not some lop-sided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives." Buhari, who was elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption platform, also said endemic graft remained a major scourge, recalling the period from 1999 to 2015, when Nigeria reverted from military to democratic rule. "In spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per barrel and about 2.1 million barrels a day, that great piece of luck was squandered and the country's social and physical infrastructure neglected," he said. Nigeria is ranked by Transparency International as one of the world's most corrupt countries. Last year it was placed 136 in a list of 176 nations. "The economy must be rebalanced so that we do not depend on oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigeria's number one enemy. Our administration is tackling these tasks in earnest." Buea (Cameroon) (AFP) - A young man from Cameroon's English-speaking region was shot dead by security forces on the eve of an expected symbolic declaration of independence by anglophone separatists, medical and security forces told AFP Sunday. "They fired at him during a security operation" in the city of Kumba, a nurse who requested anonymity told AFP. The incident was confirmed by a security source and several local residents contacted by phone. Kumba is known as a rebellious city since the start of protests by the anglophone minority last November, with clashes erupting between security forces and the local population. The majority of Cameroon's 22 million people are French-speaking, while about a fifth is English-speaking. The legacy dates back to 1961, when a formerly British entity, Southern Cameroons, united with Cameroon after its independence from France in 1960. The anglophone minority has long complained about disparities in sharing out Cameroon's oil wealth. On Sunday October 1, the date of the official reunification of the anglophone and francophone parts of Cameroon, the anglophone separatists are expected to make a symbolic proclamation of independence for Ambazonia, the name of the state they want to create. The anglophone minority has long complained about disparities in sharing out Cameroon's oil wealth On Thursday, the Cameroonian authorities announced a temporary curb on travel and public meetings across the Southwest Region, adding to a curfew in the neighbouring Northwest Region, also English-speaking. In Buea, the southwest's main city, the streets were mostly deserted early Sunday as security forces patrolled the area including where the separatists are expected to gather, an AFP correspondent reported. "I can't go out, they asked us to stay home," said one city resident who identified herself just as Nancy. "Everyone is afraid... it's not good," added another resident Thom. Since November 2016, the anglophone minority has been protesting against perceived discrimination, especially in education and the judicial system, where they say the French language and traditions are being imposed on them, even though English is one of the country's two official languages. Most anglophone campaigners want the country to resume a federalist system -- an approach that followed the 1961 unification but was later scrapped in favour of a centralised government run from the capital Yaounde. A hardline minority is calling for secession. Both measures are opposed by the country's long-ruling president, 84-year-old Paul Biya. rek/ah/jhd/boc/ach . Bishoftu (Ethiopia) (AFP) - Ethiopia's largest ethnic group on Sunday staged a peaceful anti-government protest at their biggest festival, where dozens were killed a year ago during a tear gas-induced stampede. Clad in traditional white, tens of thousands of Oromo people who gathered for the Irreecha festival, chanted "Down, down Woyane," a derogatory term for the Ethiopian government. The Oromo are the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia but critics say the government marginalises them. Last year's festival was held after months of demonstrations by Oromo communities. Police opened fire with tear gas after some people started shouting protest slogans and an ensuing stampede killed at least 50 people, though activists say the toll was much higher. Uniformed officers were absent from this year's event held by a lake in a resort town southeast of the capital Addis Ababa. There were no attempts to stop hundreds of youths who mounted a stage and crossed their arms in a gesture of defiance that would otherwise invite arrest. "The government is trying to control us and deny our rights, lives and security," said Sabana Bone. "We are remembering what happened last year and it makes us angry. We need freedom," he added. The bloodshed at least at year's Irreecha, which marks the end of rainy season and the upcoming harvest, prompted parliament to declare a nationwide state of emergency that was repealed in August. At least 940 people died in the Oroma protests that also extended to the Amhara region, according to the government-linked human rights commission, while arrests topped 22,000. The decree stopped months of protests, but many Oromos feel the government has not responded to their grievances. New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo Markin, has waded into the A-Plus corruption allegation saga, suggesting that the controversial musician is only being used as a tool by the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital CEO, Dr. Felix Anyah. In a post on Facebook, the MP said Dr. Anyah was using Kwame Asare Obeng, also known as A-Plus, in a cowardly attempt to besmirch the two presidential staffers, Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor, who were accused, and later cleared of corruption allegations. In a further warning to the two, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said: A- plus and Dr. Anyaa of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital should know that they are walking on a slippery ice. The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital management's decision to terminate a contract it had with UniBank for onsite banking services was followed by some intervention from the two staffers after a petition from UniBank. The Hospitals management has explained that there were compatibility issues with the End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software being used and UniBank, hence the termination which was later rescinded. The involvement of the two staffers prompted A-Plus corruption allegations, which were later deemed to be baseless by the Police CID. But Mr. Afenyo-Markin in his post held that Dr. Anyaa is using A-plus to destroy the very government that has given both of them space in public life. What is corruption in a situation where a government official calls another official to express a concern on matters involving a fellow Ghanaian/a Ghanaian business entity? Why should Assenso and Jinapor be the target? He intimated further that some NPP youth were complicit in the saga. For those NPP youth who think they are so powerful, untouchable and indispensable, quietly using A-plus to destroy their fellow youth or watching passively unconcerned whiles one of their own is being destroyed, I leave them to posterity..Time will tell..its not by might.the battle is the Lords, the post concluded. Francis Asenso-Boakye (L) and Abu Jinapor (R) Mr. Afenyo-Marking offered some words of encouragement to Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor saying: courage brothers, do not stumble, though your trials may be as dark as night, but there is always a star to guide the innocenttrust in God and he will deliver you. Find below the full post What A-Plus and Dr Anyaa have forgotten is that we are of the same stock and sharers in the same hope. Dr. Anyaa is using A-plus to destroy the very government that has given both of them space in public life. What is corruption in a situation where a government official calls another official to express a concern on matters involving a fellow Ghanaian/a Ghanaian business entity? Why should Assenso and Jinapor be the target? Where did they go wrong? Why will A-Plus record a senior police officer in an attempt to bring down the entire police administration? What is this whole business about recording! recording! recording and contents being blown out of context? For those Npp youth who think they are so powerful, untouchable and indispensable, quietly using A-plus to destroy their fellow youth or watching passively unconcerned whiles one of their own is being destroyed, I leave them to posterity..Time will tell..its not by might.the battle is the lords..In any event why is Unibank quiet? Why are media houses affiliated (kasapa fm, kasapafm online, starr fm, gh one tv,etc) to Unibank making matters worse by carrying stories on this controversy when same is without merit? Why will kasapafm online host the so called leaked tape on its website? What is really going on? Its time for men of conscience in society to speak up against all forms of blackmail and character assassination. A cowardly attempt to deflate the ego of Assenso and Jinapor and to denigrate the honour of their high office. Courage brothers, do not stumble though your trials may be as dark as night but there is always a star to guide the innocenttrust in God and he will deliver you.A- plus and Dr. Anyaa of Korle-bu teaching hospital should know that they are walking on a slippery ice. He who seeks to destroy others for no just cause opens himself up for destructionI rest my case By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana Benghazi (Libya) (AFP) - Benghazi port in east Libya reopened Sunday for the first time in three years after being forced to cease operations because of clashes in the cradle of the 2011 revolution. Commercial operations at the port had ended in 2014 when armed movements, including the Islamic State group, occupied the North African country's second city. They were expelled in July this year by the forces of military strongman Khalifa Haftar who backs a rival administration in the east to the UN-recognised government in Tripoli. It was the eastern-based government of Abdullah al-Thani that inaugurated the port's reopening, and he arrived on board a cargo vessel accompanied by members of his cabinet. A girl poses for a photo at Benghazi port as the "Lady Haluom" docks on October 1, 2017 "We thank God that justice has been victorious over injustice," Thani told AFP, referring to the ouster of the Islamist militias and "all those who claim that Benghazi is not secure". "The docking of this cargo ship carrying medicines and food supplies... is a major challenge to the obscurantists who used it to bring weapons to the terrorists." "Benghazi is a peaceful city, not a haven for terrorists from around the world as some people claim," Thani added. In a bid to boost business at the facility, port officials announced a temporary customs exemption for all imports through Benghazi. Thani's "provisional government" has not been recognised internationally since the government of national unity (GNA) was formed under a UN-sponsored agreement signed in 2015. After long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi was ousted and killed in the 2011 revolution, the country descended into both political and military chaos. Abuja (AFP) - President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday railed against separatists seeking Nigeria's "dismemberment" and called for "proper" dialogue after clashes between pro-Biafra activists and security forces in the restive southeast. Speaking as Nigeria marked its 1960 independence from Britain, Buhari also said that corruption remained the African oil giant's "number one enemy". The 74-year-old former general later flew out of the capital for a lightning surprise visit to Maiduguri, the city in northeastern Nigeria that is the epicentre of the bloody insurgency by Boko Haram Islamists. He paid tribute to troops on the frontline of the battle against jihadists linked to the Islamic State group on his first visit to the city since taking office in 2015. "I assure you under this leadership there will be resources available, as much as the country can afford it, to support your operations," Buhari told the troops in Maiduguri. Buhari, who fought in the 1967-70 Biafran war, said in his Abuja speech that those seeking to carve up the country had no idea of the havoc they could potentially wreak. "Those who are agitating for a rerun were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through," he said. He said the war had cost about two million lives, resulting in "fearful destruction and untold suffering". The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement wants an independent state for the Igbo people who dominate the southeast region. Tension has been building since October 2015 when the group's leader Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and held in custody until he was released on bail in April. His trial on charges of treasonable felony is expected to resume this month. The army flooded the southeastern state of Abia with troops this month, ostensibly as part of an operation against violent crime, but the IPOB suspected it was an attempt to curb its activities. Supporters clashed in Abia and neighbouring Rivers state, while the violence threatened to take on a wider ethnic dimension when unrest flared in the central city of Jos. Nigeria's government has since formally proscribed the IPOB as a terrorist organisation and accused it of stoking tensions by making false claims online of genocide against Igbos. Buhari called for "proper dialogue" in the provincial and national legislatures to defuse the tensions, saying: "These are the proper and legal fora for national debate, not some lopsided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives." Buhari, who was elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption platform, also said endemic graft remained a major scourge, recalling the period from 1999 to 2015, when Nigeria reverted from military to democratic rule. "In spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per barrel and about 2.1 million barrels a day, that great piece of luck was squandered and the country's social and physical infrastructure neglected," he said. Nigeria is ranked by Transparency International as one of the world's most corrupt countries. Last year it was placed 136 in a list of 176 nations. "The economy must be rebalanced so that we do not depend on oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigeria's number one enemy. Our administration is tackling these tasks in earnest," Buhari said. Buea (Cameroon) (AFP) - Police patrolled empty streets in Cameroon's restive anglophone belt as a separatist group made a symbolic proclamation of independence on Sunday, a day after a young man was shot dead by security forces. "I can't go out, they asked us to stay home," said one city resident who identified herself as Nancy. "Everyone is afraid... it's not good," added Thom, another resident. A young man was shot dead by security forces on Saturday in the nearby town of Kumba, known as a rebellious city since the start of protests by the anglophone minority last November, sparking clashes between security forces and the local population. "They fired at him during a security operation," a nurse who requested anonymity told AFP. The incident was confirmed by a security source and several local residents contacted by phone. On Sunday, "at least one person was injured by live fire" in the northwestern city of Bamenda, where the situation was "very tense", a source close to the local authorities told AFP. In nearby Kumbo, three inmates at a prison were shot and killed trying to escape while security forces were mobilised for the deployments in anglophone regions, a source close to regional authorities said. The majority of Cameroon's 22 million people are French-speaking, while about a fifth are English speakers. The legacy dates back to 1961, when a formerly British entity, Southern Cameroons, united with Cameroon after its independence from France in 1960. The anglophone minority has long complained about disparities in the distribution of Cameroon's oil wealth. Cameroon's long-serving president, 84-year-old Paul Biya, took to social media Sunday to condemn "all acts of violence, no matter where they come from or who is responsible". One of the leaders of the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), Joshua Osih, told AFP the security forces were "firing real bullets at the protesters" but stressed that he was not a supporter of the secessionist movement. On October 1, the anniversary of the official reunification of the anglophone and francophone parts of Cameroon, the anglophone separatists wanted to make a symbolic proclamation of independence for Ambazonia, the name of the state they want to create. The anglophone minority has long complained about disparities in sharing out Cameroon's oil wealth "We are no longer slaves of Cameroon," said Sisiku Ayuk, who describes himself as the "president" of Ambazonia. "Today we affirm the autonomy of our heritage and our territory," he said on social media on Sunday. On Thursday, Cameroonian authorities announced a temporary curb on travel and public meetings across the Southwest Region, adding to a curfew in the neighbouring Northwest Region, also English-speaking. The European Union called on all sides to be responsible and "respect the rule of law and avoid any act of violence." Since November, the anglophone minority has been protesting against perceived discrimination, especially in education and the judicial system, where they say the French language and traditions are being imposed on them, even though English is one of the country's two official languages. Most anglophone campaigners want the country to resume a federalist system -- an approach that followed the 1961 unification but was later scrapped in favour of a centralised government run from the capital Yaounde. A hardline minority is calling for secession. Biya opposes any such changes. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 21:39:24|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Violence, terrorist acts and armed conflicts across Iraq have killed 196 civilians and wounded 381 others in September, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said on Sunday. A UNAMI statement said figures of casualties do not include security members, as the Iraqi military declined to give information about casualties among the troops. Previous figures of security members' casualties released by UNAMI were questioned by the Iraqi military as "inaccurate." Most of the civilian casualties occurred in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where 37 were killed and 157 others injured in multiple violent incidents, including that a deadly car bombing ripped through a busy marketplace in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in eastern Baghdad on Aug. 28. Jan Kubis, the UN envoy to Iraq and the UNAMI chief, said the continuing suffering of civilians is shedding light on the terrorist Islamic State (IS) group's ability to strike despite its defeats in the battlefields across the country. Kubis referred to the deadly attack on Sept. 14 when IS claimed the killing of some 180 people, including Iranian pilgrims, in the coordinated attacks of a car bomb and a gunfire near the city of Nasriyah in Iraq's southern province of Dhi Qar. "This (Dhi Qar attack) only proves that the terrorist Daesh (IS group) remains a potent force, if not resolutely countered throughout the whole country as a matter of priority, without any distractions that divert attention elsewhere," Kubis said. "Attacks like this serve as a call for all Iraqis to set aside their differences, no matter how significant and how deep-rooted, and to continue working together in fighting Daesh (IS)," he said. Kubis also said that IS group is "on the verge of being wiped out from the soil of Iraq" by the combined efforts of the security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and local tribal fighters. "Every dispute and discord to prolong its lease of life here and in the region, to pursue its global terrorist objectives," Kubis warned. He concluded that fighting and defeating IS remains a "priority and requires that all Iraqis remain united behind their security forces." UNAMI statement came as tensions are running high between Baghdad government and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan after the Kurdish region held a controversial referendum on independence of Kurdistan and disputed areas, including Kirkuk. The independence referendum was opposed by many countries because it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and it could undermine fight against IS militants. In addition, neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria see that such a step would threaten their territorial integrity, as larger populations of Kurds live in those countries. Meanwhile, the Iraqi forces are conducting an offensive to dislodge IS militants from their stronghold in the city of Hawijah and surrounding areas. The troops have to wage more offensives to liberate the remaining IS strongholds in the border areas with Syria, including the cities of Rawa and al-Qaim in the western province of Anbar province. Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the United States that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003, under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the country. But no such weapons have been found. It is marvellous to hear that transparent public private partnerships (PPPs) that are long-term win-win public procurement contracts, are set to play a leading role in the roads sector. Hopefully, in addition to consulting local stakeholders, President Akufo-Addo's government will also consult reputable and experienced entities in the PPP field such as Adam Smith International, in fashioning a suitable legal framework to govern such PPPs. In light of that new development in the provision and expansion of Ghana's infrastructure, perhaps those who now govern our homeland Ghana should take a look at some of the innovative political agent-principal-theory ideas that underpinned President Nkrumah's nation-building strategy, when it came to private-sector participation in the development of Ghana during his tenure. A key feature of his political philosophy - working for the common good at all material times - meant that throughout his years in power, President Nkrumah worked hard to ensure that Ghana's resources did not fall into the hands of "...a powerful few with greedy ambitions" to quote the great man. That sentiment was illustrated perfectly in the speech Nkrumah delivered at the opening of the oil refinery at Tema. For the benefit of this blog's younger generation Ghanaian readers, today, we have culled and posted that particular speech from the Nkrumahinfobank.org website for their perusal. PPPs in Ghana ought always to reflect Nkrumah's belief that every such profit-seeking PPP venture should indeed be "an example of how the genius and skill of patriotic citizens can be put at the disposal of the State and not for the exploitation of the many by the few." That sentiment should be the guiding ethos for our ruling elites involved in the drafting of the new legal framework covering PPP infrastructure procurement contracts for our country - and food for thought for today's Ghanaian entrepreneurs. Please read on: "FORMAL OPENING OF THE OIL REFINERY Tema, September 28, 1963 "The opening of this oil refinery in Ghana is significant in that, it marks an important stage in our investment and development programme. Since the attainment of our political independence, there has been no doubt in our minds as to the direction in which our duty lay, namely, to develop Ghana into a modern industrial state. lt is only in this way that we can survive as an independent country. To achieve this objective, we have to rid ourselves of the economic patterns and institutions of imperialism left behind by colonialism. It was necessary to instil confidence in ourselves and to share that confidence with our people. We were convinced that we could meet and surpass all the challenges which our independence had imposed on us. But in actual fact, we faced a greater hostility than we had dreamt of. We swung into action as one people to lay the economic foundations for a socialist Ghana. The opening of this oil refinery is a testimony of this determination. Oil is the lifeblood of industry. It is as important for industry as water is for human existence. The politics of it is even more complicating. Without oil, the wheels of industry refuse to turn. That is why the Government has decided to buttress its programme of industrialisation by the establishment of an oil refinery in Ghana. This Oil Refinery, with its oil processing capacity of one million metric tons, and built at a cost of nearly Ghanaian pounds 81/2 million, is one of the six largest refineries in Africa. As our industrial programme expands, it will be possible to expand the refinery to a capacity of two or three times its present size. I can now look back to the period of long and protracted discussions which took place, leading to an agreement concluded on the 21st January, 1961, between the Government of Ghana and the AGIP MINERARIA which led to the formation of the Ghanaian-Italian Petroleum Company which has given birth to this Oil Refinery. The Ghanaian-Italian Petroleum Company is an inter-state enterprise of a special kind. And here I must pay tribute to a friend. It is interesting to note that AGIP MINERARIA itself, which has given birth to Ghana-Italian Petroleum Company, owes its origin and growth to the vision and foresight of a politician and entrepreneur who harnessed his commercial genius with state enterprises in his own country. This is indeed an example of how the genius and skill of patriotic citizens can be put at the disposal of the State and not for the exploitation of the many by the few. The lamentable and untimely death of Signor Enrico Mattei in an air crash near Milan last October, robbed Italy of one of its great captains of State Industry. It was he who formed the state-owned oil industry, E.N.I. out of which AGIP MINERARIA comes into being. AGIP MINERARIA in its turn gave birth to the GHANAIANITALIAN PETROLEUM COMPANY here in Ghana. E.N.I. prospered under Enrico Matteis distinguished leadership, and extended its, interests widely: for example, E.N.I. controlled atomic enterprises, synthetic rubber plants, cement factories and a string of hotels. By making Italy the largest importer of Russian oil in the West and by combining state enterprise with private capital, Signor Mattei broke the foreign oil monopolies which battered on Italys industries and created conditions for the Italian oil Industry which make it an acceptable partner for the development of our own oil industries. The authorised share capital of the Ghanaian-Italian Petroleum Company is Three Million Four Hundred Thousand Pounds, made up of ordinary shares of One Pound each. The total amount is subscribed equally by two Italian companies AGIP MINERARIA and A.N.LC. Under the Agreement which we have signed, Ghanaian-Italian Petroleum Company will transfer to the Government of Ghana fifty per cent of the issued capital on the eleventh anniversary of the production date (that is, the first day of the month following that in which the refinery commenced production), and the Government of Ghana will be entitled to fifty per cent share of the profits. The Government of Ghana will also appoint the Chairman of the Board of Directors and one half of the membership. Meanwhile, Ghanaian-Italian Petroleum Company have undertaken, commencing with the production date, to pay into a Special Sinking Fund such sums as will produce, together with compound interest at settlement date, an amount equal to one-half of the cost of the Refinery; the amount paid into the ` Special Sinking Fund shall belong to the Government of Ghana. This is a new form of economic and industrial relationship whichn Signor Mattei and I tried to evolve as another pattern of foreign investment in developing countries. Another aspect of this Agreement is that, the Ghanaian-Italian Petroleum Company will train and employ Ghanaian technical and administrative staff which eventually could take over the management. The Government of Ghana have the final say in determining the prices of the products of this Oil Refinery. It is my Governments intention that this Refinery should become a vital part of the infrastructure for the establishment of other industries in Ghana. I have therefore directed that first among the many by-products of petroleum, immediate consideration should be given to the establishment of a fertilizer industry in Ghana. By the establishment of this fertilizer industry, it will be possible to increase our present agricultural production many times over. When I had the occasion a month ago to open another industrial enterprise, the Unilever Soap Factory here in Tema, I pointed out the need for continental planning in Africa. This Oil Refinery could have been built with an initial capacity five times its present size. But this could not be done because of our limitation in money and resources. This limitation was caused solely by the fact of our disunity in Africa which precludes planning on a continental basis. For, as long as we remain disunited and our trade remains subject to the interests of the manufacturing industries of the imperialist powers, we cannot achieve large-scale industrial development in Africa. Thus, for example, if our imports are more than our exports, and our trade balance unfavourable, and if our reserves are such that we cannot off-set our budget deficit, then we cannot stand up to the ravages and overtures of the neo-colonialist powers. Here we have another illustration of how the African States have denied themselves of the full advantages of development by the absence of continental unity and a unified economic continental planning. I am glad to welcome to this ceremony Mr. Marcello Boldrini, the President of E.N.I., and His Excellency Mr. Giorgio Bo, Italian Minister of State Participation. You see, even in Italy, there is a Minister for State Participation. I would like to express to them and to the other delegates of the Italian Government and AGIP MINERARIA, our appreciation of their efforts for the interest in helping to establish this Oil Refinery in Ghana. The factory buildings which we all see here are of the most modern design and construction: the machinery is of the most modern in its class. Within these factory buildings, we shall be producing for the first time in Ghana liquid petroleum gas, normal gasoline, premium gasoline and diesel oil, kerosene, gas oil and fuel oil - all of which will stimulate industrial activity. These "made in Ghana" petroleum products will make for a substantial reduction in our dependence on imported sources of energy. This Refinery will help us to acquire new skills and contribute greatly to our national development. I am sure that what we see here today is only the beginning of an important upsurge in our industrial programme. May this Refinery justify the confidence and the faith which our people have placed in us and in its success. And now, Your Excellencies, Nananom, Ladies and Gentlemen, I have great pleasure in declaring this Oil Refinery officially open." End of President Njkrumah's speech delivered at the official opening of the Ghanaian-Italian Petroleum Company's oil refinery at Tema in September, 1963. It was culled from the Nkrumahinfobank.org website. Nkrumah Welcomes Foreign Enterprises To Ghana 7-Year Development Plan - Presentation Opening of Police Headquarters Nkrumah Opens Accra Assembly Message on the Eve of 2nd Anniversary of Republic Nkrumah's Lenin Peace Prize Response 1st International Congress of Africanists 13th Anniversity of Positive Action Dinner With Businessmen Presenting The Volta River Project 1963 May Day Broadcast 1963 O.A.U. Conference in Addis Ababa 14th Anniversary of the CPP 3rd Anniversary of Ghana Young Pioneers Opening of Government House Nkrumah Opens Unilever Soap Factory Nkrumah's Tribute to Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois Opning of Tema Oil Refinery Opening of the Institute of African Studies African Journalists Conference Nkrumah's Tribute to President John F. Kennedy The Academy of Sciences Dinner Nkrumah Receives Chinese Premier Africa Liberation Day Broadcast The Osagyefo Players Inuguration Ghana Television Service Inauguration The 1966 New Year Message The African Hurrican Ghana Needs Her Farmers - Nkrumah Openning of College of Administration The Republic of Ghana is Born Republican Constitution Debate 1st Meeting of the Republican Parmiament Nkrmah At The United Nations Assembly Nkrumah's Trade Policy Chieftaincy Is Guaranteed - Nkrumah Nkrumah Speaks To Students of Ghana College Nkrumah Opens Cocoa House" Culled from the Nkrumahinfobank.org website. There is a need to provide galamsayers and rural communities affected by illegal activities that impact ecosystems negatively, with alternative micro-entrepreneurial opportunities. And before the ban on small-scale gold mining is lifted, forensic audits ought to be conducted into the operations of small-scale gold mining companies across Ghana. Ditto investigations into how they came to obtain their concessions and operating permits - since it is an open secret that most small-scale gold miners obtained them through corrupt means. Thus far, the most sensible observation about the many illegalities going on in the egregious degradation of what is left of our nation's natural heritage, has come from the Asantehene - who is of the view that the work of the regulatory bodies ought to be examined closely if the fight against such environmentally ruinous activities is to be won. And how right he is: Were the media spotlight to be focused on auditing the work of the officials employed by the regulatory bodies that oversee our forests, mineral deposits and water resources - at both the district and national levels - one doubts very much that any legally registered small-scale gold mining concern would be allowed to operate in Ghana. As we speak, for example, apparently tailings ponds of Kibi Goldfields sited in what is a buffer zone - are reported to have been breached and said to be leaching toxic material into the Akoosu stream. Monstrous. And despite the Forestry Commission's district-level officials having been notified, trees are still being felled regularly (and turned into bush-cut chainsaw lumber that will somehow be transported to their buyers in Accra), in the heavily forested slopes of the Atewa Range's upland evergreen rainforest's Akyem Juaso section. Abominable. The plain truth is that many of the officials employed by the regulatory bodies to enforce their regulations and laws on the ground across Ghana are in the pockets of the criminal syndicates behind the destruction of what is left of Ghana's natural heritage. If it wasn't for the bribes the syndicates readily pay to such dishonest officials to turn a blind eye to their crimes against Mother Nature, no small-scale mining company in Ghana would be able to obtain concessions, permits and, above all, none of their Environmental Impact Assessment documents would be sanctioned by the EPA after site visits and community engagement consultations. Finally, since Ghana has signed on to implementing measures to enable the nation attain all the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, perforce we must provide rural people - including galamsayers - with the training to set up alternative income generating micro-enterprises, such as mushroom farming, beekeeping to produce honey, snail farming, grasscutter rearing and community agro-forestry initiatives. The Rural Enterprises Project (REP) needs to be resourced to help train rural people to do all the above. Ditto the NGOs and private vocational schools that provide skills training for young females. Quickly. 'The big truck is still on ... Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 21:49:27|Editor: liuxin Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Du Jinxing, 88, was among 55 business leaders in east China's Fujian Province who made a joint appeal in newspapers asking for free entrepreneurship 33 years ago, one of the strongest drives for market-oriented economic reform in China. The former head of the Fuzhou Electric Wire Plant attended a meeting of Fujian entrepreneurs organization last week to discuss the latest guideline on entrepreneurship, released on Sept. 26 by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council. "The guideline defines the meaning of entrepreneurial spirit and gives legal rights and interests to entrepreneurs," Du said. In the old planned economy, companies were obliged to execute government orders. There was no free entrepreneurship. The guideline makes creating a favorable environment for entrepreneurship a government priority. Through a simpler approval process, lower corporate fees and better technology, the government is transforming itself to achieve its goal of shifting from "Made in China" to "Created in China." One of the reasons behind China's stable performance during global instability or domestic economic slowdown is the role of the CPC in political and economic activity. Businesses have remained ahead in creativity, prompted by improved education, research, government support and investment. UBS claims that China's investment in research and development has exceeded some European countries and will surpass that of the United States in 2018. Nomura analyst Ying Zhongxi believes China is beginning an era of high-speed development in artificial intelligence (AI), following a State Council guideline in July. Goldman Sachs said in a recent report that AI and machines will be the next area of major area of creativity in China. "The government understands the 'new normal' in the economy, and has formed a mode of development which centers on structural reform," said Chen Hongyu, a professor at CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee Party School. "It is an important CPC economic theory." The Party has ensured that better social governance solved various social problems through advanced theory, a scientific attitude, professional methods and appropriate standards. Over the past five years, officials have come up with new ideas, mechanisms and methods, solving a number of problems, improving the sense of security and satisfaction of the people, and creating a stable environment for reform and development. At a corruption reporting center in Foshan City, south China's Guangdong Province, an LED screen displays a map showing villages in different colors: the deeper the color, the more complaints about the village committee. The complaints are about "si feng," the four forms of decadence: formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance. In December 2012, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee came up with an eight-point frugality code to address "si feng." In April 2014, Foshan set up the country's first online reporting platform, receiving information and complaints from the public. As of September this year, it had dealt with more than 4,000 complaints, through which 444 officials were punished. The high efficiency of the platform has earned it the nickname "the e-commission for discipline inspection." The CPC has been taking advantage of big data as new means to dig for possible violations and corruption in officials. The platform analyzes the performance of officials and public servants in different areas, industries and levels and sounds an alarm when complaints rise markedly, according to Pei Guangming, deputy secretary of CPC discipline inspection committee in Foshan. Yao Yang, dean of the National School of Development at Peking University, said that with new methods, CPC should select more capable staff in promoting officials. "The Party needs to ceaselessly tackle problems found in promotions, such as those based only on scores, GDP or age," Yao said. - The Northern Elders Forum has issued stern a warning to Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai - The forum condemned the plan to arrest members of the Coalition of Northern Groups - The Kaduna state government had gotten an arrest warrant on members of the youth group The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has condemned plans by the Kaduna state government to arrest members of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG). Spokesman of the NEF, Professor Ango Abdullahi, stated that the Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has no moral stand to order for the arrest of the Arewa youths, who he said woke Nigeria from its slumber. The Kaduna state government had on Thursday, September 28 announced that it obtained a bench warrant from the court to arrest members of the CNG who gave October 1 as deadline for Igbos living in the North to quit or be forced out of the region. Leaders of the Coalition of Northern Groups. Photo credit: Borno state government The CNG has since withdrawn following the intervention of the Borno state governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima. READ ALSO: Southeast crisis: Oodua Republic Front welcomes displace people into southwest Professor Abdullahi told Leadership: The government owns the power to arrest whoever they want to arrest, but I hope that they would arrest the youths and put them on trial in the court of law that belongs to Nigerians and not the ones they set up. We know that the government of El-Rufai doesnt even obey the law or court orders. I supported the youths declaration. They did a good job and by waking up Nigeria from its sleep. But the Kaduna state police command maintained last night that the warrant of arrest on the Arewa youths from the court of law will be fully implemented. The state commissioner of police, Agyole Abeh, said, Any warrant of arrest from a court will be carried. Details of the warrant of arrest on the Arewa Youths showed that the offences committed by the accused persons include: - Inciting disturbance punishable under section 78 of the penal code laws of Kaduna state 2017 - Disturbing public peace punishable under section 77 of the penal code laws of Kaduna state 2017 - Injurious falsehood punishable under section 373 of the penal code laws of Kaduna state 2017 - Unlawful assembly punishable under section 66, and - Criminal conspiracy punishable under section 59 of the penal code laws of Kaduna State 2017 Meanwhile, ahead of the October 1 quit notice deadline previously issued by the Arewa youths, Igbo indigenes resident in northern Nigeria have been advised to return back to the southeast, by some concerned lawyers in Onitsha, Anambra state. The lawyers - Samuel Chukwukelu, Ben Okoko and Maurice Efobi - made their comments while speaking to newsmen in Onitsha on Thursday, September 28. The lawyers advised Igbos to vacate the north, whether the threat would be carried out or not and despite the fact that the quit notice had been revoked by the Arewa youths. READ ALSO: Hate speech and quit notices only hurt Nigeria - Oluremi Tinubu Watch this Legit.ng TV video about Governor El-Rufai's response to the quit notice issued to Igbos: Source: Legit.ng - Boko Haram insurgent has reortedly attacked a military barrack in Bama town, Borno state - Several people have been reported dead, while some are still missing Some Boko Haram terrorists have reportedly attacked a military barrack in Bama, Borno state, around 6.30pm on the evening of September 30. Legit.ng gathered that the attack, which lasted about an hour, claimed several lives. READ ALSO: I will never be tired of calling for the unity of Nigeria - IBB The terrorists stormed the barrack but were confronted by officers of the Nigerian army who prevented them from gaining access into the barracked. It is yet uncertain how many lives were lost in the fire exchanges, but a source of Daily Post claimed that the soldiers were able to kill some of the attackers. This is coming few days after some Internally Displaced People (IDPs) from Bama town tried to return to the town but were prevented by the police. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a local official on Thursday, September 28, said three people were killed by Boko Haram in a raid targeting vulnerable rural communities. Modu Ganamani, the information officer for the Guzamala local government area in northern Borno state, said the attack happened at about 3pm on Wednesday, September 27. However it was not immediately clear as to which faction of Boko Haram was responsible for the attack. Watch how the Nigerian security operatives have been combating Boko Haram bases: Source: Legit.ng - As Nigeria celebrates its 57th Independence celebration on October 1, 2017, President has addressed the nation - In his speech he thanked Nigerians for their support and said it was important to remember the journey of Nigeria - He also spoke on the fight against corruption and the progresses his government has made - Nigerians have reacted in various ways to the many points President Buhari raised in his speech President Muhammadu Buhari is currently addressing Nigerians live on national television today, October 1. Legit.ng brings you major highlights of the president's address below: At 7:00am, President Buhari began by saying: "October 1st remains an important date for all Nigerians, as the day we attained one of the most important desire of humans -freedom. It is day for celebration and rededication." President Buhari addresses the nation Source: Twitter, BashirAhmaad He also said: "The PDP government squandered the government's resources and we were left with no savings and depleted infrastructure deficit." Speaking on the APC campaign, he said: "The APC governments campaign rallying cry to restore security, re-balance the economy and fight corruption was not all rhetoric. "The country must first be secured. The economy must be re-balanced so that we do not depend on oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigerias number one enemy. Our administration is tackling these tasks in earnest. READ ALSO: Buharis performance is below average, Nigeria will be worse off if he gets second term - Bishop Okogie President Buhari spoke on the calls for restructuring Source: Facebook, Muhammadu Buhari At 7:04am, speaking on the agitations and calls for restructuring, he said: "Many irresponsible groups are calling for a rerun of the civil war, those doing this were not born by 1967. "As a young Army Officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about 2m lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through. "I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly." The Nigerian president listed the many achievements of his administration Source: Facebook, Muhammadu Buhari President Buhari also said: We have increased funding to homegrown school feeding programme "We expected the fight against corruption to be difficult, we expected corrupt people to fight back, we have done our best to fight, including using the Treasury Single Account (TSA). "Justice Malami has been appointed to help improve the judiciary and sancytion any udges found corrupt. "Fighting coruption is important. I call on all Nigerians to fight corruption by refusing and not asking for bribes and also by whistle blowing. "As we enter the second term, we intend to accelerate progress. Thank you and happy holidays. God bless our country." Read the full speech embedded below: PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV Legit.ng earlier reported that the office of the Nigerian vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, has released a list of 57 achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari's administration to mark Nigeria's 57th Independence day anniversary. The presidency listed the release of some Chibok girls as well as the war against Boko Haram as some of the main achievements of the Buhari's administration. Watch this Legit.ng video to see how Nigerians are celebrating Independence day: Source: Legit.ng - Kemi Olunloyo, popular blogger and journalist has revealed some unconfirmed news about Nnamdi Kanu - Following the clash between the Nigerian military and IPOB members in Abia, Kanu's whereabouts have been unknown - According to Olunloyo, he has reportedly left the country and gone on exile somewhere undisclosed During the Operation Python Dance in the south east of Nigeria, led to a clash between the Nigerian military and IPOB members, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the group disappeared. Legit.ng reported that the Defence Headquarters said that it had no business declaring IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, wanted. This was made known by the director, defence information, Major General John Enenche at a press briefing with journalists on Friday, September 29. Enenche also informed journalists present at the briefing that Kanu was not in military custody and so they couldnt be held accountable for him. However, popular blogger, Kemi Olunloyo has reported that Nnamdi Kanu was on exile in an undisclosed country. READ ALSO: Arrest Nnamdi Kanu within 21 days or face national protest - Abia lawmakers tell FG Below is a post she made on Facebook: "A highly credible source told me that political activist and separatist #NnamdiKanu has reportedly left #Nigeria and is in a "safe haven" in a nearby #African country. He is carrying both a Nigerian and British passports." Kemi Olunloyo alleges Nnamdi Kanu is in exile in an undisclosed African country Source: Facebook, Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo Her claim is yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor has stated that sureties of the IPOB leader should not entertain any fear over the disappearance of his client. PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV In an interview, Ejiofor said the circumstances of the present case had gone beyond the sureties' control. He said the federal government have a duty to produce his client before the case makes any headway. Watch this Legit.ng video as Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer speaks on his client's disappearance: Source: Legit.ng A chance of showers and a significant cool-down is in the forecast for Billings beginning this afternoon, followed by rain and snow throughout much of central and eastern Montana beginning Monday night. After several days of sunny, warmer weather, this week's high temperatures are expected to remain in the 50s, according to the National Weather Service. Overnight lows will likely remain in the 30s, with freezing temperatures expected overnight Monday and Tuesday. Billings could see some light snow accumulation Monday night, with higher snowfall totals in the mountains and to the north and west of the city. The Weather Service is calling for overnight accumulation of 1 to 2 inches in Livingston and Harlowton, and less than an inch farther east. The agency is also warning of heavier snow for those planning trips to Great Falls, Lewistown and other parts of north-central Montana. In Billings, mostly sunny skies are expected to return by Wednesday. High temperatures could again reach the low 60s by next weekend. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 22:09:29|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close GAZA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The minister of culture in the Palestinian consensus government took over on Sunday the building of the culture ministry in Gaza, the ministry said in an official statement. The statement, emailed to reporters, said that minister of culture Ihab Bseiso, who arrived earlier Sunday in Gaza coming from the West Bank city of Ramallah, had visited the ministry of culture in Gaza City and handed it over. Right after a short ceremony of receiving the ministry of culture, which has been under Islamic Hamas movement's rule for more than ten years, Bseiso held a meeting for all the ministry's stuff. The culture ministry is the first in the consensus government to be handed over back to the government. On Monday, PM Hamdallah will arrive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to receive control on the rest of his government's ministries. Handing over the ministries in the Gaza Strip to the consensus government was part of an agreement reached between Hamas movement and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party in Cairo last month. Hamas had announced that it decided to dissolve the Administrative Committee it had formed to run the daily life of more than 2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Forming the committee provoked and outraged President Abbas. In return, he took a series of "punitive" measures against Hamas and the Gaza Strip related to providing daily energy, medical and salaries services. Abbas conditioned that measures will be lifted if Hamas dissolve the committee. Hamas formed the committee as an alternative to the consensus government of Hamdallah, which was formed in June 2014. Hamas said it formed the committee after Hamdallah's government turned its back to Gaza and ignored its employees. - Former President Goodluck Jonathan joined other top Nigerians to congratulate the citizens over the country's 57th Independence anniversary - Jonathan noted that Nigeria has some challenges - He also said the solution lies in the hands of the citizens while expressing hope for a solution Nigerias immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, has congratulated citizens as the country marks its 57th Independence anniversary. Jonathan noted that the country was facing challenges that look insurmountable, but added that he trusts Nigerians would come out strong because of their can-do spirt. READ ALSO: LIVE: President Buhari addresses the nation He urged the citizens to remain resilient saying this is one of the surest ways the country would overcome its current problems. As a nation we are moving on. On October 1, 2010 we celebrated our Golden Jubilee as an independent nation. Again, in January 2014, we celebrated our centenary as a nation. And today, October 1, 2017 we are celebrating our 57th Independent anniversary. It may seem as though we are passing through insurmountable challenges, but I am very intimately aware of the can do Nigerian spirit which will help us surmountable our present challenges. You may say tough times are here, but I say to you that tough times do not last, but tough people do. I call on all Nigerians to renew faith with Nigeria as we add another year to our age. We will get better, we will be greater, of that there can be no doubt. Let me also seize this opportunity to call for togetherness, oneness and accommodation for all. We must accept the fact that none of us is as great as all of us. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app We thank God for the journey so far. We had challenges, we still have challenges but the Nigerian spirit of resilience will carry us on. I congratulate all Nigerians on our 57th Independent anniversary, he said. Legit.ng earlier reported that a former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, also congratulated Nigerians over the celebration. "On this October 1st, 2017, I congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians on the occasion of Nigeria's 57th Independence anniversary," Atiku said. Watch this video as Nigerians speak on how they would celebrate the country's independence: Source: Legit.ng Hours after addressing the nation as Nigeria marks its 57th Independece anniversary, President Muhammadu Buhari is off to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. The president is expected to spend the remaining part of the entire day with soldiers in the warfront against Boko Haram insurgents. READ ALSO: Presidency reveals 57 achievements of Buhari as Nigeria celebrates 57th birthday Buhari being received by troops and top officials of Borno government. Credit: Maryam Shetty. This is the first time the president would visit troops fighting insurgency in the state. He also urged Nigerians to pray for the troops who have spent their energies ensuring the security and unity of Nigeria. Buhari, who posted the message on his Facebook wall, said: I'm spending today visiting our troops in Maiduguri. The entire nation thanks our gallant Armed Forces for their heroic work rolling back the frontiers of Boko Harams terrorism. Buhari after inspecting a guard of honour. Credit: Maryam Shetty We will never forget their sacrifices. I ask that you remember them in your prayers. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app On Wednesday, July 13, 2016, Legit.ng reported how President Muhammady Buhari, in military uniform, met with troops of HQ 1 BDE in Dansadau in Zamfara state as part of the 2016 Nigerian Army Day celebration. The president used the opportunity to launch a special military task force to fight bandits. Watch this video as Nigerians speak on how they would celebrate the country's independence: Source: Legit.ng - Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer has reacted to the statement credited to the former governor of Abia state, Orji Uzor-Kalu - Ifeanyi Ejiofor said the former governor is a drowning man - He also advised the former governor to apply to join as a party between the IPOB leader and the chief of army staff in court A lawyer to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu has reacted to the statement credited to a former governor of Abia state Orji Uzor-Kalu on the whereabouts of his client. Ifeanyi Ejiofor in a statement sent to Legit.ng described the former governor as "a drowning man looking for where to perch. He also said Uzor-Kalu is desperately searching for temporary freedom. READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu has left the country with his 2 passports' - Kemi Olunloyo alleges Accusing the former governor of effort that he could end Kanu's agitation, Ejiofor asked the former governor to make it clearly know if he was in the company of the soldiers during the invasion of his client's residence. Ejiofro said: "Orji Uzor-Kalu is a drowning man, looking for where to perch. He has since outlived his usefulness in Igbo Land. What do you expect from a Man who is enjoying a temporary freedom?. Struggling to get his head out of grievous corruption charge hanging on his neck. It's not unlikely that he may spend the rest of his life in prison, sooner than expected. He saw Nnamdi Kanu's travail as opportunity to seek relevance from the prosecuting authority. At sometime, he attempted deceiving the state into believing that he has the magic wand to Nnamdi Kanu's peaceful agitation. READ ALSO: Breaking: President Muhammdu Buhari heads to Maiduguri, to celebrate independence with soldiers fighting Boko Haram Now, he has turned into government/military spokesperson. Please ask that confuse Man, if he was in the company of the rampaging soldiers at the time of their murderous invasion of my client's home? He is seeking for possible relevance where none exist, opportunity to divert attention. May be he has forgotten he is no longer the governor of Abia state. I advise the discerning mind to kindly disregard his tantrums as that coming from a drowning man. The military should produce my client wherever they kept him. The matter is now in court, let's meet in court. Orji Uzor-Kalu, can as well be apply to be joined as a party in the suit. Let his position be on oath," Kanu's lawyer concluded. The former governor in a recent interview with Punch debunked claims that the IPOB leader is missing. READ ALSO: As Nigeria clocks 57, coalition asks Buhari to tackle agitations by 'terrorists' Uzor-Kalu said the IPOB leader was not taken away or killed by the Nigerian military during the raid in his father's residence in Afara Ibeku, Umuahia in Abia state. He said one of Kanu's relative had earlier told him that the IPOB leader left Nigeria to London through Malaysia following the tension between the group members and the military. He also said although the Biafra agitation is a never ending cause, the people of the southeast region mainly of Igbo extraction should strive towards producing a president of Nigeria instead of the agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra. Legit.ng earlier reported that the former governor visited Nnamdi Kanu while he was in Kuje Prison. PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV Uzor-Kalu during the visit discussed the need and various things that should be done to facilitate the release of IPOB leader. The former governor also visited the parents of the IPOB leader in home in Afara Ukwu, Umuahia His Excellency Eze Israel Kanu and his wife Ugoeze Sally Kanu. Watch this Legit.ng video as Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer speaks on his client's bail condition: Source: Legit.ng - According to Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, Nnamdi Kanu is currently in London and not in detention - The former governor of Abia state, said Kanu travelled to Malaysia and then to the United Kingdom - The government of the United Kingdom on Thursday, September 28, had asked the Nigerian government of his whereabouts Where is Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenuos People of Biafra (IPOB)? This question is being asked by so many people following his clash with the Nigerian military. The government of the United Kingdom on Thursday, September 28, had asked the federal government of Nigeria to state the whereabouts of British-Nigerian man and leader of IPOB, saying: We are seeking urgent clarification from the Nigerian authorities about the status and whereabouts of Mr. Kanu, a British-Nigerian man, who has been reported missing since September 14." Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, the former governor of Abia state while speaking in an interview said the IPOB leader went to Malaysia from where he travelled to the United Kingdom. READ ALSO: You're a drowning man, looking for where to perch - Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer slams Orji Uzor-Kalu According to Punch, he said: "Kanu was not taken away by the military. Kanu went to Malaysia from where he travelled to the United Kingdom. "Nnamdi Kanu is in London right now as we speak. He was not arrested by anybody. He left the country on his own. "One of his relations has spoken to me and explained everything because I wanted to see him and talk to him wherever he was and see how I could meet some Federal Government officials on his issue. "I also wanted to see ways of talking to the President about him, and find common ground but his family told me that he has left the country, unless they are lying to me. "I believe, whether he had left the country or not, he is not with the military because I asked the Commander of the 14 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. A.K Ibrahim, who is a very fine and good soldier, well educated and dedicated, and he told me that they dont know his whereabouts and I am sure, the Department of State Services (DSS) have the same information. "I also visited the commissioner of police and he said he didnt know his whereabouts and that they are also looking for him. On Kanu parents whereabouts I dont know. "I visited them in December last year and I was not impressed with the discussion I had with the father and the mother because I expected them to have acted better. "Since then, I have not visited them. Eze Israel Kanu his son and wife I feel that they have not impressed me because they ignored my advice to them to talk to their son on the need to stay at home and avoid public outings. "I said his people can continue to carry their flags around but that they should not disturb anybody again. They have a right to express themselves but that such rights should be within the limits of our constitution. READ ALSO: Kemi Olunloyo alleges Nnamdi Kanu went on exile in an undisclosed African country "They have the right to carry Biafran flags but they should do so within the limits of the constitution. Once your activities are within the limits of the law, you are in order. You cannot carry Biafra flags and be stopping vehicles and smashing their windscreens. "You cannot carry Biafra (flags) and be molesting young girls, you also cannot carry Biafra (flags) and be assembling young men every day. "These are people who have no job and after doing that, they will go and engage in kidnapping or they will go and do armed robbery while some will go and do other things to make money. "Hunger is a very terrible thing. The traders in the market have warned them to stop the nonsense they are doing. Why should you be extorting money from people in the name of Biafra agitation? "They are extorting money from people in the market against their will. If the federal and state governments continue to watch and allow all these things to continue, there will be chaos in the state. "If Kanu had not proved stubborn but listened to advice and kept to the rules of the court, we wont be where we are now. "I spoke with Nnamdi Kanu in the prison and gave him quality advice. I counselled him to embrace peace and agree with whatever terms that will set him free. "I also warned him against allowing his boys to be displaying Biafra flags, coat of arms, organising parades, establishing secret security service, and mounting a guard of honour." Meanwhile, Legit.ng revealed that Kemi Olunloyo has reported that Nnamdi Kanu was on exile in an undisclosed country. PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV Below is a post she made on Facebook: "A highly credible source told me that political activist and separatist #NnamdiKanu has reportedly left #Nigeria and is in a "safe haven" in a nearby #African country. He is carrying both a Nigerian and British passports." Watch this Legit.ng video as Nnamdi Kanu's lawyer speaks: Source: Legit.ng - A young Nigerian presidential hopeful based in America, Chris Emejuru, has thrown his weight behind the clamour for restructuring - Emejuru is of the opinion that restructuring will take Nigeria to the next level - He also stated that calls for secession from some quarters are not realistic The founder of consulting firm, Liberty Approach & Allied Consults (LAAC), Mr Chris Emejuru has backed the calls for restructuring Nigeria. Emejuru, a young American-based Nigerian, who declared his interest to contest for 2019 presidential election three months ago, stated that restructuring the country will take Nigeria to the next level. Emejuru backs restructuring, says Nigeria says the time to restructure Nigeria is now. Photo credit: chrisemejuru.com According to him, to restructure the country at this time is the best thing to do, so as to move the Nigeria forward. READ ALSO: If anybody tells you Nigeria is doing well, it is a lie - Peter Obi He made the call in a statement he personally signed and sent to Legit.ng on the 57th anniversary of Nigeria. Emejuru also used the opportunity to dismiss calls for secession from some quarters, stressing that they are not realistic. His words: Nigeria is one; from the beauty of the north, to the magnificence of the south, to the wonders of the west, united we will remain, as an example for many, for Africa, for the world. He further declared that from all indications, Nigeria shall remain united and unbreakable. Backing up his calls for restructuring, he said: It is urgent for the reason of economic prosperity for all Nigerians that a restructuring must occur. To restructure, is for each region of the federation to enjoy the fruits of its labour, overseen by an authority to manage each system of that labour. Simply, every region should be able to manage its own output in cooperation with the federal government. The presidential hopeful also told President Muhammadu Buhari's led federal government that the growing concerns and disparities between different regions gave reasoning to a divisive past that must not repeat itself. He recalled that since the beginning of self rule in 1960, major events have shaped our landscape politically, economically, and socially. From the assassination of Prime Minister Balewa, to the coup attempt by General Ironsi, this led to a federal system with no viability, as 'regionalism' was relegated to something unimportant at the time. During these major transitions, sentiments were brewing, especially concerning divisions between the north and south. These implications would reach a boiling point. This boiling point eventually led to the civil war. To avoid this, concessions were made, but the influence of one charismatic leader, Ojukwu was undeterred. Propoganda was relentless giving the south courage to secede from the union, but ultimately, the plot failed, and this so called leader of the Biafra war retreated with all his luxuries. Economically and socially, the country was in disarray and for the next 29 years, different transitions of power and brief stints of democratic rule would take form but with menial results. It wasnt until the 4th republic arose into fruition in 1999, that a democratic foundation lay its roots. However flimsy these roots are, it was the beginning, Emejuru narrated. He therefore stated that though during these periods progress were made but much more need to be done. Specifically, resources attributed to each region can be sustainable for that region by improving local revenue generation while allocating certain portion to the federal affairs allowing, he added. Meanwhile, the Emir of Katsina and chairman, Katsina State Council of Emirates, His Royal Highness Alhaji (Dr.) Abdulmumini Kabir Usman has declared that he is ready to lay down his life for the unity of Nigeria. The respected traditional ruler made the comments when he received the national officers of the Peace Corps of Nigeria and commandants from the 7 states of the northwest region on Thursday, September 28. We should be one. We live side by side, we sit down side by side to eat and drink together here. Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Berom, we should remain united. Igbos and Yorubas are my brothers and sisters, I will use my last blood to fight for one Nigeria, the emir said. READ ALSO: I will never be tired of calling for the unity of Nigeria - IBB Watch Vice President Yemi Osinbajo lecture Nigerians on the need to live in peace always on Legit.ng TV: Source: Legit.ng - Nigerian armed forces have been urged to remain loyal to the Nation in the face of agitations from various sections of the county - President Buhari said this while addressed troops fighting the Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast - On those agitating for separation, Buhari dismissed them as noise makers President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, October 1, charged the armed forces to remain loyal to the Nation in the face of agitations from various sections of the county. The president, who addressed troops fighting the Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast as part activities marking the Nations 57th Independence anniversary, said such loyalty was imperative to sustain the nations peace and unity. Even for selfish reasons, your loyalty ought to be to the centre, first. The security of this nation is in the hands of God and in the hands of the security. If you dont stand firm, I assure you if Nigeria doesnt exist, the first to be insecure are the security agencies because no matter how many parts Nigeria will be divided, nobody will take another general to preside over his country, Buhari said. READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu is in London right now - Orji Uzor Kalu alleges On those agitating for separation, Buhari dismissed them as noise makers, adding that he knew much about the nation, having participated in the 30 months civil war which began in 1967 and ended in 1970. I was involved in civil war for 30 months, I know much about this country. Those making noise about the stability of this country were not born then. They dont know what it means to be a nationalist, he said. To the troops, he said: I thought the only honour I can present to the military and other stakeholders on this great day is to come and address you, who are in the frontline. I am pleased with the Nation and responsible opinions from all over the world, congratulating this administration for the progress we have made. I personally thank the Governor of this state, Borno, Kashim Shettima for his courage throughout the crisis Boko Haram insurgency. The president gave the assurance that under his leadership resources would would be made available to support the Armed Forces. He said that unless the nation is secured nobody would be able to pursue his or her business. I expect in return from you to be loyal and loyalty is from bottom upward, from private to lance corporal, corporal, up to sergeant, generals, service chiefs, otherwise the centre will not hold. But this centre is determined to hold, the president said. Legit.ng had earlier reported hours after addressing the nation as Nigeria marks its 57th Independence anniversary, President Muhammadu Buhari is off to Maiduguri the capital of Borno state. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app The president is expected to spend the remaining part of the entire day with soldiers in the warfront against Boko Haram insurgents. Watch this video as Nigerians speak on how they would celebrate the country's independence: Source: Legit.ng - Governor Ifeanyi Okowa commended President Buhari for keeping Nigeria united - Okowa said the Independence Day celebration affords Nigerians the opportunity to tackle new challenges - The governor thanked Nigerians for their constructive criticisms Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for keeping Nigeria united and doing his best to ensure the development of the country. Okowa, a governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said this at a thanksgiving ceremony to mark Nigerias 57th Independence anniversary. READ ALSO: Breaking: Buhari heads Maiduguri to celebrate independence with Nigerian troops The media office said the ceremony was attended by the wife of the governor, Edith Okowa; the deputy governor, Kingsley Otuaro; two senators, James Manager and Peter Nwaboshi; Amaechi Mrakpor and Victor Nwakolo of the House of Representatives among others. The pride of belonging to an independent country imposes a huge responsibility on us, and we, particularly the elites, have extra responsibility to dedicate our services and lives to the progress of the nation. Today, we are gathered to celebrate this great national event, the 57th independence anniversary of our dear country, it was a product of sustained struggle by the founding fathers of this great country and it is a thing of joy that our president, Muhammadu Buhari, is doing a lot to keep the country as one indivisible and progressive nation that can take its pride of place among comity of nations. This celebration affords us the opportunity to make a critical analysis of our progress so far and to reinvigorate us to tackle new and unfolding challenges by drawing lessons from both our strengths and weaknesses. We need to rededicate ourselves to the service of this great nation, the statement said. The governor added: I urge you to remain resilient; we should not be consumed by our petty differences; rather, we should be united by our common humanity, because we are stronger together, no part of the state is more special than the other, together, we can make progress with our collective efforts and work towards the Delta state where we should all be proud to belong. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Your incisive criticisms and counsel have helped to stabilise the polity and stay the hands of those who would have either abused or exploited the unfettered freedom that democracy affords citizens of the country. Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigerias immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, has congratulated citizens as the country marks its 57th Independence anniversary. Jonathan noted that the country was facing challenges that look insurmountable, but added that he trusts Nigerians would come out strong because of their can-do spirt. Watch this video of how the Independence Day was celebrated in Abia state: Source: Legit.ng Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 22:19:32|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday denied claims by Turkey that Israel was secretly involved in Iraqi Kurdistan's recent referendum. On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency played a role in the Kurdish independence vote. Speaking to Iraqi Kurds in eastern Turkey, Erdogan claimed that the waving Israeli flags during events celebrating the "yes" vote proves Israel's involvement. Speaking at the start of Israel's weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu sarcastically commented on Erdogan's allegation, saying "I understand why those who support Hamas and want to see the Mossad everywhere that is uncomfortable for them, but Israel had no part in the Kurdish referendum." Netanyahu, however, noted that Israel feels "sympathy" for the Kurdish people. He said Israel's sole involvement in the referendum was "the deep, natural sympathy that the people of Israel have had for many years for the Kurdish people and their aspirations." Israel is the only country to officially support Kurdish independence, a move that Turkey strictly oppose. Turkey warned it will impose measures against the Kurdish region in the wake of the referendum. Aisha, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, has welcomed her husband back from Maiduguri, Borno state, where he went to celebrate Nigerias Independence Day with soldiers. Buhari left the Aso Rock Presidential Villa for Maiduguri where he met with the troops and gave them reassuring words. READ ALSO: Breaking: Buhari heads Maiduguri to celebrate independence with Nigerian troops Aisha said: I welcome my husband back from Borno, where he visited troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces at the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole. Buhari and his wife shortly after his return from Maiduguri. Credit: Aisha Buhari. We appreciate the efforts of our gallant men who have dedicated their lives fighting and sleeping in the most unimaginable conditions to ensure that normalcy returns to the North East. We continue to pray for them and we assure them that we will always remember them in our prayers. Legit.ng earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, October 1, charged the armed forces to remain loyal to the nation in the face of agitations from various sections of the county. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app The president, who addressed troops fighting the Boko Haram terrorists in the northeast as part activities marking the Nations 57th Independence anniversary, said such loyalty was imperative to sustain the nations peace and unity. Watch this video as Nigerians speak concerning the country's Independence Day celebration: Source: Legit.ng - Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has prophesied good things about Nigeria - The VP said the future of Nigeria will be greater than the past - He said Nigeria will attain all of the plans and purposes of God Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday, October 1, declared that the countrys future would be better than its past. He made the declaration in his remarks at the 2017 Independence Day Interdenominational Church Service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja. The vice president, who made the declaration in the form of prayer, said : I declare concerning this nation that this nation will be fruitful, that this nation will prosper, that this nation will attain all of the plans and purposes of God. READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu's brother lists items allegedly stolen from his room after soldiers' invasion We will all benefit from the fruits of this nation. I declare concerning this nation that the glories of the former days will be nothing to compare with the glories of the latter. I declare concerning this nation that all will be well with this nation; our joys will be full in this nation We will live in this nation to declare the wondrous works of God, we will prosper in this nation and we will hand to generations yet unborn a better country. Osinbajo called on Christians to live according to injunctions of God to make the country better and prosperous for everyone. He said that the Christian should teach others in the country how to unite but added that they should start by teaching our nation how to unite with ourselves and uniting the body. He noted that within the body of Christ there were no denominations, no ethnicities or groups but that all were one in the Lord Jesus Christ. He said the responsibility to gather together was for all who were named after Jesus Christ. Our nation is at a point where Christians are called to stand up and do what it is that scripture has commanded us to do. Our nation is at a point where we as Christians have to rise up and teach our nation the virtues that Jesus Christ taught us: loving our neighbours, praying for even our enemies, uniting the body and uniting all at the centre, he said. The vice president recalled that Christians were described as the salt of the earth, a chosen generation and a royal priesthood. He further said that Christ empowered and commanded Christians not to take vengeance but to go and make disciples of the nations and to love one another. According to him, such mandate makes it imperative that God asks the Christian to account in leadership and for the destiny of the nation. Osinbajo thanked God for preserving the lives of Nigerians as they marked their independence. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that hours after addressing the nation as Nigeria marks its 57th Independece anniversary, President Muhammadu Buhari went to Maiduguri the capital of Borno state. The president is expected to spend the remaining part of the entire day with soldiers in the warfront against Boko Haram insurgents. Watch this video as Nigerians speak on how they would celebrate the country's independence: Source: Legit.ng This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 28 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in financial realm. Please join us and participate via our Tip Jar, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about what weve accomplished in the last year, and our first goal, hardening our technology infrastructure. It looks as if the government in Madrid is succeeding in shutting down enough of the voting in the independence referendum in Catalonia today as to make it impossible to treat any vote count as being sufficiently representative as to be valid. Recall that the central government has already interfered in the vote by seizing ballots and taking the unprecedented step of arresting the officials who organized the elections. News reports say the police are confiscating more ballots (replacements? or one that they hadnt seized in earlier raids?) Turnout is critical to whether the vote today can be seen as legitimate from a political, as opposed to legal, perspective. Citizens in Catalonia are left with the question of What next? Polls indicated that only a minority backed a referendum that the central government did not support, but the aggressiveness of the crackdown has increased sympathy for the separatists. But how much has it moved opinion in Catalonia overall? And does the Catalan government have any chess moves other than the nuclear option of defaulting on its debt, which would trigger a default on the national debt and produce a financial crisis? Due to the hour, plus the fact that Spanish language reports are likely to be more complete, forgive me for providing only this update from the Financial Times, which is currently the lead story: This time last year, we set forth our long-term vision for the second decade at Naked Capitalism. I started this site in 2006 because important things, namely, the obviously-perious state of the financial system, were going unsaid. The response of the elites to the crisis has been not to try to remedy the underlying source of stress, that neoliberalism has worked out ver nicely for those at the top while leaving the rest with stagnant wages, less stable jobs, less class mobility, and crapified products, infrastructure, and governance. That was a feature, not a bug, except that those who came out winners often became so distant from ordinary people that they failed to see or didnt care that their indifference was undermining the legitimacy of a system that had worked so well for them. But rather than fixing, or even trying to alleviate glaring abuses, the default response has been to act as if every problem can be solved by better propaganda. Id predicted in ECONNED that the most likely outcome of the financial crisis was paradigm breakdown, because too many influential people had a stake in the old failed order to be willing to risk their position and support real reform. As a result, economic pressures have moved into the political realm. Brexit, Merkels stunning election setback, and the rise of much-denigrated populists of the left like Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, and of the right, like Trump and Marine Le Pen, represent a series of repudiations to government and business leaders too busy patting themselves on the back to notice their self-serving policies were leaving huge swathes of society insecure and too often in distress. The backlash has been ferocious. Who could possibly have imagined in October 2016 that the intelligence community, in combination with large portions of the press and the Democratic Party, would attempt a change in the Constitutional order to prevent the clear winner of a Presidential election from taking office? Even relatively small actors like Naked Capitalism came under direct assault. As we describe in our accompanying post, who would have thought that the Washington Post would effectively accuse us of being traitors and Vanity Fair would later attack us by name? The campaign against independent voices has only intensified, with Google downgrading both left and right leaning sites that it deemed not to be authoritative, which seems to be code for sufficiently dependent on access journalism so as to be tractable. Sites ranging from TruthDig, Black Agenda Report, to even the borderline mainstream Intercept have all taken hits to their traffic. The big reason we got through a very difficult year so well is your support. Your loyalty as readers, particularly by sending articles to family, friends, and colleagues, participating in the Naked Capitalism community by commenting, sending links and fetching animal photos, and coming to meetups and last but not least, your donations, enabled us not only to maintain our high standard of reporting and analysis and open new beats but also to strengthen Naked Capitalism as an institution. Some of these lasting gains include: Even better core team. Jerri-Lynn Scofield had started writing for Naked Capitalism just before last years fundraiser. Thanks to your support, weve also been able to bring Outis on board to manage comments as well as contribute posts. Jules Dickson is also playing a significant behind-the-scenes role in helping maintain the quality of the comments section. Clive continues to demystify and debunk Fintech and keep tabs on the ever creaky state of big financial institution IT, a systemic risk to which regulators only give lip service. And even though Richard Smith has been focused on international scammers, with his name occasionally gracing the pages of Private Eye and the Herald Scotland, he regularly helps in the middle of the night with Twitter sightings and quick-turnaround takes on bank and technology questions. Attracting new writers. Hubert Horans Uber series was the first time the economic fairly tale of Silicon Valleys biggest, baddest unicorn came under question. Only after we featured his work have tech reporters felt the need to question Ubers ability to ever make money, and no one has yet to lay a glove on Huberts analysis. The fact that Hubert came to us with this important story and that the captured technology press has felt compelled to address it is testament to how Naked Capitalism punches above its weight. Weve also had other writers with strong expertise, like Jack Lipton, an expert on how critical raw materials constrain production, and Enrico Vega, who writes for Italys analogue to the Financial Times. Growing network of NC meetups. Not only did we do more than ever, and intend to visit even more cities in the next 12 months, but the NC in LA group is now meeting on its own regularly! When I visited Kansas City (more on the exciting MMT conference in the coming weeks) and had a reader meetup, one attendee from Miami wanted to find out how many NC readers there were there and start holding meetups. So those of you who are in or would be willing to go to Miami for meetups, please pipe up! Solid technical foundation. It seems remarkable that it has taken ten years to get here, but the day to day IT operations of the site have become a non-issue. Yes, we have the occasional hiccup, but having the site seize up for not-good reasons or fall over in a DDoS attack or really bad spambot swarm (which looks awfully similar but doesnt necessarily have the same motives behind it) are things of the past thanks to our webhost, Keith Freeman, our WordPress expert, Blair Cummins, with Lambert helping with some of the oversight. All of these are critical to continuing to cover our ever-growing beats, including: the intersection between technology and governance, the failure to curb the Too Big to Fail firms, inequality, the appalling state of American healthcare and the fight for single payer, Brexit, CalPERS, the impact of climate-change-induced disasters on cities, migration, the role of the military, and the continuing legitimacy crisis of the political class. So how do we at Naked Capitalism play a role? We intend to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. We want to give you information and help you build analytical and rhetorical skills so you can be more effective in your own communities. These arguments in our comments section prepare you for what you may encounter at your dinner tables, in your workplaces, and in your town halls. We believe our biggest impact is through delivering on our overarching mission: promoting critical thinking. The more adept you are at vetting what is presented to you as fact, at testing the logic of arguments, and at parsing propaganda, the more you will be able help those around you better understand the escalating power struggles as factions in the elites fight to maintain their position, as well as chart a better course for political and personal action. Wed like to do more. Wed like to do it even better. Weve managed to punch way above our weight with pretty meager resources. Just imagine how much trouble we could cause if we ever got our hands on some real money. Please support our efforts. Give whatever you can, whether its $5, $50, or $5000, via our Tip Jar. Even a small donation helps us meet our fundraising goals. And if you arent in a position to give right now, you can help by linking to our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, and telling friends, family, and colleagues about the site, as well as contributing to our comments section. In our accompanying kickoff post, we identify specific things that your donations will fund and will tell you when weve hit each of these monetary goals. Our first goal is $19,000 for digital infrastructure essentials. That may not sound very sexy, but this is our plumbing. Im sure you know from your own experience that when your plumbing is not working, you feel its absence acutely. We have a large nut due both the size of our database (nearly one million comments and over 19,000 posts) and rising security threats. You can give via check made out to Aurora Advisors Incorporated, sent to: Aurora Advisors Incorporated 903 Park Avenue, 8th Floor New York, NY 10075 Please be sure to let us know if you have sent a check so we can include your contribution in our fundraiser tally. Please send an e-mail with the subject line, Check is in the mail with the $ amount, to yves@nakedcapitalism.com. You can also use the Tip Jar to donate by credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Please note PayPal allows you to use your regular credit or debit card. If you are allergic to PayPal, checks are always welcome! Finally, if and only if you are relatively well off in frequent flier miles but cash stressed, Yves can also accept some frequent flier mile transfers (the airlines limit how many a user can receive in one year) for American Airlines or Delta. Please e-mail her at the address above if this applies to you. 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It allows you to view the groups of cookies we store (as outlined above in How We Use Cookies), and manage whether the cookies for those groups are active. Contact us Our contact details can be found on the Contact Us page The Huawei Nova 2i has been launched, with the mid-range device turning out to berather surprisinglythe international model of the Maimang 6 that was just released in China. 4 Reviews The Huawei Maimang 6 was launched last week, and while reports touted it to be launched internationally as the G10 or Mate 10 Lite, it looks like Huawei had a change of mind, and launched it as the Nova 2i in Malaysia during the week. The Nova series, starting with the original Nova that was launched in September last year, offers mid-range devices in the US$300 price range, and the Nova 2i will continue that tradition. Details of the Nova 2i are no secret at this point, with the device sporting a 5.9-inch display, with an 18:9 aspect ratio, and 1080x2160 resolution. It's powered by the mid-range in-house Kirin 659, and features 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, dual rear cameras (16 MP + 2 MP), dual front-facing cameras (13 MP + 2 MP), a rear fingerprint sensor, and a 3340 mAh battery, which may be a disappointment considering that screen size. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 22:29:37|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank on Sunday approved a 60-million-U.S.-dollar credit to support the Enhanced Vocational Education and Training Project in Nepal. Issuing a statement on Sunday, the World Bank office in Nepal informed that the second phase of project is designed to help the country improve equitable access to market relevant training programs and to strengthen the delivery of Technical Education and Vocational Training. The project is designed to support Nepal at different levels including the system, the institution, and the individual. It will also support migrants through training and skill testing and certification. According to the Bank, between 450,000 and 500,000 Nepali youth come of working age every year, most of whom enter either the domestic or the foreign labor market with limited education and skills. While technical training has grown in size over time with formal and informal providers across a variety of government and non-government entities, it continues to face the challenges of quality training for domestic and foreign labor markets, inclusion and cohesion. "Skill development of the workforce through investment in human capital including technical and vocational education and training are critical for the successful implementation of the country's emerging jobs agenda," said Takuya Kamata, the World Bank's Country Manager for Nepal in the statement. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 22:34:39|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GAZA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian consensus government of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah held on Sunday an emergency meeting and announced that it had finalized all the preparations for the government's historic visit to the Gaza Strip on Monday. "We are going tomorrow (Monday) to the Gaza Strip in a positive spirit and are determined to do our part in supporting the reconciliation efforts and folding the page of division so that the homeland can be reunited with its people and institutions," Hamdallah said in the meeting. He added that the government's decision to go to Gaza "comes in the context of the practical steps to end the division and aims to get acquainted with the situation of the sector and its institutions and holding the weekly cabinet meeting as usual." Hamdallah chaired on Sunday in Ramallah the emergency meeting of his consensus government ministers. Palestinian security chiefs attended the meeting to check the preparations of the government's visit to the Gaza Strip on Monday. He will chair a high-ranking Palestinian delegation that is scheduled to arrive in the Gaza Strip, on Monday. The visit has been decided under the latest Egyptian-sponsored understandings of Palestinian reconciliation reached in Cairo last month. Hamdallah pointed out that the government "will contribute gradually to resolving outstanding issues that have stood in the past impediment to the implementation of reconciliation agreements." He noted that his government formed three committees for the files of borders crossing points, ministries and staff, and security. The delegation will arrived from Ramallah and will cross in the Gaza Strip through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing point. Ihab Bseiso, minister of culture in Hamdallah's government arrived on Sunday in Gaza to finalize the preparations on the ground for the arrival of Hamdallah and his staff. Two official security and media delegations had already arrived in Gaza on Thursday for the same purpose. As soon as Bseiso arrived in Gaza, he immediately headed to the building of the ministry of culture in the Gaza city that has been run by Hamas for more than ten years, since the movement had violently seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Hamdallah's cabinet will hold its first cabinet meeting in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning; the first meeting of the consensus government's cabinet held in Gaza since December 2014. Eyad al-Bozzom, spokesman of the Hamas-run ministry of interior said in an emailed press statement that the interior ministry security apparatuses had finalized all the security arrangements and preparations on the ground for the arrival of the government to Gaza on Monday. An official in Hamdallah's government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the consensus government delegation will remain in the Gaza Strip until Thursday morning this week. He added that Hamdallah will meet Hamas chief Ismail Haneya and other leaders of various factions and political powers. Last week, Hamdallah said getting responsibilities of the consensus government in Gaza "means that the government will begin to work in a comprehensive and effective manner, without any exaggeration or diminution of all its functions, responsibilities and powers." The arrival of the government to Gaza came after Hamas declaration on Sept. 17 that it dissolved its administrative committee in the Gaza Strip and invited the government to take over its functions in Gaza. Hamas declaration was made during a visit of its delegation and another from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party to Cairo during which the Egyptian side discussed the efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation to end the internal division that started in mid-2007. For its part, the independent Palestinian figures called for the concerted efforts of all Palestinian parties to make the success of the government in an effort to end the internal division and achieve national reconciliation. "The atmosphere is very promising to ensure the success of the efforts to end the internal situation and enable the government of reconciliation to work in the sector," said Munib al-Masri, head of the independent personalities' group at a news conference in Gaza. He stressed the urgent need for reconciliation "to develop a comprehensive strategy aimed at ending the Israeli occupation and ending the siege of the Gaza Strip and the suffering of its inhabitants." In the same context, the Palestinian NGO Network launched an appeal calling for further reconciliation and ending internal division under the slogan "Yes to reconciliation on a national and democratic basis." The network, which includes 133 Palestinian NGOs, urged the success of efforts to achieve reconciliation and overcome dialogue over any obstacles to unification of Palestinian institutions. A popular conference was also held in Gaza today to support the achievement of Palestinian national unity and an end to internal divisions organized by the Center for Vision Studies and the gathering of Palestinian families. A member of the Political Bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and its official in the Gaza Strip, Saleh Nasser, said during the conference that achieving reconciliation is "a national Palestinian and community necessity." He urged the government to "formulate a contingency plan to end the crises in the Gaza Strip, especially the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, and solving the problem of electricity, water, health, hospitalization and the environment in Gaza." Fatah and Hamas have reached a series of bilateral and other understandings in the past ten years, but they have failed to put an end to the internal divisions and restore unity between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 22:54:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close CAIRO, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- French companies have invested 4 billion U.S. dollars in Egypt, the French ambassador to Cairo said on Sunday. The total French investments in Egypt reached 4 billion U.S. dollars with 150 French companies operating in the most populous Arab country, according to a statement from the Egyptian finance ministry. "Some 150 French companies are currently present in Egypt, employing from 40,000 to 50,000 Egyptian workers," said France's Ambassador to Egypt Stefan Roumtier during his meeting, along with top 25 French firms operating in Egypt, with Egyptian Finance Minister Amr al-Garhy. Roumtier added that the French companies that operate in Egypt work in the fields of food industry, pharmaceutical industry, construction, energy, communications, banking, software, transport and tourism. Egypt has been suffering economic recession due to political instability and relevant security issues over the past few years, which led to a decline in the country's foreign investments, tourism revenues and others. The country started last year a strict three-year economic reform program including local currency full floatation to face dollar shortage, besides austerity measures, fuel subsidy cuts and tax increases. Egypt's reform program is encouraged by a 12-billion-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund, a third of which has already been delivered to Egypt in two tranches in November 2016 and July 2017. The French ambassador hailed on Sunday the Egyptian economic reform program and voiced France's support to the Arab, North African country. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 23:14:49|Editor: Liu Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The guidelines released Saturday on green agriculture are significant for supply-side structural reform in the sector, a senior official has said. The guidelines set goals for resource conservation and environmental protection in agriculture. It is the first document on green agriculture published by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, according to Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu. The overall goal is to maintain the area of arable land and prevent the quality of land from worsening, Han said. By 2020, farmland quality should be improved by 0.5 grade on average, while the total arable land area should be no less than 124 million hectares, according to the guidelines. China grades its farmland quality on a scale of one to ten. The government aims to prevent excessive exploitation of groundwater and improve irrigation. The document set the target of zero growth chemical fertilizer and pesticide use in major crops by 2020. Forest coverage is to exceed 23 percent. The comprehensive production capacity of grains should be stabilized at or above 550 million tonnes by 2020, with the quality of farm produce markedly improved. Straw, animal waste and agricultural plastic film should be fully utilized, according to the guidelines. The agricultural sector remains resource-intensive, with pollution and ecological degradation yet to be contained, while the supply of high-quality and green farm produce cannot satisfy growing demand, the document said. Agriculture should be more sustainable, farmers better off, and the countryside more beautiful and liveable, it said. The country will set up 40 pilot zones for agriculture sustainable development, according to Han. After years of bumper harvests, China no longer struggles with food shortages, but structural problems remain: some agricultural products are over-supplied and some still rely heavily on imports, while homegrown produce struggles to compete with foreign rivals. The State Council, China's cabinet, last month released a guideline on supply-side structural reform in agriculture, specifying major tasks and targets for the coming years. By 2020, China plans to have a modern system in the grain industry and raise the ratio of high-quality grain by around 10 percentage points. The country is also eyeing an annual average expansion of around 7 percent in the added value of the industry, with the increase of the grain processing rate to 88 percent. By 2020, the number of grain companies with annual business revenue of more than 10 billion yuan (1.5 billion U.S. dollars) should exceed 50, the State Council said. Major tasks include invigorating leading enterprises, creating new growth models and speeding up restructuring and upgrading. The State Council stressed that more fiscal, tax and financing support should be extended to the industry, and favorable policies in land and power use should be put in place. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 23:14:50|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TIKRIT, Iraq, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Sunday continued their advance in the second phase of offensive to tighten the noose around the stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) militants in the city of Hawijah, recapturing 16 villages, the Iraqi military said. The Iraqi army, commandos of the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigades advanced in the rugged area in the south of the city of Hawijah, some 230 km north of Baghdad, and freed 16 villages. They also retook control of the southern part of Himreen mountain range and the bridge of Zeghaiton, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, Commander of Hawijah Operations, said in a brief statement. A source from Salahudin Operations Command told Xinhua that the federal police and the interior ministry elite forces, known as Rapid Response, and Hashd Shaabi brigades advanced in two directions; one to new positions located some 6 km in west of Hawijah, and the other toward the strategic area of al-Fat'ha at the edge of the Tigris River. Meanwhile, CTS forces and Hashd Shaabi brigades retook control of al-Msahag village and the presidential palaces of the former president Saddam Hussein in Makhoul Mountain, the source said, adding that the troops are also heading northward to al-Fat'ha strategic area, located in the west of Hawijah. Sunday's military operations were part of an offensive that began on Friday when the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the launch of the second phase of offensive to dislodge the extremist IS militants from their stronghold in the city of Hawijah and surrounding areas. "We announce the start of the second phase of the liberation of Hawijah and all the surrounding areas to the west of Kirkuk, and as promised the sons of our country are continuing to liberate every inch of the land of Iraq and crush the gangs of terrorist Daesh (IS) group," said Abadi in a statement. The first phase of the operation was launched on Sept. 21 to liberate Hawijah in the western part of Iraq's oil-rich Kirkuk province. The operation to free Hawijah came as tensions are running high between Baghdad government and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan after the Kurdish region held a controversial referendum on independence of Kurdistan and disputed areas, including Kirkuk. The independence referendum was opposed by many countries because it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and it could undermine fight against IS militants. In addition, neighboring countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria see that such a step would threaten their territorial integrity, as larger populations of Kurds live in those countries. Issue No. 1 Whether pay in the Level-13 is to be fixed by multiplying by a factor of 2.57 or 2.67 The Pay Commission, while formulating the various Levels contained in the Pay Matrix, corresponding to the pre-Revised pay structure, used "Index Of Rationalization" (IOR) to arrive at the starting Cell of each Level (the 1st Cell) of the Pay Matrix. This IOR has been applied by the Commission on the minimum entry pay corresponding to the successive Grades Pay in the pre-Revised pay structure. In Level-13 of the Pay Matrix, as formulated by the pay panel and as accepted by the Government in terms of the CCS(RP) Rules, 2016 promulgated vide notification dt. 25.7.2016, the IOR was 2.57. The IOR in respect of both Levels 12 and Level 13-A, i.e., Levels immediately lower and immediately higher than Level-13, is 2.67. Therefore, the modified Level-13 in terms of the Pay Matrix contained in the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 has also been formulated based on the IOR of 2.67. While the concept of the IOR, as applied by the pay panel, is exclusively in regard to formulation of the Levels in Pay Matrix, the formula for fixation of pay in the Pay Matrix based on the basic pay drawn in the pre-revised pay structure for the purpose of migration to the Pay Matrix, as recommended by the commission, is based on the fitment factor of 2.57. The Commission recommends "this fitment factor of 2.57 is being proposed to be applied uniformly for all employees." Accordingly, Rule 7 (1)(A)(i) of the CCS(RP) Rules, 2016, relating to fixation of pay in the revised pay structure, clearly provides that "in case of all employees the pay in the applicable level in the Pay Matrix shall be the pay obtained by multiplying the existing pay by a factor of 2.57........." Thus, the fitment factor for the purpose of fixation of pay in all the Levels of Pay Matrix in the revised pay structure is altogether different from the IOR. The fitment factor of 2.57 is uniformly applicable for all employees for the purpose of fixation of pay in all the Levels of Pay Matrix. This has no relation with the "IOR". The formula for fixation of pay based on the fitment factor of 2.57, as contained in Rule 7(1)(A)(i) of the CCS(RP) Rules,2016, has not been modified by the CCS (Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules,2017. Accordingly, pay in the Level-13 of the Pay Matrix, as provided for in the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017, shall continue to be fixed based on the fitment factor of 2.57 as already provided for in Rule 7(1) (A) (1) of CCS(RP) Rules, 2016. In case pay has been fixed in the modified Level-13 by way of fitment factor of 2.67, the same is contrary to the Rules and is liable to be rectified and excess amount recovered forthwith. Issue No. 2 : Pay re-fixed in the modified Level-13 working out lower than the pay fixed in the earlier Level-13 As mentioned above, earlier Level 13 in operation before the coming into force of CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 promulgated vide notification dt. 15.6.2017, has become non-existent ab-initio and the modified Level 13 as contained in CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 is the applicable Level 13 from 1.1.2016. Therefore, the earlier Level 13 is extinct and, hence, no employee can retain the some consequent upon promulgation of CCS(Revised Pay)(Amendment) Rules, 2017. As such, pay in respect of those, who are entitled to Level 13 either from 1.1.2016 or from any date later than 1.1.2016, has to be re-fixed in the modified Level 13 and the pay as earlier fixed in the earlier Level 13 gets automatically rescinded. Therefore, pay, as fixed in the modified Level 13 in terms of Rule 7 of the CCS(RP)Rules, 2016 in case of those who were drawing pay in the pre-revised pay structure in PB-4 plus Grade Pay of Rs.8700 as on 31.12.2015 or in terms of Rule 13 thereof in case of those promoted to Level 13 on or after 1.1.2016, shall now be the pay for all purposes. However, a few instances have been brought to the notice of this Ministry, where pay fixed in the modified Level-13 contained in CCS (RP) (Amendment) Rules,2017 works out less than the pay fixed in the earlier Level-13 before promulgation of this amendment. The pay fixed strictly in terms of the applicable provisions of CCS(RP) Rules, 2016 in the earlier Level-13 before promulgation of CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017, was the pay before the date of promulgation of the said Amendment Rules on 15.6.2017. As pay is now required to be re-fixed in the Level-13 contained in the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017, any overpayment, if taking place, consequent upon such re-fixation is not attributable to the concerned employee. Retired employees Accordingly, it has been decided that if the pay re-fixed strictly as per Rule 7 or Rules 13, as the case may be, of the CCS(RP) Rules, 2016 in the Level-13 based on the Pay Matrix contained in the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 ( as per the fitment factor of 2.57) happens to be lower than the pay as earlier fixed as per the said Rules ( fitment factor of 2.57) in the earlier Level-13, then while the pay as re-fixed shall be the pay as applicable to the concerned employee for all purposes, any recovery of over payment on account of such re-fixation during the period up to 30.6.2017, the month in which the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 has been issued, shall be waived. The cases of employees who retired on or after 1.1.2016 and up to 30.6.2017 and if covered under pars 12 above, shall be processed as per Rule 70 of the CCS(Pension) Rules, 1972. Issue No. 3 Re-exercise of option for coming over to the Revised Pay structure in case of Level 13 A reference has been received whether in view of the modification in the Level 13 in terms of the CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 promulgated on 15.6.2017 with effect from 1.1.2016, the date of effect of the revised pay structure contained in CCS(RP) Rules, 2016, the employees who are entitled to the Level 13 on 1.1.2016 may be given fresh option to come over to the revised pay structure in case of modified Level 13. The matter has been considered and it has been decided that since the modification of the Level 13 as per CCS(Revised Pay) (Amendment) Rules, 2017 is a material change, the employees, who were entitled to Level 13 as on 1.1.2016 and who had already opted for the earlier Level-13 as per Rules 5 and 6 of the CCS(RP) Rules, 2016, shall be given an opportunity for re-exercise of their option there under. Such an option may be exercised within three months from the date of issue of these orders. In their application to employees belonging to the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, these orders issue after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Demolition to go ahead as Rane gets no relief in SC Former Congress Leader Narayan Rane floats his own party India oi-Madhuri Narayan Rane, the Maharashtra heavyweight who exited the Congress last week, announced the formation of his political party, the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha, on Sunday. The party is expected to support the BJP government in the state and pick up an invite to join Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's team. Rane said it will work for the development of farmers, minorities and women. "We will register the party soon and will announce the flag and electoral sign as well," he said. Narayan Rane was booted out of the Shiv Sena by its chief Bal Thackeray in 2005 for accusing the Sena founder of "blind love for his son", a reference to Uddhav Thackeray who now heads the Shiv Sena. Rane had resigned from the Congress last month, upset at not being made the chief minister when he joined the party 12 years ago after leaving the Shiv Sena. The 65-year-old Konkan strongman was the chief minister in 1999 while in the Sena. The former Shiv Sainik joined the Congress on July 26, 2005, and was the next day made revenue minister in the then Congress-led government in the state. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 14:56 [IST] Meeran Chadha Borwankar reveals inside details of difference between Kasab, Memon's executions India oi-Madhuri Former Inspector General (Prisons), Maharashtra Meeran Chadha Borwankar, who was the first ever women to be posted as Commissioner of Mumbai Crime Branch in its 150-year long history witnessed the hanging of 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Ajmal Kasab in 2012 and 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Yakub Memon in 2015. During an interview to the The Sunday Express as quoted by The Indian Express, she revealed some inside details about Kasab, Memon's execution. Borwankar who was retired on Saturday revealed that the two cases were contrastingly different than each other as in Kasab's case secrecy was the priority and in Memon's hanging, the entire nation was watching us. Borwankar informed that Kasab was kept in the custody of ITBP at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai from where he had to be shifted to Pune for the execution. A Crime Branch team was picked to carry out the transfer amid fears of a possible attack to kill him. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was used for the movement and the highway police were put on high alert. Borwankar also spoke about how one journalist came to know about Kasab's transfer who later contacted Rakesh Maria (former Mumbai Police Commissioner). She added that the media didn't have any information about Kasab's hanging which was a big relief. Borwankar also opened up about how the Pakistan High Commission refused to accept his body by saying that he was not their citizen. And two years later, yet another similar case was handed over to her for execution of 1993 Mumbai blast case convict Yakub Memon in July 2015 in Nagpur. Borwankar picked the same team of officers for Memon's execution, but there were differences in the two processions because in this case, Menon's family was very active. His cousins came and met me and said they would get a stay from the court. Borwankar was also quoted as saying that when the government asked her to supervise the two hangings, she didn't take a step back and managed to remain present for both the executions. "I did not want people to comment on my gender and say that I couldn't take up the responsibility because I am a woman," she said. OneIndia News After Capt Amarinder took charge of Punjab, 37 farmers committed suicide, says Survey Hours before 8th round of talks with protesting farmers, govt says hopeful of resolving issues Be ready to sacrifice your standing crop: Rakesh Tikait to farmers Karnataka: Debt-ridden farmer commits suicide in Kalaburagi India oi-Madhuri A debt-ridden farmer allegedly committed suicide on Sunday by hanging himself from a tree at his farm in Kalaburagi's Chincholi area. The farmer has been identified as Bikku (53). It is said that the farmer had suffered extensive loss and was not in a position to repay his loans taken from banks and private money lenders. Meanwhile, a case has been registered at Chincholli police station. Earlier in June, the Karnataka Government announced a waiver of short term loans of farmers till Rs 50, 000 from cooperative banks. Karnataka Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda had also asserted that the state government has given many incentives to farmers directly and indirectly. The government of Karnataka has reported that 184 farmers committed suicide in the state during the last three months. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 8:49 [IST] Two of 8 cheetahs released in acclimatisation enclosure at MP's Kuno National Park: Official Two cheetahs make their first kill at Kuno National Park MP: Sabalgarh's Sub-Divisional police officer Hemant Sisodia commits suicide India oi-Madhuri Sabalgarh's Sub-Divisional police officer Hemant Sisodia, allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in Madhya Pradesh's Morena aread on Sunday. He was serving in Sabalgarh police department for two years. It is learnt that he used his own revolver to shoot himsef. However, the reason behind as to why he took this extreme step is not known yet. A case has been registered and police is investigating the case. Meanwhile, his body has been sent for the autopsy report. According to police sources, it seems they didnt recover any kind of suspicius elemnt in connection with the suicide. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 13:51 [IST] Lack of development in J&K for decades was one of the reasons behind rise of terrorism: Rajnath Singh His contributions ignored: Why Rajnath Singh said Netaji was first PM of India People on Indo-China border should not be made to migrate: Rajanath Singh India oi-Vicky By Vicky People living on the Indo-China border should not be made to migrate, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said. Addressing locals and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troops at the 1st battalion camp here, Singh said the border population should be given more importance as the government has "full faith and trust" in the people living in these remote areas. People living along the China border were the country's "strategic assets", and directed the frontier guarding force ITBP to ensure that they did not migrate as this would put India's security at risk, he also said. "People living along the India-China border should not be made to migrate at any cost. They are our strategic assets. They should be given more importance. The day they will migrate...that will not be good for our border security," he said. The home minister said the border population held an important place in the hearts of the government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The prime minister has said special attention should be given to the well-being of the people living on the borders. I will request ITBP (personnel) to make friends with the local population in the area of their border deployment," he said. The minister asked the border force to hold special camps to help the locals and assist them in redressing their problems. The minister, on the third day of his tour of the areas, travelled to the high-altitude border out posts (BoPs) of the ITBP in Lapthal and Rimkhim by helicopter. While this was the first time a home minister visited the Lapthal BoP, Rimkhim was last visited by then home minister L K Advani in 1998. Singh had on Friday visited the Mana ITBP BoP in Chamoli district of the state. The minister said that he would take up the issue of high mobile call rates with the authorities concerned and restore the Rs 1 per minute BSNL calling rate, through satellite phones, for the jawans of the force deployed at some of the most arduous and high altitude posts along this border. The home minister said he was not happy that the rates were revised to Rs 5 per minute sometime ago. "This is the only means for our jawans to talk to their homes and families. I will definitely take this up," he said. The home minister said his ministry had enhanced the funds provided to frontier states under the Border Action Development Plan (BADP) from the allocations of last year, and in Uttarakhand five border districts and their nine blocks would be covered under it on priority for construction of roads. He said out of the special drive to construct 27 border roads in various states, 10 have been given to Uttarakhand as he directed authorities to finish the work on these links expeditiously. He said more roads in the Himalayan state would be constructed under the BADP scheme as he added that the work on four stretches had been completed while one or two would become operational by this year. The rest will get completed by 2019-20, he added. During the event, where Singh also inaugurated a medical and civic action camp for the locals, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat declared that his government will provide job to one family member of a trooper who is killed in the line of duty. He also announced that the state, in order to boost the income and provide work opportunities to the border population, would provide four lakh saplings of walnut and apricot trees, free of cost. The chief minister added that the hill state would raise two companies (about 200 personnel) of an 'eco task force' at the cost of Rs 5 crore and would recruit retired soldiers as its manpower. The home minister reiterated that the border dispute between India and China would be resolved with the help of "structured dialogue" as no country in the world now wanted confrontation. He said the recent Dokalam "deadlock" between the two neighbours was resolved after a positive approach was made. Singh praised the ITBP troops for doing their duty "very bravely, patiently and diligently". He said he was visiting ITBP posts to compliment the force and boost the morale of these men who face various hardships and adversities while rendering their task and nothing more should be read into it. The 90,000-personnel strong ITBP is tasked with guarding the 3,488km long Sino-India border across five states starting from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 7:40 [IST] PM Modis popularity declining rapidly: Virbhadra Singh India oi-Oneindia By Vijyender Sharma Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while addressing a public meeting at Dada-Siba in Jaswan-Pragpur constituency of district Kangra on Friday exhorted the people to vote in favour of present ruling Congress government to ensure development and welfare at large. Unlike the Bhartiya Janta Party, the Congress party believes in uniting and not dividing the people on basis of caste, region and religion. The BJP has no agenda of its own, he said adding that since last many years while dealing with the BJP, he learnt their modus-operandi of divide and rule quite well. The Chief Minister said that he respects the Prime Minister Narendar Modi as an individual, but Modi should not try dividing the people on social and other issues. Today, the Prime Minister was facing stiff opposition in Gujarat itself and his graph was fast declining. The GST issue had confused the common man and the business community in particular. The former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has also blamed Modi Government for derailing the economy. Sinha blamed the Modi government for befooling the youth in name of employment. He said that demonetisation was a disastrous step as the move to curb the black money was taken in haste without taking people into confidence. He said the people of the country have understood the false claims of NDA government in the name of development. He expressed surprise that, his single case of income tax returns and was being investigated by three central agencies. The State has witnessed immense revolution in education sector, he said adding that as of today, all the villages of the state were provided electricity and the state had received 100 percent electrification. Besides the state has achieved excellence in health sector as well. He said that the government had given adequate land for opening of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Himachal Pradesh as required by Union Ministry of Health. To strengthen the health infrastructure, around 230 new health institutions were either opened or upgraded in the state during the last five years of its regime. Other than this, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical college at Chamba and Dr. Y. S. Parmar medical college at Nahan had started functioning with provision of 100 MBBS seats in each college. The ESIC medical college at Ner Chowk was taken over by the state government from the centre and had also started functioning. The Medical college at Hamirpur will soon be commissioned provided the forest clearance issues were solved, said the Chief Minister. Earlier he laid foundation stone of additional block of Government Senior Secondary School at Saleti. He inaugurated four bridges viz a bridge across Saleti Khud, Punani I and Punani II and across Tutru rivulet on Kaloha-Shanta road completed with an outlay of Rs.85 lakh, Rs 22 lakh, Rs 48 lakh and Rs 1.20 crore respectively. He also inaugurated the newly upgraded veterinary hospital at Shantla. The Chief Minister dedicated the Balika Ashram at Garli completed with an outlay of Rs 3.14 crore with a capacity to house 72 orphans. Later, while at Dadasiba, the Chief Minister inaugurated the newly upgraded Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Bari completed with an outlay of Rs. 42 lakh and dedicated Tehsil Welfare Officers Office at Dadasiba. He also inaugurated the augmentation and upgradation of as many as nine water supply schemes under Jaswan Pragpur area completed with an outlay of Rs 7.18 crore. This will benefit a population of around 35000 in near future. The schemes includes Pir-Saluhi, Basalag Chouli, Ramkar-Kharoti, Gudra-Chaplah, Bani Khadwana, Rori-Kori, Swana-Tiamal, Dad-Nangal, Chownk- Hatwaal Balghar and Bassi-Gheory. Thakur Surinder Singh Mankotia, Vice-Chairman, HP Worker Welfare Board blamed the sitting MLA for ignoring the development of this area. He said that even the 'Siberian Cranes' visit the area every year but the sitting MLA never cares to visit the place even once in a year adding that he needs to learn lesson from these birds. He blamed the MLA from the area for halting the construction work of Jandaur college. MLA, Sanjay Rattan, Brigadier Rajinder Rana were also present on the occasion amongst representatives of Panchayats and Mahilaa and Yuvak Mandals. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 22:49 [IST] Retired Assam soldier asked to prove that he is Indian India oi-Vicky By Vicky A retired Assam soldier was asked to prove his citizenship. Kalahikash resident Mohd Azmal Hoque, who retired from the Army after a 30-year-long service a year back got a notice from the Foreigner's Tribunal landed. The notice, which has put him in the 'doubtful-voter' category, has asked him to prove that he is an Indian citizen by appearing in the local tribunal and furnishing relevant documents. Hoque says that he missed the first date on September 11 as the notice landed at his doorstep later. He now has to depose on October 13. The retired soldier is livid. He last held the rank of a Junior Commissioned Officer when he retired. The Assam police which is now seized off the matter says that they are looking into it. We are trying to find out why the notice was issued, the DGP of Assam said. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 10:57 [IST] Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 23:19:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GAZA, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian tycoon Munib Al-Masri announced Sunday a plan to create a company devoted to developing projects in the Gaza Strip in support of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Al-Masri, chairman of Palestine Development and Investment Co. and deputy chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce for Silk Road, told a press conference in Gaza that the company will be established soon with a capital of 100 million U.S. dollars. He said the company "will focus on development of Gaza Strip, and has been supported by the Palestinian private sector," highlighting that the company's main mandate is to cooperate with China's Belt and Road Initiative. "The Silk Road will pass at least 65 countries in the Middle East, including Palestine, therefore, it is essential that Palestine is represented and benefits from the development projects that contribute to developing infrastructure, especially in Gaza Strip," Al-Masri said. Put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Al-Masri explained that the company will seek partnerships with Chinese companies in order to benefit from the initiative's goals and reach out to build projects in "water, power, industrial zones and agricultural development" in Gaza. He said the Chinese initiative is important for the Middle East region, and Palestine is seeking to utilize it to benefit its development. Last week, Chairman of the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (SRCIC) Lu Jianzhong headed a delegation to the West Bank and held various meetings to explore economic opportunities. The delegation met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Economy Minister Abeer Odeh. The SRCIC was established in Hong Kong, China, to promote investment, financial and logistics development, in addition to increasing the trade exchange among countries along the Silk Road. Shiv Sena men attack doctor for numbering Elphinstone stampede victims bodies India oi-Vicky By Vicky A doctor was assaulted by five Shiv Sena members for numbering the bodies of those who died in the Elphinstone foot bridge stampede. The members also tried to scribble a number of the doctor's forehead. Following the attack on the forensic head of the King Edward Memorial Hospital, the Shiv Sena members were arrested. The Sena members said they were angered by the hospital's decision to identify the victims of the stampede at Mumbai's Elphinstone station by marking a number on their foreheads. They said that marking the victims like this was disrespectful to them. Dr Pathak, however, reasoned that it was only done this way so that the relatives of the dead would not have to see all the bodies. "We took photos of the faces of all the victims, numbered them and displayed it to the relatives," he said, adding that hundreds of people had been streaming into the hospital looking for their relatives and it was already chaotic. He said that once the victims were identified, the numbers were erased and the bodies were handed over. He said that the intention was only speedy identification and not to hurt anyone's sentiments. Twenty-three people were killed and 39 others were injured after a stampede broke out on a crowded foot overbridge connecting Elphinstone and Parel stations in Mumbai on Friday morning. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 8:23 [IST] Underwater exploration to study if Ram Setu is man-made from December India oi-Madhuri An underwater archaeological study on the origin of Ram Setu is likely to take off in December with Indian archaeological exploration experts on whether it was natural or a man-made structure. The event is scheduled to discuss the modalities with their Sri Lankan counterparts on the sidelines of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) event on October 2-5 in Tanzania. However, this will be a first of its kind of project as no underwater exploration has so far been done to find out whether Ram Setu or the Adam's Bridge is a myth or artificial phenomenon. Before the pilot project which will start begin in October, the researchers will be trained for two months on how to undertake the study. While there are geological theories on its natural formation, the structure has its own mythological connect as a large number of Hindus believe that it was a bridge built by Lord Rama and his disciples to cross the ocean. Also known as Adam's Bridge, Ram Setu runs from Pamban Island near Rameshwaram in south India to Mannar Island off the northern coast of Sri Lanka. Ram Setu was at the centre of a controversy since the Sethusamudram shipping canal project was planned by the UPA government, requiring dredging in the area. Based on images from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Sri Lankan authorities had contended that Ram Setu is a man-made bridge of limestones. NASA, however, distanced itself from the controversy. OneIndia News West Bengal Group D Result 2017: Download call letter, check result here India oi-Vicky By Vicky After the West Bengal Group D Result 2017 were declared all eyes are on the interviews. There are 6,000 vacancies and the interviews will start from October 16. WBGDRB has selected candidates three times the total number of 6,000 vacancies. The provisionally qualified aspirants, according to the official results statement published by WBGDRB, will be informed about the West Bengal Group D Recruitment Interview schedule either through sms or email in their registered Mobile number or email Id. The OMR sheets of the candidates, who appeared in the West Bengal Group D written examination have been scanned and evaluated electronically, said a statement from the organisors. Approximately, three times the total number of 6000 Group D vacancies will be intimated for the interviews. The candidates who are selected after the West Bengal Group D written exam, on the basis of the provisional Merit list will be called for Interview in a phased manner. The West Bengal group D interviews are proposed to start from October 16, 2017, said a statement. The recruitment of group D employees is being organised in West Bengal after a long interval. The last Group D recruitment was done during the erstwhile Left Front regime. The results are available on wbgdrb.in. West Bengal Group D Result 2017, download call letter: Click on download your interview call letter Enter nine-digit application number and date of birth on the next page Submit the details and download your call letter Take a printout OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 8:38 [IST] What the BSF unearthed in the 14 feet long tunnel built by Pakistan India oi-Vicky By Vicky The 14 foot long tunnel unearthed by the Border Security Force was meant to move terrorists into the Kashmir Valley. The tunnel had been built over a period of time along the International Border. The tunnel not only was meant to help infiltrators but also acted as a storage for arms. "An under-construction tunnel was found during sanitisation operation along the international border between Vikram and Patel posts near Damana," the officials said. The tunnel was 14 feet long when it was detected by the alert troops, the officials said, adding "war-like" store was recovered during the search of the tunnel indicating the presence of armed infiltrators who, however, managed to flee back. The officials said a special drive for the detection of tunnels was launched all along the international border in the wake of recent cross-border shelling by Pakistan in which a soldier and a woman were killed and scores of civilians injured. The tunnel was discovered just days after the BSF pushed Pakistan to call for a cease fire. The BSF launched a scathing attack on Pakistan in an operation code named "Operation Arjun." As part of the operation, the BSF hit at the houses and farms of both retired and serving officer across the border. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 6:57 [IST] This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones 21 Pakistan terrorists killed in Afghan air strike International oi-Vicky By Vicky A joint military operation in Afghanistan has resulted in the death of 21 terrorists from Pakistan and the Islamic State. The operation was carried out at the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The terrorists were killed in Nazian and lalpur districts, the Tolo News quoted the provincial government media office as saying. Seven Pakistani terrorists were killed late on Friday after an operation was carried out by the Afghan Special Forces in Bila area of Lalpur district, while fifteen ISISterrorists were killed in an airstrike conducted by the United States forces in Spinzhai area of Nazian district, the provincial government said in a statement. Two hideouts of the ISIS group were also destroyed in the airstrike. The airstrike was carried out in the Haska Mina district. The Afghan security forces had also arrested two ISIS terrorists during an operation in Chaparhar district. Anti-ISIS as well as anti-Taliban operations are underway to eliminate the presence of terrorists in Nangarhar province and the U.S. forces are providing airstrikes support to the Afghan forces during the operations. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 11:48 [IST] Darling of US Hafiz Saeed slaps Rs 100 million defamation case on Pak minister International oi-Vicky By Vicky Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has slapped a Rs 100-million defamation notice on Pakistan foreign minister Khawaja Asif. The notice was slapped after the minister had called Saeed a darling of the United States. Asif, while speaking at the Asia Society forum in New York on Tuesday, acknowledged that Saeed, the Haqqanis and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are "liabilities" for the country but it does not have the required "assets" to get rid of them. The minister had also said the US, which was putting pressure on Pakistan to tackle terrorist groups operating from its soil, once used to treat them as "darlings" just 20 to 30 years back. Saeed's counsel AK Dogar sent the notice to the foreign minister on behalf of his client who heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a front for the LeT militant group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack. "Saeed is respected as a deeply religious and devout Muslim. Saeed has never been near the White House, not to speak of wined and dined," Dogar said in the notice. "It is shocking to know that the foreign minister of my country is accusing Hafiz Mohammad Saeed of taking wine. This is abusive language and can never be used about my client. "He is a patriotic Islam-loving Muslim following the dictates of the Prophet. This is a defamatory statement punishable under Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to five years imprisonment and with a fine," he said. The counsel termed it as an absolute lie and falsehood that Saeed is one of those persons who had been the "darlings of Americans" and had been dining and wining in the White House. Whoever by words either spoken or intended to be read makes any imputation concerning any person so as to harm his reputation is said to defame that person, he said. "The imputation of wining is a false statement which has injured the reputation of my client and lowered him in the estimation of others. This is slander and actionable libel. I am constrained to issue this 14 days' notice of the intention of my client to bring an action against you. My client intends to file a suit for damages to the tune of Rs 100 million for injuring his reputation not only in Pakistan but all over the world," Dogar said. "Apart from civil remedy, my client has a right to file a criminal complaint against you under Section 500 of the PPC. It goes without saying that you will be responsible for the entire cost of litigation," the counsel added. Asif had said that it was very easy to say Pakistan is floating the Haqqanis and Hafiz Saeed and LeT. They are liabilities, he had said. US President Donald Trump had last month criticised Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying it receives billions in US aid but continues to harbour militants. Saeed and his four aides were placed under house arrest in Lahore on January 30 under the anti-terrorism act. The JuD has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in June 2014. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 7:28 [IST] North Korea moving missiles from development centre: Report International oi-Vicky By Vicky In a move that threatens more provocative action, North Korean missiles were recently spotted moved from a rocket facility in the capital Pyongyang. South Korea's Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) cited an unnamed intelligence source saying South Korean and US intelligence officials detected missiles being transported away from North Korea's Missile Research and Development Facility at Sanum-dong in the northern part of Pyongyang. The report did not say when or where they had been moved. The missiles could be either intermediate range Hwasong-12 or intercontinental ballistic Hwasong-14 missiles, according to the report, though the missile facility at Sanum-dong has been dedicated to the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, October 1, 2017, 7:04 [IST] From Sputnik No other countries on the Eurasian continent suffered so much from war than Germany and Russia. But perhaps out of this mutually painful experience of horror and loss, the two powerhouses can in partnership forge a new geopolitical direction. A new direction that would turn simmering conflict and saber-rattling into plowshares in order to cultivate international peace and prosperity. Nazi Germany's aggression towards the Soviet Union inflicted at least 27 million deaths during the 1941-45 war; Germany was likewise laid to ruins, with up to six million of its military personnel -- some 90 percent of its total war losses -- killed by the resurgent Soviet forces. Death, disease, destitution and mass starvation scarred both nations. More than any other country, Russia and Germany know the full horror and suffering of war. Therefore, it is incumbent on both to do everything to ensure that such violence should never be repeated. This week, Germany's ambassador to Russia, Rudiger von Fritsch renewed the bond of friendship between the two nations. In a meeting with Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian Upper Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, the German envoy said: "There is no alternative to good relations between Russia and Germany." He added that Germany and Russia "share responsibility for the destiny of the Eurasian continent." A truer word could not be spoken. However, there is a special onus on Germany to find its independence in foreign policy and to build a strategic partnership with Russia. Not only for the sake of Germany, but for the European Union and the wider Eurasian continent. To be blunt, Germany has for too long allowed its natural relations with Russia to become warped under the sway of an overbearing transatlantic dominance by Washington. Recall that when the US-led NATO alliance was formed in 1949, its first general secretary, Britain's Lord Ismay, candidly described the purpose of the organization thus: "To keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down." This mentality of divide-and-rule has served well an Anglo-American agenda of giving Washington an overweening presence and role in determining European affairs, in particular in the latter's relations with Moscow. But Europe has paid a heavy price for its transatlantic thrall to Washington. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Progressive Content Not Found Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing. To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 23:19:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PARIS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Two women were killed on Sunday at the main railway station in the southern French city of Marseille, in a likely terrorist knife assault, French media reported. According to national TV network BFMTV, at 13:45 local time (1145 GMT), a man armed with two knives slaughtered a woman and stabbed to death a second one. The man also tried to attack French security force members who were patrolling the area before being shot and seriously wounded. He succumbed to his wounds in the scene, it added. The anti-terror prosecutor opened an inquiry on charges of "assassination in connection with a terrorist enterprise" and "attempted murder against a person holding public authority in relation to a terrorist enterprise". French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on his tweeter account he would "immediately" go to the attack site. The Gare Saint Charles, Marseille's main railway station, was evacuated after police sealed off the zone. Footage showed police operation is still underway. Risks of terror attacks remain high in France where emergency security laws have been imposed since 2015, after about 130 people were killed and 350 others were injured in a series of explosions and shootings claimed by the Islamic State. The UN Security Council held its first meeting on Rohingya in nine years last Thursday (September 28, 2017). The language was harshly critical of Myanmar. Secretary General Antonio Guterres described the situation as a "human rights nightmare" and "urged Myanmar to end its military operations". The number of Rohingya refugees has meanwhile mushroomed to more than 500,000. All the members tiptoed carefully around the word 'genocide' ... for a very good reason. Accepting such triggers action on their part. During the Kosovo crisis when Serbs were expelling Kosovars, the Clinton administration, reluctant to get involved, invented the euphemism 'ethnic cleansing'. It has remained a favorite substitute. What does the Convention on Genocide actually state. Well, Article 2 lists five acts, each of which constitute genocide: (a) Killing members of a group. (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group. (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group. (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. The systematic attacks, rapes, killings, burning of villages, destruction of crops, livestock, shooting at fleeing villagers, mining of borders to hinder return are activities so obviously violating acts (a), (b), (c) and (d), there is no counterargument. The Myanmar military and the government by implication are unquestionably guilty of genocide. The real issue is who wants to do something about it. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Protect and Serve What? (Image by Palinopsia_Films) Details DMCA The other kids and I were both afraid of and defiant before the police. Spontaneously. Both fear and defiance felt natural to the psycho-neural system. It's simply what a trapped animal does. When I was 14 years old, a friend of mine was killed by a policeman. Shot in the head. He was admittedly a 'wild child', very taciturn and intense, but revealed as shy and truly affectionate, if he trusted you. He trusted very few and had the air of doom about him. It was that early teenage kind of doom that adults find so hard to take seriously except in a strictly negative way. His affliction actually frightened them. And he was a big strong kid capable of effective violence, that is, he was a good fighter, a 'bad ass'. He was Hispanic with a little touch of Africa somewhere in his murky ancestry. David Zuniga. I remember him quite clearly with the same affection. Actually, it's not that I remember him. I don't need to remember him. I never forgot him. He sits still burning in the flame in my bone, in my gut, in my heart, in my mind. To 'serve and protect' what? The law. As in 'law enforcement'. This lucid realization hit me in the face like a big fist when I was in my later teens (it knocked me sober and I no longer felt a need to be a tough guy). It was to 'serve and protect' the law and therefore the makers and supporters of the law. The propaganda that saturated the society wanted me to believe that the purpose was to beneficently 'serve and protect' people. But the category of 'people' was restricted to those who submitted totally to their LAW. 'To serve and protect' the people who are only those creatures that submit totally to their LAW. And it was obvious then that the point of the LAW was to protect Capitalism and its power-structure. The LAW was of no protection to me unless I submitted totally to it and therefore submitted totally to the Capitalist power structure which the LAW served and protected. I was not a real person unless I submitted to Capitalism and its politico-economic power-structure. When I heard a politician say, "I believe I speak for the American People when I say"" I knew he was not including me in that group of real people who are all American People. I was merely an 'American Problem' which 'Real Americans' intended to rid themselves of as they rid themselves of David Zuniga. Then I had another realization: "Outlaws in America are not only uneducated, suffocated, trapped and tortured animals like David Zuniga who end up dead, imprisoned, and crushed in poverty, or part of some utterly feckless gang living in a power-fantasy world. No. They are also deeply aware and educated people who wake up from the 'American Dream'. The honey-glazed 'American Nightmare'. The purpose of the police force in the USA is to protect capitalist power and to create the illusion of serving and protecting people in general. The police force in the USA is just an extension of the military force of the USA. It is just the domestic side of the military, the purpose of which is to serve and protect the empire of global capitalism. The use of the police against people inside the USA is the use of the military against people who do not serve and totally submit to Capitalist Authority. The so-called 'militarization' of the police is nothing more than a deeper revelation of what the police have always been. I know of course that some people will tell me that my way of seeing all this is distorted by my youth experience and is not applicable to the larger reality. But that is just a way of telling me again that I am not a real person. My experience was real and happened in the reality of the capitalist society. And when I 'rose above' my youth environment and worked my ass off and became educated and serious and responsible and willing to be a genuinely productive citizen, I became persecuted and marginalized for being too conscious, too responsible, too grown-up, too human. Even as such an adult, I still had to submit to the police-enforced LAW of Capitalism that created the environment I freed myself from as a total being if not economically. For me to have the material 'benefits' of the 'LAW-ABIDING' society, I had to merely pretend to be against that society and mouth platitudes, while actually living in accordance with it as all Liberals do. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Europe Gynecological Examination Chairs Industry By Product Type (Electric Gynecological Examination Chairs, Non-Electric Gynecological Examination Chairs, Hydraulic Gynecological Examination Chairs), By End-User (Hospitals, Diagnostic Centers, Acute Care Centers, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Clinics) And By Region - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, And Forecasts (20162021) Market Data Forecast PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-29 08:16:18 Press Information Market Data Forecast Hyderabad, India. Abhishek Shukla Sales Manager (International Business Development) +1-888-702-9626 email http://www.marketdataforecast.com/ # 544 Words Hyderabad, India.Sales Manager (International Business Development)+1-888-702-9626 According to the report Europe Gynecological Examination Chairs Industry, published by Market Data Forecast, the Industry worth $XX billion in 2016 and estimated to reach $XX billion by the end of 2021 with a CAGR of XX%.Gynecological examination chairs are used to diagnose and treat gynecology related problems. The chair is needed for most gynecological procedures such as diagnosis of ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, vaginal cancer, menstrual disorders and pregnancy complications, hysterectomy procedures etc. Gynecological examination chair allows easy access to reproductive system of women for diagnosis and treatment. Developments in advanced technology like endoscopy techniques and endometrial ablation are used for treatment of gynecological problems, and are increasing the need for gynecological examination chairs.Browse Market data tables and in-depth TOC of the Europe Gynecological Examination Chairs Industry to 2021 @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-gynecological-examination-chairs-market-1449/ Europe Gynecological Examination Chairs Industry is expected to be propelled by the advancement in medical technology. The changing lifestyle and family history for gynecological indication also plays a vital role in driving the Industry of gynecological examination chairs. The main drivers of the Industry are the increasing cases of gynecological problems, growing aging population, increasing number of hospitals and awareness among people towards treatments and diagnosis for gynecological problems. Factors such as lack of required infrastructure and complications associated are limiting the growth of the Industry.Europe Gynecological Examination Chairs Industry is segmented based on product type as Electric Gynecological Examination Chairs, Non-Electric Gynecological Examination Chairs and Hydraulic Gynecological Examination Chairs. By end-users, the Industry has been segmented as Hospitals, Diagnostic Centers, Acute Care Centers, Ambulatory Surgical Centers and Clinics. On the basis of geography, the Europe Industry is analyzed under various regions namely UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and France. North America is expected to dominate the Industry due to better healthcare infrastructure, experienced practitioners, good reimbursement scenarios and awareness among people for gynecological indications. Europe Industry is expected to hold second largest Industry share.Free sample of the report is available @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-gynecological-examination-chairs-market-1449/request-sample There are many companies that manufacture gynecological examination chair with different specifications and features. Some of the key players in this Industry are Malvestio, Medifa-Hesse AG, Harbin Howell, Oakworks Medicals, Inmoclinc S A, Favero Heath Projects, Hidemar and Combed.Inquire before buying @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-gynecological-examination-chairs-market-1449/inquire Key Points from Table of ContentsOverview Executive Summary Key Inferences EpidemologyDrivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Challenges Analysis (DROC)Europe Gynecological Examination Chairs Industry Segmentation Product End-usersGeographical Analysis U.K Spain Germany Italy FranceStrategic Analysis PESTLE analysis Porters Five analysisIndustry Leaders' AnalysisCompetitive LandscapeAvail discount @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/europe-gynecological-examination-chairs-market-1449/request-discount About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and sksillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit MarketDataForecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases According to the report Global Hemophilia Management Market, published by Market Data Forecast, the global market is projected to reach USD 5.62 billion by 2021 from USD 161.4 billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 1.62% from 2016 to 2021. "Browse And Choose From Our World Class Research Reports" PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-29 09:27:11 Press Information Market Data Forecast USA Abhishek Shukla Sales Manager +1-888-702-9626 email http://www.marketdataforecast.com/ # 885 Words USASales Manager+1-888-702-9626 Hemophilia Management Market by Type (Hemophilia A, Hemophilia B) by Drug (Octocogalfa, Nonacogalfa, Desmopressin and other drugs) and by Region- Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (20162021)According to the report Global Hemophilia Management Market, published by Market Data Forecast, the global market is projected to reach USD 5.62 billion by 2021 from USD 161.4 billion in 2016, at a CAGR of 1.62% from 2016 to 2021.Hemophilia is a genetic disorder which impairs body`s ability to control blood clotting. Hemophilia usually occurs in males it is estimated that about 1 in 5000 males that are born each year contain hemophilia. Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder which prevents blood clotting. People born with hemophilia have little or no clotting factor. Clotting factor is a protein needed for normal blood clotting. There are several types of clotting factors. These proteins work with platelets to help the blood clot. About 7 out of 10 people who have hemophilia A have the severe form of the disorder. People who don't have hemophilia have a factor VIII activity of 100 percent. People who have severe hemophilia A have a factor VIII activity of less than 1 percent.Hemophilia is categorized into three levels depending on its severity as severe, moderate and mild. About 80% of the hemophilia patients are considered to suffer from severe type. The worldwide incidence of hemophilia is estimated at more than 400,000 people. It is estimated that about 75% of the hemophilia patients do not receive adequate treatment.Get a comprehensive overview of the Global Hemophilia Management Market: http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-hemophilia-management-market-310/ Global Bio Hemophilia Management Market: Drivers & RestraintsGrowing prevalence of the disease and increasing usage of recombinant product is expected to drive the market growth. Technological advancements and advancements in the novel coagulating factors and are also fuelling the growth of global Hemophilia Management market. Rising investments in Research and developments for hemophilia products is also driving the market growth. However lack of available medication, awareness of this disease and high cost of treatment are the major restraining factors in the market. Advancements in gene therapy and increasing number of drug approvals for treatment of hemophilia provide immense growth opportunities in the market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Global Hemophilia Management Market. Request a sample to stay up-to-date on the main trends affecting this market http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-hemophilia-management-market-310/request-sample From simple data collation through secondary and primary research to ad-hoc research requests relating to specific information, we provide our services via customization. Get customization at http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/global-hemophilia-management-market-310/customize-report Global Hemophilia Management Market: OverviewHemophilia usually occurs in males. About 1 in 5,000 males are born with hemophilia each year. There are two main types of hemophilia such as Hemophilia A which is due to factor VIII deficiency and Hemophilia B which is due to factor IX deficiency. They are clinically almost identical and are associated with spontaneous bleeding into joints, muscles and internal or external bleeding after injury or surgery.There are three levels of Hemophilia severity like severe, moderate and mild. Severe means 0%-1% factor level: about 80% of hemophilia sufferers are considered severe. Severe hemophilia sufferers will have excessive bleeding after injuries, surgery and can also have spontaneous bleeding episodes. Moderate means 1%-5% factor level: about 10% of hemophilia sufferers are considered moderate. Moderate sufferers may have spontaneous bleeding episodes and will probably have prolonged bleeding after injuries. Mild means 5%-50% factor level: where about 10% of hemophilia sufferers are considered mild. These people have prolonged bleeding after a serious injury, trauma or surgery. In many cases, mild hemophilia is not discovered until there is excessive bleeding after a surgery or injury. In fact, it may not even be discovered until adulthood.Global Hemophilia Management Market: Region-wise OutlookOn the basis of geography Global hemophilia management market is analyzed under various regions namely North America, Europe, Asia-pacific, Latin America and Africa & Middle-East. North America is the largest market for hemophilia management accounting for approximately XX% due to high government support and the increasing number of patients suffering from hemophilia. Europe is the second largest market for hemophilia management. Asia-Pacific region is estimated to be the fastest growing region owing to its high population base and increasing healthcare expenditure. Latin America region provide lucrative opportunity for growth attributed to local government support and increasing focus of global players towards emerging economies.Global Hemophilia Management Market: Key PlayersSome of the major companies discussed in the report are Biogen, Baxter International Inc., Pfizer Inc., Bayer Pharma AG, Novo Nordisk A/S, Grifols International SA, CSL Behring, Octapharma and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum ABAbout Market Data Forecast:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, they cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. From all-encompassing umbrella markets to extremely specific niche markets covering all the major regions across the globe as part of the research scope, their research services offer one of a kind specialities with competitive pricing options. For more information, kindly visit, www.marketdataforecast.com Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit Market Data Forecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases North America Diabetes Care Devices Industry by Device Type (Glucose Monitoring Systems, Insulin Delivery Systems and Control Solutions) and by Region Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2016 2021) Market Data Forecast PR-Inside.com: 2017-09-29 08:17:23 Press Information Market Data Forecast Hyderabad, India. Abhishek Shukla Sales Manager (International Business Development) +1-888-702-9626 email http://www.marketdataforecast.com/ # 618 Words Hyderabad, India.Sales Manager (International Business Development)+1-888-702-9626 According to the report North America Diabetes Care Devices Industry, published by Market Data Forecast, The Industry has been estimated at USD 7.281 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach USD 9.328 billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 5.08% during the forecast period from 2015 to 2020.Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders, chronic condition which is associated with abnormally high level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. North America currently witnesses 44.3 million people affected with Diabetes which is going to reach 60.5 million by 2040.In North America, due to the increasing incidence of chronic diseases and over adoption of sedentary lifestyle, people are severely prone to become obese and get affected with Diabetes. With the increase in number of patients, there is a growing demand for diabetes care devices, which is driving the Industry.Browse Market data tables and in-depth TOC of the North America Diabetes Care Devices Industry to 2020 @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-diabetes-care-devices-market-105/ Also, due to the increasing R & D in Diabetes Care Devices technologies, the Industry is progressing. Reimbursement and patent expiry are the two issues that are constraining the Industry. Maximizing patent term for successful products is an effective strategy for staying away from competition and extending product sales in North America.In North America, the diabetes care device Industry is segmented by type and by country. By type the Industry has been segmented in to Insulin delivery devices, Diabetes monitoring devices and Diabetes Control Solutions. The products in each of these segments are segregated in the following way: Diabetes Monitoring Devices (Self-blood Monitoring Devices: Blood Glucose Monitoring Devices, Test Strips, Lancets and Hemoglobin A1c Testing Kits; Continuous Glucose Monitoring Devices); Insulin Delivery Devices (Insulin Pens, Insulin Pumps, Jet Injectors and Insulin Syringes) and Diabetes Control Solutions.Free sample of the report is available @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-diabetes-care-devices-market-105/request-sample Geographically, North America is segmented into USA and Canadian Industrys. North America tops the global Industry with USA contributing maximum to the North American Industry share. Many top companies are based in North America, due to which it contributes to the majority of Industry share. National Diabetes Prevention program by U.S Department of Health & Human Services, is a public-private partnership of community organizations, private insurers, employers, government agencies and health care organizations. They work for establishing local evidence-based lifestyle change programs for people at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. In this way, the private companies partnering with public sector will create a great scope in the expansion of Industry in North America.Roche Diagnostics, Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Novo Nordisk, Ascensia, Tandem and Terumo are the top companies in North American Diabetes Care Devices Industry.Inquire before buying @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-diabetes-care-devices-market-105/inquire Key Points from Table of ContentsOverview Executive Summary Key Inferences New DevelopmentsDrivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Challenges Analysis (DROC)North America Diabetes Care Devices Industry: Segmentation by Typeo Glucose Monitoring Deviceso Insulin Delivery Systemso Control SolutionsGeographical Analysis United States CanadaStrategic Analysis PESTLE analysis Porters Five analysisIndustry Leaders' AnalysisCompetitive LandscapeAvail discount @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/north-america-diabetes-care-devices-market-105/request-discount About Us:Market Data Forecast is a firm working in the area of market research and business intelligence. With rich experience in research across various business domains, we cater to the needs of both individual and corporate clients. Our analyst team comprises expert professionals in market research, who with their collective knowledge and sksillset dedicatedly serve clients from various industries and regions.Contact:Abhishek ShuklaSales Manager (International Business Development)Market Data ForecastDirect Line: +1-888-702-9626Mobile: +91 998 555 0206Mail: abhishek@ marketdataforecast.com Visit MarketDataForecast Blog @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/blog/ View latest Press Releases of MDF @ http://www.marketdataforecast.com/press-releases Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 23:24:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close STOCKHOLM, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Starting from Sunday, Sweden's emergency and rescue service, SOS Alarm, can receive automatic alarms from cars through a built-in technology called eCall. SOS Alarm's head of IT, Mattias Hindfelt, told Swedish Television on Sunday that the technology is a great help in situations where a car accident has occurred and the driver is seriously injured or in shock and is therefore unable to call the national emergency number 112. "Often people are in shock when something has happened and they will talk at length about what has occurred, but it is usually hard for us to get a person who seeks help to state where they are," Hindfelt said. Cars with the new, built-in technology will automatically send a signal to SOS Alarm when a violent incident has occurred. The eCall system will also transmit information about where the vehicle is located and what time the incident took place, as well as details about the vehicle itself. The emergency and rescue services are now supposed to prioritize alarms raised through eCall since they can indicate that the driver is unconscious or seriously injured and unable to call in. While few vehicles in Sweden are equipped with eCall today, that looks set to change soon. "As of the first quarter of next year, all car models in the EU should have this equipment," Hindfelt explained. The EU started dealing with the question of requiring car manufacturers to install this type of technology back in 1999 already. The reason it has taken so long to reach this point is that it was necessary to develop a cross-European standard for all car manufacturers, Swedish Television reported. "We will have to get used to the fact that the introduction of new technology does not always happen fast," Hindfelt commented. Credit: Scarlet PageWilliam Patrick Corgan, better known as Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, has released a new song from his forthcoming solo album, Ogilala. The track is called "The Spaniards," and it's available for download now via digital platforms. "The Spaniards" is accompanied by a video that features clips from Pillbox, a silent film co-directed by Corgan. You can watch the clip now on YouTube. Ogilala, which features the previously released single "Aeronaut," will hit stores on October 13. Corgan will preview material from the album during a performance in Berlin this weekend, which you can stream live Sunday, October 1, at 8 p.m. ET via Arte.tv. Corgan will kick off a North American tour in support of Ogilala on October 14 in Brooklyn, New York. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. For 40 years, Sandy Dice and her husband Robert have called Casper home. They met here, married here and had children here. Now, the couple will have to move likely out of state because the Life Care Center of Casper, the nursing home where Robert has lived since March, decided to close its unit that caters to residents with specific needs. Coming home isnt an option for Robert, who is 66 and has dementia, Sandy said. He tends to wander out of doors and get lost. He walked into traffic on Beverly Street multiple times while staying at an assisted living facility in the area, she said. Robert was removed from the nursing home last Thursday after an altercation with a nursing assistant and transported to the Wyoming Medical Center, where he continues to live since the nursing homes special care unit is closing. Hospital staff have been searching for a new home for Robert, but havent had success so far. The uncertainty of not knowing of where Im going to land is devastating to my life, said Sandy, who is 60 and runs her own cleaning business. The Dices are one of a handful of families left in limbo after Life Care Center of Casper announced it would convert the 23 beds in its special care unit into standard, non-secure nursing home units. The Centers executive director sent a letter to residents on Aug. 7 announcing the closure of the unit, which was at capacity at the time, effective Thursday. The facility has evaluated the Casper community and we have determined that there is an ongoing need for additional unsecured long-term care beds, therefore we will be opening the doors, director Alyssa Renneisen wrote in the letter. This transition is our way of tailoring our services to support this community need. Renneisen wrote that the facilitys staff would evaluate each resident in the special care unit and see if they could safely reside in a non-secure unit. Staff would refer those who would not be able to meet that criteria to other facilities. She apologized for any inconveniences this may cause. Renneisen did not respond to multiple calls from the Star-Tribune asking for more information about the decision. Besides Life Care, only two other Casper nursing homes offer secure units that are safe for dementia patients: Shepherd of the Valley and Poplar Living Center. An administrator with Shepherd of the Valley said that the facilities 24 secure units are almost always full. She said they currently had one bed open, but there was already a resident poised to take that spot. Poplar Living Center did not return a call for comment. Life Care is the only nursing home facility in Casper that earned a five-star rating the highest possible from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Poplar Living and Shepherd of the Valley both have two-star ratings. Dani Guerttman, executive director of Wyoming Dementia Care, said in a statement that families looking for long-term care are often under stress. When a caregiver is looking for full-time care for a loved one, it usually means they have exhausted all other resources and are in need of immediate help, she said. The lack of resources exacerbates the challenges faced by families in our community. Dr. Cynthia Works, who specializes in geriatrics at University of Wyoming Family Practice Clinic, said Casper has very limited resources to care for people with dementia or other conditions that require a secure unit. She said that the secure units at all three facilities were needed. Theres a lot of need with a very vulnerable population, she said. Finding a new facility is especially difficult for residents like Robert Dice, who have demonstrated behavioral issues due to their medical condition, Works said. Families dont want to be separated from their loved ones, but nursing home facilities also have to protect the other residents from aggressive behaviors. A sudden change in routine can be particularly stressful for people with dementia, Works said. Its hard to know how individuals will react, but many will feel more confused and overwhelmed than usual. This has been their home for a lot of them, she said of the residents of Life Care. It has been very distressing and disruptive for them. Its also been hectic for the residents loved ones, like Sandy Dice, who hasnt slept well in weeks as she attempts to work, care for her husband and find him a new home. Theres no timeline for when theyll move, she said, though she knows the hospital case manager has reached out to nursing homes as far away as Rhode Island. I never thought that it would be like this, she said. That he would be like this. He never wanted to leave Casper. He never wanted this. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 23:34:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ZHENGZHOU, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese archaeologists left for Kenya on Sunday, on a two-month expedition to trace the origins of modern humans in East Africa. The team will work with the National Museum of Kenya to excavate an area in Rift Valley Province, 300 kilometers from Nairobi, working on an area of 200 square meters on a site discovered in 2016. East Africa is universally acknowledged as the cradle of humanity and has been a hot spot for the study of human evolution since the 1950s. The team is composed of experts from the Henan provincial institute of cultural heritage and archaeology, Shandong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences institute of vertebrate paleontology and paleoanthropology. In the preliminary investigation of the site in Kenya conducted in April and May, 40 stone tools believed to be from the Paleolithic Sangoan Culture (200,000-300,000 years ago) were collected. Establishing whether the Sangoan Culture had any relation to the origin of modern Chinese humans is one of the objectives of the excavation of the Chinese team, said Li Zhanyang, team leader and researcher with the Henan institute. Li discovered 100,000-year-old human cranial fossils in 2007 and 2014 in Xuchang City, Henan Province. This is China's first paleoanthropological study overseas. American paleoanthropologist Stanley Hambrose, who is involved in the Kenya archeological project, welcomed the collaboration. For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME. Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire. Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever. Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation. View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union. Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history. Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words. Body cameras for the Mooresville Police Department have arrived. Find out when they will be used. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 23:50:02|Editor: Mengjie Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and two others were wounded in an early morning shooting in downtown Lawrence, U.S. state of Kansas, authorities said Sunday. Police officers were near the area of 11th and Massachusetts Street when multiple gunshots were heard at approximately 1:39 a.m., Laurence Police Department said in a press release. At the scene, they found a large crowd and five people who had been shot. Three of the victims, two men and one woman, died of fatal injuries, while two others were being treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to the release. Police are seeking assistance in identifying the suspect involved as an investigation is underway. Afghan officials say 10 members of the country's security forces were killed after the Afghan Air Force mistakenly dropped bombs on their position in the southern province of Helmand. Provincial Governor Hayatullah Hayat said on October 1 that at least nine police officers were wounded in the air strike in Gereshk district. Hayat said that an investigation is under way. "The air strike happened as Afghan forces were pushing to break through the Taliban front line in the strategic area that has been the scene of heavy fighting over the past several days," the governor said. Gul Agha Muslim, a member of the district's local council, said the victims of the air strike were from both the Afghan police and intelligence agency. Defense Ministry spokesman General Dawlat Waziri confirmed the air strike, without providing further details. In July, a U.S. air strike mistakenly killed 16 Afghan police officers and wounded two others in Gereshk district, which has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks between security forces and Taliban militants. The Afghan government is struggling to beat back insurgents in the wake of the exit of most NATO forces in 2014. A U.S. report found earlier this year that the Taliban controls or contests control of about 40 percent of the country, and security forces are also fighting against militants affiliated with the extremist group Islamic State (IS). In August, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new Afghanistan strategy he said was aimed at defeating the Taliban after nearly 16 years of war. Defense officials say the president's new strategy for Afghanistan will try to repeat the success of U.S. efforts over the past two years to strengthen Iraqi security forces against the Islamic State group with better training, logistical support, and the battlefield backup of U.S. artillery, and air strikes on enemy positions. The U.S. administration, which has confirmed it would send 3,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, is also pressing for NATO partners to increase their own troop levels in the country. With reporting by AP and AFP The United States has imposed sanctions on a network of entities and individuals that it says are involved in supplying Russia with military technology to use in its war against Ukraine. The Treasury said in a statement on November 14 that the sanctions targeted a "transnational network procuring technology that supports the Russian military-industrial complex." In addition, it also designated a global network of financial facilitators, enablers, and others associated with two key Kremlin-linked elites whose fortunes are intertwined with the West. In all, the actions designated 14 individuals and 28 entities, and identified eight aircraft as blocked property. Washington has targeted sanctions at major military industrial firms in Russia and made moves to cut off exports of U.S.-made components and U.S. technologies that have been used in some of Russia's military hardware. This has pushed the Kremlin to seek other military suppliers such as Iran, which has supplied Moscow with drones that are said to be part of Russia's barrage of air attacks on cities across Ukraine in recent weeks. "The United States will continue to expose and disrupt the Kremlin's military supply chains and deny Russia the equipment and technology it needs to wage its illegal war against Ukraine," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. "Today's actions demonstrate Treasury's steadfast commitment to targeting people around the world aiding [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war effort and the crony elites who bankroll his regime. Together with our broad coalition of partners, we will continue to use our sanctions and export controls to weaken Russia's military on the battlefield and cut into the revenue Putin is using to fund his brutal invasion." Milandr, a Russian microelectronics company that the United States says is part of Moscow's military research and development structure, was placed on the list, as well as three entities tied to the company and several company executives. The sanctions also targeted the family of billionaire oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, who was already placed on the list in September, and a network of people around businesses he is linked to. Kerimov, a trained economist who made a career investing in distressed companies in Russia, is considered to have close ties with Putin. In May, Fiji seized a $300 million yacht he owns at the request of the United States. It is now impounded in San Diego, California. The sanctions target Kerimov's wife, children, and a nephew, four French real estate firms controlled by one of his daughters, and several Swiss nationals linked to Kerimov's companies. Among them is Swiss national Alexander-Walter Studhalter, who was placed under sanctions along with Russian businessman Murat Aliyev for their involvement in more than a dozen companies in Kerimov's financial network, according to the Treasury Department. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Studhalter as "a key player in Kerimov's financial network." Blinken said he was designated along with eight Studhalter-linked entities across five European countries and two of Kerimov's adult sons who hold leadership positions in their father's companies. In addition, the Treasury Department placed a block on eight small jet aircraft it said were luxury planes used by Kerimov's family, leaving them potentially vulnerable to seizure. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets belonging to the foundation and generally bars Americans from dealing with it. Those dealing in certain transactions with the foundation also risk sanctions. In response to Moscow's unprovoked war against Ukraine, the United States will continue to disrupt Russia's military supply chains and impose high costs on President Putin's enablers, it said, as well as all those who support Russia's brutality against its neighbor. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The leader of Catalonia opened the door to a unilateral declaration of independence after regional officials said more than 90 percent of Catalans voted in favor of a split from Spain in a referendum called illegal by national authorities in Madrid. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont on October 1 said in a televised address that "on this day of hope and suffering, Catalonia's citizens have earned the right to have an independent state in the form of a republic." "My government, in the next few days, will send the results of today's vote to the Catalan parliament, where the sovereignty of our people lies, so that it can act in accordance with the law of the referendum," Puigdemont added. Before the referendum, opinion polls indicated a minority of around 40 percent of the regions total 7.5 million people supported independence, although a majority of residents in the region nonetheless wanted a referendum to take place. Many of those opposed to independence had been expected to boycott the vote, leaving the yes side a likely clear favorite to prevail. The referendum and subsequent police actions surrounding the vote have raised tensions in the Catalan region and throughout the rest of Spain. The referendum was banned by Spain's Constitutional Court, which ruled it violated the 1978 constitution that restored democracy in Spain following the death of dictator General Francisco Franco. Catalonias authorities said at least 844 people required medical attention in violence related to the vote as officers in riot gear raided public buildings to prevent them from being used as polling stations. Police said at least 33 law enforcement officers were also injured. Reports said riot police smashed their way into some polling stations and fired rubber bullets outside at least one central Barcelona location as violence broke out. RFE/RL Belarus Service correspondent Alyaksey Znatkevich reported clashes outside a polling station set up at a nursing home in Barcelona's Raval district. People were not allowing the police -- there were several policemen -- trying to break into this voting station to probably confiscate ballot boxes, Znatkevich said via phone from Barcelona. People blocked the street and some people were throwing things at the police, including road cones. The police were shooting probably rubber bullets in the air to scare people off and then the police backed off," he added. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said, "We had to do what we had to do. "Today, there was no self-determination referendum in Catalonia, and democracy prevailed because the constitution was upheld," he said, adding that the vote was a mockery of the very essence of democracy. After the voting and related disturbances, pro-independence groups and trade unions in the region called for a general strike on October 3. Meanwhile, Barcelona's soccer team defeated Las Palmas in a match played without fans after the club president announced the game would take place behind closed doors to show opposition to what he called police violence against voters. The team, which openly backed the referendum, said it wanted to postpone the game, but the request was denied by the Spanish league. With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, and Reuters Uzbek police have released writer Nurullo Otahonov after detaining him last week on his return from exile. "It happened so quickly -- [police] took me from jail and brought me home -- that I could not realize what was happening," Otahonov told Reuters by telephone on October 1. "I felt it was real when they knocked on my door to let me in my home, he added. My family is so excited, everyone is happy." His son, Fayzulin Otahonov, wrote on Facebook that his father was escorted home by the head of Tashkent's Yashnabad district police department. The 63-year-old author said police did not tell him the reason for his release or whether the criminal case against him was dropped. However, Uzbek website Kun.uz cited a deputy chief of Tashkent city police, Doniyor Tashkhojaev, as saying Otahonov was released because his alleged involvement in terrorism was not confirmed and the arrest warrant was lifted. Otahonov, who is known by his pen name Nurulloh Muhammad Raufhon, returned to Tashkent on September 27 after two years of self-imposed exile in Turkey. He was detained by police upon arrival at Tashkent International Airport and remained in custody on sedition and extremism charges that reportedly stem from his two-year-old book, titled These Days. Officials have said the charges included public calls to overthrow Uzbekistan's government, producing or possessing extremist religious material, and possessing symbols of religious extremist and terrorist organizations. His book, published from exile in Turkey in 2016, criticized decades of policies under longtime President Islam Karimov -- whose death was announced in September 2016 -- including the Uzbek leader's crackdown on Islam. It was deemed extremist by the government's Committee for Religious Issues in May, eight months after President Shavkat Mirziyoev took the reins of government in one of post-Soviet Central Asia's more repressive systems. Otahonov started experiencing problems in Uzbekistan after he was sacked from his posts as director of the Movarounnahr publishing house and chief editor of the magazine Hidoyat in 2013. He went to Turkey in 2015 at the invitation of a publishing house. Mirziyoev won a five-year term in a tightly controlled presidential election in December. His government has released some people widely seen as political prisoners, taken steps to improve ties with neighboring Central Asian countries, and established channels aimed at improving communication between citizens and the authorities. With reporting by Reuters and kun.uz Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has met with Pakistan's army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa in Kabul as part of the Pakistani generals visit aimed at repairing the strained ties between the neighboring states. "Both sides discussed regional security, bilateral relations, the fight against terrorism, trade, and transit," the Afghan presidential office said on October 1. A statement quoted Ghani as calling for practical steps toward creating an atmosphere of trust between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Bilateral relations have long been tense, with the sides accusing each other of housing terrorist groups that launch attacks on the neighboring country. Ahead of Bajwas first visit to Afghanistan since he took up the post nearly a year ago, the Pakistani military said he would also meet with Afghanistans military leadership. The visit comes after the White House recently unveiled a strategy to try to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan after nearly 16 years of war. An important component of the new strategy is a threat to withdraw aid and other support for Pakistan if the country does not shut down what U.S. officials said are Afghan Taliban "safe havens" on its territory. Islamabad has denied that it is offering "safe havens" to extremist groups, with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi warning that Pakistan was "not prepared to be anyone's scapegoat." In his address before the UN General Assembly on September 20, Abbasi said, "Taliban 'safe havens' are located not in Pakistan, but in the large tracts of territory controlled by the Taliban in Afghanistan." Abassi also said Islamabad was ready to work with Kabul to "end all cross-border attacks," and that it will continue pursuing its domestic war against terrorists. With reporting by AP and dpa The leader of the Iran-backed Shi'ite Hizballah movement has called the independence referendum by Iraqi Kurds the first step toward the partition of the Middle East and warned it would lead to "internal wars. "It will open the door to partition, partition, partition," Hassan Nasrallah said on September 30 in Beirut. "Partition means taking the region to internal wars whose end and time frame is known only to God." Iraqi Kurds overwhelmingly voted in favor of independence in the September 25 nonbinding referendum in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. National authorities in Baghdad vehemently opposed the referendum and responded by cutting the region's direct air links with the outside world. The United States and other Western nations and the United Nations also opposed the vote, as did neighbors Turkey and Iran, which have large Kurdish minorities. Nasrallah said the vote was a threat to the entire region and not just Iraq or neighboring states with Kurdish populations. "The responsibility of the Kurds, Iraqi people, and concerned counties...is to stand against the beginning of divisions," Nasrallah said. Hizballah is a political and military movement that has also deployed thousands of fighters in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in that countrys six-year civil war. Based on reporting by Reuters and AP Iranian women's rights campaigner Negin Shiraghaei has called on fans attending World Cup soccer games to chant the name of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old who died in September while in police custody over how she was wearing a head scarf. "In memory of Mahsa, we will turn football matches into a stage of revolutionary attendance. In the 22nd minute of each match we will shout her name," Shiraghaei, an Iranian activist, entrepreneur, and a former news presenter and journalist for the BBC World Service, said in a tweet posted on November 10. The World Cup, which is being hosted by the Middle Eastern country of Qatar, starts in 10 days and runs until December 18. Iran is one of the 32 nations participating in the tournament, and is in a group with the United States, Wales, and England in the opening stage. Early on November 11, Sepp Blatter, the former head of world soccer's governing body, FIFA, was quoted by the Blick tabloid as saying that Iran should be excluded from the tournament and would have been if he was still in charge of the organization. While officials say Amini died of natural causes on September 16, eyewitnesses and her family say she was beaten while in the custody of the morality police in Tehran after being detained for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly. Amini's death has laid bare anger in Iran over the lack of women's rights and curbs on freedoms in general. Since her death in September, Iranians have flooded streets across the country in protest, with women and even schoolgirls making unprecedented shows of support in the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution. The government has blamed Western governments for the unrest and has responded to the protests with a bloody crackdown that human rights groups say has left more than 300 dead and hundreds more injured. Thousands of protesters have been arrested and officials have called for harsh penalties -- including the death sentence -- for offenders. But the threats have failed to slow the broadening of the demonstrations and many athletes and celebrities have been at the forefront of voicing their anger over the government's actions. The latest appears to be archer Parmida Ghasemi, who is seen in a video trending on social media where she receives a medal after a competition without a head scarf on. The video could not be independently verified. Last month, climbing champion Elnaz Rekabi sparked a controversy by competing in the Asian Championships in Seoul without a head scarf. Amid reports that she had gone missing, Rekabi surfaced to say she had "inadvertently" competed without a hijab and that it was unintentional. Still, Rekabi's supporters have expressed concerns about her safety after her return to Iran following the competition. In this latest Majlis podcast, we return to Kyrgyzstans presidential election campaign. Much has happened since the Majlis looked at this election just two weeks ago* and we felt it was important to return to the topic. Muhammad Tahir, RFE/RL's media relations manager, moderated the discussion on the latest developments in Kyrgyzstans presidential campaign. We were fortunate to have two former members of Kyrgyzstans parliament joining this Majlis session. From Boston, Bakyt Beshimov, professor at Northeastern University, took part. From Bishkek, Ravshan Jeenbekov of the Ata-Meken party participated. I was happy to be in the studio listening to those two but I said a couple of things also. This recent report in Qishloq Ovozi provides some of the background to the changes since mid-September that are part of this latest discussion at the Majlis. Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes. *This Majlis session was recorded before news that former Kyrgyzstan party leader Kanatbek Isaev was detained on suspicion of plotting a coup. Russia has led its partners in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) with the highest ranking among the group in the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2017-18 Global Competitiveness Report. Russia ranked 38th on the list of 137 countries rated in this years WEF report, while Kazakhstan was next at 57 on the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI). Other EEU nations ranked were Armenia, at 73, and Kyrgyzstan at 102. Belarus, also a member of the economic grouping, was not ranked. Other countries ranked included Azerbaijan at 35; Georgia at 67; Iran at 69; Tajikistan at 79; Ukraine at 81; Moldova at 89; and Bosnia-Herzegovina at 103.* Pakistan was listed at 115, up from 122 a year earlier. Switzerland topped the list, with the United States in second place. Singapore was third, the Netherlands came in fourth, and Germany ranked fifth. Global competitiveness will be more and more defined by the innovative capacity of a country, said Klaus Schwab, WEF executive chairman. Talents will become increasingly more important than capital and therefore the world is moving from the age of capitalism into the age of talentism, he added. Countries preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and simultaneously strengthening their political, economic, and social systems will be the winners in the competitive race of the future. The report noted Russias five-point improvement from the previous year, but cautioned that its economy remains highly dependent on mineral exports and prospects remain uncertain. It said weak links include the financial market, particularly the banking sector; aspects of property rights; judicial independence; and corruption, which remains one of the most problematic factors for doing business. Russian Economy Minister Maksim Oreshkin told state-run TASS news agency that his countrys improved ranking was a result of structural reforms we had implemented in the macroeconomic policy sphere." He added that Russia still has things to do, particularly in such areas as competition and introduction of new technologies. The WEF said the index was based on 12 pillars -- institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods-market efficiency, labor-market efficiency, financial-market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication, and innovation. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story ranked Ukraine eighth, when it should have been 81st. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-01 23:50:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close A China Eastern Airlines crew member holds a Chinese national flag at the V.C. Bird International Airport at St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda, Sept. 30, 2017. "Welcome home!" China Eastern Airlines crew members greeted Chinese nationals who had been transferred here as two chartered planes landed at the V.C. Bird International Airport at St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda. Sheltered here after Hurricane Maria had devastated the Caribbean island of Dominica, 377 of the more than 400 Chinese are finally embarking on their way home.(Xinhua/Li Liyang) SHANGHAI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Two chartered flights carrying nearly 400 Chinese nationals stranded by Hurricane Maria returned to Shanghai on Sunday. The China Eastern Airlines' A330 wide-body aircraft touched down at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport past 9 p.m., about 22 hours after they left the V.C. Bird International Airport in St. John's, capital of Antigua and Barbuda. "I can't believe that we are home so soon. The strength of the motherland touches me deeply," said Yin Chenggang. Yin and other Chinese nationals were transferred from the Caribbean island of Dominica devastated by Hurricane Maria in late September. After they were brought to temporary shelters in Antigua and Barbuda, the Chinese government decided to send chartered planes to bring them home. It marked the first time that a Chinese airline has landed in St. John's. "Even if our flights have not been able to reach every corner of the globe, we will be on our way if our compatriots overseas are in danger," said Guo Wanqing, one of the captains. A large crowd of demonstrators gathered outside Madrid's City Hall on September 30 to rally against a planned independence referendum in Catalonia that has been declared illegal by Spain's central government. The crowd cheered as several men attached the Spanish flag along scaffolding outside the building. Later, demonstrators could be heard chanting "Catalonia is Spain!" as they waved more national flags. The referendum is due to take place on October 1. (Reuters/AP) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Russia destroyed "all critical infrastructure" in the parts of Kherson recaptured by the Ukrainian army over the past week. Zelenskiy said there is no electricity, no communication, and no television in Kherson, adding that withdrawing Russian troops destroyed everything intentionally. "This is what the Russian flag means -- complete devastation," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address after visiting liberated Kherson on November 14, adding all-important facilities in the city and the region are mined. Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Earlier on November 14, Ukrainian national energy company Ukrenergo said Russia had destroyed key energy infrastructure supplying the entire right bank of the Kherson region and a significant part of the Mykolayiv region. "Most of the liberated Kherson region has been without electricity since November 6," Ukrenergo chief Volodymyr Kudrytskiy said. "We are doing our best to supply people with electricity as soon as possible." The liberation of Kherson at the weekend was one of Ukraines biggest successes in nearly nine months since the start of the Russian invasion. During his visit to Kherson, Zelenskiy said the liberation of the city was "the beginning of the end of the war." Ukrainian army chief Valeriy Zaluzhniy said he spoke with U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on November 14 and told him that the Ukrainian military will not accept any negotiations, agreements, or compromise decisions regarding the end of the war. "I assured that we will fight as long as we have the strength. Our goal is to liberate all Ukrainian land from Russian occupation, Zaluzhniy said on Facebook. There is only one condition for the negotiations: Russia must leave all captured territories," he said in the social media post. Zaluzhniy said he also informed Milley about the operational situation and the priority needs of the defense forces. "The situation at the front is stable and under control. We are closely monitoring the enemy's actions on the border with Belarus and are building a reliable shield to protect Ukraine from the north, Zaluzhniy said. The defense forces, despite the fierce resistance of the occupation forces, continue their offensive in the Kharkiv direction. He said Russian forces are actively attacking areas in the east, including Bakhmut and Avdiyivka, but they are not succeeding. We hold the defense thanks to the resilience of our advanced units and combat-ready reserves. In the Kherson direction, we are conducting stabilization actions and strengthening the defense lines," Zaluzhniy added. U.S. President Joe Biden earlier on November 14 hailed Ukraine's retaking of the city of Kherson as a "significant victory." Biden commented on the development during a press conference after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. "I can do nothing but applaud the courage, determination and capacity of the Ukrainian people," he said. "I think you are going to see things slow down a bit because of the winter months.... I think it remains to be seen exactly what the outcome will be." Biden also raised Russias "irresponsible threats of nuclear use," according to a White House readout on the meeting. The White House announced separately that CIA Director Bill Burns would meet in Ankara, Turkey, with Russian intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russias Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). Burns underscored the consequences if Russia were to deploy a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, according to a White House spokesperson. The Kremlin confirmed a U.S.-Russia meeting had taken place in Ankara but declined to give details. Russian officials have alarmed Western governments by raising the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in Ukraine. The official quoted said there had been no change in the U.S. intelligence assessment and declined to offer further detail on timing of the decision to send Burns to meet with Naryshkin. The Burns-Naryshkin meeting was the highest-ranking face-to-face engagement between U.S. and Russian officials since before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion. Burns was also expected to raise the cases of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, two Americans detained in Russia. Washington has pressed Moscow to release the two in a prisoner exchange. With reporting by Reuters, AP, and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service Straight shot up U.S. 31 to I-94 finally open in Berrien County Last few miles had been unfinished since 2004 because of a lack of money to pay for it. S cores of protesters are to stage a die-in protest in west London after a female cyclist was killed when she was hit by a lorry. The 36-year-old woman became the seventh cyclist to die on Londons streets this year after being struck on Chelsea Bridge on Wednesday, September 27. Protesters, organised by London group Stop Killing Cyclists, plan to hold a vigil for the woman as well as campaign for improvements to road safety. They are expected to gather outside Kensington and Chelsea town hall, where they will lay in the road in a bid to disrupt traffic, on Thursday, October 12. The woman, who went into cardiac arrest after being hit by a HGV lorry in morning rush hour on Wednesday, died in hospital. Aftermath: The scene after the collision / Facebook / Melanie Becker Stop Killing Cyclists campaigner Donnachadh McCarthy said her death was entirely preventable. He added: Far more needs to be done to make our roads safer, both for cyclists and pedestrians. Its easy to blame the Mayor of London for roads being unsafe, but TfL only have responsibility for a fraction of roads. Councils, TfL and the Government all share the blame. He called on TfL to assess the safety of the junction where the female cyclist was killed, and urged the Government to look in to ways of making HGV trucks safer. 10by2020 protest outside the Treasury on February 11 1 /12 10by2020 protest outside the Treasury on February 11 Cyclists stage a protest and 'die in' outside the Treasury Rex Features A 'die-in' vigil held outside the Treasury Stop Killing Cyclists Cyclist Roberto Sanchez holds up a banner outside the Treasury Children hold banners which read 'Taffic Stop Killing Our Cyclists' during a protest outside the Treasury A woman wears a pollution mask at the 10by2020 protest urging the Government to invest more in walking and cycling infastructure Activists listen to speeches at the 10by2020 protest Cyclists protest through central London on air pollution PA Cyclists protest through central London campaigning for safer roads in the capital PA Riders wheel their bikes along Whitehall towards the Treasury PA Scotland Yard said the crash happened near the bridges junction with Grosvenor Road, where there is a cycle superhighway. The bridge is managed by TfL and the junction is located in the borough of Westminster. Asked why campaigners are to gather outside Kensington and Chelsea Council headquarters, Mr McCarthy's said: TfL are taking positive steps to protect cyclists and pedestrians, but Kensington and Chelsea council is blocking them. TfL wants to build a cycle super highway through the borough, and the authority has rejected the proposals." Things like this help to keep us safe on the streets. They [the council] really need to wake up and address the fact that they need to protect pedestrians and cyclists on the boroughs streets. Kensington and Chelsea Council refused to comment on Mr McCarthys claims. Protesters are also calling for barriers to be put in place at major junctions across London to protect left-turning cyclists. The vigil and die-in protest is scheduled to begin at 5.30pm. The driver of the HGV involved in the crash, who stopped at the scene, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. TfL said a safety study will be carried out. A Kensington and Chelsea council spokesman said: We are sorry to hear of this tragic incident and will assist the police with their investigation in any way we can. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 00:05:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The bill for repairing the world famous Big Ben clock tower at Britain's Houses of Parliament has more than doubled to almost 82 million U.S. dollars, reports have revealed. The cost of renovating the Elizabeth Tower was originally given as 39 million U.S. dollars, but 16 months later the amount has rocketed, provoking anger from some House of Commons politicians. The parliamentary authorities confirmed the new estimate for the work saying the additional cost emerged after the project was found to be more complex and extensive than originally thought. The Big Ben bongs were silenced on August 21 to pave the way for the work, which the chimes staying silent until the early 2020s except for rare special occasions. Labor MP Caroline Flint who is a member of the parliamentary public accounts committee, told the Guardian newspaper that the official National Audit Office should launch an inquiry into the project. She said: "For any cost like this to more than double within a short period suggests we need more rigorous scrutiny, week by week. It is an ominous beginning." Conservative MP Peter Bone described the rise as extraordinary, telling the he was flabbergasted by the announcement. He told the Guardian: "If you were building your house and the builders said it would cost 29,000 pounds and a few months later they said 'it is now 61,000 pounds' you would have every right to be angry. I hope the authorities are looking at the cost control of this project." In a joint statement the clerk of the House of Commons, the clerk of the parliaments and the director general of the House of Commons, said: "We acknowledge that there have been estimating failures and we understand the concern of the commissions. In advance of tendering contracts, the initial high-level estimates were set at a lower level to avoid cost escalation from the market. Subsequent estimates, using better data and more extensive surveys, better reflect the true likelihood of the costs." Scaffolding is already being erected around the clock tower and by the end of this month the four famous clock faces will be hidden behind sheeting as work on the clock continues. J acob Rees-Mogg has admitted his investment firm makes money from abortion pills, despite recently saying he was against abortion even if a woman has been raped. The devout catholic, tipped as a potential replacement for Theresa May as Tory leader, defended the companys 5million stake in an Indonesian firm called Kalbe Farma. Kalbe Farma produces termination drug misoprostol sold under the brand name Invitec. Invitec is made to treat stomach ulcers but is widely used to trigger terminations in Indonesia, where abortions are illegal. Mr Rees-Mogg told the Sunday Mirror: It would be wrong to pretend that I like it but the world is not always what you want it to be. Jacob Rees-Moggs on Good Morning Britain Kalbe Farma obeys Indonesian law so its a legitimate investment and theres no hypocrisy. The law in Indonesia would satisfy the Vatican. The 48-year-old co-founded Somerset Capital Management in 2007 but has not personally managed investments since becoming an MP in 2010. None of his own money is invested in the fund. He added: I dont manage the funds and havent done so since I became an MP. But the funds have to be run in accordance with the requirements of the investors and not according to my religious beliefs. This is not something I would wish to invest in personally but you have a duty as an investment manager not to impose constraints on investors. Mr Rees-Mogg accepted he did profit in a very roundabout way. He said: This company does not procure the abortion of babies. Its not my money in these investments and I profit from the total amount of client money we hold, not the investments we make. The North East Somerset MP recently told ITVs Good Morning Britain that he completely opposed abortion and believed it should never be an option even if a woman has become pregnant as a result of rape. Asked if his opposition to abortion included in cases of rape, he said: Im afraid so. Life is sacrosanct and begins at the point of conception, and I think it is wrong. B oris Johnson has rejected opposition calls for the UK to intervene with the Spanish government over the violent scenes that erupted over Catalonias banned referendum. The Foreign Secretarys comments came after security forces clashed with protesters, reportedly leaving more than 750 people injured in the region. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had urged the Government to intervene with Madrid over the police action. Mr Corbyn condemned the "shocking police violence" being used as he insisted Prime Minister Theresa May contact her Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy over the situation. He tweeted: "I urge Theresa May to appeal directly to Rajoy to end police violence in Catalonia & find political solution to this constitutional crisis." Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson rejected calls for intervention from the UK / REUTERS However, Mr Johnson insisted the situation was something for Spain to deal with. He tweeted: "The Catalonian referendum is a matter for the Spanish govt & people, adding: Spain is a close ally and a good friend, whose strength and unity matters to the UK." International Trade Secretary Liam Fox condemned the violence in Catalonia but said the Spanish government has a "right to uphold the law". Dr Fox, who has travelled to region regularly since 1968, said: "It's quite tragic to see it." He said: "It's a matter for the government of Spain. "They view the referendum as being illegal and they have a right to uphold the law. "But, of course, counterbalanced against that is the right to self-determination of peoples and how they deal with that is a matter for them. Catalonia referendum: Hundreds injured as police fire rubber bullets at protesters "All I would say is that in the United Kingdom we were willing to take on the argument of the separatists in Scotland on and we were able to defeat those arguments by pointing out the benefits of the union." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable insisted Mr Johnson should call in the Spanish ambassador and tell him that the police response was "unacceptable". Sir Vince said: "Police in a democracy should never drag people violently out of polling stations, whatever the arguments for or against holding a referendum. T ens of thousands of campaigners marched through Manchester to protest against the Government as the Conservative party conference got underway. Security was ramped up in the city as protesters, organised by anti-Brexit and anti-austerity activists, took to the streets. It was believed around 1,000 extra officers will be drafted in as part of a 2 million operation during the Tory conference, with Manchesters police chief issuing a warning to campaigners. Protesters gathered to hear speeches from the likes of Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable. Pictures from the scene showed a huge float depicting Prime Minister Theresa May, Boris Johnson, David Davis and Michael Gove, bearing the slogan Brexit is a monstrosity. Waving placards and chanting "Oh Jeremy Corbyn", the People's Assembly took to the streets in protest at austerity, with at least 20,000 expected to join the march. Public and Commercial Services Union boss Mark Serwotka called for a general strike on public sector pay to "bring the Tories down", saying Tory policies were "literally killing people". "David Cameron told us he has slayed the health and safety monster, but we now know they slayed men and women and children as they slept in their houses," he said. Amid the demonstrations, smoke bombs were thrown near the Conservative conference, it was reported. A combined model of Brexit Minister David Davis, Michael Gove, Boris Johnson and Theresa May is displayed at the anti-Brexit demonstration / AFP/Getty Images Demonstrators, some wearing masks to hide their identity, chanted "Let us out!" after police refused to let a van join the march route because it did not have security clearance. About 25 police officers lined up to block the road and stood silently as the chants continued. The high-profile security operation comes after Mrs May and Conservative members were greeted by a disturbing banner that read Hang the Tories upon arrival on Saturday. Protesters gather outside the conference venue / EPA The sign, and two effigies hanging from ropes underneath the bridge where it was placed, was widely condemned online by the public and politicians. Chief superintendent John OHare acknowledged that two particularly large protests are to take place on Sunday. He added: We have been really clear with protesters to say we are here to facilitate lawful, peaceful protest and will be doing everything can so they can exercise their right to free speech, to protest and express their opinion. Campaigners carry a giant EU flag during an anti-Brexit march on the first day of the conference / AFP/Getty Images "But with that comes a degree of responsibility. There is a line between whats acceptable and whats not acceptable. "When that line is crossed and it becomes more intimidatory behaviour and people are in fear or oppressed then at that point we will take action. Following Sunday's marches, he added: Up to 30,000 people came in to Manchester City Centre today to take part in various protests. I would like to thank the overwhelming majority for their co-operation which helped us to minimise disruption to the city and keep everyone safe. He said no arrests were made during the demonstrations. There is still a major policing operation in place to ensure everyone coming in to Manchester can do so in a safe and enjoyable manner and take advantage of everything our city has to offer, he added. Speaking before the anti-Brexit rally, Sir Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: I believe it would be a healthy exercise in democracy to participate in a peaceful, dignified protest on the big issue of the day by marching." And the issues dont come any bigger than Brexit which is why I will be addressing marchers protesting at the Conservative conference in Manchester this weekend," he told the Independent. Tory ministers gathered for the start of the annual conference on Sunday. Britain's EU divorce deal and the scope of any post-withdrawal transition period looks set to dominate the gathering. T heresa May is set to announce that tuition fees will be frozen in an overhaul of student funding. As the Conservative party conference in Manchester opens, the Prime Minister will pledge to look again at student finance. Tuition fees are to be frozen at the current level of 9,250 until 2019, rather than increase with inflation by 250. Under the plans, the amount graduates can earn before making repayments will also rise from 21,000 to 25,000 under the plans. The figure will then increase in line with earnings after next year, with the Tories saying the package will produce a saving of 360 in 2018/19 for graduates earning at least 25,000. Theresa May and her husband Philip arrive at their hotel ahead of the Conservative Party Conference / EPA Speaking to the Sun on Sunday ahead of the start of the partys conference, she said: "Too many young people fear they are going to be worse off than their parents. "We have listened to those concerns and we are going to act to offer a fairer deal for students and young people." And in a bid to help young people get on the housing ladder Chancellor Philip Hammond is announcing a 10 billion expansion of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme in order to aid 135,000 new purchasers. Mrs May said: "Today I announce the next steps in that mission - with more help for students and graduates with tuition fees and billions of pounds of investment that will help thousands more people get a home of their own. "This country has world-class universities - and I am proud that more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are attending them than ever. "But we know that the cost of higher education is a worry, which is why we are pledging to help students with an immediate freeze in maximum fee levels and by increasing the amount graduates can earn before they start paying their fees back, amounting to a saving of 360 a year, while the Government looks again at the question of funding and student finance." Mr Hammond said: "Young people are worried that life will be harder for them than it was for their parents - owning a home is a key part of that. This Government understands that for many people finding a deposit is still a very big hurdle. "That's why we will invest an extra 10 billion in our Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme to help a whole new generation of young people, across the UK, with the upfront costs of home ownership. "We're able to do this because of our balanced approach to the economy - dealing with our debt, while still investing in the future." T ensions between the North Korean leader and the US President have escalated in recent months. Jibes have included Trump calling the North Korean leader a rocket man, Jong-Un responded by accusing him of mentally deranged behaviour. In July North Korea announced that it had fired the first intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland. Trump used Twitter, his often favoured social media platform in times of crisis to mock Kim Jong-Un. He wrote: North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life? Threats continued between the nations, with promises of fire and fury from Trump. Ri Yong-Ho, North Koreas Foreign Minister responded to his comments by saying the US had made an irreversible mistake, adding that a visit by their rockets to the mainland was inevitable. Most recently, a think tank has warned that a war between North Korea and the United States is a real possibility. Watch the video above for a full run down of their feud. O ne of the biggest chicken suppliers to Britains supermarkets has halted operations after an alleged string of health and safety breaches. 2 Sisters Food Group (2SFG) has said it will only restart supply once it is satisfied its workers have been appropriately retrained. It comes after an undercover reporter working at the suppliers West Midlands site claimed to witness employees tampering with slaughter dates and mixing meat of different ages. Source codes on crates of meat were also changed, the investigation by ITV News and The Guardian claimed. The practices can artificially extend the shelf life of meat, and make it untraceable in the event of an outbreak of food poisoning. When meats of different ages were mixed together, the slaughter date of the newest batch rather than the oldest batch would be used, employees claimed. Some workers also claimed the chicken that supermarkets reject is sometimes repackaged at the factory and sent out again. Quality assurance workers told journalists they were intimidated by production managers and worry about being sent home if they try to enforce food hygiene rules. 2SFG said in a statement on Sunday that it was shocked and distressed by the allegations. It added:"We responded immediately by launching our own internal investigation at our West Bromwich plant and invited the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to independently review our standards. "The FSA has been in daily attendance since the allegations were raised and confirmed that it has not identified any breaches. "However, our internal investigation has shown some isolated instances of non-compliance with our own quality management systems. "We have therefore decided to temporarily suspend operations at the site to allow us the time to retrain all colleagues including management in all food safety and quality management systems. All staff will remain on full pay, the statement added. On Sunday, Tesco became the latest supermarket to say it had decided to suspend buying chicken from the company, following Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Lidl. 2SFG was founded in 1993 and now produces one third of all of the poultry products consumed in the UK, and had revenues of 3.1 billion in 2016. A passenger plane was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine disintegrated mid-flight in front of hundreds of terrified travellers. The Air France jet, which was travelling from Paris to Los Angeles, was carrying about 500 passengers when one of its four engines suddenly began to fall apart over the Atlantic Ocean. It was forced to land in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador following "serious damage" to one of the plane's four engines on Saturday, the airline said. Horrified passengers on board the aircraft tweeted photos and video of the plane flying through the clouds with a damaged engine. The Air France Airbus A380 seen during an emergency landing in Canada / REUTERS "We heard this tremendous bang. It was like the plane hit a Jeep at 35,000 feet," passenger Pamela Adams said in a telephone interview. "We grabbed onto something and then we sat down, and the plane righted itself fairly soon." Passengers nervously joked to one another as they tried to make sense of the commotion, Adams said. She figured the plane had struck a bird, but then, it became clear that the situation was more dramatic. The pilot came on over the loudspeaker and said the plane had lost one of its engines and would be landing in Canada, Adams said. The plane landed 90 minutes later. The crew handed out meals as they waited on the runway for hours. Air France said it brought in two flights to carry the 497 passengers from Goose Bay to Los Angeles. R iot police have clashed with voters in Catalonia as thousands of people took to ballot stations to cast their votes in the banned independence referendum. Spanish national police began seizing ballot boxes and voting papers from Catalan polling stations, with dozens of officers using riot shields to hold back residents desperate to cast votes. Witnesses have reported seeing rubber bullets fired at voters as police storm polling stations across Catalonia. Would-be voters chanted "we are people of peace" and "we are not afraid" as they clashed with police during the disputed referendum on Sunday. One witness said he saw half a dozen armoured police vans and an ambulance stood ready nearby a polling station. Spanish Guardia Civil guards brake the door of a polling station in Sarria de Ter / AFP/Getty Images Voting stations opened at 9am for the banned referendum on Catalonia's independence, with the first voters casting ballots amid cheers in some of the designated polling stations. The Spanish Government has tried to shut down the independence vote, with the countrys Constitutional Court ordering the vote to be suspended and central authorities saying it is illegal. Ahead of the vote, parents, children and activists had occupied some of the 2,315 schools and other facilities to avoid them being closed by police acting on court orders. Millions of people are believed to planning to take part. Regional separatist leaders have pledged to push through with the referendum despite the warnings from the Government. A man is removed by force as police move in on the crowds outside a polling station / Getty Images They have promised to declare independence if the "yes" side wins, and have called on 5.3 million eligible voters to cast ballots. Catalan officials have since said that voters will be allowed to cast ballots at any polling station, rather than a designated one as previously announced, as many locations have been sealed off by police. Regional government spokesman Jordi Turull says the last-minute system will allow the 5.3 million eligible voters to cast a ballot and avoid repeated votes. Turull says that Catalans will be able to vote with ballots printed at home if needed, announcing that authorities had printed new ones after 5 million paper ballots were confiscated by police. He also said that a group of "academics and professionals" would serve as election observers. AFP/Getty Images The electoral board appointed by the regional parliament was disbanded last week to avoid hefty fines by Spain's Constitutional Court. Some of the Catalans who are defying court orders to vote in a disputed referendum on their region's secession from Spain say they want to send a strong message of displeasure with central authorities. Activist Augsti Gil says there were no ballots or ballot boxes in Barcelona's Joan Fuster high school where more than a hundred people have joined another hundred who spent the night occupying the designated polling station. Gil says they expect materials to arrive Sunday morning ahead of the 9 a.m. opening of polls. Joaquim Bosch, a 73 year-old retiree at Princep de Viana high school, where a crowd of 20 people was growing says he is uneasy about a possible police response to the crowds. Bosch says: "I have come to vote to defend the rights of my country, which is Catalonia." P eriod dramas and Sunday nights were made for each other. New BBC One series The Last Post is here to take you into autumn with a 1960s-set tale about the Royal Military Police and their families on the Red Sea Coast. Heres everything you need to know. 1. It follows the lives of military families stationed abroad We arrive in Yemen just as dashing you Captain Joe Martin and his new wife Honor do. The pair are new additions to the British colony in Aden, where Martin is stepping into the shoes of a greatly-admired captain. Honor, meanwhile, quickly befriends Alison Laithwaite, who feels cooped up and claustrophobic within the confines of the colony, and is ready to lead her new acquaintance astray. 2. Its a period drama set in the 1960s In the Sixties, Britain began dismantling its Empire, of which Aden was part. The end of British rule in the territory was partly brought about by an uprising in the area known as the Aden Emergency. Forces were sent to the region to try and control an uprising against the British rule. Star turn: Jessica Raine as Alison Laithwaite / BBC/Bonafide Films/Coco van Oppens Its against this backdrop of civil unrest that the drama plays out, with writer Moffat hoping to shed some light on how this part of history paved the way for the troubles that continue in the area today. In the 1960s Britain made a conscious decision to dismantle the Empire, but often our haste to withdraw simply left a vacuum to be filled and sadly the price for this policy is still being felt in the Yemen today, he explained. 3. Its based on writer Peter Moffats childhood memories BAFTA winner Peter Moffat is the brains behind the series, for which he drew on his own childhood. His father was a Royal Military policeman and his mother struggled between what the army required her to be and what she wanted to be. The Last Post trailer 4. It stars Call The Midwifes Jessica Raine and War and Peaces Jessie Buckley Raine, who many will know from that other BBC Sunday night drama Call The Midwife, leads the cast as Alison Laithwaite. The actress described her character as being on a path to self-destruction littered with downed gin and tonics. Meanwhile War and Peaces Jessie Buckley is the altogether more inexperienced Honor Martin, who she says makes many mistakes and bakes a lot of dodgy cakes along the way. Period drama: a scene from the series / BBC/Bonafide Films/Coco van Oppens Theyre supported in the cast by Jeremy Neumark Jones (Denial) as the troubled Captain Joe Martin and Stephen Campbell Moore (The History Boys) as progressive soldier and Alisons husband Ed Laithwaite. 5. It was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa While Yemeni port city Aden is located in Western Asia, the series is filmed (very probably due to the sad fact that this area of the world continues to be ravaged by wars) in South Africa. The producers were looking for coast, mountains and desert all in one, but also need a certain colonial feel to the local architecture. They settled on Cape Town, and discovered an unused British naval base overlooking Simons Town bay which provided the centre of the community. The Last Post begins Sunday, October 1 at 9pm on BBC One. Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 00:05:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Twelve soldiers and one civilian were arrested on Sunday as Somali authorities probe a drive-by attack that left two dead three days ago. Somali Minister of Internal Security Mohamed Abukar Islow Dualle said the arrest was aimed at boosting security in the volatile Benadir region region. "We have taken actions to ensure the security is boosted following a deadly attack that occurred in this region recently," he said. "Security forces captured a suspect with a vehicle believed to have been used in the drive-by shooting in Hamar-weyne district three days ago." The secretary of the country's National Women Organization and the son of the organization's chairwoman were killed in the shooting. "We also arrested 12 soldiers who were on duty while the murder took place," Dualle said. He added that two senior security officers in Hamar-weyne district were fired and investigations will soon start to establish their culpability in the killings. Brazil's vice-president-elect and coordinator of the transition team of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government, Geraldo Alckmin, asked Jair Bolsonaro's government for access to complete... | Read More Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 00:50:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The high court of Spain's Catalonia said Sunday that courts in the region had received over police's failure to close polling stations. Catalonia's High Court said in a statement the courts received complaints against the Catalan police for inactivity at polling stations that had been illegally opened for voting. Spain's interior Ministry said police have closed 92 of about 2,300 polling stations which were set up by the Catalan regional government for the banned independence referendum. AUTO CENTRAL CHICAGO, October 1, 2017 Every Sunday Larry Nutson, Senior Editor and Chicago Car Guy along with fellow senior editors Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Michigan Bureau, give you TACH's "take" on this past week's automotive news in easy to "catch up" news nuggets. For More search the past 25 year's millions of (Indexed By Google) pages of automotive news, automotive stories, articles, reviews, archived news residing in The Auto Channel Automotive News Library. Hey TV viewers, you can now enjoy The Auto Channel TV Network "Free and Clear" on WHDT Channel 3 in Boston and on many local cable systems. All South Florida auto fans can continue to watch The Auto Channel TV Network on WHDT-TV Channel 9 in West Palm Beach as well as cable channel's 17 and 438, channel 9 Miami. WHDN launched its full schedule (including The Auto Channel)of broadcasting in the Naples-Fort Myers market on digital PSIP channel 9.1 channel, look for us On Roku, Hulu and on TUNAVISION. Nutson's Weekly Automotive News Nuggets - Sep 25-Oct 1 2017 * The average price of a gallon of regular-grade gasoline fell 7 cents nationally over the past two weeks, to $2.62. The drop comes as flooded refineries continue to come back online after devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey. Prices are expected to continue to fall over the next few weeks. Gas in San Francisco was the highest in the contiguous United States at an average of $3.18 a gallon. The lowest was in St. Louis at $2.19 a gallon. The U.S. average diesel price is $2.51, down 2 cents from two weeks ago. * California officials are mulling whether a ban on sales of gas and diesel-powered autos is needed to achieve long-term targets for cleaner air. Governor Jerry Brown has expressed an interest in barring the sale of vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines, replicating similar moves by China, France and the U.K. Such a policy would send shock waves through the global car industry due to the size of Californias 2 million passenger vehicle market. It tops France, Italy or Spain and a ban would put automakers under new pressure to make electric vehicles the standard for personal transportation in the most populous U.S. state, casting fresh doubts on the future of gasoline- and diesel-powered autos elsewhere. * Industry analysts J.D. Power and LMC Automotive expect September to achieve the highest auto sales level for the year, but it will still be behind last September at a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 15 million units. "Recent hurricanes have disrupted - and will continue to disrupt - new-vehicle retail sales in September they say, as national sales numbers are down just less than 1%. Southwest regional sales are up 14% as consumers begin to replace damages vehicles. The region that includes Florida is down 16% as sales have not begun to recover after the storm. * Ford introduced the new Limited luxury version of the Super Duty F-Series pickup this week with price tags that can approach $100,000. The F-450 Limited comes in at $87,100 and will tow more than 30,000 pounds. Todd Eckert, Ford Truck Group marketing manager said "the new Super Duty Limited is the most luxurious and advanced heavy-duty pickup truck ever created by Ford . . . High end trim levels of the Super Duty trucks, like King Ranch, Platinum and Lariat, account for around 50% of sales. * Volkswagen just announced a new bumper-to-bumper, transferable warranty that will cover their cars and CUVs for six years or 72,000 miles putting them well ahead of most competitors including the high-end German brands. The new warranty will begin with upcoming 2018 model year vehicles in the U.S. VW sales have strengthened in the U.S. after significant struggles related to the diesel emissions scandal. The warranty had been previously announced for the new Atlas and Tiguan SUVs. * With the passing of Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner this week our friends at The Drive reported the magazine's name did not come from the accepted meaning of a wealthy bon vivant. Rather, they say, it came from the little-known small car built from 1947 to 1951. The Playboy car was a post-WWII attempt to make a small but sporty vehicle to help sate the raging appetite for inexpensive transportation at the time. * Toyota has made a lot of cars, SUVs, CUVs and light trucks in the U.S. for many years, and theyve made more hybrid vehicles that any other manufacturer. But, until now theyve not made any hybrids in the U.S. Toyota announced just this week they will invest $373.8 million in five U.S. plants to begin production of hybrids on Toyotas New Global Architecture (TNGA) at the Alabama assembly plant. Other plants getting these investments include ones making transaxles, engine blocks, cylinder heads and other components. * German prosecutors arrested Wolfgang Hatz, Volkswagen Groups former chief engineer, this week in conjunction with the ongoing diesel emissions scandal. Hatz so far is the highest level executive to face criminal charges. U.S. prosecutors have already tried James Liang, former VW Group engineer and Oliver Schmidt, another VW executive, with guilty verdicts in each case. Liang was sentenced to 40 months in prison and a $200,000 fine. Schimdt will be sentenced next month. * We got to test drive Cadillac's new Super Cruise feature this week which allows for hands-free driving on limited access highways. Available on the Cadillac CT6, it's considered Level 2 semi-automated driving and integrates with the smart/adaptive cruise control. Take note though that you can't do much else but sit there and watch the road ahead. A camera system monitors your eyes and will warn you to pay attention or shut the system off. * Followers of custom cars and hot rods will know this. Lay down a coat of gold first, then red atop that, then follow that with a clear coat with some red mixed into it and you get deep, delicious glowing paint known the world over as candy apple red. Sounds simple, but it took Joe Bailon, the customizer credited with inventing the process, 10 years to perfect. That was 1956. Joe Bailon died this week at the age of 94. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/09/2017 (1871 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A 55-year-old Winnipeg man died on Saturday in a incident at West Hawk Lake. Police received a report of a male diver in distress around 1:30 p.m. RCMP said in a release on Saturday evening that the man was on a recreational dive with his wife when the accident occurred. He was pulled from the water and later pronounced deceased at the scene. Investigators believe the man may have run out of air and suffered a medical issue as he surfaced. No foul play is suspected. Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, speaks about President Donald Trump's tax reform plan at the White House on Sept. 28, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Carried Interest Tax: How Much Does It Matter? Real discussion should focus around partnership taxation News Analysis President Donald Trumps tax plan will likely curb the carried interest tax loophole after all. At first, there was no mention of the words carried interesta type of income earned by some investment managersin the details of Trumps tax reform plan publicized in late September. That prompted some critics to question whether Trump would carry through on eliminating the tax deduction, which he famously derided during his presidential campaign. But Gary Cohn, the White House economic adviser, clarified in a Sept. 28 interview on CNBC that Trump remains committed to ending the carried interest deduction. As we continue to evolve on the framework, the president has made it clear to the tax writers and Congress that carried interest is one of those loopholes that we talk about when we talk about getting rid of loopholes that affect wealthy Americans, Cohn said. The headlines seem momentous, but the details reveal that fixating on carried interest may be misguided, and the real discussion should focus on partnerships and pass-through taxation. Carried Interest Explained Ordinarily, carried interest is something most of the general public will probably never encounter or hear about. Its most pertinent to alternative investment managersentities that manage hedge funds, private equity (PE) funds, and venture capital (VC) funds. Carried interest, or simply carry, is the portion of a funds profits paid to the investment manager. Fund managers traditionally charge investors 2 and 20, which means 2 percent for management fees and 20 percent of profits, usually above a minimum preferred-return rate. Today, the 2 and 20 rule is more flexible, with some investors demanding lower fee rates from managers. The 20 percent profit allocation is carried interest. Currently, tax authorities treat carried interest as long-term capital gains, making it eligible to be taxed at a much lower rate than ordinary incomeas low as 20 percent. Why is carried interest considered to be long-term capital gains? The answer hinges on the theory that carried interest earned is not a fee or salary for an investment managers services, but capital appreciation borne from the managers skill in growing the underlying businesses (through investments) over time, a risky endeavor that contributes to job growth and business innovation. Opponents of carried interest tax argue that earnings derived from such sources should be taxed similarly to other income, which carries a 39 percent tax rate at the highest level. The 1 or 2 percent in management fees generally cover operating expenses and overhead of the investment manager, but the real windfall comes through the allocation of profits. With that in mind, its easy to envision a successful investment manager earning most of its income in the form of carried interest. And thats how an arcane term from high finance has been thrust into the center of Trumps tax reform debate. Its Really About Partnerships There are a few more wrinkles that make carried interest unique to the tax reform discussion. In 1954, the U.S. Congress enacted laws making money distributed by partnerships nontaxable. That means unlike corporations, owners of partnerships would not be double taxedonce at the corporate level, and once at the personal level. Most investment managers are structured as partnerships or limited liability companies, or pass-through entities for tax purposes. Similarly to most small businesses, profits and losses at investment manager partnerships flow through the business to be taxed on the owners personal income tax returns. Looking closely at Trumps tax plan released in September, one can see that it does speak to carried interest, just not directly. The tax treatment of profits among investment managers is not universal. The framework limits the maximum tax rate applied to the business income of small and family-owned businesses conducted as sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations to 25 percent, according to the Unified Framework for Fixing Our Broken Tax Code released on Sept. 27. It goes on to state, The framework contemplates that the committees will adopt measures to prevent the recharacterization of personal income into business income, to prevent wealthy individuals from avoiding the top personal tax rate. Taken at face value, most investment managers would fall under this rule. Carried interest profits, being partnership allocations, would be taxed at 25 percentpotentially higher than current capital gains rates, but far lower than taxes on salariesunless additional measures are enacted. The tax plan does speak to additional rules the committees will adopt that could limit high earners from realizing the 25 percent rate on income streams such as carried interest, but no additional details were provided. Minimal Impact on Hedge Funds Another key point to understand is that the tax treatment of profits among investment managers is not universal. Most media reports state that increasing the carried interest tax rate forces hedge fund managers to pay higher taxes, and most of the narrative is around hedge funds. This characterization is mostly inaccurate. Many hedge funds do not have carried interest at all. A sizable portion of hedge funds buy and sell heavy volumes of highly liquid instruments, and receive the majority of income in incentive fees arising from short-term trading gains, dividends, or interest. Those are generally not long-term capital gains for tax purposes. In addition, many funds elect taxation under mark-to-market, by recognizing trading gains as ordinary income taxed at higher rates than carried interest. Hedge funds have other ways to shelter gains, which is a different topic entirely. But the partnership rule in Trumps tax planbefore any further limitations to wealthy taxpayerswould actually decrease most hedge funds prevailing tax rates. But to PE and VC investment managers, carried interest is hugely important. PE and VC managers take controlling equity stakes in companies and receive most of their profits via capital appreciation and carried interest. As is, the Republicans tax plan could increase the tax rate slightly on carried interest to the new partnership rate. So far, the carried interest tax discussion can be viewed as a debate pitting PE and VC managers against hedge fund managers, which is meaningful for a small portion of the population but probably not a debate concerning most. The real crux of the matter is partnership taxation. How Congress intends to tax flow-through interests to wealthy taxpayers will be the key battle to keep an eye on. Chinas Twitter Clone Weibo Will Hire 1,000 Users to Rat Out Fellow Netizens for Dissenting Speech Weibo, Chinas equivalent of Twitter, has announced that it will hire 1,000 users to work as online censors. The censors will be rewarded monetarily for reporting harmful contents posted by other Weibo users, which might include their friends and family. Weibo posted the recruitment poster on Sept. 27, saying that it will hire an initial 1,000 Weibo censors from among existing users. The move is said to be in accordance with a state directive issued by the Beijing arm of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the Chinese regimes top organ responsible for imposing internet censorship. The job is open to Weibo users who have registered for more than a year and have a Weibo credit score of more than 80. The credit score measures whether a user is compliant with policies restricting the posting of content. Those found posting unacceptable content have their score reduced; those who take part in promotional posting of favored content are giving extra credits. To achieve a score of 80, a user would either not have any deductions, or would make up any deductions with promotional postings. According to the poster, Weibo will pay each censor a stipend of 200 yuan ($30.13), and will reward the top 10 performers of the month with gifts such as an Apple iPhone, a domestic brand smartphone, or a tablet. Censors are required to report a minimum of 200 posts a month, and will specifically target pornography and harmful information that are deemed illegal by the Chinese regime. Weibo will also host online and in-person training sessions for censors to ensure they perform the job as intended. The Chinese regime has been stepping up its censorship efforts in preparation for the 19th National Congress next month. On Monday, the Chinese regimes CAC imposed fines on Weibo and WeChat for failing to properly censor illegal content on its site, as reported by Reuters. While Weibos latest move could be a direct response to the fine, the platform already has a complex censorship mechanism in place and employs a large number of full-time censors to monitor the site. Army of Censors Among Users Most popular social network sites around the world have employed dedicated reviewers, or screeners that work to review content flagged by users on their respective platforms. Facebook, for example, employs a large number of contractors who spend an average of just a few seconds on each post to decide if the content in question violates the sites policies. The latest Weibo censors, however, go a step further. These censors are selected from average users on the platform, and are given monetary rewards to report contents that they deem are outside the boundaries set by Weibo and the state. With these incentives, Weibo users who become censors might be tempted to report on friends and family members to reach the minimum monthly requirement of 200 posts. Many Chinese netizens have ridiculed the latest announcement from Weibo, and even compared its censors to the infamous Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, who were known for inflicting political violence on anyone who did not fervently adhere to Mao Zedongs thought. Weibo is Chinas second most popular social media platform, after Tencents messaging app WeChat. It is often compared to Twitter, which is not available in China due to its being blocked by the Chinese regimes Great Firewall (GFW). The reason for the blocking of Twitter has never been fully explained by officials. However, it is often assumed that the regime favors Weibo due to it being a Chinese company and much more pliable to the regimes demand for censorship. Missing Virginia Womans Body Discovered 300 Miles Away Behind Church The body of a missing woman has been found weeks after she went missing from a military base in Virginia, officials said. Ashanti Billie was found dead about 300 miles away behind a church in Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities said Saturday, Sept. 30, according to CNN. A landscaping crew discovered her remains behind some boulders in the back of the property, WSOC-TV reported. It is with deep regret that I inform the community that Ashanti Billie has been located, deceased, in Charlotte, North Carolina, said Martin Culbreth, who is the special agent in charge of the FBIs Norfolk division, as reported by CNN. I, along with the entire investigative team, offer our most sincere condolences to the Billie family, especially Ashantis parents Brandy and Tony. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. The 19-year-old has been missing since Sept. 18 when she didnt show up for work at the Blimpie sandwich shop on the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Norfolk, Virginia, or for culinary classes. Police found her cellphone in a dumpster and later found her car, the FBI reported. Billies mother spoke out when she learned of the news. To the person or persons that decided they wanted to take our baby away from us and away from everyone that loved her, youre a coward, said Brandy Billie, according to WSOC. You dont deserve to breathe the air that she breathed at all. Rev. Michael McLean said that he wouldnt be surprised if there was criminal activity involved in her death and disappearance. Unfortunately, there is a lot of crime in this area. As a community we want to address these issues, McLean said. Altered Images Must Come With Warning Under New French Law Altered images of models are commonplace in the fashion industry today, but that may change under a new French law. France passed a law that went into effect on Oct. 1 requiring any image of a model that has been digitally altered for commercial purposes to come with a warning that it has been touched up. The French Ministry of Health hopes the move will discourage people from imitating unrealistically thin images that have been touched up artificially. The law requires digitally edited images to be clearly labeled photographie retouchee, or touched-up photograph. Any publisher who fails to use the label could be fined up to 37,500 euros [$44,000] or 30 percent of the cost of creating the advertisement. The label is required when the body of a model has been modified by an image-editing software to either slim or flesh out her figure, the French Ministry of Health said in a statement earlier this year. It is estimated that 30,000 to 40,000 people suffer from anorexia in France. In May, a law came into effect in France banning extremely thin models. It requires models to provide a doctors note affirming their health, particularly their body mass index (BMI), that measures weight in relation to height. A BMI of less than 18.5 means someone is unhealthily thin, according to the World Health Organization. Exposing young people to normative and unrealistic images of bodies leads to a sense of self-depreciation and poor self-esteem that can impact health-related behaviour, said Marisol Touraine, Frances minister of social affairs and health, according to reports. Following the new law, American photography agency Getty Images informed contributors via email that they are banning any images in which the subjects body shape has been photoshopped to make them look thinner or larger. I got this email from Getty Images today about an update to their submission terms. Kinda refreshing. Well done, France. #bodyimage pic.twitter.com/DixpSULiRo Darwin Brandis (@DarwinBrandis) September 26, 2017 [/epoch_social_embed] The email, sent with the subject line RE: Important Information on Retouched Images Legal Update, states: Effective October 1, 2017, a new French law obliges clients who use commercial images in France to disclose whether the body shape of a model has been retouched to make them look thinner or larger. It continues: As a result, also effective October 1st, we have amended our Creative Stills Submission Requirements to require that you do not submit to us any creative content depicting models whose body shapes have been retouched to make them look thinner or larger. Please note that other changes made to models, like a change of hair color, nose shape, retouching of skin or blemishes, etc., are outside the scope of this new law, and are therefore still acceptable. Parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann, Kate and Gerry McCann pose with an artist's impression of how their daughter might look now at the age of nine ahead of a press conference in central London on May 2, 2012, five years after Madeleine's disappearance while on a family holiday in Portugal. (AFP/Getty Images) Report: Madeleine McCann Investigators Hunting Person of Significance After more than ten years, police searching for missing U.K. toddler Madeleine McCann say they have a person of significance in the case. The U.K. Home Office, according to The Sunday Times, said that it will fund work to chase a critical lead in the investigation. Detectives with the were given an additional 154,000 pounds ($206,300) to pursue the case till next March, bringing the total costs above 11.5 million pounds ($15.4 million). The source told The Times: It is as much to rule the person out of the inquiry as anything else. The final element of the investigation is secret and much more complex than was expected, MailOnline reported. In May 2007, the 3-year-old girl disappeared from the familys apartment as they were vacationing in Portugal. Kate and Gerry, her parents, have said that there is absolutely nothing to suggest that their daughter was harmed, or killed. Londons Metropolitan Police picked up the investigation in 2011 at the request of then-Prime Minister David Cameron after British authorities criticized the Portuguese investigation. The 6-year investigation has been dubbed Operation Grange. A Home Office spokesman said last week: Following an application from the Metropolitan Police, the Home Office has confirmed funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2018, according to The Telegraph. As with all applications, the resources required are reviewed regularly and careful consideration is given before any funding is allocated. Trump Tells Top U.S. Diplomat: Dont Waste Time Talking to North Korea WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he told the top U.S. diplomat not to waste his time trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man, Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Kim. I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 Trumps comment came the day after Tillerson disclosed that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue. Save your energy Rex, well do what has to be done! Trump said. Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 Tillerson said during a trip to China on Saturday that the United States was probing North Korea to see whether it is interested in dialogue and that it had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang. This was the first time the Trump administration acknowledged it was in direct communication with Pyongyang. The disclosure came as Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. We are probing, so stay tuned, Tillerson told a small group of reporters during a trip to China. We ask: Would you like to talk?' He said the United States had a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang. In the past, Trump has shown a willingness to negotiate. After announcing new U.S. sanctions last month on North Korea, he also acknowledged diplomacy was still possible, asking: Why not? By Doina Chiacu and Steve Holland Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 02:05:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close People take part in a demonstration in central Manchester, Britain, on Oct. 1, 2017. Tens of thousands of protestors gathered in Manchester on Sunday, with a number of rallies organized by anti-Brexit groups and activists demanding an end to the Conservative austerity measures. The Conservative Party's annual conference is held here from Oct. 1 to Oct. 4. (Xinhua/Han Yan) LONDON, Oct.1 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May outlined new proposals Sunday to win support from younger voters after many backed the rival Labour Party. May's bid to woo thousands of disaffected students came on the first day of the Conservative party's annual conference in Manchester. Tens of thousands of protestors converged on the northern England city, with a number of rallies organized by anti-Brexit groups and activists demanding an end to the Conservative austerity measures. Local media in Manchester reported that 50,000 people were expected at the various rallies during the day. Around 1,000 police officers were on duty forming a security shield around Manchester Central, the one-time railway terminal where the conference is taking place over the next four days. A heavy presence of armed police were on duty outside the nearby baroque-style four-star Midland Hotel which has become May's conference headquarters. This year's terror bombing at the nearby Manchester Arena, in which 22 people were killed by suicide bomber Salman Abedi, has heightened security precautions around the conference. The security operation is costing police almost 2.7 million U.S. dollars. In a major interview in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, May announced the freezing of university tuition fees at 9,250 pounds (12,400 U.S. dollars) a year. She also plans to raise the threshold so students won't start paying back their debt until they earn over 33,500 U.S. dollars a year. With Labour saying they would scrap university tuition fees altogether, political commentators were asking whether May's carrot would win back younger voters. May also plans to spend 10 billion British pounds (13.4 billion U.S. dollars) helping thousands of first-time house buyers get onto the property-owning ladder. In the interview May said she wanted to lead her party into the next general election, due in 2022, saying: "I'm not a quitter. I'm in it for the long-term and I believe there is a long-term job to do." May's first full day in Manchester Sunday, her 61st birthday, was met with the kind of greetings she would not have welcomed. The Sunday Observer newspaper's main story was headlined "May in battle for survival as Tories sharpen knives". The Sunday Times said foreign secretary Boris Johnson planned one last bid for the top job at 10 Downing Street. Their headline read "Johnson believes she will be gone in a year". The Sunday Express in a flag-waving story in support of May, welcomed her pledges to overhaul student fees with the headline "That's more like it Mrs May". A long-range ground-based interceptor is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on May 30, 2017. (U.S. Department of Defense) US May Have to Shoot Down North Korean Nukes While in Russian Airspace If North Korea launches nuclear warheads at the United States, the U.S. anti-missile system may need to shoot the nukes down over Russian territory, according to an expert on nuclear and missile proliferation in Northeast Asia. [I]ntercepting the shots aimed at mainland targets means flying out toward Russia, wrote Joshua Pollack, senior research associate at The Nonproliferation Review. Defending a West Coast target even means engaging the attacking RV [warheads reentry vehicle] above the Russian Far East. Yikes. The United States has multiple missile defense systems. The Patriot missiles and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) can shoot down a missile while it approaches its target and are meant to intercept missiles of shorter range. To stop an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), the country would use Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD), which aims to destroy the incoming missile midcoursewhile its still in space. The United States has 32 GMD interceptors at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and four at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. By the end of the year, it plans to add eight more in Alaska. In May, the system was successfully tested, but eight out of 17 previous tests failed. The United States would launch about four interceptors at every target to increase the likelihood of a success. If North Korea did launch an ICBM at the United States, the missile would likely take a course over the North Pole. Shooting it down midway would mean the intercepting missiles paths would likely cross into Russian territory, triggering its early warning systems. If Russia were to mistake interception of a North Korean missile for an attack on its territory, the repercussions could be catastrophic. Its something were aware of, said Gen. Lori Robinson, commander of the U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, according to Defense One. Its something we work our way through. The interceptors carry no explosivesthey simply ram into their targets. That means Russia shouldnt fear them. The question is, will it recognize them? In July, North Korea tested its Hwasong-14 missile. Based on the test, the missile could reach as far as 6,210 miles, putting the U.S. West Coast within range. But Russia refused to recognize the missile as an ICBM. Moreover, Russia was previously concerned the United States could mount nuclear warheads on its missile interceptors, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in 2009. To avoid Russian territory, the interception can be held off until the missile reaches closer to its target, but that would leave no time to shoot a second volley in case the first one fails. Pollack suggested the United States could install GMDs on the Thule Air Base in Pituffik, Greenland, if its authorities agree. That would provide an angle that could avoid Russian territory. Moving GBIs to Thule would also force Missile Defense Agency spokespeople to learn how to pronounce Pituffik, Pollack said. That alone seems like justification enough. USS Reagan Expected to Be Deployed to Korea The United States is expected to deploy aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan to waters near the Korean peninsula this month for a joint military exercise with South Koreas Navy, according to South Korean Yonhap News Agency. We are in consultations (with the U.S.) on a plan for the aircraft strike group led by the nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan to operate in the East Sea around Oct. 15, a South Korean defense official told the agency Sunday on condition of anonymity. The Reagan will likely be accompanied by several other warships such as an Aegis destroyer, a guided-missile cruiser and a nuclear-powered submarine, Yonhap News reported. The United States and South Korea will perform joint drills involving detecting, tracking, and intercepting the rogue regimes ballistic missiles. They will also conduct drills on anti-submarine warfare training, according to the official. The official date of Reagans arrival has not been confirmed yet, according to a U.S Forces Korea (USFK) official, but the joint military drills are still expected to take place Its likely to hold the combined training around Oct. 20. The exact schedule has not been set, depending on the conditions. And then it will likely make a port call in Busan, he said. News of the drills came as President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he told the top U.S. diplomat not to waste his time trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man, Trump wrote on Twitter, using his nickname for Kim. I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 Trumps comment came the day after Tillerson disclosed that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue. Save your energy Rex, well do what has to be done! Trump said. Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 Tillerson said during a trip to China on Saturday that the United States was probing North Korea to see whether it is interested in dialogue and that it had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, Reuters reported. This was the first time the Trump administration acknowledged it was in direct communication with Pyongyang. The disclosure came as Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. From NTD.tv Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 02:30:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ALGIERS, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Algerian counterterrorim troops on Sunday killed five armed militants in the locality of El Kseur, in the province of Bejaia, said a statement of Defense Ministry. The source said this qualitative operation led to retrieving five Kalashnikov machine guns, and three magazines. Army troops on Thursday launched a wide scale dragging operation in the upper woods of El Kseur, as one terrorist was killed by then, bringing the number of killed terrorists to six. The operation is still underway, as counterterrorism troops are still surrounding the site. Located in a region plagued by unprecedented security and political instability, Algeria faces ongoing terrorist threats. A few militants affiliated to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and recently established Daesh affiliate groups are still taking refuge in the dense woods in the north, and remote desert areas near the troubled Libya and Mali. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 04:20:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close KHARTOUM, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Sudan government on Sunday expressed hope that the United States would lift its sanctions on Sudan by October 12. "The dialogue between Khartoum and Washington has reached its ends," Attal-Mannan Bakheet, Sudan's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, said in a statement Sunday. "The committees concerned with the dialogue with the U.S. have dealt in a responsible manner and submitted positive reports," he added, expressing hope that "the dialogue with the U.S will culminate in lifting the sanctions on Sudan." The United States extended a review period of three months in July to decide whether to permanently lift trade sanctions on Sudan, given its human rights records and other issues. On Jan. 13, former U.S. President Barack Obama issued a decision to cancel two executive orders imposing economic sanctions on Sudan. The executive orders gave 180 days for review before the sanctions are fully lifted to ensure the Sudanese government maintains its efforts on human rights and anti-terrorism. The decision also allowed for the resumption of all banking transactions and trade exchanges between the two countries. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 04:45:51|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Scottish Conservative Leader Ruth Davidson called Sunday for a united front behind embattled Prime Minister Theresa May. Davidson's rallying call came as the Conservatives kicked-off their annual party conference in Manchester. With headlines in Sunday newspapers highlighting rifts in the party, Davidson used her conference speech in an attack on the main opposition Labour party, led by Jeremy Corbyn. Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine, a strong supporter of Britain remaining in the European Union, was highly critical in a television interview Sunday of foreign secretary Boris Johnson for his interventions in the Brexit debate. Heseltine told London's Sky news that Johnson's position was unsustainable, but in a separate television interview May would not be drawn when asked if she would keep Johnson in her Downing Street cabinet. Labour, a year ago facing meltdown through a bitter civil war, is now riding high points ahead of the governing Conservatives. In her conference speech Davidson told delegates the party "can burst the Corbyn bubble" if it stops bickering and unites behind May. Last week Corbyn said in his conference speech the Labour Party was a government-in-waiting. Referring to squabbles between politicians who support remaining in the European Union and Brexiteers who want to leave, Davidson urged party members to "unite and fight." Her speech ended with the message: "It's time we in this party made it clear that we're not Leavers or Remainers anymore, we're just Brits." It earned a rousing standing ovation. May sat in the hall alongside her husband listening to the opening day speeches which dealt mainly with domestic issues. She is scheduled to make her main speech Wednesday. Earlier May outlined in interviews help for university students in what was seen by political commentators as a response to the way many young voters have rallied around Labour's Jeremy Corbyn. May unveiled plans to freeze university tuition fees and increase the threshold in annual salary before graduates start to repay their loans. Greater Manchester Police said Sunday night there had been no arrests during a day of what were described as peaceful protest marches through the city center. Police Chief John O'Hare said around 30,000 people took part in the anti-Brexit and anti-austerity marches which took in a route passing the conference center. There was a heavy police presence during the day involving around 1,000 police officers, with armed cops guarding the conference headquarters at the Midland Hotel. A number of armed police marksmen were positioned on rooftops of surrounding buildings. TOKYOBackroom negotiations, ministerial meetings, shuttle diplomacy, all in hopes of getting agreement on a sweeping trade pact by years end. No, its not NAFTA. While the spotlight has focused on trade talks between Canada, Mexico and the United States, efforts are quietly underway on another sweeping trade pact the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would give Canada preferred access to Asian markets. The agreement, left for dead after Washingtons exit in January, has come back to life. And the 11 remaining nations in the partnership are hoping that by moving forward on the agreement possibly in the coming months they can entice the U.S. to rejoin the initiative abandoned by President Donald Trump immediately after he took office. Entry into force of TPP 11 is the highest immediate priority for us, said Sadaaki Numata, a former Japanese ambassador to Canada who now chairs the honorary board of advisers for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan. We do see it as a means of inducing the United States to come back to TPP. You could call it a lever. Theres optimism that negotiators could have a rejigged agreement ready by November when political leaders from the TPP nations including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gather in Da Nang, Vietnam for an Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) summit. There is a degree of momentum behind that now and I think there is a recognition, especially in todays trade policy environment, that having a successful negotiation would have broader implications, Ian Burney, Canadas ambassador to Japan, told the Star in an interview. Trumps withdrawal from the partnership had put its future in limbo. At that time, it seems we lost a path, a way as to what we should do, Nobutka Sawada, of the Economic Affairs Bureau in Japans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview. But after a lot of consultations and discussions, we found that the significance of the TPP remains. So TPP is still important. Japan, joined by Australia and New Zealand, is leading the effort to see the agreement become a reality. Canada is supportive of the pact that also includes Mexico, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The push for liberalized trade is part of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes efforts at economic reforms and a focus on liberalized trade that includes the TPP as well as an agreement with the European Union and ongoing negotiations with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which would cover 16 Asian countries including China and India. Officials on both sides of the Pacific say the TPP would unlock trade between Canada and Japan two G7 nations which now stands at about $27 billion annually, an amount that has been largely stagnant in recent years. Five years ago, the Conservative government under prime minister Stephen Harper attempted free trade negotiations with Japan, backed by estimates it could boost Canadas GDP by more than $4 billion. But Japan abandoned those discussions two years later in favour of pursuing liberalized trade through the TPP. While Canada holds out some hope of achieving a bilateral deal, too, that doesnt look likely. We have been trying to revive the bilateral process but have not succeeded. There is a strong preference on the Japanese side to focus on the TPP process, Burney said. Japan has always been relatively clear with us that TPP probably reflects the high-water mark in terms of what they are prepared to offer in terms of concessions, he said. I think from the standpoint of whats in the agreement, that probably is the best that can be achievable. That view is shared in Japan, too, especially because the TPP goes beyond trade to also include topics such as labour, intellectual property, digital trade and government procurement. We do see great potential to be developed, said Ichiro Hara, director international affairs bureau at Keidanren, the Japanese business federation. I think that either TPP 11 or 12 will be very beneficial framework to reinforce the trade relationship between Japan and Canada, he said, via an interpreter. Negotiators from the remaining TPP countries recently met in Tokyo and will meet again in Japan in October. But potential roadblocks remain. With the U.S. out of the equation and with it the opportunities of favoured access to the American market theres concern that the agreement has become less attractive for some nations. I believe the biggest hurdle might be to overcome the resistance or hesitation on the part of developing countries (that) made great compromises in order to accommodate the U.S. requests and demands on the assumption that the U.S. market would be open, Hara said. Theres also the concern that some nations may seek to renegotiate parts of the agreement. Every country has agreed that modifications should be minimal but what is minimal for each country differs significantly. And so a question mark hangs over the Trump administration as the U.S. risks being isolated on the trade front. Trump has pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He has threatened to withdraw from NAFTA, even as U.S. officials try to bargain a modernized pact with Canada and Mexico. He has mused about ending Americas trade deal with South Korea. That the largest and most influential country in the world is turning to that kind of attitude is very dangerous, said Shujiro Urata, dean of the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies at Tokyos Waseda University. That would make the U.S. the isolated country. I hope that they realize that kind of situation will be very harmful to the U.S. economy. But again I guess Mr. Trump and his advisers have to change their views towards multilateralism versus U.S.-first policy. Experts like Urata and Hara say the best way to counter to protectionist sentiments is to move ahead on trade deals and hope that the U.S. seeing American corporate interests increasingly disadvantaged on the world stage returns to the pact. Trade and investments are globalized and connected these days. I hope the U.S. can see that it would be to their disadvantage not to be part of this global movement, Hara said. We hope domestic business leaders in the U.S. will raise their voices saying that the U.S. should be back in TPP. Read more about: SHARE: Three people have been taken to hospital in serious condition after a shooting in Oshawa Saturday evening. Durham Police Insp. Melanie Anderson told reporters on scene that they rushed to an apartment building on Elgin Crt., near Adelaide Ave. W. and Gibbons St. around 9 p.m. for reports of gunshots. It was a fairly chaotic scene, Anderson said. Numerous residents had reported hearing gunshots coming from the area of one complex, and several men were seen fleeing the scene in different directions. When police arrived, the first victim was located in front of the building with gunshot wounds. Another victim was found in the rear of an apartment, also suffering from gunshot wounds. Police say the shooting was the result of a disturbance involving several people inside that apartment. The two victims located on scene a 54-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were rushed to Sunnybrook hospital. A 22-year-old man who was also a victim of the shooting was taken to a local hospital by a friend. Although two of the victims were initially described as being in serious condition, its now known that all injuries were non-life-threatening. There were multiple shots fired, but police do not yet know how many guns were involved. Durham police arrested one man on Gladstone St. half an hour after the shooting, but are still seeking other male suspects. They are canvassing the neighbourhood for more information. With files from Annie Arnone Read more about: SHARE: Finding people in Saskatchewan with stories about alarming encounters with hydrogen sulphide isnt hard. A investigation involving journalists at the Toronto Star, the National Observer, Global News and journalism schools at Regina, Concordia, Ryerson and the University of British Columbia found many residents and oil industry workers with concerns about the potentially deadly gas floating over Saskatchewan. Finding people willing to tell those stories is nearly impossible. There is a culture of secrecy fuelled by oil industry money, the provinces reliance on that money and the threats that have followed those who have spoken out. The industry dominates the provinces landscape and economy with about 58,000 active wells extracting oil and gas worth more than $6.9 billion last year. Nearly every family in the provinces towns and First Nations reserves has some form of connection to the industry. RELATED: That rotten stench in the air? Its the smell of deadly gas and secrecy Social ties are tight. And criticism of the industry can upset neighbours, family and local businesses. One couple who had worked in the industry said they had each been sickened by H2S near their home in the southeast of the province. They met reporters several times but refused to be named. If anyone learned of the meetings, word would spread, the husband said, and he would be blackballed and unable to find work. Theres nothing going to change, his wife said. Theres no sense in speaking up, because nothing you do will ever change anything. The few who have publicly raised concerns about spills in their fields, water being fouled, sacred sites defiled, or gas emissions wafting into their yards told of losing clients, neighbours who stopped speaking to them, jobs lost and other methods of intimidation. People are afraid because, well, (oil companies) have a lot of money, they own everything, and theres always that promise of bringing in money and with money, you know, hope, says Marilyn Wapass of Thunderchild First Nation, a west-central Saskatchewan community that has welcomed oil development. Wapass launched a protest when seismic testing which involved explosive charges was conducted next to the communitys sundance grounds. She ended up getting arrested for trying to stand in the way. Only a handful of people have actually come forward and have stood by me and continue to stand with me. For the rest of the people, theyve just, kind of turned their backs on me, she says. Its been a very lonely place to stand. Shunning can turn into outright intimidation. Workers from a local drilling company were driving down our road, then turning around and shining their lights on our house, says Shirley Galloway, a nurse and oilfield safety expert who has voiced concerns about H2S plumes around Oxbow. The harassment, for a time, was consistent and creepy, says her husband, Jim. They would shine the lights, turn around, shine the lights back in the house and then slowly creep by the house. Emil Bell, a member of Canoe Lake Cree First Nation, went on a hunger strike after Husky Oil spilled an estimated 225,000 litres of heavy crude and chemical diluent into the North Saskatchewan River in July 2016. Even in my own community, people dont want to hang around me because if they are employed by the reserve, they can lose their job because theyre associating with me. Many believe they cannot rely on government regulators to help them and they are left to negotiate with oil company representatives themselves. The ministry prefers to see operators deal with public complaints without having to be involved, read the minutes of a government/industry meeting held May 28, 2015. People are afraid because, well, (oil companies) have a lot of money, they own everything Marilyn Wapass Member of Thunderchild First Nation There is often no information on complaints involving H2S, or those injured by it, available to the public. A freedom-of-information request to the Ministry of Economy, which regulates the industry, for copies of public complaints was returned stating no such records exist, although reporters had copies of emails residents had sent to the government. Even when incidents are reported, the governments database is often so incomplete and opaque that serious incidents are almost unrecognizable. For example, an incident report from Dec. 22, 2015, contains a dry, four-sentence summary of an equipment failure in the southeast when H2S gas was vented. A company report on the incident obtained through a freedom-of-information request recounts an alarming version of events. The gas cloud drifted a half-kilometre, in an area with roads, fields and the occasional farm, before enveloping three workers at a gas plant. Four workers were notified by radio of a gas leak and told to evacuate immediately. While alarms sounded, two ran toward the main control room as their personal H2S monitors were going off; the third also tried to evacuate, the document reads. A fourth hit the emergency shut down button and grabbed a breathing apparatus before checking on the others. Three workers were effected [sic] by H2S with one worker losing consciousness. The company report concludes that the well suffered a catastrophic failure, leading to a high concentration of H2S being emitted to the atmosphere. None of that information was made public. Lori Erhardt, a United Church minister in Oxbow, suffers from breathing problems and must sometimes rely on supplemental oxygen. In 2012, she was forced to leave her home for 17 months to escape what she believes was constant exposure to toxic emissions. Ill be driving . . . and all of a sudden my voice just goes and this has happened for several years and then Ill feel this tightness in my chest, she says. Id land in the hospital about every year . . . You feel a bit like a canary in a flare zone. When she had tried to file complaints, she says regional officials seemed helpless to take action: The response was usually, Well, you know, were monitoring it. She was instructed to contact people higher up in government, but decided to leave Oxbow instead. I was so sick, she says, I just couldnt do it. After Shirley Galloway sent complaints to contractors about facilities operated by a local company, the company sent her a registered letter asking her to cease communications with the contractors or face legal action. It ended: Please govern yourself accordingly. If something goes wrong, if theres any kind of release or gas, we have nobody to call, says Galloway. The culture of silence is the result of industry holding rural communities hostage, says Emily Eaton, a professor at the University of Regina who has studied the impacts of the industry on rural residents for several years, recently as a member of the Corporate Mapping Project. Certainly (industry) does provide benefits. No one can deny that there are a lot of jobs produced by industry in rural areas, she says, but those come along with an expectation that youll remain silent about the types of impacts that you might be experiencing in your backyard. The culture of silence in Saskatchewan is really a culture of fear. With research from: Jennifer Ackerman, University of Regina; Madina Azizi, University of Regina; Janelle Blakley, University of Regina; Cory Coleman, University of Regina; Mike De Souza, The National Observer; Josh Diaz, University of Regina;Brenna Engel, University of Regina; Matthew Gilmour, Concordia University; Celine Grimard, University of Regina; Jared Gottselig, University of Regina; Lauren Kaljur ,University of British Columbia; Rebbeca Marroquin, University of Regina; Matthew Parizot, Concordia University; Katie Doke Sawatzky, University of Regina; Michaela Solomon, University of Regina; Kyrsten Stringer, University of Regina; Caitlin Taylor, University of Regina; Steph Wechsler, Ryerson University SHARE: Early in his administration, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a directive outlining a strategy of pressure against North Korea that involved actions across a broad spectrum of government agencies, and led to the use of military cyber capabilities, according to U.S. officials. As part of the campaign, U.S. Cyber Command targeted hackers in North Koreas military spy agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, by barraging their computer servers with traffic that choked off internet access. Trumps directive, a senior administration official said, also included instructions to diplomats and officials to bring up North Korea in virtually every conversation with foreign interlocutors and urge them to sever all ties with Pyongyang. Those conversations have had significant success, particularly in recent weeks as North Korea has tested another nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles, officials said. Some nations have said they would no longer employ North Korean workers, whose wages are paid directly to Pyongyang, and several countries have downgraded or cut off relations with North Korea. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump So pervasive is the diplomatic campaign that some governments have found themselves scrambling to find any ties with North Korea. When U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence called on one country to break relations during a recent overseas visit, officials there reminded him that they never had relations with Pyongyang. Pence then told them, to their own surprise, that they had $2 million in trade with North Korea. Foreign officials, who asked that their country not be identified, described the exchange. The directive also instructed the Treasury Department to outline an escalating set of sanctions against North Korean entities and individuals, and foreigners who dealt with them. Those instructions are reflected in a steady stream of U.S. and international sanctions in recent months. The directive was not made public at the time it was signed, following a policy review in March, because we were providing every opportunity as a new administration to North Korea to sit down and talk, to take a different approach, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door policy decisions. We made clear the door was open for talks before the president had even signed off on this strategy, but North Korea continued to launch missiles, continued to kidnap Americans to keep as hostages . . . all the things they did when we were early in the administration and sending signals that the door was open to talks. That door remains open, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Saturday in Beijing. Speaking to reporters following talks with Chinese officials, Tillerson for the first time acknowledged that the United States was in direct communication with North Korea. We are probing, so stay tuned, he said. We ask, Would you like to talk? We have lines of communications to Pyongyang. Were not in a dark situation, a blackout. We have a couple, three, channels open . . . we can talk to them; we do talk to them. In Washington, however, officials quickly played down any idea that negotiations were underway or that anything had yet come of the talks. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert issued a statement saying that North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization. The senior administration official said it would be wrong to read too much into Tillersons remarks. The U.S. has always maintained some kind of channel, kept some channel open even in the darkest days of previous administrations. Those channels include conversations between the State Departments special representative for North Korea, Joseph Yun and Pak Song Il, a senior member of Pyongyangs delegation to the United Nations. They have met several times this year, to discuss American prisoners being held by North Korea among other things. Other contacts have taken place through the track two process, which regularly brings together nongovernmental U.S. experts and occasionally U.S. officials and North Korean officials. Tillersons remarks Saturday came after a day of meetings with top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, which saw both sides strike a careful, conciliatory tone following a new North Korean nuclear test and missile launches, and weeks of insults and threats between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Read more: Is arming S. Korea the best way to contain Kim?: Walkom North Korea accuses U.S. of exploiting death of detained student Otto Warmbier North Koreas rhetoric is the same. Problem now is Trumps reaction that makes this different, experts say In brief formal statements before their meetings, Chinese leaders who have repeatedly called for restraint did not mention North Korea. Instead, they tried to keep the focus on Trumps upcoming Asia visit, which Xi promised would be a special, wonderful and successful event. The Cyber Command operation, which was due to end Saturday, was part of the overall campaign set in motion many months ago. The effects were temporary and not destructive, officials said. Nonetheless, some North Korean hackers griped that lack of access to the internet was interfering with their work, according to another U.S. official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a secret operation. Cyber Command and the White House had no comment. But the senior administration official said that, What I can tell you is that North Korea has itself been guilty of cyber attacks and we are going to take appropriate measures to defend our networks and systems. Eric Rosenbach, who led the Pentagons cyber efforts as assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration, said the operation could have the advantage of signalling to the North Koreans a more aggressive posture. However, theres accompanying risk of an escalation and a North Korean cyber counterattack. Rosenbach, now co-director of the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School, said he was not aware of the actual operation, but if it is truly a military operation, he saw no reason to hide it. The Department of Defense should probably own it, he said. Aaron Hughes, a former senior cyber official in the Obama administration, said he, too, was not aware of the actual operation. But if I was still in my [Pentagon] seat, I would actively be advocating we do these types of things . . . we should be using all elements of national power to deter and message the North Koreans, to include our military, including cyber, Hughes said. Others said they would be cautious about using even minor cyber capabilities against North Korea and doing it openly because of the risk of retaliation. I wonder what the disruptive payoff is that were getting thats worth even a marginal extra chance of nuclear war? said Jason Healey, a former military cyber operator and now a senior research scholar at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs. Read more about: SHARE: Its a mystery out of a John le Carre novel: For the past several months, U.S. diplomats in Cuba have suffered unexplainable symptoms, from hearing loss and vertigo to nausea and concussions. Some say theyre struggling to concentrate and recall even common words. Equally strange: While some victims said they felt vibrations or heard loud noises audible only in parts of a room, others experienced nothing. So far, 21 Americans have reported symptoms, and Canadian diplomats are suffering as well. Its become so bad that the United States decided this week to yank all non-essential personnel from its Havana embassy. Americans are being warned against visiting the country for their own safety until investigators can figure out whats happening. Read more: U.S. cuts embassy staff, warns against travel to Cuba: sources Mysterious sonic attacks in Cuba target Canadian and U.S. diplomats What is going on? For months, experts have struggled to explain what kind of weapon could cause such a wide variety of symptoms. Investigators on the scene have uncovered few clues. In the absence of hard proof, there are lots and lots of theories. Here are some of the main ones: The perpetrators are using sound as a weapon The sonic attack theory is a popular one, especially because some of the diplomats are reporting hearing loss, sounds and vibrations. And it is possible to use sound waves to cause problems. Ultrasonic frequencies, which are high-pitched, can be harnessed and directed. As Tim Leighton, professor of ultrasonics and underwater acoustics at University of Southampton, told the Guardian: If you want to produce a tight beam of energy that you can point at someone, ultrasound is the one to go for. Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to ultrasonic sound can result in hearing loss and human tissue damage. Its also not hard, professors say, to build a device that emits this kind of noise. You can buy transducers on the internet that emit these frequencies, Robin Cleveland, a professor of engineering science at the University of Oxford, told the Guardian. Anybody with a bit of engineering background could put one together. It would take a device about a size of a matchbox to produce noise that could, at close range, induce feelings of anxiety or difficulty concentrating. But high frequency sound doesnt travel well through any kind of barrier, like a wall or even a curtain. Its even hard for it to pass through human skin. To create a sound that could travel through windows, youd need something more like the size of a suitcase. To affect people 150 feet away, the device would have to be the size of a car. Scientists are also skeptical about ultrasonic sounds potential to cause permanent brain damage. (According to U.S. officials, some Cuban diplomats had been diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury.) Thats a little harder for me to believe, Cleveland told the Guardian. The sound would have to enter the brain tissue itself, but if youve ever had an ultrasound scan youll know they put gel on. If theres even a tiny bit of air between the sound and your body it doesnt get through. In short: Weaponizing sound is a glamorous theory, but experts dont think thats whats going here. It sounds very appealing and interesting, but I find it hard to believe that there actually is such a device, hearing expert John Oghalai, who chairs the Caruso Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Southern California, told the Verge. OK. So, maybe its an electromagnetic device? Maybe! The case for: Electromagnetic waves can be easily directed, like a laser. They can also travel through walls, and could plausibly be concealed from afar. (In the 1960s, the Soviet Union bombarded the U.S. Embassy in Moscow with microwaves; its not clear why or whether that had any impact.) Electromagnetic pulses, when sent out in short, intense blasts, can also cause people to hear clicking sounds. But electromagnetic waves usually cause physical damage by heating body tissue. And the diplomats havent reported burning sensations. So maybe its a poisoning? Could it be a chemical weapon? Yes. There are several chemicals that can cause hearing damage, including mercury and lead, along with some industrial solvents. But what about the other symptoms? Writing in USA Today, Director of Medicine at the American Council on Science and Health Jamie Wells and microbiologist Alex Berezow explain that its possible, particularly if the diplomats share meals together, it is a distinct possibility that somebody poisoned their food. Does chemical poisoning explain all the known symptoms, even for those victims who heard noises in the middle of the night? they write. Possibly. Chemical solvents can cause nerve damage, which can manifest in different ways. With auditory nerve damage, some people might experience ringing (tinnitus), and others might find certain noise frequencies excruciatingly intolerable while others barely notice. Or maybe the diplomats just got sick? Respiratory and ear infections can sometimes cause hearing loss. One inner-ear inflammation called labyrinthitis can lead to vertigo, hearing loss, bad balance, nausea and ringing in the ears all symptoms experienced by the diplomats. Of course, the victims have been tested for the obvious diseases, but maybe theyre suffering some kind of new or mutated illness that doctors dont know to look for yet. One reason to be skeptical: Though American diplomats work closely with Cuban staff at the embassy, only Americans got sick. If the victims were suffering from a contagious disease, youd expect it to have spread more widely. Is Cuba to blame? We dont know for sure, obviously. But experts say the Cuban government has been working closely with the United States to figure out whats going on. The Cuban president met with the top U.S. envoy in the country to express his grave concern and confusion about whats going on. Cuban officials even let the FBI come down to Havana to investigate, an extraordinary level of access. (Also, Cuba has no obvious beef with Canada.) Some U.S. officials are still skeptical. But investigators have begun to wonder whether this is the work of a rogue faction of Cubas security forces. Or maybe its another country, like Russia or North Korea. Perhaps Moscow is trying to drive a wedge between communist Cuba and the West? (As the AP reports, Russia also has advanced, hard-to-detect weaponry that much of the world lacks and might not even know about.) Or, most unsatisfying: Maybe its no one at all? Its possible that the diplomats were exposed accidentally to the chemical thats now wreaking havoc. Or maybe the culprit is testing out some new surveillance system thats gone awry? No one knows for sure. Unlike the best spy capers, were so far stuck without a satisfying ending. SHARE: NARANJITO, PUERTO RICOThirty-two kilometres from their capital of San Juan, Puerto Ricans are still marooned in a once-lush landscape that Hurricane Maria raked almost entirely of greenery 10 days ago. They are without running water, electricity or consistent communications with the rest of the world. Obtaining necessities such as water, food and fuel for cars and generators is a daylong mission for each item. But across the Plata River from a long line of cars and people waiting for drinkable water from a tower, a smaller line formed near a PVC pipe trickling water from a hillside spring. Read more: Hurricane Maria survivor returns home to Ontario Hurricane Maria leaves Puerto Rico facing weeks without power Nicolle Ramos, 29, of nearby Toa Alta, said her family uses the water for bathing, flushing toilets and after its boiled drinking. When it rains, we dont come, Ramos said as she watched people fill coolers, pails and bottles to put in their cars. We gather water from the downspouts and wash clothes by hand. Michelle Rebollo, Ramos mother, said gathering this water was todays task. Tomorrow were going to try to find gasoline, Rebollo said. Then, well try to get money. Each one is a whole day. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said Saturday that 714 gas stations, more than half the stations in Puerto Rico, are operating and receiving fuel. But many of the stations lining the roads near Naranjito were closed or confronted travellers with a sign: No hay gasolina, no gasoline. Puerto Rico will receive more fuel in coming days, with eight deliveries from Sunday to Saturday, Rossello said. U.S. Coast Guard personnel, Federal and local aid workers and Puerto Rican police officers teamed up to deliver 3,000 meals and 4,500 litres of water to Humacao, Puerto Rico on Tuesday. Military officials also viewed damage in Guaynabo. (The Associated Press) The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Puerto Rican National Guard are working to deliver food and water to hard-to-access places, set up telecommunications in municipal centres and deliver needed supplies to hospitals, the governor said. Today we have 51 to 53 of 69 hospitals open, depending on how you measure it, he said. Nine of those hospitals are energized, meaning they have a normal electric power supply and do not depend on an emergency generator. The death toll from Maria has reached 16 so far and is likely to rise, the governor said. However, much of the recovery reaching average people in towns such as Naranjito is a result of Puerto Ricans helping each other. Rebollo, whose tour company, Aventura Total, is at least temporarily out of business, said she has turned to helping her neighbours find water and gasoline. Where I live, theres a lot of old people living, she said. Sometimes they need medications. I help them. At the Centro de Salud Entegra en Narajito, the health centre nearby, administrator Felix Ortiz Baez said gastroenteritis from drinking tainted water is among the most common injuries hes seeing since the hurricane. Others are pink eye, falls and cuts from chainsaws and machetes. The water should be boiled, but some people dont have the facilities or education to do it, Ortiz Baez said, speaking a mix of English and Spanish. The health centre most needs more diesel for its generator, bottled water and portable generators to provide to families. The centre never closed, and together with two sister facilities in the area, its treating an average of 125 cases a day. We had a fairly robust plan for emergencies, but we werent ready for such a catastrophic event, he said. Stories of survival and separation dominate the feelings of hurricane survivors arriving in New York City where many have family and friends. (The Associated Press) Across the river and up in the town, where homes painted green, blue, purple and white climb the steep hillside among serpentine roads, Michelle Narvaez, 40, had just returned from grocery shopping. It entailed waiting in line for more than an hour and paying twice the usual price. When I cook, I cook a lot, but I cant keep it because theres no electricity, Narvaez said in Spanish. So she buys what shes going to cook each day and feeds her neighbours, including Marta Rodriguez, 54, who sat on a nearby stoop. Narvaezs home survived the raking that turned her lush hillside into a landscape of sticks, but she said she wont stay long if things dont improve soon. We need water and power, she said. I have a little one 4 years old, and he has allergies and asthma. At the Ruben Rodriguez Figuera vocational high school on the other side of the hill, 119 displaced people have turned the facility into a shelter organized according to a military regimen. Sgt. Jose Castillo, 52, of the Puerto Rico National Guard State Guard military police has run the place ever since Hurricane Maria left his home in nearby Comerio a wreck of sodden and splintered broken boards. I dont have anywhere to go, Castillo said in Spanish. I lost everything. Only my military uniform. Apart from this, I have nothing. So he walked to the shelter with his wife, presented himself and said: I said, Im yours. Drawing on his military background, Castillo made the shelter and its residents his mission. Standing in the schools theatre, which has been transformed into a storage room for donated goods with clothing neatly sorted by gender and size, he described how he asked for volunteers among shelter residents and organized them into teams to catalogue donations, work in the kitchen and clean. No ones going to clean other peoples dirt, Castillo said. Thats how well take care of Puerto Rico. SHARE: OXBOW, SASK.The two-storey cedar home where Shirley Galloway lives with her family was a solitary dot on the Saskatchewan prairie when they moved here 21 years ago. The view from the front porch, once a landscape of rolling hills, horse pastures and lush river valley, has been transformed. Today, Oxbow is surrounded by bobbing, black steel pump jacks and flare stacks burning off hydrogen sulphide and other dangerous gases that rise with the oil and trail off in ribbons of flame over green fields. Late in the afternoon of Oct. 30, 2012, Galloway, a 53-year-old registered nurse, heard screams from the front yard. Galloway dashed out to find a teenage family member vomiting and the air thick with the rotten-egg smell of sour gas hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Galloway, who trains oil workers to survive these same events, knew what to do. She pulled the teen inside, grabbed an air monitor and held it out the door. The reading was off the dial more than 100 parts per million a level immediately dangerous to human health. Saskatchewans oil boom has brought jobs for many. For others, it has brought fear, injury and one death. The number of fracked wells in the Bakken shale oilfield alone increased from 75 in 2004 to nearly 3,000 in 2013, according to a 2016 paper by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The promise of prosperity, similar to its southern neighbour North Dakotas Bakken boom, has been embraced by a province struggling to diversify its economy. A national investigation by the Toronto Star, the National Observer, Global News and journalism schools at Regina, Concordia, Ryerson and UBC has uncovered failures by industry and government to respond to and warn the public about the serious and sometimes deadly threat of H2S gas wafting across Saskatchewan. Read more: Public safety is the number one priority, Saskatchewan government says after toxic gas investigation Saskatchewan has strengthened its sour gas monitoring Documents obtained through freedom-of-information requests and from whistleblowers internal correspondence, meeting minutes, presentations and inspection reports disclose findings of failures in performance by oil and gas companies, including serious infractions, failed safety audits, daily H2S readings beyond provincial air quality standards and a death in 2014. Yet regulatory standards remain largely unchanged and H2S incidents and risks remain hidden from the public. The teen overcome in Galloways yard eventually recovered but missed school for several days with nausea and headaches. H2S can be an insidious killer. Heavier than air, it tends to settle in ravines and valleys. Just above the level Galloways monitor detected 100 parts per million H2S causes olfactory paralysis, leaving a victim unable to detect the rotten-egg smell. Continued exposure at that level may cause death within 48 hours. A person exposed to a highly concentrated plume of the gas at 1,000 parts per million may die rapidly from respiratory paralysis, or over the course of days, from an inflammatory reaction in the lungs. Victims effectively suffocate. The government issued no public warning after Galloway reported the plume at her home because there was no evidence that this was a widespread failure. But inside government and industry offices, documents indicate the seriousness of H2S issues that led to years of meetings, audits and proposed regulatory reforms. On April 7, 2014, government and industry officials deliberated about releasing data that showed H2S hotspots across southeastern Saskatchewan. Government may be accused of hiding information, the notes read. Public will want to know: 1. What are the areas? 2. How is it managed? 3. How is the government making sure its managed? one unnamed official told the meeting. Are we creating a risk by not releasing this data immediately? Despite acknowledging significant public health risks from H2S, at least some officials present expressed concern about sensitivity in this data (because) there are residents living in these areas. No release followed. Three weeks later, government-proposed fines for emission breaches up to $1 million in penalties were rejected by two major industry groups. In a letter to the ministry dated April 29, 2014, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and Explorers and Producers Association of Canada (EPAC) called the proposed penalties unsuitable. A former ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of losing his current job in the industry, says almost every amendment was being rejected. EPAC officials declined comment. Terry Abel, CAPPs spokesperson, said the letter was intended to explain that, in some cases, fines arent appropriate at all If theres an unsafe operation, it should be shut down. It shouldnt be operating. Thats the best way to ensure the public safety is protected. The story of the Bunz family, who lost their son after he was exposed to H2S gas in Saskatchewan as well as others who have made narrow escapes. The proposed fines were dropped. The next month, Michael Bunz, a 38-year-old salesman supplying chemicals to oil and gas facilities, lay in a shack 80 kilometres from the Galloway house, dead after being exposed to H2S. The official incident report filed with the Ministry of the Economy, which regulates Saskatchewans oilfields, makes no mention of Bunzs death. These regulators are really thinking about the economic health of the province, says Emily Eaton, a professor at the University of Regina who has studied the relationship between the oil industry and the government. Eaton is a member of the Corporate Mapping Project. A shift in 2012 from the Ministry of Energy and Resources to a new Ministry of the Economy tasked with regulating natural resource extraction and promoting economic development changed the ministrys role from watchdog to partner, she says. Theyre thinking about returns on investment The industry should really be regulated by those that have the interests of the environment first. Ministry field staff raised this concern at a meeting on July 1, 2015, between government and industry. The role of the regulator needs to be adjusted, the meetings minutes read. The regulators are acting as consultants in some situations. The role of the regulator is to enforce the rules and if the rules are clear and if enforcement is consistent and clear then, cultural changes can be made. In its statement, the ministry rejects criticisms of conflict of interest or lax enforcement. Within the Ministry of the Economy, the petroleum and natural gas division carries out industry regulation, wrote the departments spokeswoman, Deb Young. It is not involved in investment attraction, royalty and tax assessment and land sales. It is solely focused on well, facility and pipeline regulation. That regulation has not included fines or prosecutions. The ministry has not issued a single fine against any industry company for well over a decade, Doug MacKnight, assistant deputy minister responsible for petroleum and natural gas, said in an interview. Generally, we dont have to resort to that, he said. Its usually just a notice to the operator to bring themselves into compliance. Prosecutions have also not been part of the ministrys enforcement practices because non-compliance was dealt with through other enforcement actions, reads the ministrys statement. Other enforcement actions include increased inspections and staff, high-tech equipment for detecting emissions and a $69-million inspection reporting database (which cant be accessed by the public). Still, complaints of illness from residents and workers continue. I will sometimes get faint, like I will fall over and I have to find a seat quickly, says Lori Erhardt, a United Church minister and musician living near Oxbow who believes her chronic illness is related to emissions. I have had a variety of diagnoses, most of them end with i-t-i-s, which means inflammation If something gets inflamed, if its blood vesicles, you feel it through your body. I will sometimes get faint Lori Erhardt United Church minister and musician living near Oxbow who believes her chronic illness is related to emissions Among the five years worth of documents obtained by this investigation is an April 2012 PowerPoint presentation to CAPP members by the director of the provinces petroleum and natural gas division. It includes a map of southeastern Saskatchewan showing a bloom of red and orange circles, labelled critical sour gas locations. Sources say ministry staff pushed to make the data public but senior government officials said theres no goddamn way that is going to be released, according to the former ministry source. Theres an institutional reluctance to make this information public, he said. The public should be able to see all the information that legislators have identified as public information such as sour gas and inspection reports. The ministry statement says the map was never approved for release because some data was out of date, not comprehensive and could provide the public and industry with a false understanding of risk associated with a particular well or facility. After the Galloway incident, the ministry inspected 11 oil and gas facilities. All failed with serious infractions, including releasing H2S at lethal levels that may be exceeding 150,000 (parts per million), Brad Herald, CAPPs Saskatchewan operations manager, wrote to the board of governors in December 2012. Those levels are 150 times the amount that could cause instant death. Among the causes: It is believed that inadequate training on the installation and operation of equipment is contributing to the air quality issues. CAPPs Abel said in an interview the unsafe facilities responsible for those breaches should not have been operating. They should have been shut down, he said. When you follow the rules, processing and production of sour gas is absolutely safe. If you dont follow the rules, it can pose a health risk. So ultimately, those operators at those facilities were responsible. Neither CAPP nor its industry partners made the health risks public. And no ministry fines or prosecutions followed. Internally, CAPP quickly mobilized to develop a public relations and damage control plan: There are growing public concerns regarding the air quality issues in southeast Saskatchewan, Herald wrote, noting a petition and a Facebook page. The Ministry fields one to two public complaints concerning odours per week and the issue is garnering increasing political attention . . . This has the potential to become a broader industry reputation/social license concern and warrants immediate attention by operators in the region . . . Communications is preparing key messages in the event that there is media profile. CAPP received a warning the next month after consulting a scientist with expertise on managing toxic substances, internal emails show. The scientist expressed disappointment noting that H2S failures were so easy to avoid. The scientist urged the industry lobby group to develop and implement a new code of practice to control dangerous emissions and get ahead of the problem by publicly denouncing unacceptable practices. The scientist also recommended that the industry group pressure the province to step up inspections. The ministry, in meetings with industry, proposed similar reforms. In a letter sent in March 2013 then-energy minister Tim McMillan now president and CEO of CAPP warned companies to meet compliance obligations or face escalated enforcement, penalty and/or prosecution. Ministry and industry met four times between 2012 and 2014 to plot strategy, including emergency planning zones, a public communications document, a code of practice and a licensing regime for high-risk, single-well batteries. Those plans were never adopted, a ministry statement confirms. Instead, the Ministry chose to take a risk-based approach to managing the sour gas issue that included increased field inspections and improved data collection. Eighteen wells that had been venting sour gas were ordered to be shut-in in 2012/2013. From 2013 to the summer of 2014, the ministry began implementing an aggressive inspection and enforcement schedule to reduce sour gas emission that included suspension orders against 30 facilities owing to H2S management issues, the statement reads. During that effort, H2S would claim its most high-profile victim in Saskatchewan. Michael Bunz, a salesman for Nalco Champion, died on May 22, 2014, while taking samples in a shed located in a provincial park between Carlyle and Kipling. A valve on the tank broke and oil, water and H2S spewed into his face. An incident report submitted by the tanks owner, Harvest Operations Corp., states simply: Spill occurred as a result of a failed valve. Nowhere does it mention Bunzs death. Instead, his death is marked by a gravestone in a small cemetery near Wawota, where the father of two young daughters lived a few doors away from his parents, Dianne and Allan. The black, polished stone, with an image of Bunz wearing his Saskatchewan Roughriders jersey and hat, calls him Bunzy and reads: In loving memory of Emma and Olivias Daddy. He didnt really talk about those dangers, Dianne says. We knew what its like to work in the oil industry. My husband did for 20 years. We knew about H2S but I wasnt aware that he was going on site and doing the testing. The summer before he died, Allan drove his son to the Nalco office to quit. Michaels brother-in-law, who had worked there, had left and things had been pretty tough, Michael said, marked by long days and heavy workload. He was going to hand his company truck in, and his boss was there he talked (Michael) out of it, Allan says. This company wanted him because he never ever phoned in sick or anything. Hed just go to work. And they offered him more money, so he stayed. Nalco Champion is facing three charges under the provinces occupational health and safety legislation for failing to provide Bunz with a respirator and to ensure he entered a dangerous situation with a second worker. A conviction would result in a fine. The family says they were told by Nalco that the concentration of H2S in the fluids was estimated at 40,000 parts per million, more than enough to bring near-instant death. The company sent reporters a written statement, declining further comment. We remain deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Michael Bunz. The safety of our associates, customers and communities is vitally important, and we remain committed to our robust safety policies, protocols and training programs, which include those related to hydrogen sulfide, it reads. Allan, who spent most of his working life in the oil industry, says he learned more about H2S protection when he worked on a pig farm. Every person had to wear an H2S monitor. And Im talking about the pig industry, he says. To me, they were protecting us more at this simple small hog operation in Saskatchewan than the oil industry ever did the entire time I was working out there. The couple reviewed the records documenting years of discussions between government and industry about public health risks and failed audits that were never made public. The couple called it devastating. I go to work every day and I drive down the highway and I talk to my son sitting beside me, says Allan. I say to him tough day there, son and I tell him how I feel . . . I feel him sitting there beside me. How often H2S incidents happen or happened in Saskatchewan remains a mystery. Officially, ministry officials count one death and five documented incidents where a member of the public was exposed to unsafe levels of sour gas near a well or facility site. None of them triggered a public statement by the government. There was no need for public notification since the incident was quickly dealt with at the site, reads the ministry statement. But after dozens of interviews it is clear that H2S incidents involving residents are more common but go unreported or are not recorded properly. This is also true for workers in the oilfield. Only months after Bunz died, Trina Hansen, an oilfield worker and part-time voice actress, was clearing a pipeline near Carlyle, Sask. I could have died Trina Hansen An oilfield worker and part-time voice actress exposed to H2S I could have died, she says. Its almost like you could feel like a heavy air hit your face. Its a really weird feeling. Your first reaction is to inhale. When it hits your face, you breathe it in. Its the weirdest thing. You dont think to hold your breath. It happens so fast. I stumbled backwards. I was so shocked. Disoriented, Hansen got back in her truck and drove a couple of kilometres until she noticed she was losing her peripheral vision. There were white sparkles, iridescent, swirly, super-shiny and bright. I jumped out and started feeling nauseous and couldnt breathe very well. I was trying to catch my breath and dry heaving. My head started pounding. Hansen, suffering debilitating headaches, nausea and sickness, lost her voice for two weeks. This happened three years ago and I still have a hard time catching my breath if I talk too fast. Im very short of breath. Ive never in my life felt like that. It was horrible. Her voice has changed for good it is far deeper and lower than before. I do a cartoon on APTN network and they said my voice totally changed. It changed two octaves pretty much. It used to be high and now it cuts out. Hansen never reported the incident, fearing she would lose her job. Nobody wants to say anything. We know its bad and dangerous. But no one wants to raise a fuss. And being a woman and trying to prove yourself out there, I never claimed WCB (Workers Compensation Board). The economy went down and I have to pay off debt with my trucking money. Four months after Bunzs death, a secret ministry report listed 161 facilities that may be in violation of (the ministrys) sour gas emission control. The catch: time and resources required to investigate and verify violations would take all available field officers over a year. In 2014, inspections of 60 suspicious wells in 2014 turned up 36 more than half that were leaking so badly they had to be shut down. Another audit found 11 out of 12 facilities failed inspection due to H2S venting and found 29 locations that are too close to facilities with high levels of H2S concentrations. Of the 1,352 active sour gas facilities, only 421 31 per cent had proper emission control systems. Almost every site had improper gas measurement, the report reads. Discovered major contamination at two facilities as a result of spill which were not reported to the ministry. The ministry believes that the H2S issue is under control, saying air quality standards are being met and that inspections confirm that companies sour gas management practices have improved. Today 27 full-time inspectors are responsible for the provinces 126,000 wells and its estimated 118,000 kilometres of pipelines and flowlines, operating with a budget of $3.9 million. In 2016-17, ministry staff inspected 18,340 wells, facilities and pipelines. Last month, a team of researchers from Harvard and Northeastern Universities collected data in collaboration with this investigation using the same instruments employed by ministry inspectors to detect emissions invisible to the naked eye. In my experience measuring oil and gas activities in Texas, what struck me was that about a third of the sites we looked at had what we believed to be fugitive emissions and the high density of pump jacks, says Lourdes Vera, a doctoral student in environmental sociology at Northeastern University. Drew Michanowicz, a post-doctoral researcher at Harvard Universitys School of Public Health who led the survey in Saskatchewan, said about one in five of the facilities they visited showed black smoke rising from the flaring stacks of production facilities. If there is black smoke, there is particulate matter that if inhaled is certainly associated with human health effects, he said. If sources of these air pollutants are constantly impacting individuals where they live, work and play, there is the worry that they are experiencing health effects. In interviews with landowners and records in the government database, this investigation has found recent H2S accidents, including three people who say they were sickened by H2S clouds near their homes in the past year. One said they required hospitalization after a near-fatal incident. In January, more than four years after the H2S incident in Galloways front yard, she and her husband were driving home when they encountered a plume of what she believes was H2S gas. She fell ill and stayed home for three days. Ive had arrhythmias, really wicked headaches Ive had bouts of nausea. I wake up at night and have heart palpitations. Galloway wrote to public officials demanding a response. There were no consequences or fines as a result. And no official report of an incident anywhere near the Galloway property that day was filed. That, says Galloway, is just the way it works in Saskatchewan. As a person living in the middle of the oilfield, you have no protection. The government doesnt care. Your MLA doesnt care. The oil companies dont care. Unprecedented Collaboration Behind the Project During the past nine months, an unprecedented collaboration of more than 50 journalists and editors from three Canadian media outlets, four journalism schools and a think tank have worked to chronicle the hidden price of oil in Canada. Collectively, reporters examined thousands of industry and government documents, analyzed terabytes of data and delved into dozens of freedom-of-information requests. The project started with the people, says Patti Sonntag, a managing editor in the New York Times news services division, who launched the project with a grant from the Michener Awards Foundation. Following a tip from a colleague at the Corporate Mapping Project, she did some research and reporting in Saskatchewan last fall. Working with the previous years Michener winner, Toronto Star journalist Robert Cribb, Sonntag created a team of students at the Ryerson, Concordia and UBC journalism schools. Concordia Universitys Department of Journalism volunteered to act as host and headquarters for the project. University of Regina students reported on the ground locally, shot video and developed sources, while students at the other universities aggregated and analyzed data and interviewed experts. Were pulling these four different schools from across the country and looking at it from all different aspects, says Janelle Blakley, a University of Regina student reporter whose team mapped spills data and met local farmers and residents. This collaboration allowed us to really dig into it, where all schools were pulling apart different pieces of it and then coming back and putting it all together. The significance of the data quickly drew intrigue. What emerged was a picture of a few dedicated regulators and even some industry leaders who tried to introduce greater accountability, but these efforts were ultimately overwhelmed by larger forces. You start to understand these figures really do play a huge role in dictating the direction of the Canadian economy and that plays out in the lives of everyday Canadians, says Lauren Kaljur, a graduate of UBCs master of journalism program who has been investigating the concentration of corporate power in Saskatchewans oil and gas industry since the beginning of 2017. To Matthew Gilmour, a recent journalism graduate at Concordia University, after spending months populating spreadsheets and ledgers, theres the human moment where you realize its not just a pocketbook story. Its a human story. And peoples lives are affected. The work continued past the end of the semester in April 2017, with students working alongside veteran reporters at the Star, the National Observer and Global News to shape the stories, seek comments from all sides and publish hundreds of pages of government and industry records, detailing concerns about potentially deadly gas emissions for the first time. Steph Wechsler/ Ryerson School of Journalism Writers/Reporters Robert Cribb, The Toronto Star Patti Sonntag, Michener Fellow P.W. Elliott, University of Regina Elizabeth McSheffrey, The National Observer Data and Documentation Journalist Michael Wrobel, Concordia University Researchers Jennifer Ackerman, University of Regina Madina Azizi, University of Regina Janelle Blakley, University of Regina Cory Coleman, University of Regina Mike De Souza, The National Observer Josh Diaz, University of Regina Brenna Engel, University of Regina Matthew Gilmour, Concordia University Celine Grimard, University of Regina Jared Gottselig, University of Regina Lauren Kaljur ,University of British Columbia Rebbeca Marroquin, University of Regina Matthew Parizot, Concordia University Katie Doke Sawatzky, University of Regina Michaela Solomon, University of Regina Kyrsten Stringer, University of Regina Caitlin Taylor, University of Regina Steph Wechsler, Ryerson University Faculty Supervisors P.W. Elliott, University of Regina Trevor Grant, University of Regina Series Producer Patti Sonntag, Michener Fellow, based at Concordia University Institutional Credits Concordia University, Department of Journalism Ryerson University, School of Journalism University of British Columbia, Graduate School of Journalism University of Regina, School of Journalism Global News The Michener Awards Foundation Corporate Mapping Project Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Parkland Institute University of Victoria Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Watch the televised investigation: Sunday and Monday on Global National at 5:30 CT/MT/PT & 6:30 ET/AT Robert Cribb can be reached at rcribb@thestar.ca SHARE: Casper's Metro Animal Services ran out of space in August and had to euthanize 23 cats as a result, according to records provided to the Star-Tribune by the city shelter. Although the shelter frequently has to euthanize feral or dangerous animals, August was the first time this year that the shelter had to put down animals for lack of space. Metro can house nearly three times the number of cats as shelters in similarly sized cities, said director Tory Walsh. She attributed the issue primarily to a lack of pet owners who implant a microchip in their animals to identify them, explaining that only about 5 percent of cats are returned to their original homes, compared to about half of dogs that arrive at the shelter. Additionally, cats are adopted at a lower rate than dogs, Walsh said. "Cats are pretty hard to re-home," she said. Some animal experts say Metro could make changes to reduce the number of animals that need to be euthanized there. Rachel Kristiansen, director of programs at Second Chance Sheridan Cat Rescue, said pursuing more grant funding for spay-and-neuter programs and asking for additional funding from City Council would save money in the long run as well as animals' lives. "They need to step up," she said. Local policy Metro Animal Services does not typically spay or neuter animals, though the shelter does ask prospective owners to do so. The city does not provide funding for that purpose, though a grant from the Animal Adoption Center in Jackson allows Metro to spay and neuter a small percentage of its animals. Walsh said she was reticent to expand that program through funding from the city or additional grants. Responsible pet owners will spay or neuter their animals, Walsh said. The city should not pay for such programs because it would be fiscally irresponsible, Walsh said. However, when the grant money runs out, the shelter will likely apply to renew the grant. Through the end of August, the shelter had to put down 331 animals. In nearly all of those cases, the animals presented behavior or medical issues or were feral. Of the animals put down, 89 percent were cats, 9 percent were dogs and the remainder consisted of birds, rabbits and one raccoon. Those numbers are markedly down from previous years. In 2011, nearly a quarter of all animals taken in by the shelter were euthanized. Last year, 16 percent of animals were put down. Chelsey Fletcher, operations director for Cheyenne Animal Shelter said she had been contacted by a Metro Animal Services employee looking to move cats to the Cheyenne shelter around the same time the euthanizations occurred. Walsh said she was unfamiliar with any attempt to move the animals to Cheyenne but that it would not be unexpected for an employee to try to find another shelter for animals before euthanizing for space. Spay and neuter Speaking in general terms, Fletcher said that spaying and neutering animals typically helps keep feral animal numbers low and ensures space in shelters. It's not unusual for a single female cat to give birth to two or three litters per summer. "Spaying and neutering is the best way to reduce overall population," Fletcher said. Casper needs more low-cost spay and neuter options, said Kristiansen, the Sheridan cat rescue operator. She said her rescue provides about 500 free spay and neuter procedures per year, thanks to grant funding and private donations. "You're never gonna adopt yourself out of an overpopulation," Kristiansen said. The most efficient way to deal with overpopulation is spay and neuter efforts, said Leslie Vogt, founder and director of Northern Colorado Friends of Ferals. Vogt's organization has spayed and neutered almost 7,600 cats since it began efforts in February 2009, she said. In 2016, shelters that operate near the organization euthanized about 500 cats, compared to more than 2,000 in 2009, according to numbers provided by Vogt. Foster programs can also help reduce the number of animals put down for treatable medical issues, like ringworm, Kristiansen said. Kittens that might be put down for ringworm can be quarantined to a foster home's bathroom while they are treated, before being returned to a shelter or rescue for adoption. Metro Animal Services does not have a foster program. Walsh said that is because it is simpler to adopt an animal out and then take it back in, rather than try to recover foster animals that a person decides he or she wants to keep. Walsh said microchips might increase the number of cats that are returned to their homes. The shelter checks every animal that comes in for a microchip. If the animal has a chip, the shelter can then contact the owner and let him or her know it has the animal. Because very few cats arrive at the shelter with a microchip, the shelter is often in the dark as to the identity of the owner, Walsh said. Metro Animal Services will microchip animals for a $20 fee. Animals adopted from the shelter are microchipped before they leave. Although the shelter recently received an additional $27,600 from City Council for an upgrade to outdoor dog kennels, Walsh said she would not ask for funding to create more space for cats, citing the size of the shelter compared to to other cities. She described euthanizing for space as "atypical." As part of an attempt to free up space in the shelter, cats have been available for adoption at no cost since Aug. 1. The shelter had 60 cats in custody Monday, 26 short of maximum capacity. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 05:46:01|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Lisbon, Portugal, on Oct. 1, 2017. Voters across the country are being balloted on the formation of Municipal Chambers, Municipal Assemblies and Parish Assemblies on Sunday. There are 308 municipalities and 3,091 parishes. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyun) LISBON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese voted in local elections on Sunday with initial calculations suggesting it will be a good night for the governing Socialists. Exit polls announced by a number of local television channels suggest the Socialist Party (PS) will win an outright majority in the race for the Lisbon town hall, with incumbent Fernando Medina continuing as mayor. The same polls have Assuncao Cristas, of the Central Social Democratic-Popular Party (CDS-PP) alliance, beating the Social Democratic Party (PSD) candidate, Teresa Leal Coelho, to the runner-up spot. This would be a huge boon to the CDS-PP, Cristas having recently become party leader. In Porto, projections have independent Rui Moreira coming out on top, with the PS candidate Manuel Pizarro second and the PSD's Alvaro Almeida third. This would mean the PSD, the main opposition party and, until November 2015, the party of government, reduced to being the third force in Portugal's two major cities. It looks set to be a night of soul-searching for the PSD and its leader, Pedro Passos Coelho. Turnout looks to be up on that registered at the 2013 local elections. A number of things happened last week that underscore the challenges ahead in Canadas relationship with the United States. Former U.S. president Barack Obama visited Toronto, just one day after failed candidate Hillary Clinton made an appearance here during her Canadian book tour. It would be hard to blame Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for thinking wistfully about what might have been under President Hillary Clinton. Obama has long been an advocate of free trade; he moved to expand trading opportunities in the Pacific Rim. Similarly, Clinton has embraced free trade over the course of her career. Even though she made half-hearted attempts to appeal to the protectionist constituency in American politics during her campaign, it is hard to imagine that, had Clinton won, a major Canadian company would be hit with a 219 per cent tariff and accused of cheating the system. The announcement that the Bombardier C Series would be taxed at a level of 219 per cent landed like a bombshell, but we shouldnt have been surprised it has become a part of a broader pattern for the U.S. A report produced by the Centre for Economic Policy Researchs Global Trade Alert found that U.S. policy had moved sharply in favour of domestic firms, with punitive tariffs up 26 per cent over the last year. Seen in this light, the Bombardier decision is not a mere one-off. Its part of a broader attack on Americas trading commitments. In fact, it appears with every passing day that U.S. President Donald Trumps America first policy was more than just rhetoric, but a real threat to all of Americas trading partners. It is even more difficult to imagine that Clinton as president would have threatened the fundamental trade deal that has underpinned the success of the North American economy for more than two decades. But instead we have President Trump who has just overseen the third round of the renegotiation of NAFTA. By all indications, things are not going as swimmingly as hoped. Talks officially kicked off on Aug. 16, and a, 2017 after much preparation on all three sides. As of last week, there has been agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico on only one relatively innocuous chapter, in a document filled with policy both meaningful and symbolic. When the Liberals won the 2015 election, no one could have predicted that these negotiations would even be happening. But prime ministers must play the hands they are dealt, and it is now Trudeaus responsibility to preserve Canadas economic interests and its access to the American markets as best he can. That, of course, is easier said than done. October 2019 is closer than it appears, and the government has officially entered the latter half of its mandate a time when the pressure to consider domestic politics and optics grows. Trade negotiations are lengthy, complex and often turn on minute policy details. Moreover, in order to get a deal, governments often have to concede points they would rather not concede. It is no secret that right now Canada and the U.S. are oceans apart on a variety of policy issues, including labour regulation, the environment and tariffs. These are more than mere disagreements; they are fundamental differences that underpin each governments domestic position. These differences have the potential to cause major political headaches for Trudeau on the home front. Should the prime minister be perceived as not pushing hard enough on progressive causes, the NDP would happily step up to fill that void. If he pushes for inclusion of progressive policies, he risks losing the deal that underpins the Canadian economy. Perhaps most notably, Unifor has formally called on the Canadian government to demand that the United States present legislation to rescind the right of states to implement right-to-work legislation. Right-to-work laws, which stipulate that union dues cannot be mandatory, are in effect in 28 U.S. states. Unions say this right-to-work is just another name for union-busting, while advocates of the laws argue they create a pro-business environment. The emergence of this issue shows just how fraught with political peril the NAFTA negotiations are for Trudeau. Other issues on the prime ministers left flank include Indigenous rights, environmental regulations, wages and government subsidies. Trudeaus position is not enviable. However, the danger of not signing a deal is far greater than the danger of signing one that angers more progressive Liberal supporters. Should a deal not proceed, or should the intemperate Trump decide the United States should simply pull out of NAFTA, the economic havoc that would ensue would be just one of the prime ministers problems. The political consequences would be far greater. No doubt, the prime minister, and his very astute advisers, are more than well aware of that. Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist. Read more about: SHARE: Last week the UN Human Rights Council discussed a report on anti-Black racism in Canada, which included formal recommendations for the federal government to apologize for slavery, erect monuments honouring contributions made by Black Canadians, and enact policy changes to combat institutional anti-Black racism. The recommendations are familiar to Black Canadians. Advocates across the country have been making these requests of government for generations. This government has been wildly ambitious in leading on UN issues. Weve seen firm commitments from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leading globally in the advancement of womens issues, making the necessary changes to combat climate change, and making sincere progress on Indigenous reconciliation. Its time for the prime minister to prioritize issues facing Black Canadians on his political agenda. This past February, Black leaders representing more than 25 organizations from across Canada came together and asked the Canadian government to officially recognize the UN Decade for People of African Descent, which runs from 2015 to 2024. Recognizing that celebrating Black history is important, the group asked political leaders to take an honest look at the state of affairs in Canada for Black communities today. We applauded Canadas commitment to multiculturalism but noted that when it comes to policing, corrections, health equity, mental health, public appointments, and immigration, general diversity and inclusion policies werent cutting it. In a day of meetings with more than 60 Parliamentarians, we asked political leaders to refrain from resting on the comfort that race relations in this country are better than our neighbours in the U.S. That is too low a standard to strive for. While this federal government seeks to be global leaders on so many progressive issues, we asked that naming and combat institutional anti-Black racism be prioritized among them. The prime minister and his office have met with Black community leaders on priority issues and wisely sought the counsel of his talented Black caucus members with valuable insights into their communities. However, we have yet to see a concrete strategy on how he plans to address the concerns raised. In the meantime, it has been community organizations and provinces providing leadership to combat institutional anti-Black racism. The Ontario government already formally acknowledged the UN Decade for People of African Descent and was the first province to commit to disaggregated race-based data collection. This summer it completed a cross-province consultation with Black leaders and youth identifying how they will spend $47 million over four years in Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor and Hamilton through the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan. This week the Nova Scotia government announced $2.7 million in funding over two years to help residents in select historically Black communities to obtain legal title of land ownership. Black community organizers asked all parties to commit to moving on this issue during the recent election. The support they are providing is 200 years in the making. In August, the Canadian Caucus of Black Parliamentarians hosted the third annual African-Canadian Government Leaders Network Summit in Ottawa. At the meeting many of the issues laid out in the UN report were debated and best practices were shared between leaders. At the community level, Black political advocacy institutions are popping up across the country. This past year alone weve seen the establishment of the Federation of Black Canadians, the National Congress of Black Canadians, and the resurgence of Operation Black Vote Canada preparing Black candidates to run for office. Black Lives Matter has passionately and tirelessly organized around criminal justice issues in communities across the country. The African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent Coalition made up of 17 African Nova Scotia Organizations has been instrumental in critically examining the situation of people of African descent in Canada. The African diaspora in Canada is remarkably diverse. The needs of Black Canadians are not uniform but its clear that general diversity policies championed by this government are not adequately addressing our unique issues. As this government works toward near impossible deadlines for cannabis legalization, I worry that in the haste the impacts to Black Canadians could be glossed over. But Im choosing to stay optimistic in believing this government gets it. The issues are on the agenda, its simply been a matter of moving them up. Hopefully we wont have to wait until another Black History month comes around before the prime minister announces his plan. Tiffany Gooch is a political strategist at public affairs firms Enterprise and Ensight, secretary of the Ontario Liberal Party Executive Council, and an advocate for increased cultural and gender diversity in Canadian politics. Read more about: SHARE: To govern is to choose, as the ancient aphorism goes, and is nowhere more true than in foreign affairs. The array of causes, crises and disasters in which a nation can choose to become involved is nearly infinite. Canadas Global Affairs policy gurus must cherry pick from perhaps a dozen big or emerging issues to promote for attention to their political bosses. Only two or three can survive. Chrystia Freeland, minister of Foreign Affairs, leads a high level-team focused on trade challenges, NAFTA foremost. As inevitable, in this Trumpsy-turvy era as this focus is, it comes at a serious strategic cost. Being necessarily tactical and short-term, it is also intensely granular. It therefore consumes so much oxygen that important nontrade issues risk being starved of high level attention and resources. Our tradition has been to attempt to punch above our weight through alliance-building and leadership roles in multilateral institutions. Trudeau seems committed to reviving that pillar of Canadian foreign policy. However, merely being an engaged member of the G20 or NATO is not a foreign policy, either. PM Justin Trudeau deserves credit for having revived Canadas brand internationally. The question in his final two years is how to deploy the advantages its confers. We appear to be passing on reviving Canadian peacekeeping, at least in the Congo, also ducking our traditional leadership in nuclear disarmament. Nor do we seem willing to nurture or lead a new campaign as we did on conflict diamonds and banning landmines. So where should we deploy our ability to convene power players, attract global attention, and help push a new agenda? Canada has a proud tradition of institution-building, at home and internationally. Lester Pearson and the External Affairs boffins of that day helped create the postwar multilateral network of institutions. Its long and grinding work behind closed doors less sexy than ribbon cutting, but it is builds a permanent legacy. It is the sort of work that gets the attention of United Nations Security Council voters, whose affection we will be seeking in search of a Canadian seat. Let me list three possible baskets where we could play a strong role: Donald Trump has demanded UN reform, less out of conviction that it matters, than as a club to beat the increasingly sclerotic institution with and as a possible excuse for future dues holdbacks. There is an existing UN reform agenda, delivered by a group of Nordic and Canadian UN specialists, less than a decade ago. It outlines a detailed recipe for UN revitalization. It fell on deaf ears in the post 9-11 years. Canadas leadership could revive it today. Canadians have played key roles in governance and building civil society institutions for decades, but usually under another nations flag, or as team members in multilateral projects. Is it not time to bring our values and our approach to building socially inclusive societies to a global stage? Again, there exists a fully baked policy framework from the last decade, the product of the many years of work by Commons committees and policy experts such as Tom Axworthy, chief of staff to Pierre Trudeau. It lays out a governance structure, a set of priorities and even a fully costed budget for an institution to do this work tasks essential to building stability in post-conflict zones. Finally, the world struggles to avoid further obsession with the madness in the North Pacific, as we watch with increasingly anxiety the aerial war games being played by the United States, South Korea and Japan trying to force the delusional North Korean leader to back down. There is a clear need for a means to avoid this cycle repeating over and over until one day it ends in tragedy. Building lasting security agreements to stabilize the region is long overdue. Canada helped lead this work on the North Atlantic after the war. Joe Clark tried to revive the idea in the North Pacific when he was foreign minister. We have the credentials and the credibility to be a convenor on how to slowly ratchet down tensions, then design confidence-building measures to slow their escalation. Progress on these three projects would secure Canadas place at the Security Council table, help build a lasting international legacy for the Trudeau government, and signal to the world that Canada is truly back. Robin V. Sears, a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group, was an NDP strategist for 20 years. SHARE: The crime that robbed Jennifer Neville-Lake and her husband Edward of their children and her father shocks us still. On a sunny September day in 2015 Marco Muzzo climbed behind the wheel of his SUV after returning in a private jet from his bachelor party in Miami. He was drunk. In fact, he was nearly three times over the legal limit when he ran a stop sign in Vaughan and plowed into a minivan. In an instant he snuffed out the lives of Daniel, 9, Harrison, 5, and Milly, 2, as well as their grandfather Gary Neville. The accident also badly injured the kids grandmother, Neriza Neville, and great-grandmother, Josefina Frias. In a searing victim impact statement, Jennifer Neville-Lake told him: I dont have anyone left to call me Mom. Not one left. You killed all my babies. In short, his crime was nothing short of monstrous. But, despite being sentenced to 10 years in jail for impaired driving, Muzzo was reportedly moved to a minimum-security prison last week. He will be eligible to apply for unescorted day release on Oct. 18. On the face of it, this seems to be a travesty of justice. Yet there is something else at play here: a cornerstone of our correctional system is a focus on reintegrating prisoners into society, even those we may consider to be monsters. This isnt just about being generous or kind to inmates. The policy exists because there is a wealth of research showing that prisoners are much more successful at re-entering society if they are allowed to take gradual steps outside prison walls and are able to maintain links with family and friends. They are also much less likely to commit another crime. As a paper published by the John Howard Society, based on numerous studies, concludes: Successful reintegration is one of the primary factors in reducing recidivism. In other words, allowing inmates such things as passes to visit with family makes our communities safer, not more dangerous. Reintegration is a crucial component of community safety, the societys report emphasizes. This applies to all prisoners Muzzo included. As tough as it may be to accept, and despite the horror of his crime and his wealth and privilege his family is worth an estimated $1.8 billion Muzzo is eligible for the same opportunities for reintegration as any other inmate. None of this is automatic. He will have to earn each step toward freedom, as others do. First, in order to be moved to a minimum-security prison he had to show that he is not a risk to the public or a flight risk and has been well-behaved inside. Second, an unescorted temporary absence, or day release, is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Under Corrections Canadas rules, such absences can be granted only for specific purposes, such as medical appointments, community service, family visits, personal development, or rehabilitative reasons. Prison officials must also consider that, like it or not, Muzzo already has a schedule for gradual freedom, mandated by law. He will be eligible for day parole in November 2018, full parole six months later, and statutory release in June, 2022. They may well decide that its best for him to start on this path sooner with temporary absences. Still, all that doesnt make it any easier to swallow, especially for the Neville-Lake family. On Sept. 26, the day before the anniversary of her childrens and fathers death, Neville-Lake wrote on Facebook: Ive learned about how unfair, unjust and just downright cruel it is that I have to wait to be driven daily to visit my children and my dad at their forever bed, to sit at the foot of a tombstone that bears their beautiful photos and the dates of their individual sunrises and sunsets. Nothing can ease the familys pain. But the purpose of the prison system is not just to punish; its also to rehabilitate and eventually reintegrate offenders into society even those whose crimes outrage decent people. No matter how unfair it may seem, Muzzo is now on that path. SHARE: Anti-abortion MP derails status of women committee, Sept. 28 To the Liberal and NDP members of the committee for the Status of Women: Your decision to walk out of the meeting to elect the chairperson and vow to not return until an alternate chairperson is nominated tells me some interesting things. First, this was rude and childish, not exactly an example of maturity. Second, it is the behaviour of someone who doesnt adhere to our core principles of democracy. Every time we dont like the personal views of someone, do we react by walking out on them? What about having a conversation and exchanging ideas like adults? Third, there are millions of pro-life women in this country. I am one of them. Who speaks for us when you are so willing to shut down a woman who shares our views? In the Liberal and NDP parties, there are plenty of MPs who speak for the pro-choice people. We are also Canadian citizens yet we are not allowed to have any representation in Parliament who speak for us. Why is that? Fourth, what kind of example does it set for young women who might aspire to politics, knowing they can be prevented from having views deemed unacceptable? Fifth, as a Canadian citizen, I expect you to represent all Canadian women, not only those who you agree with. Finally, this behaviour is just embarrassing to me as a woman, as a Canadian citizen, as a taxpayer and as a lover of democracy. Patricia Maloney, Ottawa SHARE: Muzzo eligible for day release next month, Sept. 29 Canada must set and enforce stricter laws for impaired-driving offenders. The fact that Marco Muzzo could even be considered for such leniency as a minimum security prison, let alone day release, is a sad reflection of Canadian law priorities. It is time for a written-in-stone law with a predetermined sentence that protects the public not only from those who will drink and drive, but also removes the opportunity for money and lawyers to intervene. When released, a person like Muzzo should never be allowed to drive again. Not a slap on the wrist like a 10-year suspension. This young man is a multiple killer who could do it again when under the influence. His behaviour proves that. It should be the right of the public to remain safe from such people. Canada should also mandate that an ignition interlock be installed on the vehicle of anyone convicted of impaired driving. This device prevents the vehicle from starting if the driver has been drinking. A suspended driving licence will not stop a drunk from driving. But an ignition lock would give the public, and families like Jennifer Neville-Lakes, better protection from the horror that her family is now living. Rochelle Hatton, Sudbury, Ont. SHARE: Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) - Get Free Report unveiled plans for a Mars Base Camp alongside a timeline for sending humans to the Red Planet in about a decade at the International Astronautical Congress in Australia. Lockheed said in a statement late Thursday, Sept. 28 that the Mars Base Camp will be a "sound, safe and compelling mission architecture centered around an orbital outpost where scientist-astronauts can perform unprecedented, real-time scientific exploration of the Red Planet." Lockheed's announcement was made at the same event Tesla Inc. (TSLA) - Get Free Report and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk showed how interplanetary rocket systems could be used for long distance travel. "Sending humans to Mars has always been a part of science fiction, but today we have the capability to make it a reality," Lockheed VP and general manager of commercial civil space Lisa Callahan said. The aerospace and security firm is partnering with NASA to leverage hardware already in development and production. Lockheed's Mars Base Camp and corresponding plans for Mars expeditions are in line with NASA's Deep Space Gateway program, which will send astronauts to live and work in cis-lunar space for months at a time to gain experience with "extended operations far from Earth" before being sent to Mars. The Mars Base Camp would eventually be built at the Deep Space Gateway before being sent to the planet. The Mars Base Camp program will start with an orbit and then build up to a landing. The surface missions could last for two weeks with up to four astronauts who perform missions around the Red Planet before returning to the orbiting Mars Base Camp unit for refuel. Lockheed stock traded close to flat in early trading Friday. More of What's Trending on TheStreet: Expect activist hedge fund managers, governance experts, and backers of strict limits on CEO pay packages to be pleased with the Trump Administration's decision to name Columbia University Law Professor Robert Jackson its pick for a Democratic seat at the nation's securities regulator. That's because a look at the candidate's track record, his academic studies and comments suggest on balance he will be a shareholder advocate and a countervailing force to big business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- if confirmed by the Senate for a position on the five-person Securities and Exchange Commission. Jackson teaches law at Columbia Law School where he is an expert on executive compensation and governance. Before joining the school, he spent about sixteen months during the height of the financial crisis in 2009 and 2010 helping "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg set executive pay restrictions for big financial institutions at the center of the 2008 economic meltdown. Financial crisis poster-child, American International Group Inc. (AIG) - Get Free Report and Citigroup Inc., (C) - Get Free Report were both targeted with pay limits partly set by Jackson. "Professor Jackson should not be viewed as a commissioner who is strictly an academic," said Feinberg. "He labored in the vineyard with me for over a year as we grappled with different sources of political pressures leaning on us from Congress, Treasury, the Federal Reserve and Fannie Mae as we were doing our job. The stress and political tensions didn't impact his ability to do the job and do it right." Before Columbia and his stint advising Feinberg, Jackson worked at business-friendly, activist-defense law firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz -- though don't expect that experience to be a driving force in his decision-making at the SEC. Consider a study Jackson worked on 2013 that looked at a controversial SEC rule regarding when activist fund managers must disclose their particular company investments. Activist fund managers and other investors are required publicly to report their stakes within ten days of acquiring at least 5% of a public company when they have plans to discuss strategic options for the business, which they must explain in a regulatory filing called a Schedule 13D. Wachtell, Lipton criticized the disclosure timeframe and in a 2011 court petition urged the SEC to have activists file the 13D reports one business day after crossing the 5% ownership threshold rather than ten. The law firm argued that technological developments and faster trading systems allow activist hedge funds to rapidly accumulate "control stakes" at companies in total secrecy, partly because of the disclosure threshold. Activists have long fought against faster disclosure requirements, arguing that they need the flexibility to accumulate the shares confidentially at prices that make their campaigns affordable. Activists continue to fight the more rapid disclosure requirements, arguing that they need the flexibility to accumulate the shares secretly at prices that make their campaigns affordable. In 2013 Jackson, Duke University finance Professor Alon Brav and two other professors waded into the debate by producing "Pre-Disclosure Accumulations by Activist Investors," a report refuting the prevalent perception that insurgent fund managers accumulate large stakes in the ten-days after they cross 5% and before they have to report their investment. The report found that in many instances, activists don't wait the full ten days to disclose and when they do, their purchases seem to be disproportionately concentrated on the day they cross the threshold and the day afterward. More recently, in 2015, Jackson joined Harvard Law School Professor Lucien Bebchuk in filing a comment letter concluding that "existing research and empirical evidence" provide no basis for tightening the disclosure obligations of outside blockholders. It's unclear how SEC Chairman Jay Clayton or other commissioners view the issue. But if a battle emerges, expect Jackson to support the status quo, providing strong opposition to corporate lawyers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Rob has seen the evidence, which suggests that changing the disclosure threshold wouldn't have a significant impact, given that activist investors don't seem to trade a lot in the days after they cross the 5% ownership threshold," Brav said. "He's [Jackson] a thoughtful academic and well versed in the literature around shareholder rights so he will carefully scrutinize evidence like an academic, which is a good trait." Expect Jackson to be a staunch defender of shareholder rights and investor voting on executive pay packages. In 2010 the Office of the Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation issued a report, which backed a provision in post-crisis legislation mandating that shareholders receive a non-binding vote on CEO pay as part of an effort to "address compensation issues that contributed to the financial crisis." Feinberg noted that Jackson backed the recommendations. Jackson also appears to be a strong defender of tough corporate governance standards. In an interview with The Deal in 2016, he defended a point of criticism made by activist hedge fund manager Jim Mitarotonda about a corporate director who at the time served on the boards of two competing companies. Jackson argued that a director in this scenario had a "duty of loyalty problem" in a variety of situations. He envisioned a possible scenario in which the director became aware of an acquisition opportunity that could be attractive to both competing companies. For Jackson, that director only has two options - bring it to both boards or keep it to themselves. Beyond activism and governance, Jackson also is a strong supporter of a Democrat-backed effort to pressure the SEC to force corporations to disclose political spending. Jackson's support for the effort was likely a key reason why he received a nomination for the empty slot. A previous candidate for the same position, law professor Lisa Fairfax, never publicly took a position on the issue. Her lack of public support for the Democratic cause likely derailed her candidacy. The issue is critical for top Democrats, led by influential lawmaker Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Democratic Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who continue to urge the SEC to adopt political donation disclosure. Jackson is being paired with Hester Peirce, who is the Trump Administration's nominee for an empty Republican seat at the commission. Peirce, who had been nominated previously, is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at Virginia's George Mason University. Before that, she was a staffer for Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. and the Senate Banking Committee after 2008's financial crisis. She also worked previously as an SEC employee. Pierce may be a significant opponent of activism, at least when small investors' campaigns are launched to have non-binding shareholder proposals reach a vote. In an April Deal interview, Pierce said that the current system for shareholders to submit proposals at corporations is a major drain on the SEC and a significant cost to companies. She argued that the system doesn't achieve what shareholders of companies want. Both candidates still need to be confirmed by the Senate Banking Committee and full Senate. More of What's Trending on TheStreet: Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 05:56:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANAA -- A U.S.-made pilotless plane was shot down by a Houthi missile north of Yemen's capital Sanaa on Sunday morning, Houthi officials and residents said. The plane, seen by a Xinhua photographer at the scene, was very big and divided into two parts before it caught on fire. (Yemen-U.S.-Houthis) - - - - GAZA -- The minister of culture in the Palestinian consensus government took over on Sunday the building of the culture ministry in Gaza, the ministry said in an official statement. The statement, emailed to reporters, said that minister of culture Ihab Bseiso, who arrived earlier Sunday in Gaza coming from the West Bank city of Ramallah, had visited the ministry of culture in Gaza City and handed it over. (Gaza-Culture) - - - - GAZA -- Palestinian tycoon Munib Al-Masri announced Sunday a plan to create a company devoted to developing projects in the Gaza Strip in support of China's Belt and Road Initiative. Al-Masri, chairman of Palestine Development and Investment Co. and deputy chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce for Silk Road, told a press conference in Gaza that the company will be established soon with a capital of 100 million U.S. dollars. (Palestine-China-Gaza Development) - - - - GAZA -- A high-ranking Egyptian security delegation arrived on Sunday in Gaza to observe the handover of ministries to the Palestinian consensus government of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. The delegation, headed by senior and high-ranking security intelligence officers, arrived in the Gaza Strip through Erez crossing point on the borders between northern Gaza Strip and Israel, according to Palestinian officials. (Egypt-Gaza) - - - - ERBIL, Iraq -- A newly-formed council of Political Leadership of Kurdistan - Iraq on Sunday replaced the High Referendum Council for Kurdistan region after the latter ended its mission of holding referendum on independence of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. "The High Referendum Council, headed by regional President Masoud Barzani, held its first meeting after the Sept. 25 referendum and decided to form the Political Leadership of Kurdistan - Iraq for the post-referendum stage," said Khalil Ibrahim, a member of the council at a news conference after the meeting. (Iraq-Kurdistan) Enditem The publishing industry mourns the loss of a pioneer. S.I. Newhouse Jr., who as the long-time publisher of Conde Nast led the rise of iconic magazines Vogue, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, died Sunday at the age of 89. A family spokesman first confirmed his passing to Vogue. "He was a great man and the best personification of the values of journalism and editorial integrity we have ever known," said Larry Kramer, former chairman of the Advisory Board of the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, former President and Publisher of USA Today and present Chairman of the Board at TheStreet. "Today, more than ever, he will be missed." Newhouse and his brother Donald, who is still active in the business, took over Advance Publications after the death of their father, its founder. Advance owns Conde Nast, about two dozen local newspapers and other media entities as well as stakes in other media-related entities, including Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) - Get Free Report . It's one of the largest private companies in the United States, and Bloomberg pegged Newhouse's personal net worth at nearly $13 billion. Conde Nast is its highest-profile subsidiary, holding magazine titles ranging from Architectural Digest to GQ. Newhouse, a Syracuse dropout, joined Conde in 1961 and became its chairman in 1975, retiring as chairman emeritus 40 years later. At Conde Nast, Newhouse championed editorial independence. "We feel almost that whichever way it goes, as long as it doesn't do something absolutely screwy, you can build a magazine around the direction an editor takes," he told The New York Times in 1989. "There was nothing showy about the way Si led," Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour told the magazine. "This humble, thoughtful, highly idiosyncratic man, quite possibly the least judgmental person I've ever known, preferred family, friends, art, movies, and his beloved pugs over the flashiness of the New York media world. His personality shaped the entire company. It might have been a huge global media entity, yet Si, who arrived at 4 a.m. every day in an unchanging uniform, ran it like his own personal and very benevolent fiefdom." "Like their father, Si Newhouse and his brother, Donald, were unflagging supporters and champions of the Newhouse School," the college's dean, Lorraine Branham, wrote. "Their backing made so many things possible-including the school's remarkable facilities-and their influence positively impacted generations of students and alumni who, in turn, made their own mark on the communications industry. Alums of the Newhouse School of Public Communications include Bob Costas and Steve Kroft. According to the New York Times, Newhouse is survived by, in addition to his brother, his wife Victoria, children Sam and Pamela Mensch, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-02 06:41:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close MOSCOW, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Moscow may consider taking retaliatory measures if Washington keeps the pressure on the Russian media working in the United States, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Sunday. "People should understand that if they create conditions under which journalists face a physical threat, if they experience physical threats due to their activities, the retaliatory measures would follow. It is not our choice," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted as saying by Russia's Sputnik news agency. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice asked Russia's state-controlled broadcaster Russia Today (RT) to register its branch office in the U.S. as a foreign agent, a move seen as "illegitimate" by Moscow. According to Zakharova, the U.S. authorities are also targeting Russia's state news agency Tass and other Russian newspapers and journalists in addition to the RT. The spokeswoman called the U.S. campaign a "huge mistake," adding that Moscow had never expelled foreign journalists from Russia by revoking their accreditation or ending their visas. Washington has been accusing Moscow for months of interfering in the U.S. presidential election last year, although the latter have repeatedly denied these allegations. The RT is among the institutions suspected of working on behalf of the Kremlin in its support of then Republican Party candidate Donald Trump. It is widely expected that Moscow could retaliate by starting with U.S. government-funded media outlet Voice of America which currently also operates in Russia. Defense believes Purdue murder defendant is incompetent to stand trial The defense attorney for accused Purdue murderer, Ji Min Sha, questioned whether Sha is mentally competent to stand trial,. iPhone 15 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Max the biggest upgrades I want to see If an iPhone 15 Ultra really is in the works as has been rumored, Apple's going to have to find a way to make it stand out from its predecessors. A novel of adventure and human frailties, which also introduces a politically incorrect but contentious possible solution to the unknown origins of the Maori immigrants to New Zealand. In 1282, Carlos, Marquis do Tuella de Tanez, became the head of one of Portugal's most influential and wealthiest families. It was a time of change and discovery. In Iberia, the Moors were finally being driven out of western Europe, philosophers all over Europe were attempting to expand their knowledge of the world, and inventors were desperately trying to find patrons to finance their work. In 1286, Carlos de Tanez took advantage of this change, and set sail on a voyage of discovery that took him across to the mouths of the Amazon and the River Plate, around Cape Horn and into the Pacific, touching on the outskirts of the Inca empire, the Polynesian islands, and the virgin lands of what is now New Zealand. His ship the Hahviccii Grande was a hybrid caravel, and the largest ocean going ship of its time, and possessed characteristics and innovations that only someone of immense wealth and dedication could ever hope to gather together at that time. Gathering workers and women from the Americas and the Pacific islands, he finally abandoned them all into four small settlements in the future New Zealand, before setting sail to return to Europe, thereby providing the ancestors of the Maori people. 21 Chapters 56000 words Kerry Dillon Published by Dolphin Books Ltd New Direct from publisher. Unlimited Supply When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Good Evening, We've just returned from 3 weeks in Australia and thought some of you would find this information useful. Just an FYI: *AMX: We were surprised at the number of establishments that accepted the AMX card. I want to mention that most of the vendors at the Salamanca Market in Hobart were accepting the card, which surprised us. They were even running commercials on TV in Sydney. You will need a secondary card as, in the US, not everyone accepts but much more than I thought. *Opal card: We were in Sydney for 6 nights and used public transport extensively. We used approximately $130 per card (there were two of us) which included a couple trips to and from the airport which charges a larger fee. This also includes the train to the Blue Mountains and extensive use of the wonderful ferry service *Cash on hand: We only had about $100 on hand, for 3 weeks, which we could work with. One item that came up was parking meters in Hobart. Need coins, which I didn't have but could make change at local businesses. Hi, This might sound stupid, but this will be my first time in Japan so, forgive me? English is also not my first language so apologies for any grammar errors. Anyway, does the JR Rail Pass cover fares for shinkansens? I'm using Google Maps and basically just searches "Kyoto Station to Nagoya Station" and the available route is via a shinkansen with a fairly high fare price so I'm wondering if that's covered by JR Rail Pass? Thank you! Why is bus difficult? Buses are equipped with luggage space and toilet with direct service. And you can even simply make use of the Ta-Q-Bin (baggage forwarding) to send your bags to the next hotel. Leave the tiring thing to the others. If you drive, OTOH, there is not much scenic view on the highway but expensive drop off +toll + fuel+tiring 5 hours drive (much longer if you are making detours to Nagano and Saitama). Also you will encounter traffic jam when you start apporaching Saitama. FYI, train takes you about 4 hours only while direct bus is about 5.5 hours. http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=TAKAYAMA&arv_node=TOKYO&via_node01=&via_node02=&via_node03=&year=2017&month=10&day=01&hour=15&minute=02&search_type=0&search_way=&transtime=undefined&sort=0&max_route=5&faretype=0&ship=off&lmlimit=null&search_target=route&facility=reserved&sum_target=7 https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/highwaybus/shinjuku.pdf Yes. That occurred to me after I posted. I thought it was 60 min cut off. Jetblue has been kind to me so I will call and see if they can help me. My other option is take the flight that gets me in at 9. Wish they had a book with points and $ option. Thanks for your reply. Start looking for a hotel as it is almost 99% sure your rental is illegal, unsafe, or worse doesn't exist. Give your bedding requirements, exact dates (rates vary drastically on a daily basis) and your budget in U$ accounting for about 15% tax over and above the quoted price. There are many helpful volunteers here who specialize in finding hotels and they are excellent at it. FWIW give the address of your current "rental" so that the experts can check with DOB the legality and if by luck you fall into the 1%. Is your company in need of the most reliable and efficient best Best Jasmine Tea s in the market? Your good luck led you to the ideal situation, so congratulations! You are in the best possible place. By eliminating the need to read through dozens of Best Jasmine Tea reviews, we are saving you time and stress. Many customers find it difficult to decide which Best Jasmine Tea product to buy. The dilemma is brought about by the many types of Best Jasmine Tea in the market. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a clear understanding of how you may choose the most suitable Best Jasmine Tea available in the market. - Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnett had a hard time explaining the recent police brutality toward UON students - Boinnet justified that there was more to the video clips that were being circulated around - He further emphasized that police were only carrying out their constitutional mandate of maintaining law and ordder - His justification however was met with fire online, with Kenyans sensing a bit of coyness on the IG's part Police Inspector General Joseph Boinnett had a hard time justifying a viral video which seemed to suggest the use of excessive force by police on University students. As TUKO.co.ke reported, students from the University of Nairobi were seen being manhandled and clobbered by armed police officers as they demonstrated against the arrest of former SONU chair Babu Owino. READ ALSO: Produce Johos degree papers, Hassan Omar tells Chebukati The viral video elicited mixed reactions from Kenyans, who demanded answers from the relevant authorities. IG Boinnett took to NTV to attempt to shed more light on the case of police brutality. According to the Police Boss, there was more than meets the eye in the viral clips of students being beaten. We should not be judged on the basis of a three second clip. It is important to understand the context. How we got there in the first instance, He explained. READ ALSO: Raila Odinga is a demargogue, thrives in anarchy - State House Boinnet further explained that the law was simply being enforced as required. Interestingly, the viral video clips also showed students being forced to take on military drills such as frog jumps. Police reportedly entered hostels and halls in search of students. Photo: Courtesy READ ALSO: NASA leader Raila Odinga takes on Otuomas defection to Jubilee in Busia and its interesting The IG explained that all the activity in the clip which looked like punishment was primarily meant to bring calm to the whole situation. His analysis and justification of Police toward University students sparked an outrage online, with majority of Kenyans expressing their dissatisfaction in Boinetts explanation. Have anything to add to this article or suggestions? Share with us on news@tuko.co.ke I lost my leg in Afghanistan, almost gave up: Source: TUKO.co.ke To examine the effectiveness of the three primary treatments for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (i.e., open pyeloplasty, minimally invasive pyeloplasty, and endopyelotomy) as assessed by failure rates. Using MarketScan() data, we identified adults (ages 18-64) who underwent treatment for ureteropelvic junction obstruction between 2002 and 2010. Our primary outcome was failure (i.e., need for a secondary procedure). We fit a Cox proportional hazards model to examine the effects of different patient, regional, and provider characteristics on treatment failure. We then implemented a survival analysis framework to examine the failure-free probability for each treatment. We identified 1125 minimally invasive pyeloplasties, 775 open pyeloplasties, and 1315 endopyelotomies with failure rates of 7%, 9%, and 15%, respectively. Compared with endopyelotomy, minimally invasive pyeloplasty was associated with a lower risk of treatment failure (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR] 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.69). Minimally invasive and open pyeloplasties had similar failure rates. Compared with open pyeloplasty, endopyelotomy was associated with a higher risk of treatment failure (aHR 1.78; 95% CI, 1.33-2.37). The average length of stay was 2.7 days for minimally invasive pyeloplasty and 4.2 days for open pyeloplasty (p<0.001). Endopyelotomy has the highest failure rates, yet remains a common treatment for ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Future research should examine to what extent patients and physicians are driving the use of endopyelotomy. Urology. 2017 Sep 21 [Epub ahead of print] Bruce L Jacobs, Julie C Lai, Rachana Seelam, Janet M Hanley, J Stuart Wolf, Brent K Hollenbeck, John M Hollingsworth, Andrew W Dick, Claude M Setodji, Christopher S Saigal, Urologic Diseases in America Project Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. Electronic address: ., RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.. Electronic address: ., RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.. Electronic address: ., RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.. Electronic address: ., Dell Medical School of the University of Texas, Austin, TX.. Electronic address: ., Department of Urology, Division of Health Services Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.; Department of Urology, Division of Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Electronic address: ., Department of Urology, Divisions of Endourology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.; Department of Urology, Division of Health Services Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.. Electronic address: ., RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.. Electronic address: ., RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.. Electronic address: ., Department of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles.; RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.. Electronic address: . PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28943371 Australia is accused of letting war criminals roam free with no risk of prosecution. It follows the sentencing by a Croatian court of Dragan Vasiljkovic, a former paramilitary leader, for the torture and killing of civilians and troops during the Croatian war. Australia chose to extradite Vasiljkovic, an Australian citizen, rather than prosecute him at home. This week a court in Croatia found Dragan Vasiljkovic, also known as Captain Dragan and Daniel Snedden, guilty of the killings and torture of captive Croatian civilians and troops while he was a rebel Serb commander during the Croatian war in the early 1990s. The defendant was born in Serbia before migrating to Australia as a teenager. He went back to the Balkans to train Serbian rebels in 1991, when they fought against Croatia's breakaway from what was Yugoslavia. Vasiljkovic has always pleaded his innocence and was extradited by Australia to Croatia in 2015 following a 10-year legal battle. Lawyers believe that he could have been prosecuted for his crimes in Australia, which has been accused of lacking the political will to put suspected war criminals on trial. Professor Gideon Boas from the Latrobe Law School believes there could be hundreds, if not thousands of war criminals living freely in Australia. There is at least several hundred. There has been research to suggest that that is a low number, [it] could be in the thousands. The problem is that since the early 90s Australia has disbanded a special unit within the Australian Federal Police that investigated these crimes and as a result we really have no baseline at all to work from. All the resources are put in to terrorism and counter-terrorism, and there is really no interest or resources in pursuing war criminals in Australia, he said. Research has indicated that Australia is home to suspected war criminals from conflicts in the Balkans, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Cambodia. In the 1980s Australia did seek to prosecute alleged war criminals from the Second World War. Only a handful ever faced trial, and none was successfully prosecuted. Muslim women in Austria were forced by police to remove their face coverings, as a law banning religious and other coverings came into effect Sunday. Under the ban, wearing a ski mask off the slopes, a surgical mask outside hospitals and party masks in public is now also prohibited. Those who defy the ban could face a fine of nearly $180. Police are authorized to use force if people resist showing their faces. The government says the law, which says faces must be visible from the hairline to the chin, is about protecting Austrian values. Muslim groups have condemned the law, saying just a tiny minority of Austrian Muslims wear full-face veils. Full veils remain rare in Austria despite the surge of migrants and refugees into Europe in 2015, but they have become a target for right-wing groups and political parties. The law, similar to ones in France and Belgium, also applies to visitors including the large numbers of Arab tourists who vacation in the Alpine country. Turkey no longer needs to join the European Union but will not unilaterally abandon the stalled EU accession talks, President Tayyip Erdogan told parliament on Sunday. "We will not be the side which gives up. To tell the truth, we don't need EU membership any more," Erdogan said. Turkey's 12-year-long accession talks have ground to a halt, with the EU especially critical of Ankara's crackdown following a failed coup last year. Tens of thousands of people including teachers and journalists have been detained. Erdogan's government says EU states failed to appreciate the gravity of the threat which Turkey faced, and did not respond to requests to extradite coup suspects. "The EU failed us in a fight against terrorism," Erdogan said on Sunday, though he also suggested the bloc still needed Turkey. "If the EU is going to leap forward, there is only one way to do so. And it is to grant Turkey membership and start an action of cultural and economic growth," Erdogan said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an election debate last month it was clear Turkey should not join the EU and entry talks should end, despite it being a crucial NATO ally. Iranian diplomats say they expect President Donald Trump to abandon the international deal restricting Tehran's nuclear activities. They are intensifying their lobbying of European governments, especially the signatories to the agreement, France, Britain and Germany, hoping they can dissuade the U.S. administration from repudiating the agreement. And in the event the U.S. repudiates the deal, then Tehran is urging Europeans not to join Washington in re-imposing sanctions. The Iranians say if Europe and the other signatories, Russia and China, stick with the deal and dont join a renewed sanctions regime, then Tehran will continue to adhere to the agreement. Irans foreign secretary, Mohammad Javad Zarif, highlighted that appeal in an interview with British newspapers published Saturday, warning that if Europe followed Washingtons lead if the Trump administration abandons the deal, Iran would resume uranium enrichment and other aspects of its nuclear program at a more advanced level than before the deal was struck. Trump on deal The U.S. State Department is due to certify to Congress in two weeks time whether Iran has been complying with the terms of the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. Trump has said he has made up his mind already, but hasn't told European leaders his decision, including Britains Theresa May, who asked him reportedly at a bilateral meeting at the UN last month. Trump has been a stern critic of what his predecessor, Barack Obama, saw as a signature foreign policy achievement. Dubbing it a bad deal, Trump pledged during his campaign for the White House last year to rip up the agreement. And in New York in a speech last month at the UN, he described the deal as an embarrassment, saying it was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Although the Trump administration has not offered any examples of JCPOA non-compliance by Iran, the belligerency of the Presidents comments has heightened impressions that hes laying the groundwork for the State Department to withhold certification on October 15. The administration is required to report to Congress every 90 days on the deal. Irans intense lobbying effort has two main purposes, say analysts: to get the Europeans to press Washington not to walk away, and in the event President Trump does, to try to ensure the Europeans dont follow suit a move that could increase strains between Trumps Washington and European leaders to a possible breaking point. European impact The Europeans would be placed in a lose-lose position, if the U.S. abandons the nuclear deal. Under the agreements provisions, any signatory can require the UN Security Council to vote on a resolution to continue the deals sanctions relief a U.S. veto would result in the sanctions on Iran snapping back into place automatically. That in turn would present the Europeans with the uncomfortable choice of either complying with a UN resolution or re-imposing sanctions against their own policy views. Either way, it would likely compound increasingly tense transatlantic relations. European signatories to the deal have all publicly defended the nuclear agreement, which placed limits on Irans nuclear program designed to prevent Tehran from developing weapons in return for a lifting of international sanctions. European ambassadors to the U.S. have been highly visible and vocal in Washington in recent days defending the agreement and insisting Iran has remained in compliance. That conclusion was supported last week by U.S. Marine Gen. James Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who in written testimony to a Senate committee said: The briefings I have received indicate that Iran is adhering to its JCPOA obligations. Interviewed by National Public Radio, German envoy Peter Wittig, said Friday: We believe it would be a mistake to walk away from the deal while Iran is complying. European envoys mounted a full-court defense of the nuclear deal last week at a think tank event, arguing Iran is complying with the deal that was struck in July 2015 and implemented since January 2016. German Chancellor Angela Merkel talked midweek on the phone about Iran with President Trump, expressing her support for the deal. Although, according to German officials, she offered a sympathetic ear to the U.S. leaders complaints about human rights abuses by Iran and destabilizing activities in the Middle East, including missile development, Tehrans support for Houthi rebels in Yemen and for groups like Lebanons radical Shiite movement Hezbollah. Part of the European lobbying effort on Trumps Washington from leaders and envoys has been to argue that the nuclear deal shouldnt be sacrificed because of those other areas of concern. And there has been a quid pro quo hint from the Europeans that they will be more forward-leaning and cooperative with U.S. efforts to contain Iran on other fronts. European foreign ministers tell me that they would join us in confronting other Iranian misdeeds, if the Trump administration doesn't abandon the deal, John Kerry, the former U.S. Secretary of State wrote in an opinion article for the Washington Post published Friday. Nothing in the agreement is preventing us from facing the challenges raised by Iran on other issues, according to French Ambassador Gerard Araud. They emerged early Sunday with helmets, masks and flak jackets from temporary overnight accommodation, cheap boarding houses and chartered cruise ships painted with huge Warner Bros. cartoon figures, Tweetie Pie and Daffy Duck, docked at Barcelonas port. But as the day unfolded, Barcelona was far from being Disney World. Soon after polling stations opened, police, many drafted from outside Catalonia, moved in under orders from the national government in Madrid to block an independence referendum they and the countrys constitutional court said is illegal under the 1978 constitution that declares Spain indivisible. For Catalan separatists, Spains current constitution isn't free of the stamp of the former dictator Gen. Francisco Franco, who ruled the country for 40 years. They say underlining the constitution is a shameful, purposeful amnesia, one that ignores the suffering of Catalonia during the brutal 1930s civil war and the suppression of the Catalan language during Francos 40-year-long dictatorship. The ghost of Franco was never far from Sundays illegal referendum. Some of the extra police drafted into Spains restive north-east region had been cheered as they traveled to Catalonia by rightwing Spanish nationalists waving the national flag and chanting provocatively, Viva Franco. Sunday was a far cry from the unity and comradeship Spain presented to the world in August when Spaniards and Catalans mourned together the 13 killed and 100 injured when jihadists struck Barcelona. IN PICTURES: Catalonia Independence Referendum As a gray, wet Sunday unfolded and the police mounted a speedy show of force in the Catalan capital, firing rubber bullets and wielding batons at people lining up to cast their ballots, besieging polling stations, seizing ballot boxes and removing officials overseeing the illegal vote, Catalan separatists accused them of acting like Franco. Some analysts feared Mariano Rajoy's center-right national government was being maneuvered cleverly by the separatists into overreacting. They argued before the vote that Madrid should just ignore a referendum that has no legal standing. They will point to Sundays events as confirming what they feared might happen. WATCH: Clashes Between Police, Protesters Spanish officials maintained it was never a serious option to ignore the vote; to do so would be to allow lawlessness and to permit a minority to kidnap the democratic process. The midweek announcement by the Catalan regional government that it would declare independence in the event of a "yes" vote, gave Madrid no choice but to act, officials argue. Overnight thousands of pro-secessionists, both nervous and thrilled, occupied Catalonias schools, presenting a festive appearance as parents with their children danced and put on concerts and events. It was a tactical move to try to preempt the police from shuttering schools to prevent them serving as polling stations, something they had been warned would happen by Madrid. Speaking to reporters in the Spanish capital on the eve of the vote, the countrys foreign minister said, The law guarantees democracy, what they're pushing is not democracy, it is a mockery of democracy, a travesty of democracy. Many Catalans, opinion polls show 49 percent oppose secession compared to 41 percent for it, no doubt agreed with those sentiments. Catalans opposed to the vote have been less vocal than secessionists with some saying they were getting harassed by separatists when they spoke out and labeled fascists. As dawn broke Sunday more people gathered at designated polling stations. Votarem, votarem! - (We will vote!) they chanted. It is pretty exciting, said pro-separatist activist Jordi Gali outside a voting center in downtown Barcelona. So many people are united with one idea in common, he added. Within two hours of the polls opening, Catalan government spokesman Jordi Turull announced that 73 percent of polling stations were functioning, but added, there are constant attacks on the computer system. The Spanish government disputed the claim, saying most designated polling stations had been shuttered. Pro-independence leaders were quick to denounce police intervention. Barcelonas mayor, Ada Colau, tweeted her anger, saying, A cowardly president has filled our city with police. Barcelona, city of peace, is not afraid. Catalan regional president Carles Piedgement, a main proponent of the controversial referendum, said the unjustifiable violence created a terrible image of Spain. They received some backing from overseas. Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, took the rare step of commenting on another European country's internal affairs, tweeting, Some of the scenes in #Catalonia this morning are quite shocking and surely unnecessary. Just let people vote. But Spains Guardia Civil said its officers were being harassed and provoked and reported by early afternoon nine policemen and two Guardia Civil officers had been injured while trying to stop the referendum. Posted video showed hooded figures throwing objects at police in central Barcelona. But in the PR war over perceptions the separatists declared a moral win Sunday even before the polls closed. Today, the Spanish state has lost... while Catalonia has won, said Catalonias president Puigdemont. Houston officials said Saturday that theyre already thinking about how to build and fund projects that will lessen the blow of the next storm, even as the nations fourth-largest city continues to recover from Harveys devastating floodwaters. Leaders with the U.S. Conference of Mayors gathered in Houston to meet with Mayor Sylvester Turner. They discussed how Houston is working to rebuild and what other communities can learn from its experience. Top priorities Turner has said his top two priorities in Houstons recovery are removing the 8 million cubic yards of debris that Harvey left behind and finding permanent housing for the hundreds of Houston-area residents who remain in shelters. Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Aug. 25 and dumped more than 50 inches of rain in some areas around the city after weakening to a tropical storm. But Turner said Saturday that trying to move forward with various flood mitigation projects, such as widening some of the areas bayous and building detention basins, will also be part of the recovery efforts. The mitigation strategies that we will employ will also have a bearing on what happens immediately because people are wanting to know, Do we rebuild where we are? Are things going to be different? he said. One thing we know is there will be another storm. Building code review New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said following his citys massive flooding in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, officials reviewed building codes and which neighborhoods homes were built. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more that works on developing national urban policies. Every one of these storms should force anybody whos been a victim of them to rethink where they are, where they live and how they respond to natural disasters that continue to come and come with more frequency, Landrieu said. If you spend money on the front end on mitigation projects, youll save a lot of money and potential loss of life on the back end. Beaumont's lesson In the Southeast Texas city of Beaumont, about 2,000 homes were flooded. But the citys mayor, Becky Ames, said that figure would have likely been much higher if not for a $65 million drainage project that runs through the center of town. The project was one of several the city built after Hurricane Ike in 2008. All of those homes through that whole area would have flooded without a doubt before we did that project. I think that helped immensely, Ames told The Associated Press Thursday. Landrieu said Houston continues to have New Orleans undying gratitude for helping shelter thousands of the Louisiana citys residents who evacuated after Katrina. I just want the people of Houston to know, as hard as it is, its going to be OK. There is a pathway out of it, Landrieu said. An international rights defender has accused Iran of committing war crimes by recruiting and sending Afghan immigrant children as young as 14 to fight in Syria alongside government forces. In a detailed report published Sunday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) says its researchers reviewed photographs of tombstones in Iranian cemeteries and identified eight Afghan children who apparently fought and died in Syria. The report charges Tehrans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) with recruiting and providing combat training to mainly Shiite Hazara Afghans who have settled in Iran after fleeing decades of hostilities in their native country. Afghan children as young as 14 have fought in the Fatemiyoun Division, an exclusively Afghan armed group supported by Iran that fights alongside government forces in the Syrian conflict. Under international law, recruiting children under the age of 15 to participate actively in hostilities is a war crime, warned HRW. The watchdog noted that Iranian media reports also corroborated some of these cases and documented at least six more instances of Afghan child soldiers who died in Syria. HRWs Middle East director, Sarah Leah Whitson, called on Tehran to immediately end the recruitment of child soldiers and bring back any Afghan children it has sent to fight in Syria. Rather than preying on vulnerable immigrant and refugee children, the Iranian authorities should protect all children and hold those responsible for recruiting Afghan children to account, she said. The persistent conflict in Afghanistan has led millions of its citizens to take refuge in neighboring Iran and Pakistan. Iranian officials estimate there are around 2.5-million Afghan refugees living in the country, many of them without residency papers. Rights groups have documented cases of Afghans, mostly Shiite Hazaras, in Iran who volunteered to take part in the Syrian conflict in the hopes of gaining legal status and a monthly income for their impoverished families. Pro-government Iranian media describes the Fatemiyoun Division as a volunteer Afghan force fighting in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iran is said to have supported and trained thousands of Afghans, including undocumented immigrants, in the past few years and sent them to the battlefields in Syria. Iranian authorities reportedly tell Afghan recruits they are being trained to fight to protect major Shiite shrines in Damascus, Aleppo and Raqqa. The tombstones also identified the childrens places of death in Syria, and in seven of the eight cases, the tombstones described the Afghan child as a defender of the shrine, the euphemism the Iranian government uses to describe fighters it sends to Syria, according to the HRW report. HRW in its report has called on the United Nations to investigate alleged recruitment of Afghan child soldiers. Iran has not yet commented on the report though officials in Tehran have previously denied allegations Afghans are being recruited and sent to the Syrian conflict. Iran is reported to have poured billions of dollars into Syria in addition to raising Shiite militias from countries with significant Shiite population, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, which also hosts millions of war and poverty-stricken Afghans. Pakistan has also long been accused of encouraging Sunni Afghans in the refugee settlements to join ranks of the Taliban waging insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul. Mosuls Old City is covered in rubble and virtually abandoned. Entire blocks are destroyed and many families still haven't found the bodies of their relatives under the crushed buildings. Iraqi forces and locals are slowly trying to make the area inhabitable, with technical teams searching house by house for bombs, more than two months after government forces re-took Mosul. But on Saturday, Islamic State militants hiding out in one of the homes were waiting. We were shocked when we saw them, said Colonel Tahssen al-Mohammadawi of the Iraqi Federal Police at his West Mosul base shortly after returning from the ambush. When the soldiers opened the door they were waiting with a gun ready to shoot. The militants fired and a battle ensued. Two fighters were hit by Iraqi grenades and their bodies caught fire. Two more were later killed, one shot on the street. Their bodies were thin, heavily bearded and they were wearing traditional clothes favored by militants in Mosul. Iraqi forces generally do not report casualty figures publicly, but locals said at least one Iraqi soldier was killed and two more were injured. Keeping the peace Security in Western Mosul remains fragile with checkpoints now erected every few blocks. Federal Police share security duties with the Hashd Shaaby, or Popular Mobilization Units, formerly known as Shia Militias in the Sunni-majority city. We have to re-think our plan for the Old City, said Al-Mohammadawi. It is unknown how many IS militants could still be hiding in the rubble, tunnels and sewers under the city, according to soldiers. And until recently, it was reasonable to believe that some of the tales of surviving militants were false. Ordinary people sneak into the Old City to try to recover their belongings, attempting to evade authorities who have declared it too dangerous for civilians. Young men running and hiding in what was once ISs most treacherous stronghold in Iraq look suspicious to both soldiers and civilians. People sometimes run away from us because they think they could get in trouble, said Federal Police Captain Baha. But actually we are trying to just keep them safe. But with so many buildings abandoned, and Mosuls Old Citys ideal defensive position on a hill by a river overlooking the city there could be an unknown number of militants hiding out. I think if there are any left you could count them on one hand, said Col. al-Mohammadawi. But then again, I didn't think there were any before today. Casinos in the worlds biggest casino hub of Macau extended a 14-month winning streak in September with revenue up 16.1 percent, priming for a bumper national holiday week, which is expected to see strong visitor traffic in the southern Chinese territory. Macau, a former Portuguese colony and now special administrative region, is the only place in the country where casino gambling is legal. Government data Sunday showed monthly gambling revenue was 21.4 billion patacas ($2.66 billion) in September, within analyst expectations of growth between 11-17 percent. Two typhoons September saw the tail end impact from two typhoons in August, which caused massive destruction and unprecedented flooding. Many casinos shut down for several days and had problems accessing fresh water and power, but big resorts on Macaus Las Vegas style Cotai strip were left relatively unscathed. Macaus government this week will release a 15-year plan to boost tourism with key objectives including rebranding Macau into a multiday destination and managing local tourism capacity. Typically during national holidays, Macaus tiny peninsula and adjoining islands are inundated with swarms of visitors putting pressure on creaking infrastructure and transport. Casino executives have said that hotels are fully booked for the official holiday period, Oct. 1-8. The man who allegedly stabbed two young women to death in Marseille, France Sunday had been arrested and then released by police two days before the incident. French authorities said the suspect, who went by multiple identities was stopped by police in Lyon on Sept. 29 for suspected shoplifting, but he was released for a lack of evidence. The man had reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar," (God is great) as he stabbed the two women at Marseille's main train station before French soldiers gunned him down. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through its official news agency. Police video is said to show the suspect stabbing one woman, disappearing, and re-emerging moments later to attack his second victim. He ran straight toward soldiers who opened fire and killed him. The attacker and his victims have not been publicly identified. Police shut down and sealed off the station and French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb immediately went to Marseille. French prosecutors have opened a counter-terrorism probe, but Collomb has not yet formally declared it a terror attack. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he is "deeply outraged" by the "barbarous" attack while praising the swift but cool-headed response by the soldiers. France has been in a state of emergency since November 2015 after Islamic extremists attacked a concert hall in Paris and several bars. Ten months earlier, gunmen had opened fire in the offices of the satirical cartoon magazine Charlie Hebdo and later seized hostages in a kosher supermarket. There have been several other terror attacks in France since then, including one in Nice in July 2016 where 86 people were killed when a driver ran down pedestrians celebrating Bastille Day. 1 French police point a gun at a man on the ground (C) as a stabbed woman lies (L) while soldiers secure the area following an attack at the Saint-Charles main train station in the French Mediterranean city of Marseille. A suspected Islamist man killed two women at the main train station in Marseille before being shot dead by soldiers on patrol, local officials and police said. Pakistans military chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, held candid and constructive" talks with Afghan leaders on bilateral relations and ways to enhance mutual cooperation to fight terrorism. Accompanied by the chief of Pakistani spy agency, ISI, the general met Sunday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul. The Afghan defense minister and the national security advisor among others assisted Ghani in the discussions, officials said. Both sides discussed regional security, bilateral relations, fight against terrorism, trade and transit, according to a brief statement issued by Ghanis office after the meeting. It quoted the Afghan president as saying the time has come to take practical steps toward creating an atmosphere of mutual trust. The statement added Pakistan assured of its readiness to cooperate in tackling the threat of terrorism facing both countries and supported Afghan-led efforts to promote peace. The meeting was candid, positive, respectful, constructive and encouraging in a long time, said Afghan ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal, who also attended the talks. Bilateral ties have been marred by mistrust and suspicion, with both Islamabad and Kabul routinely blaming each other for backing fugitive anti-state militants to plot terrorist attacks against the other. During the one day visit, General Bajwa had been expected to reiterate offers of training for Afghan soldiers and police personnel in Pakistani institutions and emphasize the need for the two countries to resolve differences by relying on bilateral mechanisms and dialogue, according to officials in Islamabad. Insurgents gaining ground The U.S.-backed Afghan government insists that sanctuaries on Pakistani soil have enabled the Taliban to sustain and expand insurgent operations in Afghanistan during the past 16 years. Recent assessments have put the Islamist insurgents in control of more than 40 percent of Afghan territory. Pakistani authorities deny charges they are supporting the Taliban. In turn, they blame the Afghan intelligence agency for sheltering fugitive anti-state militants who are plotting deadly attacks against Pakistan. Washington supports the Afghan assertions. President Donald Trump unveiled his new strategy for the Afghan war in August, and he criticized Islamabads counterterrorism efforts and urged the country to undo terrorist havens on its soil. Pakistan: Failures aren't ours Islamabad insists it is being scapegoated for failures of the U.S.-led international efforts to defeat the Taliban and stabilize Afghanistan. The Pakistan military says its sustained counterterrorism operations in the past few years have dismantled all militant hideouts in the country. It also cites the building of a fence and new security outposts on its nearly 2,600-kilometer border with Afghanistan. Officials say the border management project is expected to be completed within the next two years and is key to deterring illegal infiltration along a largely porous frontier. The Pakistani government also has been campaigning for resolving the Afghan conflict through peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban, and it strongly opposes further militarization of the war, already the longest overseas military engagement in the U.S. history. A militant group leader in Pakistan is suing the countrys foreign minister for his remarks at an Asia Society event last week in New York. A lawyer representing Hafiz Mohammad Saeed sent a $950,000 (100 million Pakistani Rupee) notice to Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday. An absolute lie and falsehood that Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is one of those persons who had been the darlings of Americans and had been dining and wining in the White House, Saeeds lawyer, A.K. Dogar alleged, according to media reports. The lawsuit calls on Asif to offer an apology within two weeks or face punishment. Defamatory statements are punishable under the Pakistan Penal Code with up to five years imprisonment and a fine, according to Dogar. Refuting recent allegations by the United States and BRICS, an economic bloc composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, that Pakistan harbors violent extremist groups that pose a threat to regional security, Asif denied that his country supports such groups. "Don't blame us for the Haqqanis [the Haqqani Network] and don't blame us for the Hafiz Saeeds. These people were your darlings just only 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say 'go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people'," Asif said, referring to the U.S. support to Afghan resistance movement during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Saeeds lawyer alleged that his client is a patriotic Islam-loving Muslim who refrains from consuming intoxicants, which are forbidden in Islam. "I have been advised by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed to tell you that he has never been near the White House, not to speak of [being] wined and dined. It is shocking to know that the foreign minister of my country is accusing Hafiz Muhammad Saeed of taking wine, Dogar said in the notice. Listed as terrorist by US Saeed is a U.S.-designated global terrorist. He has been accused of orchestrating militant attacks against Indian interests in the region, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The U.S. government has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest. He is also on the U.N. blacklist. Saeed has been under house arrest in Pakistan for the past several months. Saeed leads the Jamaat-ud-Dawa group, or JUD, which has been listed as a sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. State Department for more than a decade. JUD contends it is a humanitarian organization without links to terrorists, but it is widely considered a "front group" for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which has been banned for terrorist activities since 2001. "Saeed, LeT, they are a liability, I accept it, but give us time to get rid of them," Asif said Tuesday in New York. The move by Saeed lawyer drew some reactions of surprise on social media. There is irony, and then there is irony. Not sure I can recall any other case of a terrorist suing for defamation, Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, tweeted. Hilarious. Global terrorist Hafiz Saeed seeks damage to the tune of 100 million from Pak FM Khawaja Asif. Can Pakistan economy afford it? Indian journalist, Aditya Raj Kaul, tweeted. Pakistani journalist, Naila Inayat, tweeted: Waiting for Hafiz Saeed to sue U.S. that designated him a terrorist, $10 million bounty could come in handy after all. Poland lowers its retirement age Sunday, a costly election promise by the ruling conservatives that goes against a European trend of gradually increasing the pension age as people live longer and stay more healthy. Lowering the age to 60 for women and 65 for men is popular in particular among supporters of the governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, and reverses an increase to 67 approved in 2012 by the former centrist government. It is seen as having a limited immediate impact on the economy, which is booming, but might put pressure on state budgets in the future. Unemployment low The move comes at a time when unemployment in Poland has fallen to its lowest level since the transition from communism in the early 1990s, and could increase the pressure on wages, which are growing at their fastest pace in five years. The Polish labor market faces increasingly limited access to workers, said Rafal Benecki, a Warsaw-based economist covering central Europe at the ING Bank. Polands population of 38 million is among the most rapidly aging in the European Union. The government is throwing away the most effective tool to increase the labor market participation rate, Benecki said. The state pension agency ZUS has estimated that 331,000 people could decide to take advantage of the option to retire earlier, which would amount to 2.0 percent of Polands 16.3 million workers. Labor from Ukraine Economists and central bankers say the rising flow into Poland of hundreds of thousands of workers from Ukraine could reduce the pressure on wages. Labor ministry figures show that Polish employers requested more than 900,000 short-term permits for Ukrainian workers in the first half of 2017, compared with 1.26 million in the whole of the previous year. With the inflow of workers from Ukraine, so far the problem that some have foreseen labor shortages, pressure on the labor market is diminishing, central bank Governor Adam Glapinski said in early September. The PiS government has estimated the cost of the retirement age reduction at 10 billion zlotys ($2.74 billion) in 2018, roughly 0.5 percent of GDP. Since coming to power in 2015, the current government has sharply increased public spending to meet campaign pledges to help families and distribute the fruits of economic growth more evenly. Despite the increase in spending, the state budget posted the first surplus for the January-August period in more than two decades, mainly because of a government crackdown on tax evasion and because a new child benefit has fuelled consumption. Economic growth reached 3.9 percent in the second quarter, but economists warn that the higher cost of pensions could cause problems if the economy slows. Im worrying what will happen when the economic cycle turns, said Marcin Mrowiec, chief economist at Bank Pekao. We might wake up with wages above levels that firms can cope with and ... permanently higher budget spending on pensions. The ouster of Tom Price as President Donald Trumps health secretary is yet another self-inflicted blow for Republicans wishing to put their own stamp on health care and the latest distraction for a White House struggling to advance its agenda after months of turmoil. Price resigned Friday amid investigations into his use of costly charter flights for official travel at taxpayer expense. His exit makes it even more unlikely that Republicans will be able to deliver on their promise to repeal and replace former President Barack Obamas law, even though they control the White House and both chambers of Congress. I think health care is a dead letter through the next election, Joe Antos, a policy expert with the business-oriented American Enterprise Institute, said Saturday. Momentum lost The health secretarys exit capped a week in which a last-ditch GOP health care bill failed to advance in the Senate. Regaining momentum will be more difficult now that the White House also has to find a replacement for Price. That makes it harder to visualize how the administration and congressional Republicans can fulfill their goal of remaking the health care system along conservative lines, although Trump has said hes confident a plan can pass early next year. Price, who Trump concluded had become a distraction, had been on the rocks with the president since before the travel flap. A former Republican congressman from Georgia, he proved less helpful than expected on the health care fight. Price played a supporting role while Vice President Mike Pence took the lead, especially with the Senate. The health secretarys departure, the latest in a list that now includes Trumps chief of staff, national security adviser, press secretary and two communications directors, is also unlikely to end what has been a steady drip of revelations about potentially inappropriate travel on the part of Cabinet members. Others under scrutiny Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has come under fire for requesting a government aircraft to use on his honeymoon, while Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said hed taken three charter flights while in office, including a $12,375 late-night trip from Las Vegas to his home state of Montana in June. The Environmental Protection Agencys inspector general has opened an inquiry into Administrator Scott Pruitts frequent taxpayer-funded travel on commercial planes. The House Oversight and Government Reform committee has launched a governmentwide investigation of top political appointees travel. Trump ran on a pledge to drain the swamp in Washington and has taken pride in his efforts to reduce federal spending and negotiate better deals on behalf of American taxpayers. In a memo Friday, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said all travel on government-owned, rented, leased or chartered aircraft will now have to be approved by the presidents chief of staff, John Kelly. That gives more oversight power to a man who has tried to impose order and structure on what has been a chaotic White House. Nominee faces gauntlet On health care, the task of installing another secretary at the Health and Human Services department wont be easy. The nominee will have to run the gauntlet of Senate confirmation. The already contentious process will be more challenging as Democrats shift from playing defense to offense on health care, heartened by the survival of the Affordable Care Act and polls showing support for the governments leading role in health care. And HHS is not the only department that needs a leader. Trump has yet to pick a permanent replacement for Kelly, who left his previous job running the Department of Homeland Security in July. Potential candidates Two potential candidates for health secretary already hold senior Senate-confirmed posts at HHS, which could be a plus for the White House. Seema Verma leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs major insurance programs. Scott Gottlieb heads the Food and Drug Administration, which has regulatory authority across pharmaceuticals and consumer products. Verma is a protege of Pence, who played a major role in negotiations with Congress this year on the futile Obamacare repeal effort. Verma is seen as a talented policy expert, but shes still relatively new to the ways of Washington. Gottlieb is a veteran, but he may prefer the FDA and its clearly defined mission to the quicksand of health care policy. Also mentioned is Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, co-author of the last Republican health care bill that failed to advance. Cassidy would probably win confirmation easily, but his prospects in the Senate appear bright, and he may not want to depart for a Cabinet post in a tumultuous administration. Another potential candidate is Floridas Republican Gov. Rick Scott, a former hospital executive who is term-limited after 2018. But Scott is expected to mount a Senate campaign against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson next year, and he may have ambitions and interests beyond health care. 1 People cheer after voting at a school assigned to be a polling station by the Catalan government at the Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 1, 2017. Tens of thousands marched in China-ruled Hong Kong on Sunday in an "anti authoritarian rule" march that called for the resignation of the city's top legal official over the recent jailing of young democracy activists. The march, an annual fixture over the past few years on China's October 1 National Day, comes at a time of nascent disillusionment with Hong Kong's once vaunted judiciary. "Without democracy, how can we have the rule of law," the crowds yelled as they marched through sporadic downpours, from a muddy pitch to the city's harbor-front government headquarters. Organizers estimated about 40,000 people joined the march. Many protesters, some clad in black, expressed dismay with Hong Kong's Secretary of Justice, Rimsky Yuen, who Reuters reported had over-ruled several other senior public prosecutors to seek jail terms for three prominent democrats: Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow. "We believe he [Yuen] has been the key orchestrator in destroying Hong Kong's justice," said Avery Ng, one of the organizers of the rally that drew a coalition of some 50 civil and political groups. Around one hundred Hong Kong activists are now facing possible jail terms for various acts of mostly democratic advocacy including the "Umbrella Revolution" in late 2014 that saw tens of thousands of people block major roads for 79 days in a push for universal suffrage. Rule of law While the October 1 march is a regular annual fixture, this was the first time the rule of law has been scrutinized like this, with the judiciary -- a legacy of the British Common Law system -- long considered one of the best in Asia and a cornerstone of Hong Kong's economic success. "It's like mainland [Chinese] laws have intruded into Hong Kong," said Alex Ha, a teacher of classical guitar, who was walking alone in the crowd. The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index last week downgraded Hong Kong's judicial independence ranking by five spots to number 13 in the world. In response, however, Yuen stressed at the time that Hong Kong's judiciary remained strong and independent. "We cannot rely on subjective perceptions, we have to look at the facts," he told reporters. Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise that Beijing would grant the city a high degree of autonomy and an independent judiciary under a so-called "one country, two systems" arrangement. But over two decades of Chinese rule, differences have deepened between Communist Party leaders in Beijing and a younger generation of democracy advocates, some of whom are now calling for the financial hub to eventually split from China. Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam spoke of a need for unity during a speech to assembled dignitaries at a National Day reception to mark the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China by the Communists. "As long as we capitalize on our strengths, stay focused, seize the opportunities before us and stand united, I am sure that Hong Kong can reach even greater heights," she said. Thailands foreign ministry, in a rare statement on an ongoing crisis in neighboring Myanmars Rakhine state, said late Saturday that it was closely following the situation and would provide aid to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Violence erupted in Rakhine last month when Rohingya militants attacked security posts, triggering a crackdown by the Myanmar army. More than half a million ethnic Rohingya a mostly Muslim minority who are denied citizenship by Myanmar have fled to Bangladesh since then. Those who fled accuse Myanmars army, backed by Buddhist mobs, of a brutal killing campaign. The United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing a sweeping government offensive in the north of Rakhine State in response to those attacks. Camps along its border Thailand is closely following the situation in the Rakhine State with concern, the ministry said. The Royal Thai Government has always placed great importance to providing care and protection to Myanmar displaced persons, it added, pointing to some 100,000 refugees from Myanmar who live in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. But many of those living in the camps are long-term residents who fled conflict decades ago. None are Rohingya, according to nongovernmental organizations who work there. The Thai foreign ministry said its statement was in response to views raised by some human rights groups regarding Thailands position on the unrest in Rakhine. No refugees recognized Amnesty International last week said Thailand must not push back Rohingya fleeing violence and that it should provide refugees formal legal status and protection. Thailand does not recognize the status of any refugees or recognize the Rohingya as legitimate migrant workers. Thailand said it supported a statement on the issue by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a grouping of 10 nations. In the statement, ASEAN foreign ministers condemned the attacks on Myanmars security forces and all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives. Malaysia, an ASEAN member, disassociated itself from the statement, saying it misrepresented issues relating to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya. So far, none of the affected victims from the August unrest in Rakhine State have been found in Thailand, the Thai foreign ministry said. U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to undercut his top diplomat Sunday, saying Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with North Korea's leader. In a series of tweets the president said: "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!" Hours later Trump elaborated, saying being nice to Rocket Man hasn't worked in 25 years, why would it work now? Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed. I won't fail. North Korea has made it clear it considers the rocket man moniker for Kim Jong Un, who succeeded his father at the time of Kim Jong Ils death in 2011, to be highly insulting. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, amid the presidents tweets, said on Twitter that North Korea will not obtain a nuclear capability and whether that occurs through diplomacy and force is up to the regime. She added that diplomatic channels are open for Kim for now. They wont be open forever. Tillerson, in Beijing the previous day, acknowledged the United States has direct diplomatic channels through which to negotiate with Pyongyang about North Koreas continued nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The secretary of state, however, gave no details about any recent communication with North Korean diplomats. Trumps Sunday tweets from his New Jersey golf club caused consternation among some veteran American diplomats. "It's a terrible way to conduct diplomacy," a former acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia, Evans Revere, told VOA. "It raises questions certainly on their part about U.S. seriousness but we're also seeing reactions from the international community that it's raised questions among U.S. partners around the world." If this is not a pre-scripted good cop/bad cop gambit and "if the president really pulled the rug out from under him, that really undercuts his credibility internationally, and he needs to think very clearly about whether he's prepared to continue working under those circumstances," according to Revere, senior director with the Albright Stonebridge Group. A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Steven Pifer, said chastising Tillerson is not a way for the president to signal his administration has a carefully thought-out, coherent policy. Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, R. Nicholas Burns, was more blunt in a tweet: Undercutting your Secretary of State publicly is a cardinal sin of Diplomacy. Unpresidential. It is not the first time Trump has contradicted members of his cabinet, including Tillerson. Moreover, according to scholars of diplomacy, other U.S. presidents have done so specifically on North Korea which also caused confusion. In 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the administration of President George W. Bush would "pick up where President Clinton left off." But the following day, in a joint press conference with the South Korean president, Bush made it clear he planned to take a more skeptical approach to negotiations with Pyongyang. Considered in this context, Trumps Sunday tweets are frankly not nearly as damaging, according to Balbina Hwang, a visiting professor at Georgetown University. Hwang contends that while it undermines Tillersons public tone in Beijing who may have been overly diplomatic with the Chinese -Trumps tough talk puts the U.S. in the strongest negotiating position possible. In the past, U.S. negotiations have been less than maximally successful, because we essentially entered them indicating we wanted or needed to reach a diplomatic solution more than the North Koreans, Hwang, a former State Department senior advisor on North Korea, tells VOA. If we try this again, the only possibility of any progress or success is if we convince both Pyongyang and Beijing that we are serious this time about bearing the ultimate costs of really bad options. Trump is scheduled to visit China, Japan and South Korea, among other Asian destinations, in November for a trip largely seen at maintaining strong diplomatic pressure on North Korea. Kim, after previous threats by Trump, issued a rare personal response, calling the U.S. president a mentally deranged dotard. His foreign minister then suggested Pyongyang might detonate a nuclear weapon over the Pacific Ocean. VOA's Ira Mellman contributed to this report. A Red Cross crew accompanies Peter Cuffy and his wife, Jenita Cuffy, as they walk through Codrington, their town on the island of Barbuda, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Their home is among the many damaged by the storm. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post) Jenita Cuffy rounded the old almond tree, its branches now snapped like twigs, as she headed toward her office at Barbudas ruined hospital. The islands public-health nurse hadnt been back in nearly three weeks, since every soul was evacuated from this flat disk of an island laid waste by Hurricane Irma. With the people gone, it was as if Barbuda had gone feral. Abandoned dogs had formed packs and were taking down livestock. From the hospital courtyard, Cuffy could smell death animal carcasses rotting in the rubble. A corner of the roof had collapsed, the windows blown in. The medical dorms were a scrap heap. An ambulance was wedged into a tree. This doesnt look like my island, Cuffy said. Before the storm, Barbuda was a forgotten Eden about the physical size of the District of Columbia. Its 1,800 inhabitants were family, literally. The descendants of African slaves brought centuries ago by the British, many islanders were related. The workdays were short and the rock lobster freshly caught and free was sweet. Theyd grill them up at picnics down by the caves at Two Foot Bay National Park. There were no street addresses. Collecting mail meant a call from Joyce Lynn Webber at the post office. Eh, you got mail down here, come by, shed say. That life was blown away. Now Cuffy was back, just for a few hours, to help set up a temporary clinic a step, she hoped, toward getting scattered Barbudans back to their island home. But would they come back? Should they? Would she? In this, the cruelest season of storms that anyone alive has known, entire islands, such as Barbuda, have been wiped clear. Theres no power across Puerto Rico, and it probably wont fully return for months. Dominica is devastated, with no commerce and hardly any usable homes. St. John and St. Martin playgrounds for the affluent and homelands for the descendants of slaves, adventurers and colonizers have been boomeranged back to a time before luxury resorts and timeshare condos. The storms pushed the islands back to the primitive, basic state that made the sandbars of the Caribbean so alluring to European empires, pirates and tourists for half a millennium. Investors, governments, visitors and the people who have called these islands home for generations now wonder: Has something elemental changed? Might paradise turn uninhabitable? Is it time to go? Devastation is part of the natural cycle of life in the islands. During the past four decades, the region has been hit by more than 200 major storms, which killed more than 12,000 people and caused nearly $20 billion in damage, according to an International Monetary Fund study. About 1 percent of the Caribbeans gross domestic product is wiped out every year. "Storms shape the history of these places," said Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, a geographer and author of "Island People: The Caribbean and the World." "And people have been leaving these islands for decades," heading for New York, London, Paris and other more stable places in countries that once colonized the Caribbean. But in recent years, hurricane season has delivered more intense storms. A person in the Caribbean generally would experience one Category 5 hurricane in a generation, said Tahseen Sayed, the World Banks Caribbean country director. In two weeks, weve had two Category 5 hurricanes. The result is not only physical damage and economic duress, but a new category of psychic storm. Theres a new, strong consensus that storms are getting worse and climate change is to blame, Jelly-Schapiro said. You didnt hear that even a few years ago. For the first time, people are saying, I love this place but maybe its not a place where we can live. An aerial view of the sweeping damage to Codrington. Some homes fared better than others. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post) Lost in space Three hundred miles west of the devastation that was Barbuda, Maria Roman and her husband, George Matta, live on what feels like a new island within their island home of Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria cut their neighborhood off from the rest of their mountain town, collapsing the bridge over a 200-foot-wide river. Roman and Matta were left marooned, without food stores, gas stations or emergency services. The only way out was to wade across the river or drive more than three hours around the mountains nearly impossible with little to no gas. I call it lost in space, Roman said. This is home, but it wasnt always so. Roman, 54, grew up in Jersey City, then moved to Puerto Rico in the mid-1980s, when her parents decided to retire to their native island. Roman met the man who became her husband, and he got a job running a ranch, and next thing they knew, theyd made a life on the island. But Roman often has felt the pull of the mainland. She doesnt like the isolation of the countryside. And each time a hurricane has hit, each time her neighborhood of San Lorenzo lost power or water, she longed for the comfort of New Jersey. After Hurricane Georges in 1998, she wanted to leave, but she needed to care for her wheelchair-bound mother and father, who have since died. And she felt connected to her neighbors. Her husband had a good job. And college was cheaper for her daughters than it would be on the mainland. After Georges, everything was calm for 19 years, Roman said. Until this year, until Irma, and then Maria. This is like a nuclear bomb was thrown at Puerto Rico, Roman said. Roman has had it. As soon as her younger daughter graduates from nursing school in May, she said, the family will move to the mainland. That daughter, Merari Matta, 24, longs for the better pay and quality of life up north. On the island, the power always goes, hurricane or not, she said. The water always goes. Theres a lot of inconsistency. If the storm had hit the mainland, she said, help would have arrived faster. Like many people in the Caribbean, Roman and her family have a relatively easy way out. The Caribbean diaspora is vast and deeply connected. About as many Caribbean natives live in North America or Europe as in the islands; immigrants from the region make up 20 percent of the population in greater Miami and 7 percent of New York City. Half of Caribbean immigrants around the world send remittances to support relatives back home, and 70 percent belong to organizations on their islands, according to a World Bank study. For Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens, the back and forth is even more fluid. Romans sister, Aurea Roman, lives in Jersey City. She cant imagine living on the island. As a single parent on partial disability, she said, all the convenience for me is here. She can get food delivered to her home. She can use public transportation, such as buses, trains and taxis. I like the island to visit, but to so-called live? No, she said. In Puerto Rico, I panic. Aurea had not heard from her sister in Puerto Rico after the hurricane, and was relieved to learn from a reporter that she is okay. She now wants them to join her in the land of safety and comfort. If they want to come, she said, Ill buy them a ticket right now. The walls still stand in this house, but there is more sky than roof above. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post) The sea that roard Hurricanes kill and destroy. Things small and large toys and family photos and entire buildings vanish in torrents of water and gusts of wind. Eden is broken, Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said at the United Nations after Hurricane Irma. To deny climate change . . . is to deny a truth we have just lived. The tragedy storms wreak was powerful enough that William Shakespeare heard about it in England. The sea that roard to us, Prospero said in The Tempest, did us but loving wrong. Hurricanes can also revive and renew. Crops come back stronger than before. People learn to build smarter. Storms also cement the bonds of people who share the intimate spaces of islands, which are, as Jelly-Schapiro put it, both a world apart and connected to everywhere by the sea. Storms drive people out. "Hurricanes have been an important aspect of migration in the Caribbean at least since the late 19th century," said Yale historian Stuart Schwartz, author of "Sea of Storms," a history of hurricanes. People leave because they are dispirited or because the storm destroys their livelihood, wiping out sugar plantations or gutting resort hotels. Puerto Rico was already in an out-migration crisis before the storms, Schwartz said. The island lost 10 percent of its population in the past two years, mainly because of deep financial woes. This could make it much worse. But in a struggling economy, many people cant leave. Gabriel De la Cruz, his wife, Luisa Rodriguez, and their son Ismael, lived in Loiza, one of the poorest suburbs of San Juan. It had already suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Irma when Maria ravaged the town on Sept. 20, destroying 90 percent of all residences. The family lost nearly everything. De la Cruz, who works as a cook, might move to an area less prone to hurricane damage. Loiza is going to be a desert town, he said. But moving to the mainland is impossibly expensive, he said. Hes been there before, living in the Bronx for four years, paying more than $800 a month for a room in a shared apartment. In Loiza, the familys three-bedroom house cost just $400 a month. But it is gone and De la Cruz doesnt know how it might be replaced. That work is months, maybe years, away. While $48 million already has flowed from an 18-nation insurance consortium to seven island governments to jump-start the buildback, the regions U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, were in financial distress even before the storms. Now, their paralyzing debt crises have been compounded by a near-halt in commerce. The World Bank has encouraged island nations to build in resiliency put much of the electrical network underground, invest in drainage systems, pass stricter building codes, rebuild hospitals so they can double as storm shelters. On islands that have taken such steps, recent storms have caused far fewer deaths than strong hurricanes did in the past, Sayed said. The whole thing is about cost-benefit analysis, said Saurabh Dani, a disaster-risk-management specialist at the World Bank. The social and economic cost of trying to recover from a devastating storm makes you realize that it might be worth the cost to invest in expensive precautions such as moving electrical wires from overhead poles to underground trenches. Major storms can paralyze production in agriculture and industry for years, Schwartz said, but hurricanes bring benefits too eliminating insects, renewing fields. The difference between long-term devastation and quick recovery depends on the willingness of the government to spend on preparation, he said. One dollar spent in preparation is worth four in recovery. Gaston Browne, prime minister of the former British colony of Antigua and Barbuda, views the storm as an opportunity. From the ruins of his countrys smaller island, he wants to build a Barbuda powered only by solar energy. Telephone lines could go underground. Houses and the hospital could be rebuilt to withstand monster storms. Since Irma, Browne said hes won commitments for grants, loans or other aid from China, Venezuela, the United Arab Emirates and Canada. Hes soliciting more. Browne, an Antiguan, said Barbudans must learn to be more self-sufficient, and that means abandoning a centuries-old communal land system in which the descendants of slaves built houses on land they believed belonged to all. Browne wants to create modern property rights, allowing Barbudans returning home to their ravaged island to buy their land for $1. That would pave the way for them to win mortgages to rebuild and to buy insurance. We are trying to build an ownership class in Barbuda, he said. What is so bad about the government bringing Barbuda into the 21st century so that its not a giant welfare state? Some Barbudans smell a rat, a land grab that could lead to large-scale development. Indeed, the government is backing major tourism projects, including one led by actor Robert De Niro that would revive a long-shuttered resort once favored by Princess Diana. Cuffy is among those who fear the government plan. Paying $1 for prime land near a Caribbean beach might seem like a gift. But Barbudans saw land as a birthright. You picked your parcel and you built. Nobody owned it. Everyone did. That land is now barren, a mudpit of ruins. Im not really ready to take it in, whats happened, Cuffy said. Its just, where do you start? Her voice broke. How do you start? Can you? I worry that it will never be the same. Everybodys gone. Everybody. And I know some wont come back. I dont know if we will. Jenita Cuffy, a public-health nurse, surveys some of the damage to her Codrington home. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post) Affliction She is decked out in her Sunday best, her husband, Peter, and son Garen by her side. They have come to worship at a small revival hall behind St. Johns Pentecostal House of Restoration on Antigua, 39 miles across sparkling turquoise waters. Their preacher from back home on Barbuda, Bishop Nigel Henry, offered solace and spirit to his displaced flock. By boat and airlift, Barbudans had found a temporary home on Antigua, in shelters and the homes of Antiguan families. Affliction, Henry cried out, his voice echoing through the church. My people, we have an affliction. Its like a lawn mower took down our island, and its amazing that were still here, still alive. Our little island didnt bother anyone. All we did was love to have fun. And yet still, we had it. A Category 5 plus plus plus. The old folks might go back, the bishop said, but a lot of the younger ones, theyre going to find jobs, go to schools, here in Antigua. I dont think theyre going back. Its a question Cuffy and her family already are mulling. On Antigua, Garen, 9, swiftly acquired a taste for KFC and Big Banana Pizza the kind of chains that never made it to Barbuda. Last week, he was in the back seat of a family friends car when it suddenly started to rain. Garen curled up in a ball. The rain summoned memories of the bathroom cupboard where his parents had hid him as Irma tore at their Barbuda home. He says he wont go back, ever, Cuffy said. It puts me of two minds, you know. I want to go back . . . but hes my son. Later, in the small Antigua apartment a cousin has lent them, Cuffys 60-year-old mother, Junie John, wasnt hearing any of it. We got to go back, its home, she said, slapping her hands on her lap. Lestroy John, Junies husband and Cuffys stepfather, chimed in: Oh, we goin back. My people there. Gonna be there. Cuffy went silent. She recalled the 1995 storm, Hurricane Luis, which tore things up good, but not like Irma. Junie remembers the earthquake in 1974. It was bad, too. And its not like family never left. One sister moved to the District, the other to Antigua. But they left for work, not to escape the storms. We always rebuilt, we always stayed put, Junie John said. My mother always told me, Junie, mind your land. We have done that. No gonna stop now. Faiola reported from Antigua and Barbuda; Schmidt from Puerto Rico; and Fisher from Washington. Staff writer A new blade runner played by Ryan Gosling discovers a dark secret that might bring an end to humanity. The sci-fi classic "Blade Runner" is beloved and rightly so not just for its compelling narrative of the lonely hunter, but for the package that the futuristic fable came wrapped in. Based on a 1968 novel by Philip K. Dick, Ridley Scott's 1982 film was notable for its screenplay of oblique, muscular poetry (by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples); a cynical and gorgeously gloomy film noir sensibility; and philosophical musings about what it means to be human. "Blade Runner 2049," the superb new sequel by Denis Villeneuve ("Arrival"), doesn't just honor that legacy, but, arguably, surpasses it, with a smart, grimly lyrical script (by Fancher and Michael Green of the top-notch "Logan"); bleakly beautiful cinematography (by Roger Deakins); and an even deeper dive into questions of the soul. Ryan Gosling plays L.A.P.D. officer K, a hunter of bioengineered humanoid replicants in the sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049. (Credit: Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros. Pictures) ) Set 30 years after the action of the first film, 2049 focuses, like Scotts tale, on a blade runner: a cop whose mission it is to track down and retire bioengineered humanoid replicants that were once used as slave labor skinners, or skin jobs, in the parlance of the film and who have since gone on the lam after being found to disobey orders. In the world of 2049, there are now two kinds of replicants, in addition to people: the old, rogue versions, and a newer, more subservient variety designed by a godlike industrialist (Jared Leto), who refers to his products, tellingly, as good and bad angels. One key character isnt even real, at least not in the traditional sense, but a hologram. When we first meet the films L.A.P.D. hero, called K (Ryan Gosling), he is on the job, a routine assignment that might be considered an assassination if the target of his lethal mission were human, or his cause unethical. And maybe they are. Who knows? Those open-ended questions loom large in both films, along with some new ones here. While dispatching his victim, K discovers something that, in the words of his supervisor (Robin Wright), breaks the world. That might seem a strange way of putting things, in a city that already seems pretty broken. The Los Angeles of Blade Runner 2049 is one that alternates between smog, lashing rain and an ashlike precipitation that may or may not be snow. The city is surrounded by mountains of trash, and farther out beyond that, a radioactive wasteland. But theres a precarious balance to this world of us-and-multiple-thems, and Ks find which opens a new and, for him, more personal mystery turns the film from a manhunt, or whatever you might call it that K does, into a characters search for his own past. If this synopsis sounds like its dancing around a more explicit summary of whos who and whats what, it is. Some critics who were invited to press screenings of 2049 were asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement, singling out several characters and plot points as spoilers to be avoided. Reporters from The Washington Post were not asked to sign this, but because the film contains many genuine pleasures and surprises, large and small, it really is best to know the least about this film. Harrison Ford, left, who starred in the first Blade Runner film, faces off against Ryan Gosling in the sequel Blade Runner 2049. (Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros. Pictures) ) What can be said: There are returning characters, including Harrison Fords blade runner Deckard, from the first film. Hes in the trailer, but Deckards precise role in this ambitious coda of a gumshoe opera should and will, in these pages remain unspoken. The special effects are impeccable, and they include sequences that blur the line, evocatively, between whats real and unreal. The score by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, both of whom worked on the sonically aggressive Dunkirk, is loud and at times assaultive here, modulating from a quietly anticipatory ear-tinkle to the blast of a foghorn. At close to three hours, Blade Runner 2049 is a long film, but its unlikely that true partisans will notice, or mind. What is Blade Runner 2049 about? It may help to know that two characters are named Joi (Ana de Armas) and Luv (Sylvia Hoeks). More cant be revealed about how each one fits into this unashamedly allegorical action movie. But the deepest mystery in this tale of robots gone bad isnt who or what is synthetic, but why we need to tell ourselves that something we cant see a memory, an emotion, a conviction is real. The question, in short, is this: What makes some lives worth living, and some beliefs worth dying for? R. Open Friday, Oct. 6, at area theaters. Contains violence, some sexuality, nudity and crude language. 160 minutes. Barbara Laker, left, and Wendy Ruderman work on the Toxic City investigation in the combined Philadelphia newsroom. (Elizabeth Robertson ) Former columnist The situation is sickeningly familiar to anyone who works on or reads a metropolitan daily newspaper, whether its in New Orleans, Detroit or just about any other American city. The paper is hurting financially. It cuts reporters, photographers and editors to make ends meet. Then it cuts even deeper. The journalism suffers, but the paper's work is still vital to its community. And a question looms: Will it even survive the next decade? "The real crisis in American journalism is at the local and metro level," says Jim Friedlich, executive director of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism in Philadelphia, founded last year to save local journalism in Philadelphia and spread the cure around the nation. With the death of their old business model based on once-plentiful print advertising newsrooms are trying something new, he said. Like never before, they are turning to philanthropic sources and community support for sustenance. "We have to really face facts here the commercial model isn't going to fix the problem," said Steven Waldman, who wrote a seminal FCC report in 2011 that laid out the burgeoning crisis. Since then, things may have improved for national news organizations, like The Washington Post and the New York Times, whose national and global journalism has attracted millions of digital subscribers. But on the local level, the crisis has only grown worse. Digital advertising, once thought to be a savior, hasn't materialized sufficiently. The base of possible subscribers is limited. And vastly increased chain ownership by out-of-town investors, who too often squeeze the paper to improve profits, has wreaked havoc. It's not exaggerating to say that all kinds of local reporting from day-to-day city hall coverage to world-changing investigations like the one celebrated in the movie "Spotlight" is faced with extinction. People had to absorb the reality. There is now a recognition that the crisis in local journalism threatens our democracy and must be addressed, said Waldman who along with Charles Sennott, a former Boston Globe Middle East bureau chief, heads one such new venture, Report for America. With the ugly reality now all too obvious, hope-inspiring new efforts may be reaching critical mass. The Lenfest Institute, with an initial $20 million in funding from Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist Gerry Lenfest, is focused on saving local journalism in Philadelphia, where the Inquirer and Daily News newsrooms, along with the digital Philly.com, pool their resources and innovations. And the institute is funding a wide array of start-ups and research projects from Cambridge, Mass. to Mountain View, Calif. ProPublica, the well-respected investigative nonprofit based in New York, has expanded to the Midwest, with a pilot project called ProPublica Illinois, striving to get local funding for its journalism. Similar branches could spring up around the country. The Texas Tribune, based in Austin, uses philanthropic dollars to staff its watchdog reporting efforts. (It emphasizes important state-government reporting, which has atrophied across the country.) The Tribune was an early and visionary example of the nonprofit model, along with MinnPost in Minnesota and Voice of San Diego. Some organizations are turning to a membership model that asks regular news consumers to get behind the journalism in their communities. Report for America funded partly by Google News Lab has emerged as one of the most intriguing ideas. Modeled to some extent on the Peace Corps and Teach for America, it puts young journalists where they are most needed, for a year of service. In parts of Appalachia where reporting from metro dailies has withered, three Report for America journalists will work within traditional news organizations to supplement their coverage, said Sennott. The project wants 1,000 reporters placed within the next five years. Theres a really great spirit of adventure in being a local reporter, said Sennott, who founded the GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit which helps fund Report for America. Can these efforts, worthy and well-intentioned as they are, really make up for having a strong newspaper (or, once upon a time, two or three) in every sizable American city? Certainly not. Or, more hopefully, not yet. But their growth is a sign that philanthropists, foundations and news consumers are taking the crisis seriously. Americans awareness of damaging hoaxes and lies in the form of news stories also known as fake news means that local news organizations are more important than ever. The public is paying attention, said David Chavern, who heads the News Media Alliance, which rolls out a national public-education campaign this week called Support Real News, emphasizing the role of trusted often local news sources. We have a moment, he told me, and moments dont last. To say that local journalism should be saved is an understatement. It simply must be saved, and the time is now. For more by Margaret Sullivan visit wapo.st/sullivan Columnist My entire life I have heard complaints about how little we Americans know about our history. So why is Virginia killing its annual U.S. history tests, while still requiring state exams in English, math and science? I always liked Virginias Standards of Learning tests, particularly U.S. History to 1865 in fifth grade, U.S. History 1865 to Present in middle school and the high school exam, U.S and Virginia History. Twenty years ago, my first front page story as a Post education writer was about other states admiring Virginias new guide to key parts of our nations story. Shortly after the courses and tests began in the 1990s, I read the history exams, which were locked in a room in Richmond. They covered a wide range of vital topics, were not too difficult and did not demand obscure memorization, despite an anti-test Fairfax County schools superintendent claiming (falsely) that the tests asked for the name of J.E.B. Stuart's horse. Few people shared my affection for those exams. Many students scored poorly. At one point, the state school board tried to solve the problem by lowering the passing score, but that didnt help. In 2014, the Virginia legislature ordered a cut in the number of tests taken by the states children, and specifically eliminated the fifth grade and middle school U.S. history tests. The U.S. and Virginia history exam in high school is also about to disappear. The history courses remain without the required tests. I predict this will happen in other states, too. Politicians seem to think the best way to reduce testing pressure is to dump tests, no matter how important. I wish they had listened to Mark Ingerson, a splendid Salem, Va., history teacher I know. He never mentioned the exams to his students until a month before testing day. If you focus on learning and help the students to understand what they have mastered and what areas they need to grow in, the scores take care of themselves, he said. Thats a healthy attitude, but it does little to arrest the American tendency to make high school as easy as possible for average students. Students and their parents tend to complain about hard work. Virginia officials say dropping the history tests wont make the courses too easy, but the educator they assigned to explain this to me was an odd choice for that mission. I met Steve Constantino, now chief academic officer of the Virginia Education Department, in the late 1990s. He was then the brilliant principal of Stonewall Jackson High School in Prince William County. He turned that school into a model for the demanding International Baccalaureate program. Even without the state history exams, he told me this month, the course, requirements, standards, etc., are all still very much required and schools are accountable to ensure that students master the content. I believe what this does is move the course toward more of a deeper learning experience, i.e., IB. I asked if all vital points will be covered without the incentive of a big test. Absolutely, Constantino said. Teachers I have spoken to are eager to teach their content and assess their students in a more authentic and engaging manner. If you are so sure of that, I said, then why continue to have big tests for the other subjects? The federal government requires that states give English, math and science tests, he said. I suspect Congress thought those subjects would lead to better jobs than history. Constantinos celebration of no more history tests overlooked something important. One of the reasons his IB program at Stonewall Jackson High worked so well was that his IB students had to take the nations most difficult final exams, some of them five hours long. My suggestion is that Virginia replace its state history tests with IB exams. You can learn a great deal preparing for one of those even if you flunk it. But thats not going to happen. Constantinos dream of deeper learning without challenging tests has never been achieved in American schools. So we will muddle along, not learning much history, since despite what we say, we really dont think we need it. Columnist The upstairs bathroom in Susan and John Greifer's Silver Spring house had always struck them as a bit odd. It was L-shaped, with a corner that seemed to intrude into the room unnecessarily. And, indeed, when the drywall was torn down during a renovation in the 1990s, there was nothing back there no pipes, no wiring, nothing except a paper bag full of snapshots, letters and newspaper clippings. Nothing but memories. "Dear Family," one handwritten letter begins, "I'm sitting on the side of my bunk, listening to Perry Como's Thanksgiving program on Armed Forces Radio and counting my blessings." In a neat hand, Lt. William A. Stacy Jr. wrote to his family in Maryland describing what Thanksgiving 1965 was like in Vietnam. ("We are going to have turkey today," he wrote. "They dropped it out of an L-19 aircraft yesterday.") He wrote about how he would soon be starting a new job, as senior adviser to a South Vietnamese army unit in Ben Tre, a promotion from his job as an assistant adviser. (The new job will mean a great increase in operations, but Im looking forward to getting out and doing some work it makes the time go quicker.) Stacy served during the Vietnam War. (Family photos) In a letter to his grandmother, Bill Stacy wrote approvingly of his cousin John, who was working with the Peace Corps in a leper colony. "I would say that you head a pretty fine family all of them are builders or healers," he wrote. "I'm the only destroyer, but I guess one black sheep in the family isn't a bad average." The photos included ones of Bill Stacy before the war and during it. In one picture, hes a young man sitting on a couch in a knotty-pine-paneled room. He holds an acoustic guitar. In another photo, hes standing in shorts, T-shirt and aviator sunglasses in what looks like a tropical setting. Hes casually holding a machine gun. For nearly 20 years, Susan and John kept the papers inside a manila folder in a filing cabinet. The new Ken Burns-Lynn Novick documentary on the Vietnam War prompted them to take the papers out and get in touch with me. I think it is now time that they be sent somewhere for posterity, or reunited with the original owners, Susan said. The PBS documentary has a lot of us revisiting the Vietnam War. Its hard to watch at times, but it seems important that we do. It explores the architects of the war the politicians and generals but brings it down to the human level, too: to the soldiers on both sides who, like Bill Stacy, left behind their families to fight. From the small collection of ephemera I started to get a sense of the young man. He was a good writer: direct, engaging. This is my first experience of a Christmas spent away from everyone I love, he wrote to his family on Dec. 24, 1965. All of us over here are trying not to get too emotionally involved this Christmas. Were trying, in fact, to treat it just like any other day so it will pass quickly without too much pain. He predicted hed be a terrible bore when he got home, writing Im going to make you and everyone else sit through a couple showings of all my slides and lecture you on my Vietnam impressions. Good and bad, there are many aspects of this country and area of the world that Americans should be aware of. A newspaper clipping mentioned that in his spare time, Bill Stacy gathered clothing, food and medical supplies for an orphanage hed adopted in a nearby village called Mo Cay. I am fighting with and advising a Vietnamese infantry battalion in the Mekong Delta, but this is a strange war, hed written to a young Ohio girl whod sent in a donation. It is not fought completely with guns and bullets. It is also a war for the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people. With individual Americans sending gifts of friendship such as you all are doing we will win the people of Vietnam and the war. Bill Stacy wouldnt be around to see whether his hope would come true. Among the yellowing newspaper clippings was an obituary: Lt. William A. Stacy Killed in Viet Nam. He was 25. His grandmother had crossed out Lt. and written in Capt. The headline writer hadnt known that her grandson had been promoted. The obituary listed the survivors: his parents, two brothers, a sister. Last week, after some digging, I dialed a number in Royalton, Vt. When a man answered the phone I told him about the bathroom in Silver Spring, about the drywall, about the pile of letters, photos and newspaper clippings. "You've just given me goose bumps," said Art Stacy, Capt. Stacy's little brother. Tomorrow: A brother remembers. Twitter: @johnkelly For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly. Working in the animal-rescue business can be quite fun: Think cuddling with kittens and playing catch with rambunctious canines. But it also can mean cleaning out pet carriers and giving water to sick dogs late on a Saturday night at a truck stop. Just ask staff members of the Prince William Humane Society. The nonprofit group, launched in 2012, opened its first adoption center earlier this year, and its workers made that trek to the truck stop last month to take in dogs and cats displaced by Hurricane Irma. The efforts were part of fulfilling the organizations combined mission of increasing adoption rates of homeless pets and reducing animal euthanasia in the county. The Irma pets had been in shelters in Florida, and the Prince William group took custody of them as part of an arrangement with the Kanab, Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society, said Humane Society President Lori Leary. The Prince William contingent left the county at 6 p.m. Sept. 9 and headed to the truck stop in the Richmond area to meet animal rescuers who were bringing dogs and cats north. The Humane Society group picked up 30 dogs and 16 cats and headed back to Prince William. They agreed to house all the cats and 10 of the dogs for adoption, and to bring the remaining 20 dogs to the county government-run animal shelter in Bristow. It was a whirlwind tour by the time the Humane Society workers left the shelter, it was 3:30 a.m. but the impact seemed clear the next day, as prospective adopters clamored to find out about the Irma pets. We were closed that day, but we had people knocking on the door, Leary said. Since then, the Irma animals have been getting adopted, and the Humane Society has been getting back to more usual tasks. Mainly, the organization partners with the county shelter to reduce overpopulation there and prevent euthanasia when possible. The Humane Society adopts animals from the shelter, paying the required fee just as an individual would, and then brings them to the groups own adoption shop in Dumfries. That operation can house about 11 dogs and 18 cats and is a place where potential pet owners can interact with the available animals. The organization has a paid staff of three, as well as 35 to 40 volunteers, and is funded by donations. In addition to adoption services for the general public, it runs programs for military families, wounded veterans and the elderly. Its work Leary describes in serious terms. Youre saving lives, she said. These animals are innocent. Theyre lost or theyre discarded or theyre given up on. They have nowhere to go. And its work that benefits the public, Prince William police Maj. Dawn Harman said. The Board of County Supervisors recently approved the construction of a new $14.1 million animal shelter, but the current shelter has been overcrowded for years, said Harman, whose duties include overseeing the facility. When theres overcrowding, it means diseases can spread among the animals. But by helping to reduce the shelter population, the Humane Society helps prevent that. And that, in turn, minimizes future health-care costs and costs to taxpayers at the government-run operation, Harman said. The animals the Humane Society gets from the shelter dont end up staying in Dumfries for long, either, she said, because the organization has been successful in finding homes for the pets. The first adoption at the Humane Societys shop was made in May by 29-year-old Katie Cooper, whose family lives on a horse farm in Orange County, west of Fredericksburg. Cooper found Taco, a Chihuahua-like one she grew up with, online and was smitten right away. I fell in love with her eyes, she said. What Cooper didnt notice at first, though, was that Taco has only three legs. Taco arrived at the county shelter with a severe spiral fracture, according to the Humane Societys website. She lost one leg, but emergency medical procedures the organization paid for thats another program it runs restored her to health otherwise. Now, the petite 9-year-old spends her days in a rural setting with horses, goats, chickens and cats, Cooper said, and spends her nights sleeping alongside Coopers 7-year-old son, Austin. In one of my favorite stories about former Billings Mayor Willard Fraser, he once became incensed at The Billings Gazette for, well, speaking the truth. More precisely, he was livid because The Gazette published verbatim Fraser's truth. Furious and finger-wagging, he asked a reporter who had apparently upset him by that day's story, "What do you mean telling people what I mean?" In other words: How dare you use my words against me. But that's what the media does: Compare politicians' words to their actions. In a nutshell, that's accountability. Fagg's exploration Last April, before Yellowstone County District Judge Russell Fagg decided to mull over a run for the U.S. House; before he decided to resign from the bench; before he explored the possibility of the U.S. Senate, he was a monthly local columnist writing about all things judicial on the opinion page of The Gazette. In one of those columns, Fagg said, "One good solution is for justices to recuse themselves from any case where there is the 'appearance of impropriety.'" Fagg, in his column, seems to have borrowed what he says he believes directly from the Montana Code of Judicial Conduct which says that judges at all times must "avoid both impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in their professional and personal lives." Fagg's actions recently raise questions about whether he really meant those words. And those questions must not only be asked, but answered. As Fagg "explores" a possible Senate bid, we have to ask some tough questions. That, after all, is the media's job. A state judicial commission determined in July that Fagg's "exploratory" foray into politics didn't violate Montana's law at the time. In July, he hardly had much more than a website and so an investigator said he had not breached any ethical code, called judicial canons which are meant to prohibit judges from becoming politically active. But a careful review of attorney Geoff Keller's findings on July 20 said, "Fagg is not a declared candidate for any public office at this time." Judges typically cannot engage in overt political activities for good reason it undermines the impartiality of the judiciary. But all that was before Fagg started talking about specific issues, before he put to work Washington-D.C. area consultants, and before he slapped "Judge" on the "Russ Fagg U.S. Senate" donation materials. The report said, "(Fagg) hasn't taken any actions...that would convert him from being a potential candidate." It also said that Fagg had not, in July, said, "this is what I have done/believe." Montana's Judicial Canons also prohibit judges from moonlighting as politicians. Rule 4.1(A)(6) says, "A judge or judicial candidate shall not publicly identify himself or herself as a candidate of a political organization." The Canon 4 also says that a judge cannot "publicly oppose a partisan or independent candidate for any non-judicial public office." However, Fagg's recent actions seem to run contrary to these rules, and his words to supporters at a recent Billings event seem indistinguishable from those of a candidate. In a speech to supporters in Billings he said Sen. Jon Tester "is definitely going in the wrong direction. He's definitely voting for the Democratic line. And I can, you know, give you all kinds of examples... I mean, he says one thing and he does something else. And he's really got people bamboozled... And I just think we can do better. And so, it's a huge challenge. I am under no illusions how difficult it's going to be to unseat Senator Tester. I mean, the guy's already raised $6 million. I can't imagine that. To me, it's just crazy." Several times, Fagg talks about exploring a candidacy, but then seems to slip back into talking like a candidate one who happens to also occupy a seat on the bench. Fagg, while at the fundraising event in Billings, addressed the federal deficit, states' rights, the BLM, the Forest Service, and natural resources not exactly the kinds of things that affect him daily in his job as a District Court judge. 'Best chance' of 2018 win At the conclusion of his remarks in Billings, Fagg said, "I think Montana has a great future ahead of it, but we need to work together in order to do that, and I think I am the best chance of winning the general election in November of 2018." If that's not identifying yourself as a candidate, I don't know what is. And if saying Tester is has people "bamboozled," doesn't count as opposing a partisan candidate for non-judicial public office, then the judicial canons would seem to be worthless. In an interview about his comments, Fagg told me that he saw nothing wrong with the remarks because he had told the room full of supporters that he was only exploring a run. "I have a bright line in cases of impropriety," Fagg said. "And if you read the judicial commission's report, they said that this is the way to do it. I don't understand the disconnect. Everything I have done is done with FEC (Federal Elections Commission) and the judicial committee in mind." Twice during the speech, he mentioned donation envelopes with checkboxes for a "generous" donation of $5,400 per couple (not tax deductible, by the way) or $2,700 for individuals. On that same donation form, Fagg's logo has incorporated "Judge" Russ Fagg, U.S. Senate. In small font below the shape of Montana, it says, "Exploratory Committee." Looks like impropriety If slapping "Judge" on a contribution form doesn't constitute an appearance of impropriety, I don't know what does. "I had a judge who said, 'Once a judge, always a judge,'" Fagg said in an interview with me. "I have been a judge for 22 years and so that helps people know who I am." For a man just considering a run at politics, it also seems odd that he's recruited LVH Consulting in the Washington, D.C. area. A look at that "consulting company" shows nearly $2 million in payments from various Republican campaigns in 2016, including Pat Toomey, Mike Lee, Tim Scott and even Montana's own, Zinke for Congress. Odd that Fagg criticized Tester for a $6 million fundraising war chest when he appears to be poised to raise millions, too. "I don't have a contract with them," Fagg said, but acknowledged they are sending communications on his behalf. Fundraising is not illegal for an exploratory committee, but using the title "judge" on fundraising literature looks "inconsistent with the independence, integrity or impartiality" of the judiciary all part of Canon 4 of the Montana Code of Judicial Conduct. Here's what I mean: He is sitting on the bench and clearly engaging in political activity. If a litigant walked into his courtroom with a Bernie Sanders or a Hillary Clinton button or T-shirt, how could they be sure Fagg would treat them with impartiality? It's that darn "appearance of impropriety" he cited in his own column. When asked about the column, Fagg said that he was criticizing judges who took trips paid for by companies whose cases they were adjudicating, not commenting on judges and political office. He said those words his words are being used out of context. I'd argue this isn't some hair-splitting exercise in semantics. It's not even about politics. It's about trust. I have the greatest respect for Fagg's service in the community. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone more involved in the community during the course of many years. His politics are no surprise either; he was a Republican legislator. If he was so committed to judges not appearing to act improperly that he wrote a column about it, we have an obligation to take him at his word. And it would appear that Fagg is guilty of the same misstep for which he criticized the nation's highest judges. That's the troubling part. If we cannot trust what he says while he's in a job that has a strict canon of ethics and rules, what is going to make Fagg more trustworthy when and if he moves from the bench to the U.S. Senate? Be a judge or be a senatorial candidate. But I am not sure you can be both, your honor. We have to be able to hold our politicians to their own words. Fagg's column was called "Ask The Judge." That's precisely what residents should be doing when it comes to his recent actions. THE DISTRICT SE man found fatally shot inside of vehicle A District man was found dead inside a car in Southwest Washington on Saturday morning. Police responded to a reported shooting at about 7:45 a.m. in the 100 block of Atlantic Street SW. There they found inside a vehicle a man with a gunshot wound. The victim was identified as Marcus Anthony Shepherd, 22, of Southeast Washington. Homicide detectives are investigating the crime. D.C. authorities are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for any homicide committed in the District. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the departments text tip line by sending a text message to 50411. Joe Heim Maryland Pedestrian killed in Charles County A pedestrian was killed Saturday in the Waldorf area of Charles County, Md., when he was struck by a car, the state police reported Saturday night. They said Dwayne Thompson of Loveville, Md., was hit by a vehicle on Route 228 east of Western Parkway. He was hit in a left-turn lane as he tried to cross the westbound lanes from the median, the police said. They said it was not known why he entered the path of the vehicle. The incident occurred about 5:45 a.m., police said. They said they are continuing to investigate. Martin Weil and Clarence Williams Discarding old meds? Head to these sites. Prince William County police will offer residents a safe way to dispose of unused prescription medicine as part of a take-back initiative from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The department will have dropoff locations 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 28. The sites are: Novant Health Prince William Medical Center, 8700 Sudley Rd., Manassas. Novant Health UVA Haymarket Medical Center, 15225 Heathcote Blvd., Haymarket. Sentara Lake Ridge, 12825 Minnieville Rd., Woodbridge. The service is free and anonymous. Prescription and over-the-counter medications will be accepted. No liquids, syringes, intravenous solutions or illegal substances are allowed. For information, call 703-792-7270. Pr. William Health District seeks helpers An information meeting on the Prince William Health Districts Community Health Worker volunteer program is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 24 at 8470 Kao Cir., Manassas. Volunteers link individuals with community resources and health-care centers, and provide lifestyle change programs on chronic disease prevention and management. No experience is necessary. Training is provided. For information or to register for the meeting, email bisrat. tesfagiorgis@vdh.virginia.gov. Carlton O. Harris, 28, shown here working at a construction site downtown Washington earlier this year, was mistakenly incarcerated for 77 days at the D.C. jail after corrections officials failed to realize a misdemeanor case against him had been dismissed. (Carlton O. Harris ) A 28-year-old journeyman roofer was mistakenly held at the D.C. jail for more than two months after a misdemeanor charge against him was dismissed and was freed only after another inmate flagged his own lawyer to the problem. After being arrested following a dispute at his home, Carlton O. Harris was trapped in a jail bureaucracy that since 2005 has cost D.C. taxpayers more than $18 million paid to settle lawsuits on behalf of thousands of inmates held past their release dates or wrongly strip-searched. Harris, a father of two in Southeast Washington, was arrested March 28. Prosecutors dropped the case the next day but Harris was jailed for 77 days without a chance to see a judge or be granted a defense attorney. He finally went before a court June 15 only after the other inmates lawyer alerted federal defenders, who then brought Harris to the attention of court officials, according to lawyers familiar with the case and a review by U.S. marshals. The D.C. Department of Corrections and its legal counsel declined several interview requests about the events. Due to safety and security reasons, the Department of Corrections declines to comment, spokeswoman Keena Blackmon said in a one-sentence statement, declining to elaborate. The U.S. Marshals Service, which transports prisoners to and from the D.C. Superior and U.S. District courts in the District, investigated the handling of Harris after The Washington Post asked court officials about his extended jail stay. Findings and documents from the review read to The Post show that marshals were told Harris was being held on a pending D.C. case even though the matter had been dropped. It was a clerical error by the D.C. Department of Corrections, said a law enforcement official familiar with the review who summarized its findings on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the department. Just a few weeks before Harriss arrest, the Districts lawyers admitted in a long-running federal lawsuit that the jail had detained Gregory Smith for 23 days longer that it should have on his sentence from 2014. The corrections department had claimed for nearly three years that it had never received Smiths release order from a judge. But in February, city officials in court filings acknowledged that the jail received a time-stamped release order for Smith the day it was issued on March 18, 2014, and that it had been in Smiths institutional file all along. The city this fall is set to start paying $6 million awarded in the latest, 2013 overdetention settlement, reached after then-U. S. District Chief Judge Royce C. Lamberth of Washington blasted the citys failure to deliver on promised reforms as conscience-shocking. A new class-action lawsuit on behalf of prisoners alleges the government is hiding the extent of errors, citing recent overdetentions such as Harriss. In responses to some of those pending claims, lawyers representing the District say the system has heeded past calls for improvements and dramatically cut down on mistakes. Its out of your control The government review and records from an attorney representing Harris show that after he was released March 29 from D.C. Superior Court on the dropped misdemeanor , he was returned to the jail because he had an outstanding federal warrant in Maryland. That warrant was in place because of a traffic citation from 2013. Harris had been cited for allegedly driving with a revoked license on the grounds of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, where, Harris recalled recently, he was working with a roofing crew, and had not followed up in court to resolve the traffic case. A day after his dropped D.C. misdemeanor case, March 30, federal marshals called the jail to bring Harris to the Districts federal court to start his transfer to Maryland federal court over the warrant because of the ticket. D.C. corrections officials told marshals that Harris still had a pending D.C. criminal charge and could not be released to them, according to the review of the incident read to The Post. The marshals on March 31 filed a formal request known as a detainer for the jail to turn over Harris when his local case allowed for the handoff, the review read to The Post found. That left Harris sitting in D.C. jail for another 10 weeks until a fellow inmate spoke up. They spent $20,000 to house this person for 77 days because nobody called to fetch him. Really? said William C.C. Chas Claiborne III, who represents Harris and helped represent the two previous jail class-action cases dealing with overdetentions. Claiborne said: If you put stuff in a locker at an airport, theyre not going to hold it indefinitely until you come get it. But theyll hold a person in jail? Other inmates told Harris he was not supposed to be locked up for more than a couple of days without seeing a judge, Harris said in a recent interview, but he thought guards would ignore or punish him if he complained. Youre just going to make it worse, thats what I figured, said Harris, a Washington native and father of two who attended parochial schools including Archbishop Carroll High until the ninth grade. A jail database entry for March 29 after Harriss D.C. case had been dropped but he was returned to the jail does not mention the dropped case that could have released him or any criminal charge that would have kept him, and shows he was being held in transit on a federal detention warrant, according to the record that Claiborne obtained and shared. Claiborne said jails should regularly double-check an inmates status or keep a court order in each ones file showing whether the inmate should be held or released. This is not rocket science, he said. Rather than either of those procedures, Claiborne said, the D.C. jails process is to hold a prisoner until another agency asks for him, with predictable results. In a statement, Lamont J. Ruffin, acting chief deputy U.S. marshal of the U.S. District Court, said, This was an unfortunate set of circumstances for Mr. Harris, but after a thorough review of our processes specific to this situation, the U.S. Marshals Service was not negligent and did not cause this apparent overdetention. Under its national policy, marshals are required to check the status of warrants only every six months, said a spokesman for the service. I know I had a right to a lawyer, Harris said recently, but when youre in their custody, its out of your control. You kind of got to sit back and let them do their job. You speak up, they can go real bad. They can put you in a room, cuff you and beat you down. You can speak up, but it turns out youre going to have to shut up. Harris said he had never been held in D.C. Jail. Court records in other cases show he pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to driving under the influence in 2012 and with a revoked license in 2014, and was fined and given a 30-day suspended sentence in each case. Unsure who to blame By May, many weeks after his D.C. case had been dropped and he was still behind bars, Harris said, I started to lose hope, and then I was very worried. He said that when he had explained his plight to his Department of Corrections caseworker, she told him she had no further information. He was visited about twice a week by the mother of his boys, a 5-year-old and 6-month-old, and his own mother, a D.C. Public Schools teacher aide who found a record of the Maryland warrant online, but was told when she inquired that U.S. officials there would not bring him from an out-of state jail for such a relatively minor offense. Harris called from jail to the D.C. Public Defender Service for Superior Court which provides attorneys for defendants who cannot afford to hire one and that office told him it had not been assigned to his case, and eventually advised him to call its federal counterpart for U.S District Court in Washington. Harris said he was about to do that when, unknown to him, the federal defenders office contacted the marshals on June 14, who checked on Harriss status and arranged to bring him to federal court, two officials familiar with his case confirmed. He was called out of his D.C. jail cell early June 15 and told he was finally going to court. U.S. Magistrate Robin M. Meriweather ordered his release in Washington that day, and Harris reported to the federal court in Maryland the next day about the years-old ticket. Asked why he never paid or showed up in Maryland federal court on the first ticket, Harris said in an interview: I have no excuses why I didnt pay it. I just wasnt focused on that ticket. I mean it had been years, I was 24, I was still trying to get my direction and keep my job. However, after reporting in with the Maryland federal court right after his D.C. jail release, Harris failed to show for a July court hearing and faced a new bench warrant. Harris and Claiborne declined to comment on that proceeding. [D.C. Wrongly Jailed Deaf Man 2 Years] Harris said he isnt sure who or what is to blame for his 10-week detention in D.C. Jail. He knows the impact, however. I had a good job, and thats gone right now. Harris said he kept his union card and works on call with a temporary construction and industrial labor staffing agency, but is struggling to provide for his children and pay for food, car insurance and a phone. Youve got to be patient, otherwise youre going to work yourself into a worse position than youre in, Harris said. The work will come. A student at George Mason University died Saturday after he reportedly took a hallucinogenic drug and then crashed through a fifth-floor dormitory window, university officials said Sunday. Campus police said they were concerned that other students may have the same drug. The student, whose name was not released, was a 19-year-old sophomore, according to GMU spokesman Michael Sandler. Sandler declined to say what type of hallucinogen the student is believed to have taken. A toxicology exam by the medical examiner is pending. The incident occurred at the Potomac Heights residence hall about 4:40 p.m. Saturday. Witnesses told police that the student was on a hallucinogenic substance, Sandler said, when he ran through a window on the fifth floor and fell to the ground. When police arrived, he was alive but unresponsive, according to the spokesman. Police and paramedics performed CPR, and the student was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Sandler said. Campus police chief Carl Rowan Jr. said in an email to GMU students and staff Saturday night that no foul play was suspected but that other students may have the same hallucinogenic drug and could be at risk. The chief encouraged anyone who possesses or has taken the drug to call campus police, noting that the university has a medical amnesty program and will not prosecute anyone who reports illegal drug activity in the interest of safety. Located in Fairfax County, George Mason is the largest public research university in Virginia, with an enrollment of more than 33,000. The university has greatly expanded its on-campus housing in recent years, attempting to shed its reputation as a commuter school, and the dorm where the incident occurred, at the corner of Braddock and Roberts roads, is one of many newer dorms there. Rowan was not available for comment Sunday, a police dispatcher said. Three students who live in Potomac Heights said they saw paramedics trying to revive the student after he fell. A fifth-floor window at the rear of the large dormitory for sophomores, juniors and seniors was boarded up Sunday. Govind Virdy, a sophomore from Lansdowne, Va., said the student who fell was a close friend from Stafford, Va. He said he was a 19-year-old sophomore who had not yet decided on a major. He was a really great guy, Virdy said. He had a tough life. We were all trying to help him out. We all loved him. We all care about him. Hopefully hes where he wanted to be. Just before 8 on a Thursday morning, orthopedic surgeons Dennis Cardone and Joe Bosco sit in a tiny, dimly lit studio in a far corner of the NYU Langone Medical Center lobby, a thoroughfare to New York Universitys school of medicine and hospital on Manhattans East Side. The hosts of Sports Medicine on SiriusXMs Doctor Radio channel have been on-air since 6 a.m., helping listeners and bantering like old friends. Dressed impeccably in dark suits and starched shirts and projecting the confidence that comes from being at the top of their game, these surgeons, like the other Doctor Radio hosts, are part of the high-powered medical community buzzing just outside the tinted-glass wall. Good morning, says Mike, a listener calling from New Jersey. I am 68 years old, and I have recently taken up pickleball. . . . When I lift my arm up and this is afterwards I get these little joint-popping sensations and a little shooting pain. And Im wondering whats going on there, and is there something I can do to avoid that or get rid of it? Is it popping and pain, or just pain? Cardone asks. No. Its popping and pain. Its not uncommon for older athletes to have a strain of the rotator cuff, Cardone says. Rehab and physical therapy should help. But, he concludes, Worth having it looked at if its bothering you enough. Worth having it looked at. Mike, thanks for your call. A blast of upbeat music signals the end of the show, and the surgeons stand, carefully putting on their suit jackets. Doctor Radio began Feb. 14, 2008, with Dr. Billy Billy Goldberg, an emergency medicine specialist at the mic. Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer at SiriusXM, said he suspected there were people all over the country looking for medical answers in books or on the Internet, feeling overwhelmed. The thought was, What if we set up a channel where people could hear from experts and they were able to take calls from listeners, not to get a full diagnosis but be able to get pointed in the right direction? Greenstein said. I assumed if one caller had an issue, there may be 10 or a million people with the same issue. It could have a ripple effect. The public relations department at NYU Langone Health was a bit conservative, Andrew Brotman, senior vice president and vice dean for clinical affairs at the medical center, said. But eventually a deal was struck. The first task: Find doctors who could do radio. Veteran producer Maurice Tunick was brought on to run auditions. A psychiatrist and his prospective co-hosts arrived with a PowerPoint. The doctors needed to learn a few things about radio. Tunick and his team set up training. They put the doctors in a studio to rehearse, critiqued them and taught them to get in and out of breaks smoothly. When the doctors veered into medical jargon, the producers held up signs that said huh reminders to simplify. They do heart surgery, Tunick said. We do radio. Doctor Radio is just a sliver of the medical programming that is available via radio, television and websites. In general, the wealth of information benefits consumers, according to Orly Avitzur, medical director at Consumer Reports and a practicing neurologist. The drawback is that the information is abundant but the quality is very uneven, Avitzur said, speaking of medical programming in general, and there is not great guidance for consumers to figure out which types of information are good and which are not so good. Christina Korownyk, an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Alberta, analyzed the health recommendations on two television medical talk shows, "The Dr. Oz Show" and "The Doctors," in a 2014 study. She found that about half of the recommendations on the shows were made without evidence or contradicting the best available evidence. The bottom line is: Think critically about the advice you hear on these shows, she said, summarizing her study of the two shows. While she is not familiar with Doctor Radio, she said that a physician who provided a balanced view of evidence while being transparent about potential conflicts of interest generally would be a much more reliable source than Googling. Brotman said each Doctor Radio show is anchored by a physician or other practitioner who is assessed for knowledge and judgment and then trained for radio. That effort is intended to ensure that the information delivered is medically sound. Finally, our medical director and others continuously evaluate all shows for accuracy and medical relevance, he said. For listeners, Doctor Radio may seem like a simple undertaking. Behind the scenes, however, the day unfolds like a professional game of musical chairs. Doctors and producers take spots at the mic and in the control room just as another team squeezes out, rushing back to patients or to the SiriusXM offices at Rockefeller Center. With three minutes until Emergency Medicine goes live, Dr. Billy wants a chair. You guys want to pick up the pace? he goads Cardone and Bosco, energized with what he calls the high-functioning attention-deficit disorder that makes a great ER doctor. In the control room, producer Melanie Kron checks audio quality, signals the start and turns to the phone. She is a master of multitasking answering calls, fielding emails, posting to social media and cuing breaks with what Dr. Billy calls her Elaine dance. Dr. Billy and his co-host welcome listeners, and Kron picks up the first call. Doctor Radio. What is your name and where are you calling from, please? she asks, typing rapidly into her computer. Hi, Joe. And what is your question today? Within minutes, the phone lines are full. Theres Joe from Tennessee, Jen from Florida, Billy in Illinois and Lisa in Maine. First-time callers and regulars, truckers and nurses. The country is waking up, and Dr. Billy, like the show, is on a roll. He will fill in communication gaps, he tells the audience, as if he were the Spackle of the medical world. Doing radio has made the doctors better communicators and more patient-centric, Brotman said. It has also given them a sense of what the public is feeling. There is a lot of heartache out there, and a lot of tragedy and a lot of frustration. There is also appreciation. Keith Dartley was sitting in traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway listening to Doctor Radios Fred Feit describe the symptoms of angina when he realized the interventional cardiologist was describing exactly what he had been feeling for months each time he exercised. The 50-year-old dad had good cholesterol and blood pressure and did not consider himself a candidate for heart disease, but he made an appointment to see his doctor that afternoon. Tests showed he had 100 percent blockage in his circumflex artery. Feit, he believes, saved his life. If I hadnt been listening to Fred and if I hadnt thought so highly of him, I probably would not have gone to the doctor, he said. In gratitude, he invited the cardiologist to meet his family in Los Angeles. The number of people tuning in to Doctor Radio does not compare to the audience for someone like Howard Stern, according to Patrick Reilly, SiriusXMs senior vice president of corporate communications. The company did not disclose what percentage of its 31 million subscribers listen to Doctor Radio. Back in the studio, cardiologist Nieca Goldberg and her producer Lori K. Parker take their seats for Beyond the Heart. Parker has lined up guests for a show on womens health, patching them in by phone. Theres a collective squirm when one guest describes the huge number of mice and ticks ready to spread Lyme disease. Then Parker gets word that an afternoon producer is stuck on a train in Connecticut. Its just another day at Doctor Radio, where coping with the unexpected creates camaraderie. Colleagues of the studio experts stop by. Frank Adams, host of the weekly Pulmonology, swings by, dressed in a Brooks Brothers blazer with a stethoscope tucked into his side pocket. His office, he mentions, is right upstairs. Its a beautiful thing, he says of his proximity to the studio. Health Care Connect answers questions about insurance. The phone lines are usually jammed, and host Andrew Rubin gets so many questions by email that he rises at 4:30 a.m. every weekday to keep up with the messages and still have time for his day job as hospital vice president for clinical affairs. People dont understand this stuff, he said. They hear the politics and then the little sound bites and they have a hard time relating that to their individual circumstances. This is a place where people can call in and say, My wife just got cancer. As the lobby basks in the warmth of the afternoon sun, Jessica Bari arrives to fill in for the producer stuck on Metro North. Three guests and a host crowd around the table in the booth preparing for the Doctor Radio Reports program on transgender health and medicine. "It feels very important as a method of communication," Laura A. Jacobs, co-author of the book "You're in the Wrong Bathroom!," says before the program starts. "I don't often get to reach the people in Kansas." When the show ends, the conversation spills out into the lobby. Meanwhile, listeners get a replay of Cardone and Boscos Sports Medicine. Its the last chance for the crew to run to the lavatory or the cafeteria, or to sneak outside for a breath of fresh air. Next up, Doctor Radios final live program for the day, Michael Whitlows 6 p.m. Dermatology. After 14 hours, the channel is set for a night of rebroadcasts. Listeners are never without the shows and the doctors they have come to know. But in the hospitals former gift shop, the breathless pace is over. The studio sweatshirt, a blue fleece with Doctor Radio on the back, sits alone on an associate producers chair. It is regularly laundered, Parker said. At Doctor Radio, everyone is well aware of germs. health-science@washpost.com Read more This womans labored breathing alarmed her friends. Doctors were startled to find the cause. Pain kept this young woman from eating for 5 years. Doctors dismissed his pain as migraines. Then they said he had 24 hours to live. "WE ARE dismayed that we must withhold works of art" was the statement from the Guggenheim Museum in New York as it announced the removal from an upcoming show of three pieces that had aroused vehement protests from animal rights activists. We share that dismay. Shouldn't an institution that says it values freedom of expression as "paramount" have stood up for it rather than cave to organized threats? The museum announced last Monday that it was pulling three major works from an exhibition of art by Chinese conceptual artists, including the show's signature piece. The show, "Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World," set to open Friday, had come under increasing attack because of three pieces involving living animals that advocates for animal rights said amounted to cruelty. Most controversial was video of "Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other," in which four pairs of dogs try to fight one another but can't touch because they are on nonmotorized treadmills. An online petition drive had collected more than 700,000 signatures, and protesters marched outside the Manhattan museum over the weekend. The museum first insisted the works would remain. Of "Dogs That Cannot Touch Other," a museum spokeswoman said "it was not a question that it would stay in the exhibition," and a statement by the Guggenheim encouraged patrons to consider what the piece "may be saying about the social conditions of globalization and the complex nature of the world we share." It changed its tune last Monday and, in pulling the pieces, cited "explicit and repeated threats of violence" and concern for the safety of staff, visitors and artists. Officials declined to discuss specifics. Safety should never be discounted. Nor should concerns about exploitative abuse of animals. There is dispute about whether the dogs suffered: Animal rights advocates say the performance caused them pain and distress, while the artists called the animals naturally pugnacious and said they were examined by veterinarians before and after the performance. That the Guggenheim pulled the work while expressing regrets suggests it did so out of fear and not on the merits. That capitulation sends a chilling message about artistic freedom, which could set a troubling precedent the next time some other institution plans to display something someone else doesnt like or approve of. Museums, Tom Eccles of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College told the New York Times, are here to show works that are difficult, uncomfortable, provocative. We wont pretend to like or understand the three works that are at issue here, but there can be no misunderstanding the danger to society when artists and the institutions that display their work are denied freedom of expression. IT WAS dispiriting that Roy Moore won the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate the same week that Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) announced he would be leaving it. But the rot runs deeper than either event would suggest. When Senate leadership is content with the kind of process and dishonesty we witnessed with health-care and now tax "reform," neither event should come as a big surprise. Certainly Mr. Moore is unfit to be a senator. Over the course of his Alabama primary campaign to fill Attorney General Jeff Sessions's former Senate seat, he pulled out a gun in front of a crowd, falsely claimed that certain Midwestern towns had fallen under sharia law and suggested that "maybe Putin is right" for promoting repressive anti-gay policies. If Mr. Moore were to be seated in the Senate, he would do so after having been removed twice from his position as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court once for his refusal to take down a monument to the Ten Commandments from the courthouse and once for defying the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage. He has declared that the rule of God must reign supreme to that of law. In 2006, he demanded that Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), newly elected to Congress, be barred from taking federal office because Mr. Ellison is Muslim. While President Trump campaigned against Mr. Moore at the recommendation of Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), it would be a mistake to disregard the similarities between Mr. Trump and the insurgent judge. Both have questioned Barack Obama's citizenship and displayed disdain for the rule of law. Like the president, Mr. Moore is scornful of Mr. McConnell and the establishment wing of the Republican Party. He ran on opposition to the Senate majority leader, and his hard-line stances would likely create even more division within an already splintered Republican caucus. Yet how much moral standing does the establishment wing have to object? Mr. McConnell ended the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations and scuttled normal procedures to push repeal of the Affordable Care Act leading to Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) call for "regular order," which Mr. Trump mocked on Twitter. Now the Republican establishment is gearing up to pass a tax cut, again likely by dismissing and disparaging the Congressional Budget Office and shunning any Democratic input. To be sure, the GOP is not the only party guilty of leveraging dysfunction to its advantage: Then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) chipped away at his share of Senate traditions, too. But if the Republican leadership is afraid of what Mr. Moore could bring to Washington, it may want to reconsider the wisdom of opening the door to his hate-filled appeals and disruptive behavior by backing Mr. Trump in the first place. Otherwise, fewer and fewer public servants in the mold of Mr. Corker, long a voice for responsible governance and bipartisan cooperation, will see any point in coming to Washington in the first place. President Trump on Sept. 30 tweeted that San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz showed poor leadership in her response to Hurricane Maria. Cruz responded on Oct. 1. (Video: Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) Gift Article Share San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz called for more, better coordinated federal aid on Sunday to deal with the widespread storm damage in Puerto Rico as President Trump continued to praise the relief effort and the U.S. government response. 2021 Election: Complete coverage and analysis ArrowRight Trump spent much Saturday attacking Cruz on Twitter, accusing her of poor leadership and of coordinating with Democrats to push fake news about his administrations disaster response. Cruz avoided directly criticizing Trump on Sunday and attempted to refocus the discussion on speeding aid and supplies to people on the island territory. All I did last week, or even this week, was ask for help, Cruz said in an interview on ABCs This Week. It has to happen in a sustained manner. It has to happen quickly. Cruz went on to compliment workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and homeland security adviser Tom Bossert for their work in recent days to restore power to parts of the island. Cruz also said she would be willing to meet with Trump during his planned visit to Puerto Rico this week. Advertisement If he asks to meet with me, of course I would meet with him, Cruz said. I mean, you know, anything that can be done and anyone that can listen. Cruz had been among the harshest critics of Trumps response to hurricanes Irma and Maria, which have killed at least 16 people and left millions across Puerto Rico without food, water and electricity in recent weeks. Cruz struck a more cautious tone after Trumps attacks on Twitter. But as Cruz spoke, Trump was again defending the relief effort, calling critics politically motivated ingrates. The political jousting has frustrated many lawmakers and observers, who worry that it distracts from the urgent need to coordinate relief efforts. Every minute we spend in the political realm bickering with one another over whos doing what, or whos wrong, or who didnt do right is a minute of energy and time that were not spending trying to get the response right, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said during a Sunday interview on CBSs Face the Nation. Advertisement I hope well stay 100 percent focused on what needs to be done to get the people of Puerto Rico help. And then well have plenty of time in the future to have these debates about who didnt do the right thing or what could have been done better, Rubio said. Trump and other administration officials insist that the government response has been strong despite widespread damage to roads and bridges as well as poor infrastructure on the island. On Saturday, FEMA released an updated timeline of its response efforts in Puerto Rico, highlighting the delivery of generators and food and water shipments across the island. FEMA Administrator Brock Long continued defending the agencys response, citing work to reopen 700 gas stations and roughly 50 percent of private-sector grocery retail and return telephone service to a third of the people on the island. Advertisement I have disaster-assistance employee teams that are inundating Puerto Rico, going door to door, neighborhood to neighborhood, to try to get people registered, Long said Sunday in interview on This Week. Long also said Cruz needs to be more engaged with coordination efforts on the island by meeting regularly at a joint field office established by the agency. She has been there once, Long said. This is an operation that needs to happen all of the time. He added that FEMA employees have been forced to rebuild many of the most basic services in Puerto Rico, far beyond the demands that are typical in a disaster area. Weve got a long way to go, Long said. Lets call it what it is there was a weak infrastructure and building codes, and this place was wiped out by not one hurricane but two. GiftOutline Gift Article Democratic Reps. Seth Moulton (Mass.), left, and Cheri Bustos (Ill.) get instructions before working the grill during the Polk County Steak Fry on Saturday in Des Moines. (Charlie Neibergall/AP) The weather was unseasonably warm, the steak seasoned just right and the Democrats were nervous. At the inaugural Polk County Steak Fry, their party's rising stars confirmed every bad thing that Iowa had heard about their leaders. Weve left behind Americans who run lunch counters and small businesses across this great nation, said Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.). Sometimes, we come off as so anti-business, said Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio). Its a knife to my heart that there are some in the Democratic Party who just want to write off districts like mine, said Rep. Cheri Bustos (Ill.), that think we should just be flown over. It was a stark message for an event designed to set up Iowa's Democrats for a comeback. In Washington, the clock was running out on the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Saturday, the day of the steak fry, was the day that the 2017 budget resolution expired, and the day after Tom Price departed as health and human services secretary in disgrace. In Iowa, those victories hardly registered. The battered state party had watched loyal Democrats switch en masse to the Donald Trump-led Republican ticket, then watched a GOP-run legislature pass bills that undercut labor unions. Democrats had won most of the years special elections, but the trauma of 2016 lingered. [Democrats hit the road to win back Washington] For Polk Countys Democrats, urban progressives who worried that they had lost touch with their rural neighbors, one response was the resurrection of what used to be the Harkin Steak Fry, the fundraiser hosted for decades by former congressman and senator Tom Harkin where meat was grilled and activists were revved up by star political guests. Harkin retired in early 2015, with Hillary Clinton working the grill at his last hurrah. This year, local Democrats revived and re-branded the event but were clear from the outset that they were not holding a presidential cattle call. The three qualifications we had were: new faces, bolder messages and an economic focus, said Sean Bagniewski, chairman of the Polk County Democratic Party. The less people know about you, the more they want to come and see you which is great for us. Instead, the event became a friendly airing of grievances about the direction of the country under Trump and the direction of a Democratic Party led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.). Seven candidates for Iowas 3rd Congressional District, which includes Des Moines, had five minutes each for speeches; so did seven candidates for governor. Bagniewski had hoped to outsell Republican Sen. Joni Ernsts roast and ride, which had booked Vice President Pence and moved 1,450 tickets; the Polk County event moved 1,500 tickets, hundreds of them for local candidates. Most of those candidates, such as gubernatorial front-runner Nate Boulton, decried a state and country that had been misled into Republican rule. They talked about small roots, about 99-county tours and most frequently about rural hospitals that were on the chopping block after Iowa Republicans privatized Medicaid. Theyve defunded Planned Parenthood, said Boulton, a state senator who represents fast-growing Des Moines but emphasizes his roots in tiny Columbus Junction. Theyve cut whole programs for our state. Ive talked to a physician who couldnt fill a prescription for a little girl because of Medicaid cuts. There was far less talk about Washington; the partys leaders were not mentioned by name. Moulton, Ryan and Bustos walked from conversation to conversation, would-be candidates and volunteers getting friendly face time. They had the brand that made the most sense, post-Trump young and unpretentious, with plenty to say about rural voters. I think we need a new generation, said Vince Geraci, 63, who took a knee during the steak frys playing of the national anthem. I wouldnt want that job. Weve got 75-, 80-year-old people in charge. I like Kirsten Gillibrand, I like Cory Booker. I want to see some younger folks in leadership positions. Its time for some of these old-timers to retire. We need the post-Vietnam generation to come in. Theres little sense that the partys current leaders want to give up or that theyre interested in a rural apology tour. In interviews, Pelosi has mocked Republicans plan to campaign on an anti-Pelosi platform in 2018, counting on her low favorable ratings to tarnish local Democrats brands. They do that because theyre bankrupt in terms of their ideas, the House Democratic leader told the New York Times in a podcast interview last week. They have to resort to personal assaults. [Pelosi was toxic in 2010. GOP leaders face the same problem.] Iowas Democrats, who hope to win the 3rd District and the bluer 1st District in 2018, are more worried. The response, helped by Democrats such as Bustos, has been to build campaigns early and focus on local issues, before Republicans can go negative. And to blunt the attacks, Democrats would own their mistakes. In her remarks at the steak fry, Bustos described how in her state, as in Iowa, rural voters fell away to Trump because they felt ignored by Democrats. The heartland is far from Trump Country, she said. I saw too many forgotten corners of our country frankly, too many places forgotten by our own party. You know what? We can never let that happen again. Ryan, the Ohio congressman who unsuccessfully challenged Pelosi for speaker after the 2016 election, was even more damning on the 2016 message. As a backbench congressman, hed endorsed Clinton for president and even spoken at Ready for Hillary events before she announced her candidacy in 2015. He has since become convinced that Clintons rainbow coalition strategy allowed Republicans to portray Democrats as a hodgepodge of interest groups. We said, well, if youre African American, were going to talk to you about voting rights, Ryan said. If youre Latino, were going to talk to you about choice. If youre a woman, were going to talk to you about choice. If youre gay, were going to talk to you about LGBT rights. We affirmed their divisions! We played right into their hands! But there was little in the Democrats Iowa message that Clinton had not said in 2016. Ryan suggested that Democrats could be the party in favor of reversing global warming. Moulton called for high-speed rail that could cut three-hour commutes to 30 minutes. None of the policies on this agenda were conservative. The main difference was in who was selling them. Not even Pelosis apparent victories in 2017, deals with the White House that saved Democrats spending priorities, were considered enough to change the partys image so long as she led it. You can just look at the numbers, Moulton said. Look at the polling. I give her all the credit in the world for negotiating the best deal with President Trump that she could. But imagine how much better that deal would be if we were in the majority. In the meantime, rural Democrats could agree on one message: more and better flag-waving patriotism. In the hours before the steak fry, Bustos attended a training session for a dozen local candidates at Wildfire Contact, a media firm that had helped her and other rural Democrats hold on in 2016. Some of the advice was standard short stump speeches, clear values, personal stories that would stick. Other advice was more tailored to the Trump era. At one point, the candidates saw a direct-mail advertisement Bustos had sent after passing a bill that required the federal government to buy U.S. flags that had been entirely made in the United States. Made in America, thanks to Cheri Bustos, read the front of the ad. A consultant running the session said that it looked like an outtake from the HBO series Veep and that it had worked. Its the best piece of mail Ive ever sent, Bustos said. Read more at PowerPost Italy has become the latest country to expel a North Korean ambassador, saying that isolation was "inevitable" if Pyongyang continued to push ahead with its nuclear weapons program. The decision comes as the United States urges countries that have diplomatic relations with North Korea to sever or at least scale them back. Angelino Alfano, Italys foreign minister, said the North Korean ambassador in Rome, Mun Jong Nam, had been ordered to leave. "We want to make Pyongyang realize that their isolation is inevitable if they don't change tack," Alfano told Italian newspaper la Repubblica in an interview published Sunday. Mun had been in Rome barely a month, with his appointment announced by the Norths Korean Central News Agency on Aug. 28. Italy becomes the fifth country to expel a North Korean ambassador, following in the footsteps of Spain, Mexico, Peru and Kuwait. A United Nations Security Council resolution passed late last year required member states to reduce the number of staff at North Korean diplomatic missions and consular posts, and to limit the number of bank accounts to one per diplomatic mission and one per diplomat. [Spain becomes fourth country to expel North Korean envoy over nuclear program] The Trump administration has been vigorously lobbying governments that have diplomatic relations with North Korea to curtail them as punishment for North Koreas continued defiance of the international communitys calls to stop missile launches and nuclear tests. After launching two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July technically capable of reaching the United States, North Korea detonated what it claimed to be a hydrogen bomb a claim that most analysts and many governments believe is true. In addition to pushing for tougher sanctions, President Trump has been encouraging North Koreas diplomatic isolation. In a directive signed early in his administration, Trump included instructions to diplomats and officials to bring up North Korea in virtually every conversation with foreign interlocutors and urge them to sever all ties with Pyongyang. Those conversations have had significant success, particularly in recent weeks as North Korea has tested another nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles, officials said, The Washington Post reported Saturday. The United States does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea. Its interests in Pyongyang are represented by the Swedish Embassy there, while U.S. officials can talk through the New York channel to North Korean diplomats accredited to the United Nations. [ Trump signed presidential directive ordering actions to pressure North Korea ] In the interview with la Repubblica, Alfano also said that he was comforted by Secretary of State Rex Tillersons remarks that the United States had a direct channel to North Korea, signaling that diplomacy remained on the table for dealing with a defiant Pyongyang. The Italian government would not completely sever all diplomatic relations with North Korea, the minister said, because it was useful to have a line of communication to Pyongyang. Italy, which chairs the sanctions committee of the Security Council, has also been calling on the international community to apply strong pressure on the Pyongyang regime, Alfano said. Italys Foreign Ministry convened a meeting on North Korea in Rome last week, it said in a statement. Members of the Group of Seven countries, together with the European Union, South Korea and Australia, met to discuss how sanctions are being applied, the ministry said in a separate statement. Read more: Tillerson: U.S. is in direct contact with North Korea, is probing talks Trump escalates a war of words with North Korea Trump thanks China for help on North Korea, claims diplomacy is working Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Alexander Gauland, leader of the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, arrives at a first meeting of the AfD's parliamentary group at the Marie-Elisabeth-Lueders-Haus parliamentary building in Berlin on September 26, 2017, two days after general elections. (John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images) For years, debate in the parliament of this east German state capital on the banks of the Elbe flowed as languidly as the cool waters of the river on a clear autumn's day. But then, in March 2016, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party stunned the cozy local political establishment with a second-place finish. Ever since, the currents in the state parliament have boiled and churned, the glass-paneled debating chamber transformed into a forum for seething exchange. Lawmakers question each others patriotism, and some refuse to sit together in the parliamentary cafeteria. Innocuous-seeming debates over issues such as elder care devolve into bitter re-litigations of the countrys refugee policies. And, almost daily, insults fly that evoke the worst of German history. Nazis! the far rights opponents shout. Stasi! the AfDs lawmakers reply, using the name of communist secret police in Cold War East Germany. The sudden transformation of the political culture in Magdeburg from numbing to noxious offers a preview of the future that could await Germany's federal Parliament in Berlin after the AfD surged to third place in Sept. 24's election, becoming the first far-right party in more than half a century to win seats in the Bundestag, the legislature's lower house. As in Magdeburgs legislature before last year, the tone in the Bundestag has long been consensual in the extreme, with the two major parties joined in a coalition government and with little else to disturb the harmony of a body where, in direct response to the darkest chapters of Germanys past, civil discourse is prized. [German far-right leader says Merkels refugee policy enabled his partys rise] But the AfD, which won 94 seats in the recent vote, has vowed to intrude noisily on the quiet. On election night, party leader Alexander Gauland thundered that the AfD would use its prominent new platform to "hunt" Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government. The five parties that control the remainder of the seats in the 709-member Bundestag have said they will not cooperate with the AfD and have denounced the partys anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric. That makes the AfDs chances of actually using its perch in the federal Parliament to enact legislation minimal, at best. Yet, as Magdeburg shows, the party doesnt need to pass laws to have an outsize influence. The tone has changed, said Roger Stocker, a political scientist at the citys Otto von Guericke University. Its more aggressive. Its more rough. Theres less respect. The language used is not what youd expect in [the state] parliament. I think, Stocker said, the Bundestag will go the same way. The AfDs emergence last year as the second-largest party in Saxony-Anhalt, the struggling eastern German state of which Magdeburg is the capital, was even more surprising than its relative triumph nationally on Sept. 24. At the time, the three-year-old party had never scored higher than 12 percent in a state election. But on March 13, 2016, it doubled that total in Saxony-Anhalt, storming its way into a parliament that had been dominated for a decade by a tightknit coalition between the countrys two dominant parties. It was a big shock, said Stocker, who is an active member of one of those establishment parties, the Social Democrats. There was paralysis. Nobody thought they would get that kind of result. [Merkels stumble in the German election has big implications for Europe] The outcome forced the two main parties to add a third the Greens to the state's coalition government, just as results of the national election are likely to yield an uncomfortable three-way coalition among parties that are less than natural allies. And just as it plans to do nationally, the AfDs disruption of the existing order did not stop there. AfD opponents in the state parliament say the partys lawmakers brought a new mode of behavior to the chamber, one in which they openly cheered their own, jeered others, interrupted when they disagreed and smashed long-standing taboos. When climate change comes up, AfD members interject that its a hoax. If theres a debate over funding for the elderly, the far-right party demands to know why refugees are getting money that it says should be going to German senior citizens. Issues that were never on the state parliaments priority list, such as the wearing of burqas among members of the very small Muslim population in Saxony-Anhalt, have crept onto the agenda. Its not who makes the best argument anymore, said Tobias Krull, a member of the state parliament from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which leads the government here and nationally. Its who makes the loudest argument. Krull said a group of children recently visited the parliament to observe the debate. Afterward, one of them shared his impressions, Krull said: He said, If we behaved in school as you behave here, wed be kicked out. Its not just in Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD now has a presence in 13 of the 16 German state parliaments. A recent study by the Otto Brenner Foundation found the party had brought a sharper and more belligerent tone to state government, along with a new focus on polarizing issues such as refugees, Islam and immigration. Members of other parties in Saxony-Anhalt said the behavior goes well beyond rudeness, and echoes the rhetoric of the Third Reich. In February, the AfDs leader in the state, Andre Poggenburg, denounced left-wing activists in local schools. Help us once and for all get rid of these malignant growths on the German national body, he said, words that struck many here as being uncomfortably similar to those of Nazi leaders. [Young and to the left? Not in Germany, where the Merkel generation prefers an old hand.] Members of left-wing parties say theyve been verbally attacked in ominous and dehumanizing ways, including with the German word versifft, meaning filthy. Their choice of words is shameful, said Dorothea Frederking, a member of the Saxony-Anhalt parliament from the Greens. Its really a pity that right-wing extremists are sitting in our parliament 70 years after the Second World War. Years ago, it was unthinkable to have these kinds of debates. But now theyve come back. Poggenburg, blond, blue-eyed and younger-looking than his 42 years, acknowledged in an interview that his partys members are inflaming tensions. But that, he said, is what they were elected to do. Before the AfD, the debates had been very sleepy and comfy, he said. Its our goal to provoke. Thats what the people wanted. He also dismissed any similarity between his partys rhetoric and that of the Third Reich. If youre going to make 10 statements, the likelihood of one of them being used in Nazi times is high, said Poggenburg, who described his party as the only patriotic one in Germany. And he accused the AfDs rivals of stooping to incivility first. Members from some other factions, he said, wont shake the hands of AfD members, sit with them in the cafeteria or acknowledge them at social events. Plus, he said, the name-calling goes both ways, with the far-left Die Linke party being especially aggressive. For every three times they call us Nazis or fascists, we might call them communists or Stasi once, he said. Not every party has responded to the AfD with pure derision. The state premier, 63-year-old Reiner Haseloff, said the party has repeatedly gone below the belt with its rhetoric, and that the AfDs use of language that echoes Germanys Nazi past is particularly intolerable. But his party, the ruling CDU, has shown a willingness to work with the AfD that other factions see as disconcerting. The CDU recently teamed up with the far right to pass legislation creating a commission to investigate left-wing extremism a move that drew a swift rebuke from Merkel, who has sworn not to engage the AfD. Haseloff, once an ally of Merkel who broke with the chancellor over her response to the refugee crisis, said his party has an obligation to take seriously the forces that gave rise to the AfD, even if it disagrees with the far rights tactics. Up until now, there hasnt been a discussion about German identity and how much migration is a good thing and to what extent are we bringing conflicts that are happening all over the world to Germany, Haseloff said. If we dont hear the signal from voters, then the AfD is not going away. Read more How German politics became a beacon of stability compared with the U.S. Merkel heads for another term in Germany, but far right spoils the victory party The rise of Germanys far right leaves Merkel stuck with the Jamaican option Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news A man killed two women with a knife at the main Marseille train station on Sunday afternoon, an incident French authorities are investigating as a terrorist attack. French police on patrol at the station shot the attacker dead at the scene, according to a Twitter statement from the Marseille branch of France's national police. The attacker's identity has not been disclosed. "Profoundly outraged by this barbaric act, in pain with the families and relatives of the Marseille victims," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter. Gerard Collomb, France's interior minister, was dispatched late Sunday afternoon to Marseille, where he met with local authorities about the case. The St. Charles train station was immediately evacuated, and the SNCF, Frances national railway system, suspended service to and from Frances second-largest city. In mid-September, the same train station was the site of another attack, in which a woman threw acid onto a group of four visiting American students, all in their 20s. Marseille police did not classify that incident as terrorism, reporting instead that the assailant had a psychiatric history. Sundays attack came exactly one month before Frances official state of emergency, an extrajudicial security regime, is set to expire. The special provisions of the state of emergency, which have been in place since the day after the November 2015 Paris attacks, give French officials an increased authority to carry out home searches and house arrests without judicial oversight. Terrorism and, in general, national security remain among the most divisive issues in France, where 239 people have been killed by terrorists since 2015. In one of the most controversial decisions of his young tenure, Macron announced his plans to enshrine some of the state of emergency's anti-terrorism provisions in regular French law. Critics have insisted that doing so would violate civil liberties, especially for French Muslims. On Sunday, however, Macron praised the existing infrastructure. I salute the soldiers of Sentinelle and the police who reacted with composure and efficiency, Macron wrote on Twitter. Operation Sentinelle, which authorities credited with subduing and killing the suspect in Sundays attack, is among the most visible elements of Frances state of emergency. A squadron of some 10,000 soldiers deployed to guard tourist sites and other sensitive locations throughout the country, Sentinelle has been at the center of many recent small-scale attacks. In France, murder of a Jewish woman ignites debate over the word terrorism French leader Macron proposes big expansion of his counterterrorism powers Driver dies after ramming car into police vehicle on Champs-Elysees Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news For Shiite Muslims, Ashura is an annual holy day marked by strong emotional expression grief and anger, ritualized penitence and colorful celebration all in memory of Imam Hussain, one of their faith's most revered figures, who was killed in a battle in 680 A.D. But on Sunday, the Ashura holiday here was strangely subdued and grim. There were no motorcades of spray-painted cars with enormous banners circling the Shiite areas of West Kabul. There were no throngs strolling the streets. There were just families hurrying to visit shrines and mosques. Every visitor was hustled into a security line and body-searched, even elderly women and tiny children. And for the first time, men wearing camouflage gear and carrying assault rifles kept guard at every religious site. They were Shiite civilians, armed and trained by the Afghan government. After several terrorist attacks on Shiite places of worship in the past month, the spontaneity of traditional mourning had been overtaken by the priority of survival. By late evening, no serious violent incidents had been reported a sharp contrast from the pattern of the past several years, when numerous Shiite mosques and shrines were targeted by gunmen and suicide bombers during holy days. Most attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State, which Afghans believe is trying to divide their Sunni and Shiite communities. But the lull came at a price: a tacit admission of failure by government forces to protect a large segment of the populace, and a reluctant return to arming private, ethnically based self-defense forces, which were once outlawed by President Ashraf Ghani and which have figured in many belligerent and abusive episodes in recent Afghan history. We didnt want things to go this way, but we had no alternative, said Sayed Mohammad Bashir, custodian at the Taimi Afshar mosque. We know it could provoke the enemy more, but the population was afraid, and the government resources were too few. So we asked for permission to protect our own sites, and the authorities agreed. The community decided to act in late August, after a suicide bombing at a mosque in Kabul killed at least 28 people and wounded 20. Officials goal was to protect people during the holy month of Moharram, which began in late September. It peaks on the 10th day, Ashura, with booming dirges and mourning rituals that sometimes include self-flagellation by frenzied devotees. In response, the National Security Council authorized 600 assault rifles to be distributed to qualified men in Kabuls Shiite community, as well as others in Herat, Mazar-e Sharif and Ghazni. Each volunteer underwent biometric screening. Each is being paid about $90 per month to guard the sites for several months, while government security forces patrol outside the perimeters. On Sunday, Ghani spoke at the mosque that was attacked in Khair Khona district, telling worshipers that religious diversity in Islam is an important value for all Afghans. Any threat that other worshipers accept, then Afghanistans president also accepts it with his heart, he said. There was at least one gunman on every block Sunday. Some guarded sidewalk stands where volunteers distributed free milk and juice; others blocked alleys leading to mosques or directed traffic away from shrines. We are not afraid of these attackers, said Sayed Qasim, 58, a retired teacher entering Taimi Afshar. Their goal is to weaken Islam and sow the seeds of discord among Shiites and Sunnis. But we all worship one God, we have one holy book, and we follow one prophet. We will not let them win. A few blocks away, at a much grander mosque called al-Zahra, security was even stricter and everyone was on edge. Trucks full of police were parked outside, and plainclothes agents spoke into walkie-talkies. There were snipers on the roof and kneeling behind sandbags. A convoy of black SUVs roared up and delivered a government official to worship as more bodyguards jumped out. Just three days ago, despite the new precautions, a suicide bomber attacked al-Zahra, leaving six people dead, including a prominent businessman. And on Friday, another bomber disguised as a shepherd herded a small flock of sheep near a mosque in central Kabul and detonated. This time six people were killed and more than 28 injured, as well as some of the sheep. Some worshipers praised the government for being pragmatic enough to realize it needed to arm the community; others said it was unfair to put that burden on an impoverished and vulnerable minority. Almost all Afghan Shiites are members of the ethnic Hazara group, which has historically faced discrimination. But Bashir, the mosque custodian, pointed out that toning down the Ashura activities for security reasons might also act as a mollifying gesture to the country's Sunni majority, at a time when Shiites have been gaining ground in politics and professional life and foreign terrorist groups are trying to divide Afghanistan along sectarian lines. During the past half-dozen years, Moharram festivities have gradually spread out from the minority Shiite neighborhoods to much of the capital, with bunting-draped archways appearing on many streets, caravans honking and mourning chants sounding more insistently from loudspeakers. To some Sunnis, this has been an annoyance, a muscular sectarian display. Ashura is supposed to be a time of mourning. If people are riding around the city in convoys and putting on a big display, it seems too much like a celebration, Bashir said. With these new tactics we cannot only reduce casualties, but also tell the public we dont want to show off. We just want to be left alone. Read more Deadly attacks target defiant Shiites in Afghanistan amid security fears Islamic State claims role in deadly Shiite shrine attack in Kabul Afghans Shiite minority fears a return to old ostracism Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Syrian pro-government forces hold a position near the village of al-Maleha, in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor, on Sept. 9, 2017. ( ) Grinning for the camera, a man in Syrian army fatigues rests his boot on a corpse. Around him, more bodies litter the floor. The photograph resembles hundreds, if not thousands, of images that have streamed out of Syria during six years of war. But for prosecutors a 3,000-mile drive away in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, this one was different. The photo was presented as evidence in a trial that ended in a landmark conviction last week, the first anywhere in the world of a Syrian soldier for crimes committed during the war. Monitoring groups say President Bashar al-Assads forces are responsible for most of the atrocities committed in Syrias war, but cases previously tried in Sweden have involved fighters for the Islamic State or rebel forces. Mohammed Abdullah, 32, was sentenced to eight months in prison for violating the personal dignity of the men lying at his feet in the photograph. With the U.N. Security Council deadlocked over Syrias war and international willingness for high-level prosecution fading, lawyers have turned to the principal of universal jurisdiction, which allows national courts to investigate certain international crimes. But in a sign of the limitations of some cases against Assads government and security forces in European courts, Judge Anders Larsson threw out the more serious charge of execution, citing a lack of evidence. The downsides of a universal jurisdiction process like this is that it is taking place in a state with no natural tie to the country where a case took place.You cant easily get a witness out of Syria to come and testify, said Kevin Heller, an associate professor of international law at the University of Amsterdam, referring to the legal provision under which the Swedish case was brought. [A journey into Syrias secret torture wards] In the United States, a legal team has launched proceedings against the Syrian government over its alleged targeting of an American journalist, Marie Colvin, in 2012. In Germany and Spain, charges also have been brought against high-ranking members of Assad's security apparatus. The case in Sweden had been years in the making, according to prosecutors and activists involved. Shortly after Abdullah arrived in Sweden to claim asylum in 2015, Syrian activists alerted the country's Migration Board of photographs on his Facebook page indicating that he had fought as a member of Assad's army, appearing to show that he had committed human rights abuses in the process. Initial efforts to bring charges failed for lack of evidence, and it took time for the Sweden-based team of lawyers and Syrian activists to convince authorities that the former soldier should be arrested again. Rami Hamido, director of the Syrian Al Kawakibi Organization for Human Rights now living in Sweden, said the meetings were followed by what felt like endless periods of silence. It took a long time, he said. Then Hamido and fellow activists started to receive death threats by phone. They were against you, your family, your relatives in Syria. It made us feel like the regimes hand could reach us anywhere, said Hamido, who traveled to Stockholm from his home in Halmstad, in southern Sweden, last Monday to await news of Abdullahs sentence. The former soldiers story had changed over two court proceedings. At first, he had told a judge that he was working as a Syrian army doctor and had never carried a weapon. As evidence mounted to the contrary, he said he had been forced by his unit commander to pose for the photograph in front of the corpses, and that the men were Islamic State militants. Struggling for manpower, the Syrian army has relied on conscripts throughout the war. Activists monitoring Hamidos Facebook page provided images appearing to show the former soldier describing his role as an honor. Without corroborating witnesses, Larsson was unable to rule on the allegation that he had executed the men he posed with. You have to keep in mind we only have one similar precedent in a court in Skane and the accused was sentenced six months, Larsson said in an interview this week, referring to a case involving an Islamic State militant who had been photographed clutching a severed head. But Mondays trial had symbolic importance, Heller said. It served as a reminder to potential defendants in Syria that the international community isnt completely insensitive to the need to bring some sort of accountability, he said. Hamidos reaction was one of relief and exhaustion, despite disappointment at the length of the sentence. It was a very long day for me, but it sent a good message. That justice will reach everyone and accountability is coming, Hamido said. I have been saying it since the beginning. There will be no peace without justice, and no justice without accountability. Loveluck reported from Beirut. Read more: War reporter Marie Colvin was tracked, targeted and killed by Assads forces, family says ISIS releases audio it claims to be of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Last August, a secret message was passed from Washington to Cairo warning about a mysterious vessel steaming toward the Suez Canal. The bulk freighter named Jie Shun was flying Cambodian colors but had sailed from North Korea, the warning said, with a North Korean crew and an unknown cargo shrouded by heavy tarps. Armed with this tip, customs agents were waiting when the ship entered Egyptian waters. They swarmed the vessel and discovered, concealed under bins of iron ore, a cache of more than 30,000 rocket-propelled grenades. It was, as a United Nations report later concluded, the largest seizure of ammunition in the history of sanctions against the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. But who were the rockets for? The Jie Shuns final secret would take months to resolve and would yield perhaps the biggest surprise of all: The buyers were the Egyptians themselves. A U.N. investigation uncovered a complex arrangement in which Egyptian business executives ordered millions of dollars worth of North Korean rockets for the countrys military while also taking pains to keep the transaction hidden, according to U.S. officials and Western diplomats familiar with the findings. The incident, many details of which were never publicly revealed, prompted the latest in a series of intense, if private, U.S. complaints over Egyptian efforts to obtain banned military hardware from Pyongyang, the officials said. It also shed light on a little-understood global arms trade that has become an increasingly vital financial lifeline for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the wake of unprecedented economic sanctions. [Do sanctions against North Korea work?] A statement from the Egyptian Embassy in Washington pointed to Egypts transparency and cooperation with U.N. officials in finding and destroying the contraband. Egypt will continue to abide by all Security Council resolutions and will always be in conformity with these resolutions as they restrain military purchases from North Korea, the statement said. But U.S. officials confirmed that delivery of the rockets was foiled only when U.S. intelligence agencies spotted the vessel and alerted Egyptian authorities through diplomatic channels essentially forcing them to take action said current and former U.S. officials and diplomats briefed on the events. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. and U.N. findings, said the Jie Shun episode was one of a series of clandestine deals that led the Trump administration to freeze or delay nearly $300 million in military aid to Egypt over the summer. Whether North Korea was ever paid for the estimated $23 million rocket shipment is unclear. But the episode illustrates one of the key challenges faced by world leaders in seeking to change North Koreas behavior through economic pressure. Even as the United States and its allies pile on the sanctions, Kim continues to quietly reap profits from selling cheap conventional weapons and military hardware to a list of customers and beneficiaries that has at times included Iran, Burma, Cuba, Syria, Eritrea and at least two terrorist groups, as well as key U.S. allies such as Egypt, analysts said. [How has North Korea managed to make rapid gains in its missile program?] Some customers have long-standing military ties with Pyongyang, while others have sought to take advantage of the unique market niche created by North Korea: a kind of global eBay for vintage and refurbished Cold War-era weapons, often at prices far lower than the prevailing rates. North Korean soldiers carrying packs marked with a radioactive symbol take part in a 2013 military parade in Pyongyang. North Korea has been selling small arms around the world to bring in the hard currency it needs to survive. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images) Over time, the small-arms trade has emerged as a reliable source of cash for a regime with considerable expertise in the tactics of running contraband, including the use of "false flag" shipping and the clever concealment of illegal cargo in bulk shipments of legitimate goods such as sugar or as in the case of the Jie Shun a giant mound of loose iron ore. These cover materials not only act to obfuscate shipments, but really highlights the way that licit North Korean businesses are being used to facilitate North Korean illicit activity, said David Thompson, a senior analyst and investigator of North Korean financial schemes for the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington. It is this nesting which makes this illicit activity so hard to identify. With North Koreas other profitable enterprises being hurt by international sanctions, Thompson said, such exports are now likely more important than ever. Beneath yellow rocks Even by North Korean standards, the Jie Shun was a veritable rust bucket. The freighter's steel frame was corroded from bow to stern, and its fixtures caked with coal dust from previous voyages, U.N. investigators would later report. The desalination system had stopped working, judging from crates of water bottles officials would find strewn around the crew compartments. Whether its weapons were discovered or not, the ship's 8,000-mile voyage last summer was probably destined to be its last. The ship was in terrible shape, said a Western diplomat familiar with confidential reports from the official U.N. inquest. This was a one-shot voyage, and the boat was probably intended for the scrap yard afterward. [Photos of the Jie Shun show how rocket-propelled grenades were concealed under iron ore] Seaworthy or not, the ship set sail from the port city of Haeju, North Korea, on July 23, 2016, with a 23-member North Korean crew that included a captain and a political officer to ensure Communist Party discipline on board. Although North Korean-owned, the vessel had been registered in Cambodia, allowing it to fly a Cambodian flag and claim Phnom Penh as its home port. Using a "flag of convenience," as the tactic is called, allows North Korean ships to avoid drawing unwanted attention in international waters. So does the practice of routinely shutting off a vessel's transponder, behavior documented in a February U.N. report that described the Jie Shun's voyage. The vessels automatic identification system was off for the majority of the voyage, the report said, except in busy sea lanes where such behavior could be noticed and assessed as a safety threat. Still, a 300-foot-long freighter big enough to hold 2,400 passenger cars is not easily concealed. U.S. intelligence agencies tracked the ship as it left North Korea, and then monitored it as it steamed around the Malay Peninsula and sailed westward across the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The vessel was heading northward through the Red Sea in early August when the warning was passed to Egyptian authorities about a suspicious North Korean vessel that appeared bound for the Suez Canal. They were notified by our side, said a former senior U.S. official with direct knowledge of the events. I give their foreign ministry credit for taking it seriously. The Jie Shun had not yet reached the canal when an Egyptian naval vessel ordered the crew to halt for an inspection. At first, the cargo hold appeared to match the description on the manifest: 2,300 tons of loose yellow rocks called limonite, a kind of iron ore. But digging beneath stone and tarp, the inspectors found wooden crates stacks of them. Asked about the boxes, the crew produced a bill of lading listing the contents, in awkward English, as assembly parts of the underwater pump. But after the last of the 79 crates was unloaded and opened at Egypts al-Adabiyah port, it was clear that this was a weapons shipment like none other: more than 24,000 rocket-propelled grenades, and completed components for 6,000 more. All were North Korean copies of a rocket warhead known as the PG-7, a variant of a Soviet munition first built in the 1960s. [North Korea defies predictions again with early grasp of weapons milestone] A closer examination by U.N. experts would reveal yet another deception, this one apparently intended to fool the weapons Egyptian recipients: Each of the rockets bore a stamp with a manufacturing date of March 2016, just a few months before the Jie Shun sailed. But the label, like the manifest, was false. On-site analysis revealed that they were not of recent production, the U.N. report said, but rather had been stockpiled for some time. A worldwide customer base North Koreas booming illicit arms trade is an outgrowth of a legitimate business that began decades ago. In the 1960s and 70s, the Soviet Union gave away conventional weapons and, in some cases, entire factories for producing them to developing countries as a way of winning allies and creating markets for Soviet military technology. Many of these client states would standardize the use of communist-bloc munitions and weapons systems in their armies, thus ensuring a steady demand for replacement parts and ammunition that would continue well into the future. Sensing an opportunity, North Korea obtained licenses to manufacture replicas of Soviet and Chinese weapons, ranging from assault rifles and artillery rockets to naval frigates and battle tanks. Arms factories sprouted in the 1960s that soon produced enough weapons to supply North Koreas vast military, as well as a surplus that could be sold for cash. [How Russia quietly undercuts sanctions intended to stop North Koreas nuclear program] By the end of the Cold War, North Koreas customer base spanned four continents and included dozens of countries, as well as armed insurgencies. The demand for discount North Korean weapons would continue long after the Soviet Union collapsed, and even after North Korea came under international censure and economic isolation because of its nuclear weapons program, said Andrea Berger, a North Korea specialist and senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Calif. "North Korea's assistance created a legacy of dependency," said Berger, author of "Target Markets," a 2015 monograph on the history of Pyongyang's arms exports. "The type of weaponry that these [client] countries still have in service is largely based on communist-bloc designs from the Cold War era. North Korea has started to innovate and move beyond those designs, but it is still willing to provide spare parts and maintenance. As the Russians and Chinese have moved away from this market, the North Koreans have stuck around." As a succession of harsh U.N. sanctions threatened to chase away customers, North Korea simply changed tactics. Ships that ferried artillery rockets and tank parts to distant ports changed their names and registry papers so they could sail under a foreign flag. New front companies sprang up in China and Malaysia to handle transactions free of any visible connection to Pyongyang. A mysterious online weapons vendor called Glocom jokingly dubbed the Samsung of North Korean proliferators by some Western investigators began posting slick videos hawking a variety of wares ranging from military radios to guidance systems for drones, never mentioning North Korea as the source. The sanctions stigma inevitably scared away some potential buyers, but the trading in the shadows remains brisk, intelligence officials and Western diplomats say. Some remaining clients are fellow pariah states such as Syria, whose recent purchases have included chemical-weapons protective gear. Other long-term customers are nonstate actors such as the militant group Hezbollah, which has acquired North Korean rockets and missiles from arms smugglers and sympathetic regimes. North Korean-made rifles have even been recovered from the bodies of Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, although U.S. officials believe the guns were probably looted from stocks sold to the late Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi years earlier. Still other customers look to North Korea as one of the last suppliers of low-cost parts and ammunition for older weapons systems that are scarcely found in commercial markets. The list includes sub-Saharan African countries such as Uganda and Congo, which for decades relied on North Korea to train and equip their armies. The list also includes Egypt, a major U.S. aid recipient that still maintains diplomatic ties and has a history of military-to-military ties dating back to the 1970s with Pyongyang, said Berger, the Middlebury researcher. Although Cairo has publicly sworn off dealing with North Korea, she said, incidents such as the Jie Shun show how hard it is to break old habits, especially for military managers seeking to extend the life of costly weapons systems. Egypts army today still has dozens of weapons systems that were originally of Soviet design. Among them are at least six types of antitank weapons, including the RPG-7, the 1960s-era grenade-launcher that uses the same PG-7 warhead as those discovered on the Jie Shun. The number of Egyptian RPG-7 tubes in active service has been estimated at nearly 180,000. Egypt was a consistent North Korean customer in the past, Berger said. I would call them a resilient customer today. Diplomatic turbulence When Egyptian officials were first confronted about their countrys possible ties to the Jie Shuns rockets, the response was denial, followed by obfuscation, Western diplomats said. At the time of the discovery, Egypt was a newly elected nonpermanent member of the U.N. Security Council, and its delegation resisted including information in official reports linking Egyptian officials or businesses to illicit North Korean weapons, said U.S. officials and diplomats familiar with the discussions. The embassy statement said Egyptian officials sought only minor delays to ensure that their views on the events were properly reflected. It noted that Security Council officials had recognized and praised Egypts role in assisting the investigation. In any case, the February U.N. report on the incident sidesteps the question of who was meant to receive the rockets, saying only that the munitions were destroyed by Egypt under U.N. supervision, and that the destination and end user of the equipment was investigated by the Egyptian general prosecutor. But evidence gathered by U.N. investigators and later shared with diplomats left little doubt about where the rockets were bound. An early clue was the nature of the rockets themselves: All were practice rounds fitted with removable, nonlethal warheads of the type used in military training and the large quantity suggested that the purchaser had a sizable army with many thousands of recruits. Egypts active-duty military is 438,000 strong, with another 479,000 reservists. The most damning evidence was discovered on the crates. Each had been stenciled with the name of an Egyptian company, but someone had taken trouble of covering the lettering with a canvas patch. Diplomats familiar with the investigation confirmed the involvement of the Egyptian company, but declined to name it. Likewise, the Egyptian company is identified nowhere in the U.N. report. A single footnote states, cryptically: National authorities closed the private company and revoked its license. While U.S. officials have declined to publicly criticize Egypt, the Jie Shun incident coming on top of other reported weapons deals with North Korea in recent years contributed to the diplomatic turbulence that defined relations between Cairo and the Obama and Trump administrations. U.S. officials confirmed that the rockets were among the factors leading to the Trump administrations decision in July to freeze or delay $290 million in military aid to Egypt. During Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissis visit to Washington that month, President Trump praised the military strongman before TV cameras for doing a fantastic job. But a White House statement released afterward made clear that a warning had been delivered in private. President Trump stressed the need for all countries to fully implement U.N. Security Council resolutions on North Korea, said the official statement, including the need to stop providing economic or military benefits to North Korea. Read more: How North Koreans are escaping the clutches of Kim Jong Un North Koreas surprising, lucrative relationship with Africa China watches in frustration as North Korea crisis enters dangerous spiral Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and U.S. officials met with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and other Chinese officials at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing where they discussed North Korea. (Lintao Zhang) Early in his administration, President Trump signed a directive outlining a strategy of pressure against North Korea that involved actions across a broad spectrum of government agencies and led to the use of military cyber-capabilities, according to U.S. officials. As part of the campaign, U.S. Cyber Command targeted hackers in North Koreas military spy agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, by barraging their computer servers with traffic that choked off Internet access. Trumps directive, a senior administration official said, also included instructions to diplomats and officials to bring up North Korea in virtually every conversation with foreign interlocutors and urge them to sever all ties with Pyongyang. Those conversations have had significant success, particularly in recent weeks as North Korea has tested another nuclear weapon and ballistic missiles, officials said. [The message behind the murder: Assassination sheds light on North Koreas chemical arsenal] So pervasive is the diplomatic campaign that some governments have found themselves scrambling to find any ties with North Korea. When Vice President Pence called on one country to break relations during a recent overseas visit, officials there reminded him that they never had relations with Pyongyang. Pence then told them, to their own surprise, that they had $2 million in trade with North Korea. Foreign officials, who asked that their country not be identified, described the exchange. The directive also instructed the Treasury Department to outline an escalating set of sanctions against North Korean entities and individuals, and foreigners who dealt with them. Those instructions are reflected in a steady stream of U.S. and international sanctions in recent months. The directive was not made public at the time it was signed, following a policy review in March, because we were providing every opportunity as a new administration to North Korea to sit down and talk, to take a different approach, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door policy decisions. We made clear the door was open for talks before the president had even signed off on this strategy, but North Korea continued to launch missiles, continued to kidnap Americans to keep as hostages . . . all the things they did when we were early in the administration and sending signals that the door was open to talks. That door remains open, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Saturday in Beijing. Speaking to reporters following talks with Chinese officials, Tillerson for the first time acknowledged that the United States was in direct communication with North Korea. We are probing, so stay tuned, he said. We ask, Would you like to talk? We have lines of communications to Pyongyang. Were not in a dark situation, a blackout. We have a couple, three, channels open. . . . We can talk to them; we do talk to them. [The secret to Kims success? Some experts see Russian echoes in missile advances] In Washington, however, officials quickly played down any idea that negotiations were underway or that anything had yet come of the talks. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert issued a statement saying that North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization. The senior administration official said it would be wrong to read too much into Tillersons remarks. The U.S. has always maintained some kind of channel, kept some channel open even in the darkest days of previous administrations. Those channels include conversations between the State Departments special representative for North Korea, Joseph Yun, and Pak Song Il, a senior member of Pyongyangs delegation to the United Nations. They have met several times this year to discuss American prisoners being held by North Korea, among other matters. Other contacts have taken place through the track two process, which regularly brings together nongovernmental U.S. experts and occasionally U.S. officials and North Korean officials. Tillersons remarks Saturday came after a day of meetings with top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, which saw both sides strike a careful, conciliatory tone following a new North Korean nuclear test and missile launches, and weeks of insults and threats between Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. In brief formal statements before their meetings, Chinese leaders who have repeatedly called for restraint did not mention North Korea. Instead, they tried to keep the focus on Trumps upcoming Asia visit, which Xi promised would be a special, wonderful and successful event. The Cyber Command operation, which was due to end Saturday, was part of the overall campaign set in motion many months ago. The effects were temporary and not destructive, officials said. Nonetheless, some North Korean hackers griped that lack of access to the Internet was interfering with their work, according to another U.S. official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a secret operation. Cyber Command and the White House had no comment. But the senior administration official said, What I can tell you is that North Korea has itself been guilty of cyberattacks, and we are going to take appropriate measures to defend our networks and systems. Eric Rosenbach, who led the Pentagons cyber-efforts as assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration, said the operation could have the advantage of signaling to the North Koreans a more aggressive posture. However, theres accompanying risk of an escalation and a North Korean cyber-counterattack. Rosenbach, now co-director of the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School, said that he was not aware of the actual operation but that if it is truly a military operation, he sees no reason to hide it. The Department of Defense should probably own it, he said. Aaron Hughes, a former senior cyber-official in the Obama administration, said he, too, was not aware of the actual operation. But if I was still in my [Pentagon] seat, I would actively be advocating we do these types of things. . . . We should be using all elements of national power to deter and message the North Koreans, to include our military, including cyber, Hughes said. Others said they would be cautious about using even minor cyber-capabilities against North Korea and doing it openly because of the risk of retaliation. I wonder what the disruptive payoff is that were getting thats worth even a marginal extra chance of nuclear war? said Jason Healey, a former military cyber-operator and now a senior research scholar at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs. Rauhala reported from Beijing. Swedish police officers block neo-Nazi demonstrators from deviating from a court-ordered route keeping them away from a synagogue in central Gothenburg on Sept. 30. (Tt News Agency/Reuters) At least 50 people were detained Saturday during a far-right demonstration in Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city, that left one police officer and several others injured, according to police reports. The Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM), a neo-Nazi group founded in Sweden but steadily growing in influence in Finland and Norway, had said on its websites that it expected 1,000 people to march Saturday. Police placed the number closer to 600, making it the largest neo-Nazi rally in Sweden in recent years. Black-clad demonstrators bearing shields and waving the groups green-and-white flag marched in the citys center. NMR is known for its openly anti-Semitic stance, and the group had originally sought to pass by a downtown synagogue to coincide with Yom Kippur, the Jewish holy day. Local activists protested, and a Swedish court intervened to shorten the march route so it would not pass near the synagogue. According to police reports, clashes broke out between police and NRM supporters when marchers attempted to deviate from the court-ordered route. The rally sparked anxiety about the rise of the far right in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe, and a large counterdemonstration drew about 10,000 people from across the country. [German far-right leader says Merkels refugee policy enabled his partys rise] I am very concerned there will be more rallies like this in the future, said Maxim Thore, an 18-year-old photography student who was among the counterprotesters. The Nazis said at the protest that they will have a protest like this every Saturday from now on. I know people will always stand against them, but I dont think 10,000 protesters can gather every Saturday. The counterprotesters clashed with the neo-Nazi marchers, throwing fireworks at the rally and getting into altercations with NMR members who attempted to cross police lines. Thirty-five people were arrested, including NMR leader Simon Lindberg, police spokeswoman Emelie Kullmyr said. Three have been arrested for violence against the police and two others for bearing arms, Kullmyr said. The night before the protest, 20 people, mostly Danes and Germans, were stopped as they arrived in Sweden to take part in the rally. Membership in Nazi organizations is not illegal in Sweden. The NMR claims to follow the National Socialist doctrine of Adolf Hitler, and it opposes mass migration and what it calls a global Zionist elite. A week before the rally, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven called for a halt to far-right activity in the country. When we now see an escalation of these extremist forces, and we are moving toward a normalization of racist parties, too, then we must do something, Lofven said. Read more Right-wing German politician joins chorus urging Trump to tweet less How Europes far right could defeat itself, and 4 other global stories The German election was a fault line of east-west tensions, key to the rise of the far right Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news BARCELONA The results of a controversial and chaotic referendum in the Catalonia region of northeast Spain on Sunday showed landslide support for independence for the restive but affluent area, a lopsided vote sure to be vigorously challenged by the constitutional court and central government in Madrid as illegitimate and illegal. According to the Catalan government, 90 percent of the ballots cast were for independence with 2,020,144 voting yes and 176,566 no. Minutes after the first few thousand votes were posted, the regional president and leading secessionist, Carles Puigdemont, appeared on stage to announce that Catalonia had won the right to independence and called on Europe to support its split from Spain. But nothing about the vote was regular or orderly, transparent or peaceful. Images of police beating voters in stylish, cosmopolitan Barcelona fueled a widespread perception that Europe, in particular, and the West, in general far from cheering on the breakup of Spain face yet more tensions and dislocation. And it is far from clear that Catalonia is any closer to independence. The vote left the region and nation deeply divided. In a television address late Sunday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said there was no real independence vote in Catalonia. He said a majority of the residents of the region had not even showed up at the polls. Over the weekend, boisterous activist-voters had brought their children into schools to defend the polling stations deemed illegal by the central government in Madrid. Soon after the polls opened, Spanish riot police smashed into the voting centers, their raids caught on mobile phone cameras that showed them whipping ordinary citizens with rubber truncheons and dragging them away by their hair. [With kids in tow, Catalonias pro-independence parents occupy polling stations in mass act of civil disobedience] The plebiscite produced anxiety and shock across Europe where many condemned the violence by the police but also worried that Catalan secessionists were violating the constitution. The secessionists said Spains heavy-handed attempt to snuff out the referendum stirred memories of the countys dark decades of dictatorship. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau called the days violence between police and citizens a rupture in society. Jordi Turull, the spokesman for the Catalonia regional government, described Spains use of police to suppress the vote as the shame of Europe. But many in Spain saw a manipulative propaganda play by secessionists to stage a one-sided referendum designed to produce a yes vote no matter what. This was a sad day, said Ines Arrimadas, a member of a center-right party in Catalonia who opposed the vote. It was crazy to hold this referendum. She told Catalonias public broadcaster, which is staunchly pro-secession, that on this TV broadcast you will believe the result, but no one on the outside will. Spains foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, called the days violence unpleasant but proportional. Yet the portrayal of the days events could not have been worse for the central government. Although Madrid might have had the Spanish constitution on its side, the images being blasted around the world showed peaceful citizens being dragged away from the ballot boxes by helmeted police dressed all in black. The vote in Catalonia was a mass act of civil disobedience, organized by the regional government but propelled by WhatsApp groups, encrypted messages and clandestine committees. There were stirring moments of people power and the activists who organized the vote were often two steps ahead of Madrid. [Catalonia independence vote: What you need to know] As the police forced their way through shouting crowds into the schoolhouses that served as polling stations, the organizers spirited away the ballots and hid them in the classrooms amid coloring books and crayons. An hour after police drove away from one school in their big black vans, under a hail of insults, the ballot boxes reemerged and the voting recommenced. The pattern was repeated again and again across hundreds of polling stations Sunday. By late afternoon, the Catalan health ministry said 844 people had suffered minor injuries in brawls with police, who could be seen punching some demonstrators. The officers also fired scores of rubber bullets at crowds in Barcelona and other cities. Officials in Madrid said a dozen police officers had been injured. The past two weeks have seen mass demonstrations and a high-risk game of cat-and-mouse, as the secessionists sought to carry out a vote that Madrid vowed it would stop. As the central government shut down websites promoting the referendum, new apps popped up to guide voters. The Catalan government, dominated by breakaway leaders, said that despite police raids, more than 70 percent of the polling stations were open Sunday afternoon. In the former textile town of Sabadell, the fifth-largest city in Catalonia, hundreds of volunteers spent the night in the schools used as polling stations, strumming guitars and singing folk songs from the old days. As they awoke in sleeping bags sprawled in the hallways, their neighbors were sneaking the ballot boxes into auditoriums. Francesc Codina had spent the past three weeks hiding the boxes in a dusky wine cellar in the heart of the city. Later, the plastic tubs, with the seal of the Catalan government, were ferried around town, stashed in black plastic. They were disguised as bags of trash, Codina said. But this was democracy we carried in our hands. Codina said informers and intelligence officers were searching everywhere for the ballots and boxes. He shrugged. But theres lots of hiding places. At a high school for industrial training, Teresa Macia was volunteering as an observer for the vote. Asked whether she was afraid of violence or arrest, she answered, No. And even if they scared me a little bit, it would be worth it. Meanwhile, the Spanish soccer league game between Barcelona and Las Palmas at the Camp Nou stadium went ahead without any fans in attendance. Just before the polls opened, the Catalan regional government declared that any registered voter could vote anywhere instead of having to visit their assigned polling station in their home towns. The voting lists, the regional government said, would be digital and not printed as usual for the polling officers to check against identification cards. But there were problems right away with registering the voters and the online system was balky. And this, among all the other irregularities, raised questions about the legitimacy of the vote. Those who opposed the vote especially the people who want to remain in Spain scoffed that the Catalans were being allowed to vote as many times as they like. Anna Fernandez, handy at computers, was asked to come quickly to the Escola Nostra Llar, Our Home School, just before the voting began to help get the glitchy digital lists to work. Then the police came through the windows, said the mother of three, all of whom attend the school. They came with big hammers. The old people locked their arms together and tried to stop them. They were shouting at us, Where are the ballots? Where are the boxes? But by then, I dont know what happened, but all the material, the papers, the computers, they had all disappeared. She smiled and said, And then the ballots were found and the people are starting to vote again. As the National Police left without the ballots, the crowd hurled insults at them, calling them cowards, traitors and worse. An hour later, a new and longer line of voters stretched down the block, laughing and sharing videos, under their umbrellas in the rain. Spains deputy prime minister, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, said in a news conference that the absolute irresponsibility of the Catalan government has had to be dealt with by the professionalism of the states security forces. With firmness and proportionality, we have thrown into disarray the Catalan governments plans. There hasnt been a referendum nor the semblance of one. Nothing good will come of this. Raul Gallego Abellan contributed to this report. Read more What you need to know about Spains independence vote Photos from Spain during the Catalonia independence referendum vote Amid violence in Catalonia, FC Barcelona plays in an empty stadium Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/10/2017 (1870 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Monty Hall will be remembered by most North Americans as the guy who gave stuff away sometimes big, exciting, expensive stuff, and sometimes disappointing, worthless, comically silly junk. It all depended on the recipients willingness to take a chance, risk it all and make a deal, combined with plain old dumb luck. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Winnipeg-born Let's Make a Deal game show host and philanthropist Monty Hall died Saturday at age 96. In his hometown of Winnipeg, however, the co-creator and longtime host of one of televisions most enduring game shows Lets Make a Deal will also be remembered as a guy who spent his life fulfilling a promise to give back. Hall, who was 96, died Saturday of heart failure at his home in Beverly Hills. He had lived in southern California for more than half a century, but he held fast to his North End roots. It was in the iconic Winnipeg neighbourhood that Hall who was born Monte Halparin on Aug. 25, 1921 was the recipient of a life-changing kindness that would eventually fuel his tireless dedication to philanthropy. As the oft-told story goes, as a young man Hall had dreams of attending the University of Manitoba to become a doctor, but his family lacked the means to send him there. While working at menial jobs in an effort to raise enough money for tuition, he was noticed by a man who took pity on him and offered to pay for his schooling. The benevolence came with three conditions: that young Hall would maintain an A average, that the benefactor would remain anonymous, and that Hall would find a way to pay the favour forward. He attended the U of M, graduating in 1946 with a bachelors degree in science. But Halls life took a turn in a now-familiar direction; after getting a taste of the theatrical spotlight in university drama productions, he moved to Toronto to pursue an acting career, and in the mid-50s he relocated to New York seeking work in radio. By 1960, he was in Los Angeles, dabbling in TV as host of a couple of long-forgotten game shows before partnering with Stefan Hatos to create Lets Make a Deal. DAN STEINBERG / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES In this August 3, 2009., file photo, actor and comedian Wayne Brady, left, looks on as television game show host Monty Hall answers a question about the new Let's Make A Deal game show at the CBS Summer Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. Former Let's Make a Deal host Hall has died after a long illness at age 96. His daughter Sharon Hall says he died Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, at his home in Beverly Hills, Calif. The show premiered in 1963. Its concept was simple: contestants picked out of the studio audience by host Hall would be offered a series of choices that essentially involved either keeping a prize theyd been given or taking a chance at bigger riches by trading it for what was concealed in a box or behind a curtain. Sometimes, the payoff would be huge cash, a state-of-the-art home appliance or a fancy new car but other times, the price of taking Montys deal was giving up something pretty good for a worthless and often hilarious zonk. Lets Make a Deal ran as a daytime staple until 1976, with Hall hosting nearly 5,000 shows. It continued in syndication, off and on, for several more years, and was revived as a full-time TV property in 2009 with Wayne Brady as host. Hall remained involved as an executive producer. During his years of giving away prizes and money, Hall maintained a singular focus on raising money for charities most notably, Variety Club (he had a hand in establishing the Winnipeg chapter) and its estimated that his philanthropic efforts brought more than $300 million to charitable organizations. Its estimated that his philanthropic efforts brought more than $300 million to charitable organizations. Hall was given a star on Hollywoods Walk of Fame in 1973, a spot on Canadas Walk of Fame in Toronto in 2002, and a lifetime-achievement Daytime Emmy in 2013. He was also a member of both the Order of Manitoba and the Order of Canada. Through it all including during his last conversation with the Free Press in 2013, during the semi-annual TV critics press tour in Los Angeles Hall maintained a keen interest in Winnipeg and held fast to his North End roots. And he most definitely paid back the favour. brad.oswald@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @BradOswald If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more. Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/10/2017 (1870 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Shawn Miller and his sister Chelsey Sandberg are third-generation owner/operators of Millers Super Valu Meats commonly known as Millers Meats the neighbourhood meat market and grocery store their grandparents Ken and Cathy Miller founded in 1971 at 590 St. Marys Rd. At the end of an interview the siblings turn to their father, Cam Miller, and ask, almost in unison, Dad, do you think we should tell him about the mural? PHOTOS BY BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS From left: Chelsey Sandberg, Andrew Sandberg, Cam Miller and Shawn Miller stand in the meat shop at 590 St. Mary's Rd. the Miller family has owned and operated since 1971. Tell me about the what? the interviewer immediately responds, retrieving the pen and notepad he tucked away in his briefcase seconds earlier. In 2009, Cam and his wife Sandra commissioned artist Sarah Collard to paint a large-scale mural on the north side of the familys flagship location. (There are four Millers Meats outlets in Winnipeg, including a newly-minted store at 925 Headmaster Row, a bones throw away where Lagimodiere Boulevard intersects with the Perimeter Highway.) At the time, the couple had just returned from a trip to Europe. They asked Collard to incorporate some of what they had seen abroad into her design an Italian piazza, perhaps, or a French market square. What they didnt count on, mind you, was a painted figure in one corner of her work that sent a shiver down the Millers spines, the first time they saw it. Miller's Super Valu Meats has operated on St. Mary's Road since 1971. Theres a likeness of a shop owner near our back service entrance; hes wearing a tie and suspenders, is bald and has kind of a half-smirk on his face, and looks exactly and I mean exactly like our late great-grandfather, Shawn says, rolling his eyes. I remember Dad asking the artist if somebody gave her a picture of him to copy or what, and her saying she didnt know what he was talking about that it wasnt meant to be anybody in particular. Equally odd: Two years after the 1,250-square-foot mural was unveiled, a fellow Shawn swears is the doppelganger of another person portrayed on the wall waltzed into Millers to apply for a job. It totally freaked me out, he says with a laugh. I was like, this is getting creepier and creepier. (In case youre wondering, yes, the person got the position.) The character on the far right bears an uncanny resemblance to Shawn Miller's great-grandfather. Cam Miller was five years old when his father, a meat department manager for Loblaws, transferred from Winnipeg to Vancouver to accept a similar position with the Canadian supermarket chain. His parents never really warmed up to the west coast, however, so, in 1971, they returned to Winnipeg with the intention of opening an independent butcher shop of their own. In September of that year they purchased an existing business called Pettys Meats, which, Cam recalls, was situated almost directly across the street from a car dealership run by Terry Balkan. Cam laughs and says of course, when asked if he remembers a series of campy, 70s-era TV spots featuring Balkan and his trusty sidekick, Brother Lou imploring viewers to push, pull or drag their trade-ins, to their St. Vital sales lot. Establishing a new business can be hard enough, Cam says, but things became even more difficult for his parents when tragedy struck, not long after their grand opening. My middle brother, who was only 8, got hit and killed by a car, four months after they got going, Cam says. I honestly dont know how they managed to get through that, because it wasnt like they could afford to take a few months off or anything to try and recover. Customers are greeted by a store full of the ingredients any meat lover would need when making a feast. At age 12, Cam started working for his parents after school and on weekends, sweeping floors and bagging customers purchases. He caught on full time after graduating from high school, by which time he had not only learned the ins-and-outs of butchering, but had also met his future bride. Mom used to work here when she was a teenager, too, Chelsey says. And the way my grandparents told me the story, they used to tell Dad to drive her home every once in a while, to make sure she got there safely. Im not sure whether thats the truth or not, Cam says blushing, but whatever it blossomed. The Millers faced another challenge in the early 1980s when SuperValu, the predecessor of the Real Canadian Superstore, opened a big box store one of the first of its kind in Winnipeg less than a kilometre away from their store. What had once been a bustling staff of 20 dwindled to four at one point, Cam says, as his father was forced to cut costs in order to make ends meet. Don't be fooled by the name, Miller's Meats also sells a variety of fruits and vegetables. SuperValu was different than anything people in Winnipeg had ever seen and theres no other way to put it: our sales just went in the tank, says Cam, who, along with his wife, assumed control of the business in 1991, when his parents retired. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, however, because it forced us to reinvent ourselves if we wanted to survive. That was when we started doing all our own sausages, smokies and deli meats and carrying unique (barbecue) sauces and rubs, none of which wed done prior to (SuperValu). Slowly, surely, customers started coming back. My dad always downplays his role in all of this, Shawn interjects, but when times were tough, he rose up and put his own spin on things. He was really invested in making Millers work and he completely changed it. Hanging on the wall directly above the St. Marys Road stores cash register is a framed photograph of the Windsor Theatre, a 420-seat movie house that, according to the website www.movie-theatre.org, functioned as a first-run cinema from 1944 to 1976. In 2003, when Cam and Sandra were scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to enlarge their bursting-at-the-seams operation without cutting into their much-needed parking lot, they purchased the building next door, which, after the theatre closed, housed a church and later, an indoor skateboard park. Sausages, smokies and deli meats are prepared on site at Miller's. Chelsey laughs and says, For sure, when a visitor to her present-day, second-floor office remarks, And this must have been the projection room, right? owing to a cut-out section of wall where one can easily imagine a 35-mm film projector whirring away. Its funny because after we expanded, we had so many people from the neighbourhood drop in, to share their memories about going to movies here, when they were kids, she says, adding a curator from the nearby St. Vital Museum recently dropped off another set of photos, showing trolley cars stationed in front of the theatre. A story Ive heard from a few people is about this fierce woman who used to rule the roost here, apparently. Shed stand at the back of the theatre and if you dared talk during a movie, shed yell at you to be quiet or else. Cam says Shawn, 32, and Chelsey, 29, were still too young when he retired six years ago to expect them to take on the stores, themselves. He sold part of the operation to outside interests, but retained a share for his kids, in case they ever decided running a meat market was something they wanted to do with their lives, too. It's wise to take a number if you want to get served at Miller's Meats. For me, there was never a doubt, but I do remember Dad telling us not to feel pressured, to do whatever we wanted as a career, but that the store was here for us, if we wanted it, Shawn says. My parents actually encouraged me to become a teacher thats what I studied at university but after doing some volunteer work in a classroom, I realized I had a passion for the store I didnt even know existed, Chelsey pipes in, adding whenever she arrives home with sacks of groceries, the first thing her children, aged two and four, want to know is whether the contents are from our store. Chelsey adds it might sound odd, but one of her favourite childhood memories is spending long, arduous days at the store during peak periods such as Thanksgiving, then piling into the car at 6 p.m. on Saturday and, following a quick pit stop to grab the dog, heading to their cottage for a couple of days of R and R. During the drive there we were all tired, for sure, she says. But because it was the same amount of tired each, it always seemed that we were in this together. David Sanderson writes about Winnipeg-centric businesses and restaurants. david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca There are plenty of sauces and spices available for people who like to add a little something to their meals. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 30/09/2017 (1871 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. MOROVIS, Puerto Rico There was once a bridge here, connecting the neighbourhood of San Lorenzo with the city centre, connecting a community with the mundane necessities of American life: supermarkets, gas stations, emergency services. But hurricane Maria was unkind to this place and that bridge. In the searing heat, families now trudge through murky, waist-deep water with grocery bags on their heads, large chunks of cement along the riverbed the only evidence a crossing ever existed. The storms devastation here in the central mountains outside San Juan was among Puerto Ricos worst, and the bridge collapse was an added insult. Now thousands of residents are sequestered in their toppled town, away from local officials, federal help, food, fuel, water and medicine. Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo / for the Washington Post Wilfredo Cruzs wooden home in the small town of Morovis was ripped to pieces by hurrican Maria. He and his wife have heard nothing, nor received any help, from local or federal officials, they said. People are going crazy, Cruz said. The only way out of the residential neighbourhood is to swim across the river or drive at least three hours around a mountain, a near impossibility because of the scarcity of gas. Residents tied a fallen cable wire across the river in an attempt to send food and water across. As of Monday afternoon, it hadnt worked. Elderly and ailing residents of San Lorenzo have no way of accessing medical treatment. Last Saturday, three people helped a man on dialysis cross the river in a float fashioned out of a car tire. Once on the other side, his son placed him on the back of a horse and trotted to a hospital, said San Lorenzo resident Antonio Ojeda, who works in the mayors office. I feel trapped, said Genesis Matta, a 25-year-old San Lorenzo resident. In the five days since Maria battered the city of Morovis, about 60 kilometres southwest of San Juan, residents and local officials said they had received no help from Puerto Rico officials and had no contact with federal agencies. Puerto Ricans across the island have echoed those frustrations as advocates off the island began to put pressure on the Trump administration to speed up help to American citizens who have long felt disconnected from the mainland, but perhaps have never felt so alone. The mayor of Morovis, Carmen Maldonado, appeared out of breath and on the verge of tears Monday as she spoke about the calamities in her town. She was on her way to break into a high school cafeteria with police to access food for residents from the pantries there. The high school was being used as a shelter to house more than 70 people. There is no gasoline, not even for the ambulances, she said, adding the governor had promised to send supplies. Lies. Where is the food? Where is the water? Thousands of homes in the town were destroyed. There was one supermarket open and no functioning gas stations. It had been impossible for many residents to access water, so local officials opened up a fire hydrant. Around 2 p.m. Monday, a caravan of vehicles pulled up to the river, carrying a group of law enforcement officials. Some had patches on their sleeves displaying four letters long-awaited in many parts of Puerto Rico: FEMA. On Monday, FEMA recovery efforts were tasked with visiting some of the hardest-hit towns on the island, scouting damage and assessing community needs. They made their way to the rivers edge. Manolo Gonzalez, who owns one of the only restaurants in the village in San Lorenzo, near the river, asked FEMA officials for fuel for his generator, so he could power his ice-maker. He hoped to set up his restaurant as a place for local residents to get ice particularly his diabetic neighbours who are unable to keep their insulin cold. Other members of the FEMA team helped replace the utility cable stretching across the river with a stronger wire. But that wire was among the only supplies they would be able to leave with the town: they were unable to cross the river. They brought no food or water and had only minimal medical supplies for emergencies. A Bureau of Land Management official who was providing security for the FEMA team looked across the water. Its like being on 9/11, watching the towers fall and not being able to do anything about it, said the official, who declined to give his name. Its a feeling of helplessness. Another member of the team pointed to the families slowly pushing through the water on foot: If someone doesnt do something about this, eventually someone is going to get killed. Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo / For the Washington Post A family crosses a river in Morovis, Puerto Rico. Residents of the San Lorenzo neighbourhood cant access their houses because hurricane Maria destroyed the bridge that connects them with the main access road. When the FEMA team walked into the Morovis city hall, the mayor was in a frenzy. Maldonado asked the rescuers to go to the town shelter the high school to take count of the needs. There, they met in a classroom with the shelters organizers. How many days can you last on your diesel? a FEMA official asked. Less than 24 hours, the shelter leader said. They were running low on water and would only have food for a week. One man, who had lost his legs months before the storm, was in need of medical treatment. Wheres the closest hospital? FEMA representatives asked. All of the closest hospitals are closed, the shelter organizer responded. The needs of the town are urgent, but the federal assessment is moving slowly, underscoring the logistical challenges many responders are facing across Puerto Rico. Roads are blocked, seaports and airports are closed or barely functioning, power is out and cellphone service limited. The team members said they would be reporting Moroviss needs to the command centre, so that the emergency management team could co-ordinate how to get supplies there. But when asked how long it would take for water, food and gasoline to get to the town, FEMA officials did not have an answer. But for residents, particularly those in San Lorenzo, the clock is ticking. Throngs of people from across Puerto Rico and beyond have streamed to the river in San Lorenzo, hoping to reach their families on the other side. Ana Zayas and Jaime Marquez flew into San Juans airport from Boston on Monday and drove straight to San Lorenzo. Their flight, which had been scheduled before the hurricane hit, had been delayed until the airport could handle it. They hadnt heard from their San Lorenzo relatives since before Maria stormed through, and when they saw the collapsed bridge, they were stunned. Washington Post Trumps Sunday announcement of a new indefinite travel ban includes the African nation of Chad, a country that has given full support to Washingtons imperialist wars conducted against several African nations for over a decade. The limitations on travel from Chad to the US go into effect on October 18. Taking to Twitter late Sunday, Trump expressed the bans reactionary nationalist character: Making America Safe is my number one priority. We will not admit those into our country we cannot safely vet. As an explanation for Chads addition to the list, Trumps proclamation states, Chad does not adequately share public-safety and terrorism-related information and fails to satisfy at least one key risk criterion. The list of countries to be restricted include Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia, which were part of the initial ban, with the addition of North Korea, Venezuela, and Chad. Without explanation, Sudan was dropped from the list. Significant is the fact that of the countries on the list, with the exception of Chad, all are either targets of the US for regime change or are currently undergoing US bombardment. In the case of Chad, the African nation has served a subservient role to Washingtons predatory aims on the continent. The addition of two non-Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela, owe to the Trump administrations attempt to scrub the xenophobic tinge that characterized the original and to ensure the measures resistance to court challenges. The initial travel ban was announced a few days after Trump was inaugurated, and its implementation was blocked by a federal court as unconstitutional; a revised travel ban was also blocked in the lower courts leading the Trump administration to an appeal before the Supreme Court, which affirmed the measure in June. Chads ruling government of President Idriss Debry issued a statement to the media condemning the ban. The Chadian Government expresses its incomprehension in the face of the official reasons behind this decision, adding, reasons that contrast with the efforts and the ongoing commitments of Chad in the fight against terrorism. The inclusion of Chad in the ban, a country which has lent its full support to Washingtons imperialist operations across the Sahel region of Africa, provoked severe criticism from sections within the America ruling class, reflecting the broader conflict since Trumps election over the direction of foreign policy. There are concerns that the implementation of the reactionary travel restrictions will undermine the global economic order over which American capitalism presides, and provoke a backlash against the US from Washingtons allies around the globe, in particular Europe. Speaking to Foreign Policy, Richard Downie, deputy director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic International Studies, explained the character of Chads close relationship with Washington and its imperialist prerogatives on the continent, stating, ...the ban would only harm coordination between the Pentagon and Chad, adding [the ban] cannot be anything but damaging to a bilateral relationship. Chad has received tens of millions in US military aid to carry out Washingtons neo-colonial operations across the Sahel region by utilizing the standard pretext of fighting terrorism. Currently, on the behalf of Washington, Chads forces are engaged in a protracted battle against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Recently, the US opened a $300 million embassy in capital city NDjamena, making clear Chads geo-strategic importance to Washington. Additionally, in 2013 Chad lent its forces in the US-backed French military invasion of Mali to neutralize Islamist rebels who conducted an insurgency against the US/French-backed forces who overthrew the government in Bamako. Illuminating Washingtons interests in Chad, J. Peter Pham, an Africa specialist for the Atlantic Council, and under consideration by the Trump administration for deputy assistant secretary for African affairs, was more explicit. Pham, in speaking with the New York Times, alleged that Chad had played a somewhat duplicitous role against Boko Haram, and had only cracked down on the Islamist militia when Chads trade routes were threatened. Speaking on Chads geostrategic importance for Washington, Pham stated that [Chad is] geographically, a country one doesnt want to alienate. Expressing the true face of Washingtons aim of unquestioned dominance of the continent, Pham added, theyve been a necessary partner but not a wholehearted one. In the country of 14 million, the chief victim of Washingtons calculations are the Chadian people, of whom 90 percent reside in impoverished conditions. The renewed travel ban represents an escalation of Washingtons imperialist offensive in the Sahel region and across the African continent. First lady Melania Trump called a librarian who rejected her gift of Dr. Seuss books divisive. (Photo: Getty Images) A school librarian who rejected a shipment of books from Melania Trump for their racist undertones was brandished divisive by the first lady. Liz Phipps Soeiro is a librarian at Cambridgeport School in Massachusetts and the recipient of an honor bestowed to one high-achieving school library in each state. To coincide with National Read a Book Day on Sept. 6, each library received a package of 10 Dr. Seuss books: Seuss-isms!; Because a Little Bug Went KaChoo; What Pet Should I Get?; The Cat in the Hat; I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!; One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; The Foot Book; Wacky Wednesday; Green Eggs and Ham; and Oh, the Places Youll Go! Melania has called Oh, the Places Youll Go! a favorite book, reading it aloud to children at a New York City hospital in March for Read Across America Day (also Dr. Seusss birthday), much like Michelle Obama in past years. However, Phipps Serio declined the shipment, explaining her reasoning on the Horn Blog Tuesday. Dear Mrs. Trump, my students were interested in reading your enclosed letter and impressed with the beautiful bookplates with your name and the indelible White House stamp, she wrote. However, we will not be keeping the titles for our collection. Id like to respectfully offer my explanation. Phipps Serio highlighted her amazing school district adding, School libraries around the country are being shuttered. Cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit are suffering through expansion, privatization, and school choice with no interest in outcomes of children, their families, their teachers, and their schools. Are those kids any less deserving of books simply because of circumstances beyond their control? Why not go out of your way to gift books to underfunded and underprivileged communities that continue to be marginalized and maligned by policies put in place by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos? Why not reflect on those high standards of excellence beyond only what the numbers suggest? Secretary DeVos would do well to scaffold and lift schools instead of punishing them with closures and slashed budgets. Story continues Then, Phipps Serio turned her attention to the subject matter of the books. So, my school doesnt have a NEED for these books. And then theres the matter of the books themselves. You may not be aware of this, but Dr. Seuss is a bit of a cliche, a tired and worn ambassador for childrens literature. She continued by name-checking specific books. Another fact that many people are unaware of is that Dr. Seusss illustrations are steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes. Open one of his books (If I Ran a Zoo or And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, for example), and youll see the racist mockery in his art. Scholar Philip Nels new book, Was the Cat in the Hat Black? The Hidden Racism of Childrens Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books, further explores and shines a spotlight on the systemic racism and oppression in education and literature. You and your husband have a direct impact on these childrens lives, wrote Phipps Serio. Please make time to learn about and value them. I hope you share these books with your family and with kids around the country. And I encourage you to reach out to your local librarian for more recommendations. Yahoo Lifestyle could not reach Phipps Serio, and her social media channels appear to have been removed. But that didnt stop people from tweeting their disapproval of the librarians gesture. 2. Here's a picture Liz Phipps Soeiro posted actually celebrating Dr Seuss's books, so apparently she likes "racist" reading materials also! pic.twitter.com/F1CY0XJx5f Deplorable Tigerfan (@Auburngirlx) September 29, 2017 If you believe Dr. Seuss books are racist, you might be a moron. Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) September 29, 2017 Stephanie Grisham, White House director of communications, released the following statement to various media outlets. [The first lady] has demonstrated [her commitment to children] in both actions and words since her husband took office, and sending books to children across the country is but one example. To turn the gesture of sending young students some books into something divisive is unfortunate, but the first lady remains committed to her efforts on behalf of children everywhere. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Thelma Williams has been charged with faking her own kidnapping and broadcasting the hoax on Facebook, alerting authorities and alarming the community. (Photo: Facebook) Thelma Williams, a 38-year-old Ohio woman, sparked a massive police response, including the deployment of a helicopter and the shutting down of a highway on Wednesday when photos and video of her bound and gagged in her basement were shared on Facebook. The images were sent to the social media platform shortly after noon on Sept. 27. Alarmed friends and relatives called 911 and said a man had kidnapped her. It has video and picture of her saying they have her and theyre going to kill her today, a friend of Williams told a 911 operator, according to Cincinnatis WLWT 5. When police arrived, they found Williams in the basement of her Middletown home loosely bound with a pair of underwear in her mouth. She told police that a masked man had attacked her that morning and left her tied up. According to Williams, he recorded the images, posted them, then called a contact on Williamss phone, laid the phone by her side, and left. After investigating, police discovered that Williams had recorded the cellphone video herself. Williams then admitted the kidnapping was a hoax in an interview with police. She was arrested and charged with filing a false report, a fifth-degree felony. (Image: Facebook) We can actually see her waiting for it [the video] to come on so she can get her serious face on. We find her story to be totally a fabrication, Sheriff Richard Jones told WLWT. Williamss daughter was terrified when she first saw the video but believes her mother pulled the stunt to ask for help, not attention. If my mom made this up, its not for attention. Its because she needs help, not because she needs to be behind bars, Lorin Karol told the TV station. Jones has asked that Williams be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle Story continues Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. On Saturday, Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski criticized how Donald Trumps actions were negatively affecting Puerto Rico just as the president went on a tweet storm in response to the backlash he has received for his perceived lackluster response to the crisis there. Hard to believe but this could be worse than Charlottesville Trumps racism is costing lives. #heisnotfit, Brzezinski wrote, referencing the white nationalist march in Virginia in August and Trumps widely criticized response where he failed to initially outright condemn neo-Nazis and white supremacists. So far Hurricane Maria which ravaged the island on Sept. 20, leaving the entire island without electricity and destroying many homes has claimed at least 16 lives in Puerto Rico so far, the Associated Press reports. Experts estimate that without electricity and supplies, that number could increase to thousands. While Brzezinski didnt elaborate on her claims about Trump being a racist, she is hardly the first person to speak out about his response to the storm. Dozens of officials and celebrities have criticized Trump for seemingly ignoring the crisis after the storm hit and, on Saturday morning, many more chimed in to condemn him after he slammed the mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz, for speaking out against him and begging for more aid. Hard to believe but this could be worse than Charlottesville Trump's racism is costing lives. #heisnotfit Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) September 30, 2017 On Saturday afternoon the president responded to the widespread backlash against his handling of the situation in Puerto Rico insisting that he had been working with local officials to ensure that they were getting the help they needed. Despite the Fake News Media in conjunction with the Dems, an amazing job being done in Puerto Rico. Great people! he wrote. Story continues Trump also complimented Puerto Ricos governor Ricardo Rossello, who said that the federal government has been helping the commonwealth with their recovery effort but that they still needed more aid. The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, is a great guy and leader who is really working hard. Thank you Ricky! Trump said. Just spoke to Governor Kenneth Mapp of the U.S. virgin Islands who stated that #FEMA and Military are doing a GREAT job! Thank you Governor! Trump continued. To the people of Puerto Rico: Do not believe the #FakeNews! #PRStrong he continued. We must all be united in offering assistance to everyone suffering in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the wake of this terrible disaster. Despite the Fake News Media in conjunction with the Dems, an amazing job is being done in Puerto Rico. Great people! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 To the people of Puerto Rico: Do not believe the #FakeNews!#PRStrong???????? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 We must all be united in offering assistance to everyone suffering in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the wake of this terrible disaster. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Brzezinski, who has publicly clashed with the president in the past and even becoming the target of some of his meaner tweets responded to Trumps defense saying it was too late and that no one believed him. Too late. No one believes you now, she wrote. But what else is new? #heisnotfit. Too late. No one believes you now. But what else is new? #heisnotfit https://t.co/VcOOUK2TqG Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) September 30, 2017 Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico on Sept. 20 with ferocious 155-mph winds that ripped trees from the ground, tore roofs from buildings, and caused flooding that made many streets look like raging rivers. The most powerful storm of its kind to hit the island since 1932, it ravaged the island and left millions homeless. Electricity has been knocked out completely, with residents in need of electricity having to rely on backup generators. Experts estimate it could take half a year to restore power to the 3.5 million people who live there. Cell phone service has also been completely shut down. Game show icon Monty Hall, who co-created and hosted the original Lets Make a Deal, has died of heart failure at the age of 96, the New York Times reports. He passed away on Saturday in his Beverly Hills, Calif. home. Hall launched Lets Make a Deal in 1963. It first premiered as part of NBCs daytime line-up before moving to ABC in 1968, where it continued through 1976. A syndicated version of Deal aired on and off through the 1970s and 80s, before returning to NBC for a brief run from 1990-91. The show was eventually revived with host Wayne Brady in 2009, with Hall putting in occasional guest appearances. In addition to Lets Make a Deal, Hall headlined various other game shows, including The Hollywood Squares and Password All-Stars. We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Monty Hall, a television legend who hosted a show and created a format that has entertained audiences for more than 50 years, Angelica McDaniel, CBS Entertainments Exec VP of Daytime Programs and Syndicated Program Development, said in a statement. Montys infectious enthusiasm, humor and warmth were a winning combination that was evident to everyone he encountered, whether returning to make appearances on the current version of Lets Make a Deal, or gracing us with his presence at a photo shoot celebrating CBS Daytime earlier this year. On screen, Monty made the Big Deals, but in the game of life, he himself was one. Our hearts go out to his children, his entire family and friends. Hall is survived by his three children, including actress Joanna Gleason and TV producers Sharon Hall Kessler and Richard Hall. Related stories TVLine Items: Amazon Has Sex, Recast on Goldbergs, Returned Date and More TVLine Items: Flashpoint Cops Season 5 Renewal, 30 Rock Tackles Death of Kim Jong-il and More black-ish Premiere Recap: Dre Strikes a Hamilton-Inspired Blow for Juneteenth Update with video Alec Baldwins Donald Trump kicked off Saturday Night Live by hanging up on the pleading mayor of San Juan. That woman was so nasty, said Baldwin, using one of Trumps favorite insults. (See a short clip below). SNL doesnt seem to have lost any of its political snap as it starts it 43rd season with a sketch as current as todays presidential tweets. With featured (and underutilized) player Melissa Villasenor as Carmen Yulin Cruz, SNLs cold open had a polo-shirted Trump speaking by phone to the San Juan mayor, castigating her for not upgrading to FEMA Prime. Im begging you, the mayor said, Puerto Rico needs your help. Click. That woman was so nasty, Baldwin sniped to Aidy Bryants Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who boasted that America loves her because, Im no nonsense but Im all nonsense. Enter Kate McKinnons Jeff Sessions, more elf-like than last season. I live in the grandfather clock in the hallway, an oddly-toothed Sessions told a surprised Trump. I made friends with some mice, they tell me secrets. Before long, Sessions was on Trumps lap, cooing, I might look adorable but Im frightening. New to the SNL political landscape was Alex Moffats Chuck Schumer, oozing New York cool. But the sketchs most memorable moment might have been one of its first, with Baldwins Trump being told by Villasenors Cruz that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. Hes aware, he says, unconvincingly, but not many people know that. Take a look at the video above. [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e4vFMJmBIc&w=605&h=340] Related stories Donald Trump Calls Upon "Shared Values" That "Unite Us" After 58 Killed In Country's Deadliest Mass Shooting John Oliver: Donald Trump Claims "Puerto Rican Laziness" Impeded Hurricane Relief Effort London Mayor Tweets Condolences To Slaughter Victims' Families On "Sad Day For Las Vegas" The Saturday Night Live season premiere wasted no time satirizing Donald Trumps response to the devastation in Puerto Rico, with portrayer Alec Baldwin back as POTUS to take a call with San Juan mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz (played by Melissa Villasenor). VIDEOSRyan Gosling Hosts the SNL Premiere: La La Land Reunion With Emma Stone, Another Close Encounter and More I know things are, as the locals say, Despacito, Baldwins Trump began, before promising aid by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. We want to help you, but we have to take care of America first, he continued, unaware that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. Sir, we just need help. Please! Cruz begged. He then hung up on the mayor, referring to her tone as nasty. Trump was then visited by Kate McKinnons Jeff Sessions, who arrived from his perch inside a grandfather clock in the hall and sat down on his lap. During their meeting, Sessions begged Trump to rethink his use of Twitter, before Sen. Chuck Schumer (Alex Moffatt) wandered in to take the president out for pizza. The cold open also featured Aidy Bryant as White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who spoke with Trump about his anti-NFL stance following protests during the National Anthem. Watch the cold open above, then click here for additional Season 43 premiere highlights. Related stories This Is Us Recap: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own The Voice Recap: If the Shoe Fits... Chicago P.D. Star Marina Squerciati Talks Burgess' New Boyfriend, Losing Lindsay and Yelling at Voight [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO] "Thanks but no thanks," isn't the response Melania Trump was expecting from one of the elementary schools she gifted with a shipment of children's books, but that's what she got in return. The librarian at Cambridgeport Elementary School in Cambridge, Massachusetts wasn't impressed by the First Lady's choice of literature for her students, and turned down the Dr. Seuss books the White House sent to mark National Read a Book Day earlier this month. According to CBS Boston, one school from each state was chosen to receive ten Dr. Seuss booksThe Cat in the Hat, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and Green Eggs and Ham among themalong with a letter from Trump. "Getting an education is perhaps the most important and wondrous opportunity of your young lives," she reportedly wrote. Disappointed, librarian Liz Phipps Soeiro responded by schooling FLOTUS with a letter of her own, which was published on The Horn Book's reading blog. "My students have access to a school library with over nine thousand volumes and a librarian with a graduate degree in library science. Multiple studies show that schools with professionally staffed libraries improve student performance," she wrote. RELATED: Melania Trump Praises Chelsea Clinton for Defending Her 11-Year-Old Son Barron Against Cyberbullies "You may not be aware of this, but Dr. Seuss is a bit of a cliche, a tired and worn ambassador for children's literature," she continued. "As First Lady of the United States, you have an incredible platform with world-class resources at your fingertips." The Cambridge school district reportedly responded by throwing the book at the rogue librarian, and released a statement saying that Phipps Soeiro was "not authorized to accept or reject donated books on behalf of the school or school district." The statement added that she has been counseled "on all relevant policies, including the policy against public resources being used for political purposes." Yikes! The United States government is warning citizens against visiting Cuba following a series of bizarre incidents. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning on Friday, citing a series of specific attacks on U.S. embassy employees, some of which occurred in Cuban hotels. Affected individuals have exhibited a range of physical symptoms including ear complaints and hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping, the State Department warning notes. We believe U.S. citizens may also be at risk and warn them not to travel to Cuba. On Friday, approximately 60 percent of non-essential staff at the U.S. embassy in Havana were ordered to leave. For more than a year, the U.S. has been investigating these incidents, according to the AP, which reportedly caused health problems for more than 20 staff members and their families. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of these incidents, which began some time in late 2016, according to the BBC. Vague sonic attacks were initially blamed for the symptoms, which ranged from concussions and hearing loss to nausea and dizziness. As a result of the incidents, the U.S. will also immediately stop issuing visas for Cuban citizens in Cuba. The U.S. citizens services department, CNN noted, was already closed while repairs were being made following Hurricane Irma. But the utter strangeness of the situation has not gone unnoticed. Following the announcement, members of American Tour Operators of Cuba (ATOC) released a statement on Twitter condemning the travel warning as, at best, an "overreaction." ATOC, an association of tourism professionals and U.S. tour companies that offer travel services to Cuba, described the travel warning as "difficult to understand," as the "mysterious incidents...never posed a tangible threat to American visitors in Cuba." "Today's Travel Warning unfairly sows fear and uncertainty, based on poor logic and evidence, and thus undermines the public's confidence and trust in the U.S. Department of State," ATOC concluded. The decision to remove personnel from Havana could further strain tensions between Cuba and the United States. Former President Obama just reopened the embassy in 2015, and President Trump has been outspoken about his interest in rolling back his predecessor's Cuba policies. Just over a year ago, the first scheduled commercial flight from the U.S. to Cuba in half a century landed in Santa Clara a reminder of just how new and fragile the relationship is between the two countries. Photo credit: Catt Gallinger From Cosmopolitan ~*PLEASE SHARE THIS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE*~ -Sclera Tattoo- (Whites of the eye tattoo)For everyone... Posted by Catt Gallinger on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 There's always a bit of a risk in getting a tattoo - of course, there's the possibility you're going to regret putting your boyfriend's name on your thigh. But Catt Gallinger, a model from Ottawa, Ontario, is currently struggling with a much more serious consequence. After getting a sclera tattoo (a tattoo on the whites of your eyeball) on her right eye, the 24 year old shared how she had a severe reaction to the tattoo and might be left blind in that eye. "This was caused by undiluted ink, over injection, not enough/smaller injections sights," Gallinger wrote. "There are multiple people who can attest that my aftercare was good and any other part of what I am saying." She explained in the post that she was sharing her story in the hopes of warning others against the dangerous procedure. "Just please be cautious who you get your mods from and do your research. I don't want this to happen to anyone else," she said. In a subsequent Facebook post, Gallinger said doctors are concerned that the equipment used was not sterile and, as a result, there is an infection stuck in the excess tattoo ink. "As it stands, it has been agreed by both doctors and the surgeon that my eyesight will NOT get better. It will either go completely or stay a blurry mess. We are hoping that these meds or surgery will prevent it from getting worse," she wrote. Posted by Catt Gallinger on Friday, September 22, 2017 Gallinger continues to update Facebook with her eye's progress. In her latest update post, she explains that doctors have put her back on medication for pain in her eye, and she is expecting to get surgery to remove the excess ink from her eyes. "My mental health is holding pretty strong today, so I'm going to keep fighting," she wrote. You Might Also Like In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Donald Trump blames Puerto Rico's continuing struggles on "poor leadership." Pictures tell a very different story. While the president sunk to an inexcusable new low on Saturday, images coming out of the storm-ravaged U.S. territory show us what's really going on. It is much as San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz described it: "This is a 'people are dying' story." SEE ALSO: San Juan mayor to Trump: 'We are dying' With a non-existent power grid and completely decimated infrastructure, the people of Puerto Rico are actively suffering as you read this on Sept. 30, 2017. There's no end in sight, either, as fixes for even the most basic functions of life in the 21st century electricity, and everything it provides are said to be many months away. The scenes pictured below were all captured at the tail end of the week, and they offer a look at an environment that is a long way off from restoring even the semblance of normalcy. Even after the storm, some residents still hope to evacuate while others try to pick up the pieces of a shattered existence. Nothing about this situation is normal. Trump's politicizing of a humanitarian relief effort is troubling enough, but to see and hear those words while photos like these still surface every day... it's almost too much to bear. This, right here, is what's happening in Puerto Rico just over a week after Maria. Take it all in. But don't take too long. These people need help. Do what you can. (DENVER) Three people were killed and four seriously injured Friday morning when a car careened off a major highway after it struck a bear. Seven people were in the Chevrolet SUV that slid across the center median, crossing over lanes of traffic before it flew off Interstate 70 about 3:30 a.m. near Rifle, Colorado, the Colorado State Patrol said. The people who were killed Friday morning after they were ejected from a car include Kimberly Hernandez, 7, and Eugenio Hernandez Altamirano, 63, who died at the scene, authorities told KDVR TV. Brizeyda Hernandez, 15, was taken to Grand River Hospital in nearby Rifle, Colorado and then flown to Childrens Hospital in Denver, where she died, KDVR reported. The Colorado State Patrol says four other people in the car suffered serious injuries. They are a 9-year-old boy from New Castle, Colorado; a 62-year-old woman from Carbondale, Colorado; the 36-year-old male driver from New Castle; and a 32-year-old female passenger. None of the seven people in the car are believed to have been wearing seat belts or sitting in a child safety seat at the time of the crash, the State Patrol said. The bear was killed in the crash and taken by the Department of Wildlife, the State Patrol said. Drugs, alcohol, and the speed of the vehicle were not considered factors in the crash, the State Patrol said. The case is under investigation. The American Civil Liberties Union announced Friday that it is suing President Donald Trumps administration over its new travel ban. The group is bringing its challenge in the U.S. District Court in Maryland. Multiple organizations, including the National Immigration Law Center, are joining the complaint. President Trumps newest travel ban is still a Muslim ban at its core, and it certainly engages in discrimination based on national origin, which is unlawful, ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero said in a statement. Adding a few North Koreans and a tiny group of Venezuelan officials doesnt paper over the original sin of the Muslim ban. Well see President Trump in court again. The latest iteration of the ban, announced earlier this week, is set to place new restrictions on travel to the U.S. from eight countries starting on Oct. 18. The updated ban removed earlier restrictions on Sudan, while adding North Korea, Venezuela and Chad to the list. Restrictions remain in place for Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia. Its Trumps third attempt to restrict travel from a small group of countries. The ACLU and other groups have decried the new version of the ban as just as xenophobic as its earlier versions, which faced legal challenges as to whether the policies unconstitutionally discriminated against Muslims. This is still a Muslim ban they simply added three additional countries, said Becca Heller of the International Refugee Assistance Project earlier this week. Of those countries, Chad is majority Muslim, travel from North Korea is already basically frozen and the restrictions on Venezuela only affect government officials on certain visas. You cant get any more transparent than that. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Paris (AFP) - A team of investigators and engineers headed to Canada Sunday to inspect an Airbus A380 superjumbo operated by Air France which was forced to make an emergency landing after an engine explosion. The double-decker aircraft carrying 496 passengers and 24 crew had taken off from Paris on Saturday bound for Los Angeles and was several hours into the flight when the blow-out occurred. Passengers recounted hearing a loud bang followed by violent shaking, with video and photos posted on social media showing extensive damage to the outer starboard engine. An Air France spokesman said Sunday that officials from France's BEA air crash investigation unit and engineers from Airbus and the US-based engine maker were flying to Goose Bay in eastern Canada where the plane landed. "The cabin started vibrating. Someone screamed, and from there we knew something was wrong," passenger Sarah Eamigh told Canadian broadcaster CBC News about the incident in the skies above Greenland on Saturday. "We saw the cabin crew walking through the aisles quickly, and we heard an announcement from the captain that said one of our engines had an explosion," she added. All passengers were expected on Sunday morning to complete their journeys to Los Angeles aboard two planes sent by Air France to the Goose Bay military airport, which is used as a emergency landing spot for transatlantic flights. "All of the 520 people on board were evacuated with no injuries," the spokesman told AFP. The cause of the problem was not immediately clear, but David Rehmar, a former aircraft mechanic who was on the flight, told the BBC that he thought a fan failure may have been to blame. "You heard a loud 'boom', and it was the vibration alone that made me think the engine had failed," he said. Rehmar said that for a few moments, he thought "we were going to go down". In 2010, a Qantas A380 was forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore when one of its Rolls-Royce engines failed, causing the airline to ground its fleet of the superjumbos for weeks. Story continues - 'Enormous bang' - Another passenger on the Air France flight, John Birkhead, told the New York Times that he and his wife had just stood up to stretch when they heard an explosion. "We were just stretching and talking, and suddenly there was an enormous bang, and the whole plane shook," Birkhead, 59, said. "We were lucky we werent tossed to the ground." Passenger Miguel Amador posted video footage apparently filmed from a window of the plane showing the damaged engine. "Engine failure halfway over the Atlantic ocean," he wrote. Passenger Pamela Adams said everything on the flight had been normal "and suddenly it felt like we had run into a jeep in the middle of 35,000 feet high", she told CBC News. She said she was "jostled" and the plane dipped slightly "but the pilots recovered beautifully". "There wasn't the panic that I would've expected," she said, praising the pilots for the way they handled the incident. Air France operates 10 Airbus A380s, the largest passenger planes in the world. Their version of the plane uses GP7200 engines, a giant turbofan built by General Electric and Pratt and Whitney of the US. Sales of the mammoth A380 have been sluggish and Airbus has said it will reduce production in 2019 to just eight of the planes. In 2015 the company produced 27 of them. Nonetheless, Airbus CEO Tom Enders recently voiced confidence in the future of the plane. burs-adp/ach (Reuters) - An Air France flight from Paris to Los Angeles made an emergency landing in eastern Canada on Saturday after one of its four engines sustained "serious damage" over the Atlantic, the airline said. Air France Flight 66, originating at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, landed at Goose Bay in Labrador at 1542 GMT, the airline said, and no one was hurt in the incident. "The regularly trained pilots and cabin crew handled this serious incident perfectly," the airline said in a statement. The aircraft involved in the incident was an Airbus 380 that was about seven years old, according to airfleets.net, an aircraft database. The engine was made by Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric Co and United Technologies Corp's Pratt & Whitney unit. The forced landing in Canada's easternmost province is reminiscent of an incident seven years ago in which one of the Rolls Royce engines on a Qantas A380 suffered mid-engine damage after taking off in Singapore. The November 2010 incident prompted the grounding of the entire Qantas A380 fleet -- six A380s at the time -- for over three weeks. Photographs taken by passengers aboard the Air France flight circulated on the internet soon after the aircraft landed. The images appeared to show that the inlet, or front part, of the engine had torn off, but the main part of the engine was intact. Rick Engebretsen, one of the passengers, wrote a Twitter message saying he had heard a loud thud and felt vibration while in the air. It was not immediately clear how the engine became damaged. Airbus was not immediately available for comment. Engine Alliance said in a statement that it was looking into "reports of an issue" involving one of its engines. Officials with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday. The airline said it was making arrangements to send the plane's passengers to their destination of Los Angeles. Aircraft on trans-Atlantic flights commonly use Goose Bay Airport in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador for emergency fueling stops. (Reporting by Victoria Bryan in Berlin and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) BEIRUT (Reuters) - Overnight air strikes killed 28 people, including four children, in a village in rebel-held Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday. Rescue workers have said Syria and Russia have killed scores of civilians in air strikes that began after insurgents launched an offensive against government-held areas in the north west of the country on Sept. 19. The Russian and Syrian militaries say they only target militants and deny killing civilians. Dominated by the jihadist group formerly known as the Nusra Front, the Idlib region had seen a six month lull in air strikes until the latest escalation. However, the overnight air strike targeted the village of Armanaz a few kilometres (miles) from the Turkish border. The Syrian Civil Defence, a rescue service operating in rebel-held areas, put the preliminary death toll at 26. Turkey said this week that recent Russian bombing in Idlib had killed civilians and moderate Syrian rebels, saying this violated an agreement concluded with Iran and Russia. Turkey, Iran and Russia to create a "de-escalation" zone in Idlib. Under the agreement, Turkey will deploy troops in Idlib, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said. (Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Alexander Smith) OJ Simpson - POOL OJ Simpson will live in Florida after he is released on parole from a Nevada prison where he has been held for the past nine years for a robbery conviction, his lawyer said Friday. Attorney Malcolm LaVergne didnt specify where the former sport and film star would live, although Tom Scotto, a close friend who lives in Naples, Florida, has offered his home. Scotto didnt respond to messages seeking comment. "Hes going to Florida," LaVergne said. "Theres no doubt hes going to Florida." However, the state attorney general doesnt want Simpson to come back. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter Friday to the Florida Department of Corrections, urging it to tell Nevada officials that Florida objects to Simpson serving his parole in the southern state. "Floridians are well aware of Mr. Simpsons background, his wanton disregard for the lives of others, and of his scofflaw attitude with respect to the heinous acts for which he has been found civilly liable," Bondi said in the letter. "Our state should not become a country club for this convicted criminal." Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 killings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles. But he was found liable for their deaths in a civil case in 1997 and ordered to pay the victims families $33.5 million. Florida corrections officials have said in the past that they must accept the transfer if Nevadas request meets the established criteria. A Florida corrections spokeswoman, Ashley Cook, said her agency has not received a transfer request or documents about Simpson. OJ timeline He becomes eligible for release Sunday, but LaVergne said he doesnt know where or when it will happen. He expects to learn more when Simpson notifies him that he is being moved from Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada. Release plans are in motion but need to be finalized for Simpson to be freed, perhaps as early as Monday in Las Vegas, Nevada prisons official Brooke Keast said. Citing safety concerns, she said the plans were not being made public. Story continues Simpsons attorney said he will begin pressing for answers if his client is not free by Oct. 8. LaVergne said he spoke with Simpson by telephone Thursday and that he is excited about his pending freedom. "Hes really looking forward to the simple pleasures," LaVergne said. "Seeing his family on the outside, spending time with them, eating food thats not packaged." Simpson wants to eat steak and seafood and get a new iPhone, LaVergne told ABCs "Good Morning America." Simpson won parole in July after serving nine years of a possible 33-year sentence for his 2008 conviction on armed robbery, kidnapping and other charges. From ELLE UK While Kaia Gerber may be the breakout model of Fashion Month, don't count the OG supermodels out anytime soon. After an epic reunion of '90s supers at the Versace show last week, there was another moment of model nostalgia at Balmain's Spring 2018 show. Tapping some of the top supermodels of the 2000s along with a few select Victoria's Secret Angels, Olivier Rousteing assembled a new Balmain army on the runway today in Paris. After Natalia Vodianova opened the show, Natasha Poly, Karolina Kurkova, and Kasia Struss followed suit down the catwalk-making for the ultimate early '00s throwback. Along with the supermodels strutting the runway, Balmain also tapped Victoria's Secret Angels Alessandra Ambrosio, Elsa Hosk, and Josephine Skriver to walk. Consider it your more-clothed preview of this year's VS Fashion Show. And of course, when you add early 2000s supermodels with Victoria's Secret Angels, what do you get? The ultimate runway finale brigade. See more model moments from the Spring 2018 runways: You Might Also Like MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday her cabinet fully backed her approach to Brexit, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Johnson, a leading campaigner to leave the European Union in last year's referendum, has set out a number of demands in recent weeks over how Britain should leave the bloc that go beyond May's plans. "What I have is a cabinet that is united in the mission of the government," May told BBC television. "Boris is absolutely behind the Florence speech and the line that we have taken," she said in reference to a speech she made in Italy last month about her approach to Brexit. (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Kate Holton, editing by Guy Faulconbridge) Buea (Cameroon) (AFP) - The main city in a restive English-speaking region of Cameroon was a virtual ghost town Saturday, with armed police patrolled the streets on the eve of an expected -- but symbolic -- declaration of independence from the French-speaking country by anglophone separatists. In Buea, the chief city in Cameroon's Southwest Region, shops were closed, streets were almost deserted and the normally bustling university campus was lifeless after residents left, apparently fearing violence. On Thursday, the authorities announced a temporary curb on travel and public meetings across the Southwest Region, adding to a curfew in the neighbouring Northwest Region, also English-speaking. The majority of Cameroon's 22 million people are French-speaking, while about a fifth is English-speaking. The legacy dates back to 1961, when a formerly British entity, Southern Cameroons, united with Cameroon after its independence from France in 1960. The anglophone minority has long complained about disparities in sharing out Cameroon's oil wealth. They are also angry about perceived discrimination, especially in education and the judicial system, where they say the French language and traditions are being imposed on them, even though English is one of the country's two official language. Tensions have surged, leading to marches and a clampdown ahead of what is expected to be a symbolic declaration of independence on October 1 -- the anniversary of the 1961 amalgamation. University dormitories in the district of Molyko were empty and armed police patrolled the avenues. "I am renting a room in a dormitory where there are 130 rooms, but right now I'm the only person here," said Benoit, a French-speaking baker. "There's nobody here, there's not a single student," he said. "They are the lifeblood of Buea. When there are no students here, the city is dead." The clampdown in Southwest Region runs from Friday morning to Monday morning. Story continues It entails a curfew, the closure of sea and land borders -- western Cameroon abuts Nigeria, a reputed sanctuary for some separatists -- as well as the suspension of transport and a ban on travel between towns and on public meetings of more than four people. The authorities have also warned that military reinforcements are on hand, and called on the population to "stay calm". Late Friday, five 70-seat military buses sped through Molyko, heading for Buea Town -- the seat of local government, where the separatists have said they will rally on Sunday. "If the dogs continue to go into the street to bite people, they will encounter the security forces," the region's governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, said on state radio on September 22, when pro-independence marches took place in anglophone regions. Local residents say security forces have been carrying out raids almost every day in Mile 17, a rundown area in Buea that is thought to be a haven for separatists. - 'Pray to God' - In Molyko on Friday night, people queued outside the only supermarket that was open, seeking to make essential purchases before the curfew took effect at 9 pm. In less than half an hour, the shop's supply of bread was sold out, and it hauled down the blinds. "I am going home to be with my family," said Iya, an English-speaking shopper. "I came to buy a few supplies because we won't be able to go out in the next two days. We are going to pray for God's intervention. We need peace." The crisis is having an impact on the city's economic life. Victor Ndisang, the manager of a computer school with 13 teachers and a capacity of 150 students, said he had not had a single enrolment since the start of the academic year in early September. "I have had to let the teachers go. There's no money," he said. "If this crisis persists, I am going to have sell all my assets and leave." Tensions are also high in the Northwest Region, where several schools have been torched, prompting the authorities to announce a 10 pm to 5 am curfew. Internet access there and in the Southwest has been reduced, making it harder to access social media. Most anglophone campaigners want the country to resume a federalist system -- an approach that followed the 1961 unification but was later scrapped in favour of a centralised government run from the capital Yaounde. A hardline minority is calling for secession. Both measures are opposed by the country's long-ruling president, 84-year-old Paul Biya. The dynamic leader with no time for red tape drew the presidents ire for criticizing US efforts to help hurricane-hit Puerto Rico but is unlikely to be cowed Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz speaks to the media as she arrives at the temporary staging ground for relief efforts at the Roberto Clemente stadium in San Juan. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images With her city in near ruins, and facing the most profound crisis of her political career, San Juan mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz made it clear she had no patience for, or interest in, a personal row with Donald Trump. I have no time for distractions. All I have is time for people to move forward, she told MSNBCs Joy Reid on Saturday morning. This isnt about me, this isnt about anyone. This is about lives that are being lost. This is a time where everyone shows her true colors. Trump showed his the next day, referring in a tweet to politically motivated ingrates who have criticised his response in Puerto Ricos hour of need. According to those who know her, Cruz certainly seems to be showing hers: as a no-nonsense leader with a talent for empathy to match. She goes head first, chest first. Shes not going to let anybody do what shes not willing to do, said Luis Vega, a legislator in the US territorys house of representatives. She has no patience for red tape and thats what we need right now, Vega added. Now the two-term mayor has become perhaps the most visible communicator of the commonwealths challenges in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which devastated the island leaving virtually all of its residents without electricity and access to drinkable water and food. What we we are going to see is something close to a genocide, Cruz said of what many have decried as a delayed and inadequate response to the urgent humanitarian needs of the island. Mr Trump, I am begging you to take charge and save lives, she added, pleading for a more robust federal response. Trump, as he has tended to during his brief political career, took Cruzs comments personally and on Saturday morning responded via Twitter, decrying Cruzs poor leadership and accusing her of being nasty to Trump. Story continues I was asking for help. I wasnt saying anything nasty about the president, Cruz retorted. Cruz was a late, surprise candidate in the 2012 election but won handily, defeating a three-term incumbent to become San Juans third female mayor. The mainland political action group Our Revolution described her election as the result of a grassroots effort which united in an unprecedented alliance groups which have traditionally been excluded from the democratic process. Born in San Juan in 1963, Cruz has been a leader and a competitor since childhood. President of her high school student council, Cruz set track and field records as a teen before she went to the mainland US for college in the 1980s. In 2012, Cruz ran on a platform that emphasized progressive change on issues of gender equality, LGBT and disabled rights, and a municipal plan for universal healthcare. Citizen participation has been at the core of her administration, and the city has begun trialling a participatory budgeting process since shes been in office. Cruz is a member of the centrist/centre-left Popular Democratic party, which favors Puerto Rico retaining that relationship with the mainland US, as opposed to full independence or statehood as other political parties advocate. Carmen Yulin Cruz: She is a force of nature. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters In 2016 she dedicated her election win to Oscar Lopez Rivera, a controversial figure in Puerto Rican politics, and a former member of a radical Puerto Rican independence group that committed several terrorist attacks on the mainland during the 1970s. Shes a feisty one. Im her friend and her ally and Ive also fought with her because were both very opinionated, Vega said. Ive never ever been prouder of her. She was no stranger to the mayors office when she was elected in 2012. Cruz spent 20 years in Puerto Rican politics before her run, starting off with a stint as an adviser to Mayor Hector Luis Acevedo in 1992. Before that Cruz spent 12 years on the mainland, much of that time at Boston University and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. There she was the first student to win the spirit award now presented annually to the student with the greatest positive impact on the quality of life of their peers. She is a force of nature, Jon Nehlsen, an associate dean at the school told the Pittsburgh Gazette. Shes probably not 5ft 2in, but shes this ball of energy, very charismatic. You can just tell she exudes leadership qualities. A bit of that was on display at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, which is being used as a staging ground for relief efforts, on Friday. With tears in her eyes, Cruz greeted a stream of residents warmly, but was also candid about her frustrations with how the recovery efforts had been going so far. She hadnt eaten lunch until 3.30pm, just before she delivered the speech that ultimately drew Trumps ire. But theres little reason to believe that Cruz will adjust her tack in light of Trumps tweets. I am done being polite, she said on Friday. I am done being politically correct. I am mad as hell, so I am asking the members of the press to send a mayday call all over the world. Beijing (AFP) - China's Communist Party Friday expelled from its ranks a former contender for a top leadership post for "serious discipline violations" before a major congress due to consolidate President Xi Jinping's power. Politburo member Sun Zhengcai was also dismissed from public office after the Political Bureau of the party's central committee approved an investigative report, according to the official Xinhua news agency. In a statement issued after Friday's meeting, the party listed his numerous misdeeds, accusing Sun of abusing his position, receiving money and gifts in return for seeking benefits for others and trading power for sex, Xinhua said. He was also accused of nepotism, sloth and leaking confidential party information and betraying party principles. Sun had also been under investigation by the Communist Party's anti-corruption watchdog. He had already been sacked as party chief in the major southwest city of Chongqing in July, a move that was seen as having implications for the party's twice-a-decade congress, which starts October 18. Sun was replaced in the city by Chen Miner, a former Xi aide whose profile was elevated by the move. "This is a warning that Xi sends to his enemies that, 'if you do not profess allegiance to me, you may suffer the same fate as Sun Zhengcai'," Willy Lam, politics professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, told AFP. "Sun Zhengcai's major problem was not corruption or womanising but failure to profess full loyalty to Xi Jinping," Lam said, noting that the investigation was concluded unusually fast compared to similar cases. At the congress, Xi is expected to secure a second five-year term as party chief and cement his position as the most powerful Chinese leader in a generation. At 53, Sun was the youngest member of the 25-member Politburo. He had once been tipped for promotion to the Politburo's seven-member standing committee, the elite group of politicians who run the world's second largest economy. Story continues Sun was even seen in some quarters as Xi's potential successor. - Sun's downfall, Chen's rise - Sun was the first serving member of the Politburo to be placed under investigation since Bo Xilai, also a former Chongqing party chief who was jailed for life in 2013 in the wake of Xi's anti-corruption campaign. As the country's fourth largest city and an industrial metropolis in the southwest of the country, Chongqing is a major post for ambitious politicians. Bo was rumoured to be part of a network plotting to stop Xi from assuming control of the party in 2012, and Sun was tasked with erasing Bo's influence on the city. But in February party discipline inspectors publicly rebuked Sun for failing to get the job done, leaving his future in question. His successor, Chen, first worked with Xi in 2002, when the latter became party chief of the eastern province of Zhejiang. His career took off after Xi became the party's general secretary at the last congress in 2012. Chen became governor of the southwestern province of Guizhou in 2013, adding the title of provincial party secretary in 2015. Xinhua said 2,287 delegates were elected to attend the 19th Communist Party congress on October 18. If you traveled back in time 46,000 years to the Pleistocene epoch in Australia, you would witness a landscape of bizarre creatures. There were giant kangaroos, flightless terror-birds, 23-foot-long lizards, and Tasmanian tigers. Australia, the land of marsupials, was also once home to diprotodon, the biggest marsupial to have ever walked planet Earth. New research from the Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggests they walked a lot more than any modern marsupial, too. In fact, researchers found that the animal traveled around 120 miles annuallyan insight discerned from information locked away for millennia in a single tooth. Diprotodon_giant_Monster_Wombat GREG WOOD/AFP/GettyImages Like rats and several other animals, diprotodons had front teeth that would grow continually throughout their lives, being worn down by use. The inside of the long incisors tells a story about what the animal was experiencing as it grew. Specifically, teeth can exhibit chemical signatures from food that the animal ate. Different places have different soils, and that soil leaves a signature on the plants. By matching the signatures in the tooth to signatures in soil, scientists could tell where the animal had been in its life. Different chemicals found along the length of a diprotodon tooth reveal that it was eating different foods in different places over the course of that tooths growth. (Unless the one animal that they studied may have been a rare restless wanderer, but large herbivores usually travel in herds, so it's safe to assume that one tooth represents many.) Story continues Gilbert Price, a paleontologist at the University of Queensland, led the study. Price and his team drilled samples from the incisor of this monster marsupial. They found that the animal had been traveling to places with different geochemical soil makeups, making its way across the vast expanse of Darling Downs in Queensland, Australia. Diprotodons looked similar to wombats, with roundish bodies, big noses, and buck teeth. (The word diprotodon means two forward-facing teeth.) But the prehistoric behemoth dwarfed its modern counterparts. On all fours, it stood six feet tall and could weigh 6,000 pounds. With this new knowledge of migrating beasts, Price asks the question: what effect did herds of giant, roaming herbivores have on the landscape? We know that migrating herbivores like zebra and wildebeests are critically important keystone species for the African serengeti. Whether these beasts were, too, is a matter for further research. There are still more unanswered questions about the Australian Pleistocene. What other marsupials migrated? What factors drove so many of them to extinction? What did those extinctions do to their ecosystemand what will be the effect of current extinctions on ours? Related Articles Sen. Bob Corker is the kind of politician who typically could stay in the Capitol for as long as he wants. A former mayor of Chattanooga and a successful businessman, the Tennessee Republican was reelected in 2012 with 65% of the vote in a reliably red state. But Corker announced this week that he would not seek a third term in the 2018 midterm elections. Asked about the retirement Thursday, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, his colleague on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told a reporter that Corker was not happy. Were any other senators unhappy as well? About 99 that I know, McCain said. It was a joke, but there was a kernel of truth in it. The repeated failures to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the upcoming slogs over tax cuts and the status of undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children have made the job of a Republican lawmaker less fun lately. Add to that the pointed criticism from President Donald Trump, the threat of primary opponents fueled by former White House advisor Steve Bannon, and the historical pattern of the presidents party losing seats in midterm elections, and its not surprising that a few moderate GOP lawmakers have already decided to call it quits. In addition to Corker, six members of the House of Representatives have announced plans to retire in 2018: Floridas Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Pennsylvanias Charlie Dent, Washingtons Dave Reichert, Michigans Dave Trott, Texas Sam Johnson and Tennesees John Duncan Jr. The number of retirements is not abnormally high so far, said Geoffrey Skelley, associate editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball at University of Virginia Center for Politics, who tracks this data. But Skelley noted that 61% of Congressional retirements from 2004 to 2016 were announced between the November and March preceding an election year, so more announcements are likely to come in the next few months. Some pragmatic members I know are mulling over the whole idea of reelection at this moment, Dent told TIME. I think there will be more; Im not saying there will be an avalanche but because of the nature of the 2018 cycle it will be challenging. Story continues As of Sept. 12, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has 14 potential Republican members of Congress on its retirement watch list, in addition to those who have already announced they wont seek another term. If the Democrats are correct in their predictions, that would make 20 retirements in the House of Representatives for 2018, which Skelley said is high, though not record-setting. But, as Dent noted, the majority of those who have retired, or are considering it, fall into what he called the pragmatic category, moderate Republicans, who hew more closely to a traditional Republican ideology than the more firebrand conservativism espoused by Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was backed by Bannon. Those more moderate members often hail from districts and states that are more purple, meaning at least some of the group chose to retire rather than face what could have been a losing fight. The DCCC had targeted Trott and Reicherts districts as battlegrounds and potential victory targets as early as January of 2017. Trott, who has not shied away from criticism of Trump, told TIME part of his decision to retire came from the realization that, with the DCCC targeting his district, his reelection campaign would end up costing as much as $3 million, requiring him to devote a majority of time to fundraising, which he did not find appealing. It wasnt so much the prospect of the tough reelection, he said. I think my time would have been better put to use in the private sector. But challenges like the one Trott is referring to will only be a problem if Republican incumbents are able to ward off conservative challengers in the primary which is looming as a possible challenge, particularly for incumbent Senators, after Moores upset in Alabama. Corker retired before he had a primary challenger, although Politico reported earlier this month that Bannon was searching for one. Of the seven Republican Senators up for reelection in 2018, two currently face a primary challenge from a grassroots conservative: Arizonas Jeff Flake and Nevadas Dean Heller, neither of whom have retired. And after Moores win on Tuesday, Mississippi state lawmaker Chris McDaniel told a local newspaper that challenging incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker in 2018 is looking more compelling. John Weaver, a Republican consultant and adviser to Ohio Governor John Kasich, dismissed the idea that Moore would spark an insurgent flow of candidates into the Senate in 2018, arguing that Moore was a unique candidate who had grassroots support in Alabama. He did note that the Republican Party does not have a cohesive message right now, which can pose a problem in challenging races. We dont have clear principles with our party right now. We dont have a moral compass, he said. And when you dont know what you stand for you can easily be reactive and be pulled in different directions and ultimately lose elections. Thats what is going on. President Donald Trump did an about-face Saturday when he praised officials in Puerto Rico after saying San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and others have poor leadership ability. Over the span of numerous tweets Saturday afternoon, Trump complimented Governor of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rossello and Congresswoman Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico and said the Fake News Media are working overtime and with Democrats. Despite the Fake News Media in conjunction with the Dems, an amazing job is being done in Puerto Rico. Great people! Trump tweeted. To the people of Puerto Rico: Do not believe the #FakeNews!#PRStrong???????? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Fake News CNN and NBC are going out of their way to disparage our great First Responders as a way to "get Trump." Not fair to FR or effort! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, is a great guy and leader who is really working hard. Thank you Ricky! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Congresswoman Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico has been wonderful to deal with and a great representative of the people. Thank you! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Results of recovery efforts will speak much louder than complaints by San Juan Mayor. Doing everything we can to help great people of PR! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Trump continued to speak out against Cruzs complaints, who pleaded for more help during a press conference Friday. Results of recovery efforts will speak much louder than complaints by San Juan Mayor. Doing everything we can to help great people of PR! Trump tweeted. Trump also said that FEMA and the military are doing great work in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The tweets came after Trump began facing criticism for his earlier tweets slamming Cruz and others saying they want everything to be done for them. Donald Trump and his wife Melania will visit five Asian countries: AP Donald Trump will travel to Asia in November for the first time since becoming President, in a tour planned to confront the North Korean threat. The President has been applying pressure on his allies in the region to impose tougher sanctions on North Korea in the face of a series of missile tests conducted by Pyongyang. He will visit Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, attending two major summits, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conclave in the Philippines. Mr Trumps attendance at the Manila summit had been in doubt until recent days, with officials saying he was reluctant to show support for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been responsible for a number of anti-American outbursts. A US official said Asian leaders who met the President at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week helped persuade him to attend in unity with key Asian allies. An Asian diplomat welcomed Mr Trumps decision to visit Manila because that reassures the region that Asia policy is not just about North Korea, its about Southeast Asia as well. The diplomat said the US' decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal early this year had raised questions about the administrations commitment to the region. But visits by senior officials, including the secretaries of state, defense and commerce, and Mr Trumps planned trip, showed Washington intended to remain engaged. Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Mr Duterte was looking forward to meeting the US President, adding that the relationship between the two countries was so resilient that ties would always recover, regardless of disagreements. Mr Trump, who has been locked in an increasingly bitter war of words with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will have the opportunity to bolster allied resolve for what he calls the complete denuclearisation of Pyongyang. Story continues He has denounced Mr Kim as a rocket man on a suicide mission for test launches of ballistic missiles and for nuclear weapon tests, and warned North Korea would face total devastation if it threatened the US. The North Korean leader has blasted Mr Trump as mentally deranged. The presidents engagements will strengthen the international resolve to confront the North Korean threat and ensure the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the White House said when announcing the trip. The Presidents visit to China will reciprocate a trip to the United States made in April by Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Trump has applied heavy pressure on China to rein in North Korea. While his efforts have had limited success thus far, he went out of his way to thank Mr Xi on Tuesday for his efforts. I applaud China for breaking off all banking relationships with North Korea - something that people would have thought unthinkable even two months ago. I want to thank President Xi, Mr Trump said at a news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. Chinas tougher stance on North Korea follows a Security Council resolution passed after Pyongyangs latest test. The resolution, adopted unanimously in September, restricted the supply of fuel into the country and imposed a ban on North Korean textile imports. China accounts for around 90 per cent of North Koreas trade, and the isolated state is highly dependent on Chinese oil imports. While residents of Puerto Rico struggle to get access to basic necessities like potable water and food, President Donald Trump has launched a full-fledged attack on the news media and, even more concerning, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz. Cruz, the mayor of Puerto Ricos largest city, made several emotional pleas this week to the media, tearfully begging for the government to provide more aid to the islands residents and for private citizens to make calls to Congress or to donate money or time. Cruz tried to paint a picture of the islands devastation: She described people who were forced to drink from streams and dehydrated senior citizens who were trapped in sweltering apartment buildings which she called, human cages. We are dying here, and I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out logistics for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles, Cruz said Friday. Mayday! We are in trouble. Trump responded to Cruzs cries for help in the way he typically does when he reads something that makes his administration look bad: He launched a Twitter rant against Cruz and then blamed fake news. Fake News CNN and NBC are going out of their way to disparage our great First Responders as a way to "get Trump." Not fair to FR or effort! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Despite the Fake News Media in conjunction with the Dems, an amazing job is being done in Puerto Rico. Great people! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 We must all be united in offering assistance to everyone suffering in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the wake of this terrible disaster. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 To the people of Puerto Rico: Do not believe the #FakeNews!#PRStrong Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 By nearly all accounts, Cruzs depiction of Puerto Ricos need for more aid is clear. As of Friday evening, 95 percent of the Puerto Ricos population was still without power, and more than half of the island had no access to drinking water, according to the Department of Defense. News reporters on the scene describe dwindling diesel fuel supply and struggling hospitals that are relying on generators to function. Story continues Rescuers have yet to reach barrios, or neighborhoods, in the center of the island, Jaime Barlucea, mayor of Adjuntas, said during a Friday news conference in San Juan. We took matters in our own hands since day one, because communication with the central government is really hard, Barlucea said. Weve had landslides. Were trying to reach those who have not been reached. But instead of focusing on providing aid to the U.S. territory, Trump is trying to peddle Puerto Ricos devastation and dire need for help as a direct attack from all of the groups that hes deemed the opposition, from fake news to the Democrats and, now, the poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan. The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 ...Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 ...want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Because of #FakeNews my people are not getting the credit they deserve for doing a great job. As seen here, they are ALL doing a GREAT JOB! pic.twitter.com/1ltW2t3rwy Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 This isnt the first time that Trump has used a national crisis to attack the news media. When the Charlottesville white supremacy rally escalated into deadly violence, Trump spent an unusual amount of time condemning the media for reporting on his response to it. Hes blamed fake news for the federal investigation looking into his campaigns ties to Russia. Hes even dragged fake news into the GOPs failed attempts to replace Obamacare. This time, however, hes exploiting a devastated island filled with Americans who are looking for help. And the mayor of San Juan wont stand for it. The goal is one: Saving lives, Cruz tweeted Saturday after Trump attacked both her and the reporters covering Puerto Ricos devastation. This is the time to show our true colors. We cannot be distracted by anything else. The goal is one: saving lives. This is the time to show our "true colors". We cannot be distracted by anything else. pic.twitter.com/7PAINk19xM Carmen Yulin Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) September 30, 2017 Here's how you can help Puerto Rico's recovery efforts. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. (Photo: The Washington Post via Getty Images) Also on HuffPost Maria Lopez cries while walking from her house that was flooded after the passage of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images) Loiza, PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 22: Aerial photo of the floadings in the costal town of Loiza, in the north shore of Puerto RicoHurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images) HAYALES DE COAMO, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 24: Karlian Mercado, 7, rests on the rubble that remains of her family's home after it was blown away by Hurricane Maria as it passed through the area on September 24, 2017 in Hayales de Coamo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico experienced widespread damage after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Irma Torres poses for a picture at her damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Local residents react while they look at the water flowing over the road at the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins A man looks at damages on his flooded house, close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins A man sits in a wheelchair next to washing machines at a shelter after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez LOIZA, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: A resident wades through flood water days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images) People stay at the roof of a damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 23: A devastated house in Morovis Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images) SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: Residents line up for gasoline days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images) A car submerged in flood waters is seen close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A resident lay on a cot inside a shelter after being evacuated from a home near the damaged Guajataca Dam after Hurricane Maria in Isabella, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Amid their struggles to recover fromiHurricaneiMaria, some Puerto Rico residents found it befuddling that President Donald Trump fired off a number of Twitter rants about professional athletes on Saturday -- yet made no mention of their dire situation. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images People stop on a highway near a mobile phone antenna tower to check for mobile phone signal, after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in Dorado, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez A dead horse is seen next to a road after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins An aerial view shows the flooded neighbourhood of Juana Matos in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / Ricardo ARDUENGO (Photo credit should read RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images) This article originally appeared on HuffPost. When President Donald Trump restated his proposed travel ban on citizens of certain countries to the United States on Sunday, Sudan had quietly slipped off the list. Trump hasnt been clear on what the North African country did right between Januarywhen the original travel ban was articulatedand now. (Trump was asked why Sudan had been removed but failed to provide any detail, merely saying, We can add countries very easily, and we can take countries away.) But Sudans President Omar al-Bashirperhaps aware of Trumps propensity for changeable pronouncements, and keen to capitalize on momentumwants more. Speaking at an African security and intelligence conference in Sudans capital, Khartoum, on Thursday, Bashir criticized the unjust sanctions imposed by Washington on Sudan two decades ago. The unjust sanctions imposed on our country since 1997 have primarily weakened the state and its institutions, and caused hardship to our people immensely, said Bashir, according to AFP. Omar al-Bashir ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty President Bill Clinton imposed extensive trade and economic sanctions on Sudan in 1997, citing the country's continued support for international terrorism, efforts to destabilize neighboring countries and human rights violations. The sanctions were expanded by President George W. Bush in 2006 to seize assets and block transactions with Sudanese government officials due to the conflict in Darfur, an ethnically charged war that has seen around 300,000 people killed. Before leaving office in January, President Barack Obama eased sanctions on Sudan in what was widely seen as a possible precursor toward normalization of ties between the two states. But in July, President Trump extended the deadline on reviewing sanctions to October 12. Read more: Trumps travel ban now includes a vital counterterrorism ally in Africa Story continues Bashirs comments on Thursday seemed timely, given that upcoming review. The Sudanese presidentwho is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the Darfur conflictemphasized that his country had made concentrated efforts to achieve national security and to counter extremism. But should Trump decide to lift the sanctions on Sudan, it would create the anomalous situation of the country being considered a state sponsor of terrorism and yet not under sanctions. Washington designated Khartoum as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993, after Bashir provided safe haven to several militant leaders, including Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. Sudan remains just one of three statesalong with Iran and Syriaunder the designation, which carries unilateral sanctions; several other countries, including Cuba and North Korea, had the designation removed. 0929_Sudan_sanctions ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Some experts expect that designation to change. Today there is no good reason why Sudan should not be removed from the U.S. state sponsor of terrorism list, with some very clear political caveats, former U.S. special envoy to Sudan Alberto Fernandez told The Cipher Brief in May. Bashir praised President Trump after his election victory, saying it would be much easier to deal with the straightforward former businessman than past U.S. administrations. Should Trump decide to lift sanctions on Sudan in less than two weeks' time, it is likely that the Sudanese leader will have even more flattering words for his American counterpart. Related Articles (BATON ROUGE, La.) A former Louisiana law enforcement officer pleaded guilty on Friday to negligent homicide in the shooting death of a 6-year-old autistic boy after a car chase with the boys father. He is scheduled to be sentenced next week to 7 years in prison. Norris Greenhouse Jr. also pleaded guilty to malfeasance in office in a deal that allows him to avoid trial next week. He was charged with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in the shooting that killed Jeremy Mardis and critically wounded his father, Christopher Few. A second former officer, Derrick Stafford, was convicted of manslaughter in March and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Greenhouse and Stafford were moonlighting as deputy city marshals in Marksville at the time of the November 2015 shooting. Video from another police officers body camera shows Few had his hands raised inside his vehicle while Stafford and Greenhouse collectively fired 18 shots at it. Defense attorneys claimed the officers acted in self-defense, accusing the slain boys father of leading officers on a dangerous, high-speed chase. Stafford testified at his trial that he didnt know the boy was in the car and didnt see Fews hands in the air. But he said he shot at the car because he feared Few was going to back up and hit Greenhouse with his vehicle. Investigators traced 14 shell casings to Staffords gun and four other casings to Greenhouses gun. Three of the four bullet fragments recovered from Jeremys body matched Staffords weapon; another couldnt be matched to either deputy. The plea agreement calls for Greenhouse to be sentenced next Wednesday to 7 years in prison, said Ruth Wisher, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Jeff Landrys office. Landry said the plea brings an end to a terrible tragedy. Jeremy Mardis was killed through senseless and irresponsible acts of violence, he said in a statement, adding that those responsible for Jeremys killing have been held accountable. Story continues Still pending, however, is a federal lawsuit the boys relatives filed last year against the central Louisiana town of Marksville, claiming city officials failed to properly train the deputies on the use of deadly force. I think the family is satisfied that Norris Greenhouse Jr. has accepted responsibility for his part in this tragic set of circumstances, said Steven Lemoine, an attorney for the slain boys family. Greenhouses attorney, George Higgins, said he thinks his client just realized this needs to end not only for Avoyelles Parish but especially for his family. Stafford and Greenhouse are black. Few is white, and so was his son. Defense attorneys accused investigators of rushing to judgment, arresting the officers less than a week after the shooting. One of Staffords attorneys has questioned whether investigators would have acted more deliberately if the officers had been white. By Prak Chan Thul and Matthew Tostevin PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Around half the opposition members of Cambodias parliament have left the country in fear of a crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sens government, a deputy party leader said. The leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Kem Sokha, was arrested on Sept. 3 and charged with treason for an alleged plot to take power with U.S. help. The government has said there could be more arrests linked to the alleged plot, which the opposition says is just a ploy to ensure Hun Sen keeps his more than three-decade hold on power in next years general election. Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) has a slim majority in the 123-member parliament, which voted on Sept. 11 to allow the prosecution of Kem Sokha in a vote boycotted by opposition members. About half are out of the country in fear, Mu Sochua, one of three deputies to Kem Sokha told Reuters on Friday. Im taking my chances. We cannot live in fear and let the fear paralyze us. She said the party was still in contact with those members outside the country as the opposition tries to rally international pressure on the government. A spokesman for the ruling party said it was an internal issue for the CNRP if its members were abroad. Spokesman So Eysan said the CPP believed in a culture of dialogue but Kem Sokhas criminal act had destroyed it. The ship has left the port so its already too late, said Sok Eysan. The government has said Kem Sokhas party could be dissolved if it doesnt drop him as its leader, something the CNRP has said it will not do. While Western countries have condemned the arrest of Kem Sokha and called for his release, Hun Sen has support from his close ally China, by far the biggest donor to one of Southeast Asias poorest countries. Mu Sochua said she was still hopeful that Western countries would take stronger action against the government, but did not specify what. A statement alone is not going to help, she said. The evidence presented against Kem Sokha so far is a video from 2013 in which he tells supporters that he has support from unidentified Americans for a plan to gain power. The opposition says it is evidence of an election strategy, not a coup plot. (writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) On Sunday morning, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Brock Long spoke with Fox News about the devastating post-Maria situation in Puerto Rico, and let's just say things didn't go so well. In his discussion Long referred to the hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico as "the most logistically challenging event the United States has ever seen," prompting the internet to ask the following question: "R u serious, bro?" SEE ALSO: Trump to Puerto Rico: Show us the money Long's response came after "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace played a clip of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz shutting down Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke. After Duke called the Trump administration's response to Hurricane Maria a "good news story" Cruz said, "Dammit, this is not a good news story. This is a people are dying story. This is a life or death story." Wallace asked whether Long felt it's a mistake for people in Washington to refer to the relief thus far as "a good news story" when millions of people are still seriously struggling. "Look, were not going to be satisfied until the situation is stabilized. And the bottom line is, is this is the most logistically challenging event the United States has ever seen and we have been moving and pushing as fast as the situation allows," Long said. Once Twitter users heard Long's comments they began to cast some doubt, reminiscing over various other preeeeetty intense logistical challenges that the U.S. has managed to overcome. Normandy. Dunkirk. Berlin airlift. Pacific theater. ZoomZoom (@ZoomsZoomz) October 1, 2017 Yet SOMEHOW we can get personnel and supplies to the #InternationalSpaceStation pic.twitter.com/OCGPgzMpRn cassandracarolina (@cassandra17lina) October 1, 2017 Aside from landing a human being on another celestial entity and then returning him home safely with less computing power than my iPhone? Luke Margolis (@LukeMargolis) October 1, 2017 We literally have a military that can land in the middle of the dessert and have a fully functioning city in a day. Do better @FEMA_Brock Dem Texas Girls (@TexDem16) October 1, 2017 This from a country that landed people on the moon, fought two world wars, built dams on raging rivers. But supplying an island? Way hard. Chris Floyd (@empireburlesque) October 1, 2017 The Berlin airlift is a great example, we didn't even have naval options, we pulled it off with 1948 era cargo planes. Michael Balla Jr (@The_NavigatorBR) October 1, 2017 Astronauts planted an American flag on the goddamn Moon https://t.co/yPR5nn6hVE Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 1, 2017 Dear @FEMA_Brock: Um, remember WWII? Berlin Airlift? Desert Storm? Sending a man to the moon? WE ARE A SUPERPOWER. ACT LIKE IT. https://t.co/PQFTWBnT1U Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 1, 2017 My father-in-law was a combat engineer in both the European and Pacific Theaters during WWII. He would beg to differ with Brock Long. https://t.co/kt1kouuPrp Havanese_Plz (@SedonaRockss) October 1, 2017 Would you agree those feats were also a tad logistically challenging, Long? Story continues A bit later in the interview Wallace went back to address Long's comment, giving him a chance to further explain but the administrator continued to defend his words. "Its not only a logistically complex event, just getting to the islands and being able to support an island that was hit not just by one major hurricane but two within basically a 10-day period ...The ports were damaged. The airports were damaged," he said. "I think there is a frustration from people who are making attacks on them that aren't grounded in the reality of an incredibly difficult logistical situation. And that's causing all sorts of people to say things that they probably shouldn't say," Long went on. Despite the public's outrage with the lack of proper relief in Puerto Rico, President Trump has praised FEMA for its efforts several times on Twitter. He even took it upon himself to so thoughtfully remind everyone on Friday of the logistical situation, by announcing that Puerto Rico is "An island, surround by water. Big water. Ocean water." We can only hope FEMA steps the heck up and summons whatever inspiration drove America to land on the moon and fight two world wars to help Puerto Rico, fast. CORRECTION: The clip of Mayor Cruz was played on "Fox News Sunday" on the national Fox network. Floridas attorney general doesnt want O.J. Simpson to return to Florida after hes released from prison in Nevada. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Julie L. Jones on Friday saying that she should immediately tell Nevada officials that Florida objects to Simpson serving his parole in Florida. Simpsons attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, said earlier Friday theres no doubt Simpson is going to Florida. Besides the robbery and kidnapping Simpson was convicted of in Nevada in 2008, Bondi listed the two murders for which Simpson was found civilly liable as reasons to reject his relocation. She also noted a history of violence and destructive behavior, including a time he was arrested for speeding in his powerboat in a manatee zone. Florida corrections officials have said in the past that they must accept the transfer if Nevadas request meets the established criteria. Simpson previously lived in Florida before his 2008 conviction. By Marc Leras and Emmanuel Jarry MARSEILLE, France/PARIS (Reuters) - Two women were stabbed to death and their assailant shot dead by a soldier in the southern French port city of Marseille on Sunday in what officials described as a "likely terrorist act". Police sources said the suspect had shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) in Arabic as he attacked the women, aged 17 and 20, at Marseille's main railway station. Two police sources said one had her throat slit while the other was stabbed in the chest and stomach. An Islamic State militant was responsible for the attack, the group's Amaq news agency said. The assailant was shot dead by a soldier from a military Sentinelle patrol, a force deployed across the country as part of a state of emergency declared after Islamist attacks that began almost two years ago. "We have until now managed to avoid such dramatic incidents (in Marseille). I think it was a terrorist attack and the individual who was killed seems to have had several identities," Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin told reporters. Paris was rocked in 2015 by multiple attacks that killed 130 people. In 2016 a gunman drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people. Both of these attacks were claimed by Islamic State. Other countries, including Britain, Germany and Belgium, have also suffered attacks by militants using knives, guns, explosives and driving vehicles at crowds. Some 200 police officers cordoned off the area and all roads were closed to traffic. A witness told Reuters she saw a man take out a knife from his sleeve and then stab a young girl and then a second woman, shouting what could have been "Allahu Akbar". "BARBARIC ACT" Speaking in Marseille, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the man had initially killed one woman and looked to be running away before returning to attack a second woman and then rush toward soldiers from the Sentinelle force who arrived on the scene quickly and shot him dead. Two police sources said the attacker had been carrying a butcher's knife, was around 30 years old and of North African appearance. One source said he was known to police for common law crimes, while another said digital analysis of fingerprints had come up with several aliases. "This could be an act of terrorism, but we cannot confirm it fully at this stage," Collomb told reporters. French troops are part of a U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and has thousands of soldiers in West Africa fighting al Qaeda-linked militants, operations that have made these groups urge their followers to target France. Security forces have increasingly been targeted by militants in knife attacks. A man wielding a knife attacked a soldier in a Paris metro station on Sept. 15. President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter he was "disgusted by this barbaric act" and praised the calmness and efficiency of security forces. French lawmakers are due to vote on a much-criticized anti-terrorism law on Tuesday, which would see France come out of its state-of-emergency in November, although some of the powers would be enshrined into law. The number of military personnel on the ground is also due to be reduced slightly, although the force is being adapted to make it more mobile and its movements less predictable. "The presence of Sentinelle soldiers, their speed and efficiency ensured that the death count was not bigger," police union official Stephane Battaglia told Reuters. (Additional reporting by Jean-Francois Rosnoblet in Marseille, John Irish, Danielle Rouquie, Caroline Paillez and Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris and Mostafa Hashem and Eric Knecht in Cairo; Writing by John Irish; Editing by Ralph Boulton and Matthew Mpoke Bigg) (CEDARTOWN, Ga.) A Georgia police officer killed while investigating a stolen vehicle is being remembered as a devoted wife and mother who was always willing to help others. Polk County police Officer Kristen Hearne was fatally shot Friday when she and Officer David Goodrich investigated a car found beside a rural road. Goodrichs bulletproof vest protected him from serious injury. The suspected gunman, 31-year-old Seth Brandon Spangler, was arrested a few hours later after he emerged from a patch of woods and surrendered. Kristen is the absolute kindest person anyone would ever meet, said Nicole Smith, a close friend of Hearnes since high school in Rockmart. She went out of her way to help anyone she could. The world could definitely have used 100 more of her. In an interview with The Associated Press, Smith said that Hearne adored her family and losing her is devastating. She was one of my very best friends, Smith said. She was too amazing to even put into words. Hearne, 29, was a five-year veteran of the department who worked hard and loved her job, Police Chief Kenny Dodd said. She was married with a 3-year-old son. Words cant express the sorrow and the hurt that we feel right now as an agency, Dodd said. Goodrich was a rookie officer whod been with the department for about six months. Goodrich had gone to investigate a report of a stolen vehicle just before 11 a.m., and Hearne came as backup. Spangler and Samantha Roof, 22, walked out of a wooded area toward the officers. When the officers began talking to them, they acted suspiciously and Spangler pulled out a handgun and shot both officers, said Vernon Keenan, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Dodd said Spangler was wanted for a probation violation in a neighboring county. Now he faces felony murder and aggravated assault charges in the slaying of Hearne and shooting of Goodrich. When Spangler emerged from the woods a second time, he was wearing no clothes, Dodd said. Story continues This was obviously not his first run-in with the law, Dodd said at a news conference. I have no idea why he thought it was worth the life of a police officer who was just doing her job. Its a senseless killing. Spangler and Roof ran from the scene and a manhunt ensued. Roof was quickly arrested and Spangler surrendered to officers hours later, Keenan said. He came out of the woods with no clothes on and just gave himself up, Dodd said. So we are currently out there with canines searching for articles of clothing. Roof will also face felony charges, Keenan said. Both officers acted bravely, Dodd said. Funeral services are pending. In addition to her husband, Matt, and son, Isaac, Hearne is survived by her parents and a younger brother. Spangler was wanted on outstanding Walker County warrants for probation violation, Keenan said. Georgia Department of Corrections records show Spangler was released from prison in August 2016. He had been serving time for convictions on a 2011 charge of cruelty to children as well as criminal counts added in 2015 for methamphetamine possession and possession of drugs by a prisoner. Hillary Clinton, holding her book "It Takes A Village": AP A little girl wore her own version of Hillary Clintons signature pantsuit to meet her role model at a book signing. Ms Clinton appeared at an event showcasing It Takes A Village, the picture book adaptation of her 2006 book of the same name. In a photo, the former US Secretary of State is seen smiling at her mini-me, named Grace, while signing picture books. Ms Clinton has also been busy promoting her other recent book release, What Happened, which details her experiences as the Democratic Party's nominee for president in the 2016 election. It is the highest selling nonfiction release in five years. Ms Clinton shared the photo of her and Grace on Twitter, writing Great to be back in Brooklyn sharing #ItTakesAVillage with readers of all ages! Great to be back in Brooklyn sharing #ItTakesAVillage with readers of all ages! https://t.co/ytalprhN5p Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 28, 2017 Grace is also pictured outside the event holding a blue heart sign that says Keep Going while wearing her pantsuit and pearls. Many people on social media loved the photos and called Grace adorable. Hong Kong (AFP) - Thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong Sunday to mark China's national day with a pro-democracy rally and voice growing fears that the city's liberties are under threat from Beijing. The protest which was dubbed an "anti-authoritarian rally" also comes after recent arrests of prominent pro-democracy activists, including a former lawmaker, have renewed anti-China sentiment. A number of other activists, including founding members of mass pro-democracy rallies in 2014, which blocked thoroughfares for 79 days, are also facing charges and possible jail terms. "Authoritarian rule has already become Hong Kong's reality in Hong Kong," Benny Tai, one of the founders of the movement told protesters. "We are having today's rally ... because we hope more Hong Kong people will see the true nature of the government," Tai, a law professor, said. Participants in Sunday's rally singled out the city's leader Carrie Lam and justice secretary Rimsky Yuen, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping with their pictures placed on placards saying "authoritarian clown". Others carried a black banner mimicking the Chinese national flag with five yellow stars drawn on it, with around 5,000 taking part in the rally, according to estimates by an AFP reporter at the scene. University student Vince Ho, 21, said the authorities' hardline approach was likely to spur others into action. "I think it would even encourage more people to come out to redress the injustice," she said. Tens of thousands joined the Umbrella Movement which started in September, 2014 to call for fully free leadership elections in the city, but failed to convince the government to make concessions over political reform. The face of the Umbrella Movement Joshua Wong, former lawmaker Nathan Law and fellow protest leader Alex Chow were sent to prison in August for their leading role in the initial protest that sparked the movement. Story continues It was a blow to the pro-democracy campaign and seen as more evidence that Beijing was tightening its grip on semi-autonomous Hong Kong. Their jailing has been criticised by international rights groups and politicians and has prompted accusations that the independence of Hong Kong's courts has been compromised under pressure from Beijing. City leader Lam on Sunday morning called for unity in her first national day speech since she became chief executive in July. "I have been deeply impressed by the strength bestowed upon us by our country," Lam said. "As long as we capitalise on our strengths, stay focused, seize the opportunities before us and stand united, I am sure that Hong Kong can reach even greater heights," she said. During a 4-day operation, immigration officials arrested nearly 500 people for alleged violations, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Thursday. The operation, called Safe City, was primarily conducted in sanctuary cities, which are areas that help to shelter undocumented immigrants and protect them from deportation. The nationwide sweep occurred in locations across the country, including Baltimore, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, areas of Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. Cook County in Illinois and Santa Clara County, Calif., were also raided. The most arrests occurred in Philadelphia (107), followed by Los Angeles (101). Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not honor detainers or allow us access to jails and prisons are shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement and creating a magnet for illegal immigration, ICE Acting Director Tom Homan, said in a statement. As a result, ICE is forced to dedicate more resources to conduct at-large arrests in these communities. 09_30_Immigration David McNew/Getty Images Sanctuary cities, counties, and states have policies in place that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Talia Inlender, a senior staff attorney at Public Counsel, which advocates for immigrants, spoke out against the most recent raid. Its clearly a political move that is not actually geared toward public safety, Inlender told the Los Angeles Times. During his campaign, President Donald Trump said he plans to block funding for these cities. "We will end the sanctuary cities that have resulted in so many needless deaths. Cities that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars, and we will work with Congress to pass legislation to protect those jurisdictions that do assist federal authorities, Trump said in August 2016. Story continues 09_30_Immigration David McNew/Getty Images Like previous raids, ICE said they sought out individuals with criminal convictions, pending criminal charges, and gang members or affiliates. ICE claims that those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) were not targeted. ICEs goal is to build cooperative, respectful relationships with our law enforcement partners to help prevent dangerous criminal aliens from being released back onto the streets. Non-cooperation policies severely undermine that effort at the expense of public safety, Homan said. In a news release, the agency outlined the specifics of some of the arrests made. One arrest in Denver involved an individual who is a citizen of Guatemala and was previously convicted of 6 DUIs and child abuse, among other charges. Another arrest involved a citizen of India caught in Boston, who was previously required to register as a sex offender. The 498 arrests represent individuals from 42 countries. Related Articles Tehran (AFP) - Iran will hold a joint military exercise with Iraq in response to the Iraqi Kurdistan region's "illegitimate" independence referendum, an Iranian military official announced on Saturday. Iran, which borders Iraq and the autonomous Kurdish region, strongly opposed the vote held Monday, fearing it would provoke separatists among its own Kurdish population. Iraq's central government has demanded the annulment of the referendum, which resulted in a huge "yes" for independence. "A joint military exercise between Iran's armed forces and units from the Iraqi army will be held in the coming days along the shared border," Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Masoud Jazayeri told reporters. The drills will take place at several crossings on Iran's border with Iraqi Kurdistan, he said, speaking after a high-level meeting of Iranian commanders. "In the meeting, the territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and the illegitimacy of the independence referendum in northern Iraq were stressed again and necessary decisions were taken to provide security at the borders and welcome Iraq's central government forces to take position at border crossings." Tehran has accepted a request by Baghdad for an Iraqi army presence at border crossings. Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday also took part in a Turkish military drill close to the Iraqi frontier. Iran has been cooperating with Baghdad in building pressure on Kurdistan, notably by suspending all flights to and from the autonomous region and banning fuel exports and imports. By Maher Chmaytelli and Tulay Karadeniz ERBIL, Iraq/ANKARA (Reuters) - The last international flight left Erbil airport on Friday as the Baghdad government imposed an air ban on Iraqi Kurdistan in retaliation for an independence vote that has drawn widespread opposition from foreign powers. Iraq's Kurds overwhelmingly backed independence in Monday's referendum, defying neighboring countries, which fear the vote could lead to renewed conflict in the region. (GRAPHIC: Iraq's Kirkuk region - http://tmsnrt.rs/2gq0Gk4) Foreign airlines suspended flights to Erbil and Sulaimaniya in the autonomous region, obeying a notice from the government in Baghdad, which controls Iraqi air space. Erbil airport was busier than usual as passengers scrambled to catch the last flights out before the ban went into force at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Friday. Domestic flights are still allowed, so travelers are expected to travel to Kurdistan mostly via Baghdad's airport, which will come under strain from the extra traffic. Maintaining the travel curbs is likely to discourage visits by businessmen and Kurdish expatriates, and affect industries including hotels, financial services, transport and real estate. More than 400 Kurdish travel and tourism companies are directly affected by the flight ban and 7,000 jobs are at risk in the sector, Erbil-based Rudaw TV said. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), meanwhile, refused to hand over control of its border crossings to the Iraqi government, as demanded by Iraq, Iran and Turkey in retaliation for the independence referendum. CONTROL OF BORDERS The Iraqi Defence Ministry said it planned to take control of the borders "in coordination" with Iran and Turkey. The statement did not give more detail or indicate whether Iraqi forces were planning to move toward the external border posts controlled by the KRG from the Iranian and Turkish side. As the crisis unfolded, Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric intervened to oppose the secession of the Kurdistan region, adding to pressure on the Kurds in his first directly political sermon since early last year. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani asked the KRG to "return to the constitutional path" in pursuing self-determination for the Kurdish people, a representative said in a sermon on his behalf. "Any attempt to make secession an accomplished fact will lead to undesired consequences affecting Kurdish citizens," the sermon said. Turkey, which has already threatened economic sanctions and a military response to any security challenges posed by the referendum result in neighboring northern Iraq, has maintained a drumbeat of opposition to the Kurdish vote. After talks in Ankara with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the referendum was illegitimate and Russia and Turkey agreed that the territorial integrity of Iraq must be preserved. Turkey and Russia have strong commercial ties with the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq. But the vote has alarmed Ankara as it battles a separatist insurgency from its own large Kurdish minority. OIL LIFELINE While Turkey has threatened to cut off the Kurds' oil export lifeline - a pipeline that runs through Turkish territory - it has so far mostly held back from specific action against Iraqi Kurdistan. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey would target only those who had decided to hold the referendum, and would not make civilians pay the price for the vote. Iran banned the transportation of refined crude oil products by Iranian companies to and from Iraqi Kurdistan. But a World Bank official said Kurdistan would be able to resist an economic blockade. "It is self-sufficient in electricity and fuel supply as it has the oil and gas fields, the refineries and the power stations," the official said. "It has also the land and the water resources to sustain a basic subsistence, even if borders are shut completely." The autonomous region is the closest the Kurds have come to a state in modern times. But although it has flourished while the rest of Iraq was embroiled in civil war, it may struggle to maintain investment if it is blockaded economically. The United States, major European countries and nearby Turkey and Iran opposed the referendum as destabilizing at a time when all sides are still fighting Islamic State. OFFERS TO HELP Both France and the United States said on Friday that Iraq's territorial integrity must be maintained, but urged Baghdad not to retaliate. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement that "the vote and the results lack legitimacy" before going on to urge "calm and an end to vocal recriminations and threats of reciprocal actions". French President Emmanuel Macron said the two sides should remain united in their priority to defeat Islamic State and stabilize Iraq, and that any further escalation should be avoided. A source in Macron's office said Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi had accepted an invitation to come Paris on Oct. 5 for talks on the issue. The U.S. State Department said Washington was willing to facilitate talks if asked, and the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said the United Nations had also offered its good offices. The Iraqi parliament urged the Baghdad government to send troops to take control of oilfields held by Kurdish forces. Baghdad also told foreign governments to close their diplomatic missions in the Kurdish capital Erbil. The Kurds consider Monday's referendum to be an historic step in the generations-old quest for a state of their own, while Iraq considers the vote unconstitutional. They say the referendum acknowledges their contribution in confronting Islamic State after it overwhelmed the Iraqi army. Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani has said the vote is not binding, but meant to provide a mandate for negotiations with Baghdad and neighboring countries over peaceful secession from Iraq. Baghdad has rejected talks. The Kurds were left without a state of their own when the Ottoman Empire collapsed a century ago, and 30 million Kurds now live spread across Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran. (Additional reporting by Raya Jalabi; Writing by Giles Elgood, Editing by Peter Millership and Kevin Liffey) BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday pressed the case for the central government in Baghdad to receive the income from Kurdistan's oilfields, saying the money would be used to pay Kurdish civil servants. Seeking to control the oil income from the autonomous Kurdish region is central to Abadi's strategy after the Kurdish referendum on independence held on Monday. The Kurdistan Regional Government said it plans to use the vote, which delivered an overwhelming yes for independence, as a mandate to seek the peaceful secession of the Kurdish region through talks with Abadi's government. Abadi, who rejects any talks with the Kurds on independence, wrote in a tweet: "Federal government control of oil revenues is in order to pay KR (Kurdistan Region) employee salaries in full." No other statement was forthcoming from the government. It was not clear whether Baghdad had had any success in taking control of oil income from the Kurdish region in the north of Iraq, which for years has kept oil revenue and paid Kurdish civil servants. Abadi on Thursday said Turkey had told Iraq it would deal only with the Iraqi government on crude oil exports. Iraqi Kurdish crude oil is exported to world markets through a pipeline to Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Baghdad imposed a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region on Friday. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Stephen Powell) By J'na Jefferson Melania Trumps gift of Dr. Suesss classic childrens book Oh, The Places Youll Go! was rejected by a librarian who deemed the book is filled with racist propaganda. [Oh, The Places Youll Go!] is steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes, wrote Liz Phipps Soeiro in a letter to Trump, who sent over several books to the Massachusetts elementary school that Soeiro works at, in recognition of National Read A Book Day. Mrs. Trump reportedly read the book all the time to her son Barron when he was younger. Soeiro says that the selection of Dr. Suess books was a cliche choice by the First Lady, and that she has access to several, more acceptable choices. Open one of his books (If I Ran a Zoo or And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, for example), and youll see the racist mockery in his art. Grace Hwang Lynchs School Library Journal article, Is the Cat in the Hat Racist? Read Across America Shifts Away from Dr. Seuss and Toward Diverse Books, reports on Katie Ishizukas work analyzing the minstrel characteristics and trope nature of Seusss characters. Scholar Philip Nels new book, Was the Cat in the Hat Black? The Hidden Racism of Childrens Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books, further explores and shines a spotlight on the systemic racism and oppression in education and literature, she continues. Soeiro closed her note giving the First Couple recommendations to ten other books that could offer [them] a window into the lives of the many children affected by the policies of [her] husbands administration. This post Librarian Rejects Melania Trumps Dr. Seuss Books, Slams It As Racist Propaganda first appeared on Vibe. October marks Domestic Violence Awareness month nationally and YWCAs National Week without Violence, which focuses on the issues of domestic partner abuse, sexual assault, stalking and harassment. YWCA Billings reminds readers that one in three women in our region will be victims of some form of violence or intimidation in her lifetime. Nationally, three women die each day at the hands of an abusive partner. Its evident that violence against women is a serious and pervasive issue. YWCA Billings celebrates that on October 1, Montana Senate Bill 29 will go into effect and change the definition of consent in the states sexual intercourse without consent statute. This marks a significant step in the fight against sexual violence. The criminal justice system has a new tool in Senate Bill 29 to protect individuals who are raped by a significant other. It also changes the language that defines consent. Often these assaults do not involve physical force but are driven by an on-going pattern of coercive control of one partner over the other. Coercive control undeniably incites fear in the person who is being abused by their partner. Consent obtain through coercion or manipulation is not valid under the new statute. There is other language in the bill relative to consent that will significantly improve how victims and the act of rape are viewed by law enforcement and the judicial system. We thank Senators Diane Sands and Margie McDonald and countless other who were champions for this important legislation. Like domestic violence, rape is a vastly underreported crime with only an estimated 5 to 20 percent of sexual assaults reported to law enforcement. However, victims of non-stranger or intimate partner rape and domestic violence can and should report the crime to law enforcement and allow the criminal justice system to address these illegal acts. Help is available for victims at YWCA Billings where support and assistance to survivors of domestic and sexual violence has been available 24 hours-per-day, 365 days-per-year for more than three decades. We encourage anyone who needs help escaping a violent relationship or coping with the trauma of domestic or sexual violence or human trafficking to call 406-245-4472 or text message 406-702-0229 to connect with a trained advocate. YWCA Billings also challenges members of our community to join us in taking a stand against domestic, sexual violence and human trafficking. More information about YWCA Billings programs and how to get involved is available at www.ywcabillings.org or by calling 406.252.6303. Paris (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to visit Paris on Thursday, saying the aim is to calm tensions after the deeply divisive Kurdish independence referendum. In a statement, the presidency said France wanted to "help Iraq to stop tensions from setting in" following the vote on Monday, which saw Iraqi Kurdistan overwhelmingly support secession. In a phone call on Wednesday, "Macron stressed the importance of preserving the unity and integrity of Iraq while recognising the rights of the Kurdish people. Any escalation must be avoided," the presidency said in the statement late Friday. "Faced with the priority of fighting Daesh and the stabilisation of Iraq, Iraqis must remain united," it added, referring to the Islamic State group. The office of Abadi, however, on Saturday denied that Macron's invitation had any link to the crisis with Iraqi Kurdistan. "There is no relation between the invitation and the crisis caused by the unconstitutional referendum," it said. "The visit aims to reinforce bilateral relations and to focus on the fight against terrorism in the region in which Iraq has achieved enormous victories," it added. Iraqi forces ousted IS from the northern Nineveh province on August 31, and is now fighting to retake the jihadist group's last footholds in the country. Abadi's office stressed the invitation was first made when French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defence Minister Florence Parly visited Baghdad on August 26. It said Macron had made no mention of "the need to recognise the rights of the Kurds or stopping an escalation by Baghdad". "On the contrary, there was a condemnation of the insistence of the Kurdish leadership to hold this referendum and expose the region to instability". While Monday's independence vote was non-binding, it has nonetheless sent tensions in the country and the region soaring. In response to the poll, the Iraqi government has cut Kurdistan's direct air links with the outside world, partially isolating the northern region. Turkey and Iran, which both have their own Kurdish minorities, have denounced the referendum, while the United States described it as "unilateral" and lacking legitimacy. Barack Obama congratulates US President Donald Trump after he took the oath of office: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images The majority of Americans really wish they could have Barack Obama back in office, new political polling shows. A recent report from Public Policy Polling, a left-leaning political research group, shows 52 per cent of American voters wish Mr Obama was still president. Only 41 per cent would prefer the current president, Donald Trump. The reasons for this are varied: Most voters think Mr Trump is dishonest, and has failed in his promise to make America great again. They also disapprove of him calling North Korean leader Kim Jong-un Little Rocket Man. But what has most voters yearning for Mr Obama, it seems, is the previous President's stance on health care. Only 23 per cent of Americans support the latest attempt to repeal Mr Obamas signature healthcare legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). More than fifty per cent disapprove of the attempts. In fact, only 32 per cent of Americans want to repeal the ACA at all, despite Republicans years of promises to do exactly that. More than 60 per cent of Americans want to keep the ACA in place and make changes where necessary. Republicans in the House and Senate have tried repeatedly to repeal the law in the last eight months. The attempts most of which would have resulted in millions of people losing health insurance sparked protests across the country. Voters are now more likely to vote for an incumbent who supports the ACA than one who voted to repeal it, according to the polling. In fact, other polls have shown that most Americans support Medicare for All a Bernie Sanders-backed policy that would extend health care coverage even farther than the ACA. A Quinnipiac poll from August showed 51 per cent of voters support expanding Medicare, while a June poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed 57 per cent support it. Still, Mr Trump has said Republicans latest attempt to repeal the ACA failed only because a Republican senator was in the hospital. (He was not.) I feel we have the votes, Mr Trump said on Wednesday. I'm almost certain we have the votes." This is the moment armed police shot dead the attacker at Marseille train station - Credit: Newzulu / Alamy Live News Terror returned to France on Sunday as a man shouting Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) killed two women in a frenzied knife attack at Marseilles main railway station before being shot dead by soldiers. The two victims were aged 17 and 20, police said. Isil claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the group's Amaq news agency. The attacker, reportedly aged about 20, was armed with two butchers knives, police said. He was known to the authorities for theft, drug dealing and other crimes but had not been flagged as a potential terrorist. Dominique, a tearful witness, described how he grabbed one of the women from behind and slit her throat. She couldnt have seen a thing, she told CNews television. She was lying in a pool of blood as I ran away. I heard two shots fired. It must have been the soldiers. Armed police swooped on the scene at Marseille train station. A police source said it was probably a terrorist attack Credit: Paul-Louis Leger/NEWZULU/Alamy Live News Police were questioning about 10 witnesses to the attack last night. A terrorism investigation was opened after security services reviewed CCTV footage of the attack. It showed the assailant sitting on a bench shortly before he killed one woman. He then fled but turned back to attack the second victim before running towards soldiers who were rushing to the scene. They shot him twice just outside the station. Gerard Collomb, the interior minister, who travelled to Marseille hours after the attack, described it as an odious act. He told journalists outside the station: This could be of a terrorist nature, but we cannot confirm it fully at this stage. French police officers cordon off the area outside Marseille's main train station Credit: AP Photo/Claude Paris However, Mr Collomb confirmed that several witnesses heard the attacker shouting Allahu Akbar and an interior ministry spokesman said: The terrorist theory is the most likely at this stage but we are exploring all possibilities. The mayor of Marseille, Jean-Claude Gaudin, said: I think it was a terrorist attack and the individual who was killed seems to have had several identities. Police who checked the mans fingerprints found several aliases, a security source said. Story continues Gare de Marseille Saint Charles Samia Ghali, a local senator, urged the public to be vigilant against attacks. At any time, in any place, the threat may return. More than 200 police evacuated and sealed off Saint-Charles station. Trains serving the Mediterranean port city were suspended for much of the day. President Emmanuel Macron said he was deeply outraged by this barbaric act. He congratulated the soldiers who reacted with calmness and efficiency and said he shared the pain of the victims families and friends. Armed French police on the stairs leading to the Saint-Charles main train station in Marseille, southern France Credit: AFP The soldiers were patrolling Saint Charles station as part of Operation Sentinelle, in which 7,000 troops patrol French streets and guard potential targets such as synagogues, museums, schools, mosques and stations in the armys largest post-war military operation in mainland France. France has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks, most of which have been claimed by the so-called Islamic State. The security forces themselves have been targeted repeatedly. A man who had pledged allegiance to Isil stabbed a policeman to death outside his home and killed his partner in their living room last year. Police cars park outside the Marseille railway station on Sunday Credit: AP Photo/Claude Paris France remains under a state of emergency declared after the Paris attacks in November 2015. The government extended Operation Sentinelle earlier this month. Parliament is to vote on a bill next week that would make permanent many of the emergency powers given to police to detain suspects and carry out surveillance. Two American college students were injured in an acid attack at the train station last month. Police said it was not a terrorist assault. An Iowa mother was arrested Thursday after leaving behind her four children to go on an 11-day trip to Germany, according to local reports. She also left behind a loaded gun on her bedroom shelf. Erin Lee Macke, 30, of Johnston, Iowa, was charged with child endangerment and making a firearm accessible to persons under 21 years old. Macke's 11-day excursion, which was slated to last from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1, was cut short by four days after she received a phone call from local police demanding her to return home immediately. She had no arrangements made for the supervision of her children. The Iowa Department of Human Services provided care for the children while their mother was away. Macke's has a 6-year-old, a 7-year-old and two 12-year-olds. Erin Lee Macke pictures,left her four young children home alone https://t.co/GHrsTl9ZRn pic.twitter.com/Ht42BDdXxC infowe (@infowe) September 29, 2017 "There was nobody lined up to be with the children," Johnston Police Department Lt. Lynn Aswegan said Friday. "Apparently she had talked to a couple of family members that earlier on had some conflicts watching the children during that time-frame, and she gave them the indication she had it taken care of." Aswegan added, "She felt comfortable that the kids were responsible enough to take care of themselves during that duration." Macke's trip to Germany was a "social venture," Aswegan said. Macke reportedly went to visit her brother and niece. The children had been alone for 24 hours before someone entered the apartment to check on their condition. Macke appeared in Polk County's courthouse Friday. She reportedly was instructed to hire a lawyer and prepare for trial. Macke, however, went free on a $9,000 bond ahead of the trial. She was previously held in the Polk County Jail prior to receiving bail. Story continues The judge also ordered that Macke is forbidden to see her children during the interim period. Several forms of contact were not allowed, including direct, indirect, writing, phone, voice messaging and text messaging. Macke's next court date is slated for Oct. 9 in Polk County's courthouse, CBS affiliate KCCI reported Friday. The two 12-year-olds are staying with family. The 7-year-old and 6-year-old children, however, are under their father's custody. A representative for Johnston Police Department did not immediately return International Business Times' request for comment. Child endangerment is often used interchangeably to refer to "child abuse" or "child neglect" in Iowa. A parent can commit child endangerment by knowingly putting the child at substantial risk for safety, mental or emotional health. The severity of punishment would depend on the degree of harm. If a child isn't killed or injured by the negligence, the crime is considered to be an aggravated misdemeanor. The crime would be punishable by a jail sentence of up to two years, or a year in jail followed by a fine between $625 and $6,250. The most serious offense, however, is a Class B felony, which could result in up to 25 years in prison. Iowan Police Photo: Getty Images Related Articles The Mormon church is still opposed to same-sex marriage, a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) reiterated at a conference on Saturday. "We have witnessed a rapid and increasing public acceptance of cohabitation without marriage and same-sex marriage, Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a governing body for the Mormon religion, said at the twice-annual LDS Conference in Salt Lake City. All sessions of the conference are streamed live online so that members all over the world can tune in. The corresponding media advocacy, education, and even occupational requirements pose difficult challenges for Latter-day Saints," he said. "We must try to balance the competing demands of following the gospel law in our personal lives and teachings even as we seek to show love for all." But he made clear that showing love for all does not signal a shift in the religions long-held stance against gay marriage, despite the Supreme Courts historic 2015 ruling that declared it a right in all 50 states. He reiterated that church teachings indicate that marriage should be reserved solely for heterosexual men and women. "Even as we must live with the marriage laws and other traditions of a declining world, Oaks said, those who strive for exaltation must make personal choices in family life according to the Lord's way whenever that differs from the world's way. 09_30_LDS_Conference George Frey/Getty Images The latest declaration of opposition to same-sex marriage is hardly surprising. It comes two years after the LDS Church made controversial changes to its handbook on the subject. The revisions reflected the Churchs doctrine that marriage must be between a man and a woman and labeled same-sex marriage an apostasy that demands discipline. In addition, a new policy held that children who live in a household with a parent in a same-sex relationship could not be blessed as babies or baptized until they turn 18. At that point, such children would have to choose between disavowing same-sex relationships and marriage (and stop living in a household where one exists) and joining the church. Church Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles suggested at the time that children would not be asked to [disavow] their parents, but [disavow] the practice. Story continues The church has long been on record as opposing same-sex marriages, church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement at the time. While it respects the law of the land, and acknowledges the right of others to think and act differently, it does not perform or accept same-sex marriage within its membership. The church has come under fire in the past for its work against same-sex marriage, particularly for its efforts to help pass Proposition 8 in California, which would amend the state constitution to declare that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized. The proposition was later declared unconstitutional and barred from being enforced. LDS members canvassed neighborhoods and contributed roughly $20 million to support the proposition, according to Mother Jones. But the church later softened its approach. It seems like the [Mormon] hierarchy has pulled the plug and is no longer taking the lead in the fight to stop same-sex marriage, Fred Karger, an LGBT activist, told Mother Jones in 2013. But as Oaks reiterated on Saturday, that doesnt mean the church has embraced same-sex marriage either. Related Articles NASA is testing a cutting-edge propulsion system intended for a deep space mission to Psyche, a rare metal world located in the asteroid belt. Thats right, a metal world. Located about three times further away from the Sun than Earth, Psyche is of great interest to scientists. Its surface appears to be made up of nickel and iron, not rock and ice like most worlds. Researchers at Arizona State University, Tempe, in partnership with NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, believe that Psyche might actually be the exposed core of an early planet, now floating in the asteroid belt. Discovering how Psyche came to be could help scientists learn more about our own planet which also has a metal core, but is difficult to study below Earths rocky mantles and crusts. Psyche is a unique body because it is, by far, the largest metal asteroid out there; its about the size of Massachusetts, David Oh, the missions lead project systems engineer, said in a NASA release on Friday. By exploring Psyche, well learn about the formation of the planets, how planetary cores are formed and, just as important, well be exploring a new type of world. Weve looked at worlds made of rock, ice and of gas, but weve never had an opportunity to look at a metal world, so this is brand new exploration in the classic style of NASA. NASAs mission to Psyche was announced in January, and a spacecraft is set to launch in 2022. But before a journey to the metal world can happen, the technology to get a spacecraft to the asteroid belt has to tested and approved. Pysches mission team is working with the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, which has been developing solar electric propulsion (SEP) technology for decades. SEP thrusters use inert gases, energized by electric power from a spacecrafts solar panels. For a far-away journey like the trip to Psyche, these types of thrusters could be vital because theyll require less fuel mass. Story continues An artist's concept of the Psyche spacecraft that will take off to study the metal world in 2022. NASA Glenn has run trials on the thrusters the mission will use at the centers Electric Propulsion Laboratory and so far so good. Glenn has a world-class facility that allowed us to go to very low pressures to simulate the environment the spacecraft will operate in and better understand how our thrusters will perform around Psyche, says Oh. At first glance, the results confirm our predictions regarding how the thruster will perform, and it looks like everything is working as expected. But, we will continue to refine our models by doing more analysis. The payload aimed at Psyche will include a multispectral imager, gamma-ray spectrometer and a magnetometer. Whats the missions data discovers could lead to more of an understanding of the metal world, as well as our own. Photos via SSL/ASU/P. Rubin/NASA/JPL-Caltech, Arizona State University Photos via SSL/ASU/P. Rubin/NASA/JPL-Caltech, Arizona State University Written by Grace Lisa Scott More articles by Grace Lisa Follow Grace Lisa on Twitter tweetshare More From Inverse Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump warned Sunday that negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear program would be a waste of time, after it emerged that Washington has channels of contact with Pyongyang. Only hours after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson revealed that US officials are in exploratory contact with their North Korean counterparts, Trump appeared to undercut his top diplomat by declaring on Twitter that any talks would be futile. "I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump said, using the insulting nickname he has tried to pin on North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!" Speaking on Saturday after talks with China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Tillerson said that US officials have open channels of communication with North Korea despite an escalating war of words between their respective leaders. - 'Stay tuned' - Asked how he could know whether the North would even contemplate coming to the table to negotiate away its growing nuclear arsenal, Tillerson told reporters in Beijing: "We are probing, so stay tuned." "We have lines of communication with Pyongyang. We're not in a dark situation, a blackout, we have a couple, three channels open to Pyongyang," he said. "We can talk to them, we do talk to them." But later, after the secretary began his flight home, the State Department issued a statement to clarify that North Korea has "shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization." And on Sunday, the department's spokeswoman Heather Nauert and Tillerson's chief public affairs adviser R.C. Hammond launched their own series of tweets in what appeared to be an attempt to harmonize the mixed messages. "DPRK will not obtain a nuclear capability. Whether through diplomacy or force is up to the regime," Nauert wrote, before tagging the president in her second message: "Diplomatic channels are open for #KimJongUn for now. They won't be open forever @StateDept @potus." Story continues Hammond, meanwhile, said Trump's tweets should be interpreted not as a rebuke to Tillerson but as a message to Kim that time is running out for a diplomatic solution. "Channels have been open for months. They've been unused and cooling for months," he said in one tweet. "The president just sent a clear message to NK: show up at the diplomatic table before the invitation gets cold," he added in another. - 'Suicide mission' - In a recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatens the US or any of its allies, deriding Kim as "Rocket Man" and warning he is on a "suicide mission." Kim responded by calling Trump a "mentally deranged dotard." Trump's administration has also been at the forefront of a drive to impose a series of sanctions against North Korea in response to its sixth nuclear test -- the largest yet -- and the firing of two missiles over Japan. North Korea's main economic partner China has signed up to the sanctions, including restrictions on imports, as has Russia. But, uneasy over Trump's bellicose tone, both countries have appealed to the United States to have talks with North Korea, and Tillerson's revelation was welcomed on Sunday by Germany. "This is exactly the right course and a courageous step," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said. "North Korea would be well advised to take this offer of talks seriously." Gabriel also urged the US to have dialogue with Iran over a nuclear accord which Trump appears on the verge of scrapping, adding that such a move "would undermine the credibility of the offer to North Korea." Trump has previously kept the door open to possible talks with North Korea. In a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the UN meeting last month, Trump responded "Why not?" when asked whether there could be talks. But his administration has also been urging allies to ratchet up the pressure on Kim's regime by isolating it diplomatically. It emerged on Sunday that Italy has ordered North Korea's incoming new ambassador to leave the country in a protest over Kim's missile launches and nuclear tests. "We have taken the firm decision to interrupt the accreditation procedure. The ambassador will have to leave the country," Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica. "We want to make Pyongyang understand that isolation is inevitable if it does not change course." Abuja (AFP) - President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday railed against separatists seeking Nigeria's "dismemberment" and called for "proper" dialogue after clashes between pro-Biafra activists and security forces in the restive southeast. Speaking as Nigeria marked its 1960 independence from Britain, Buhari also said that corruption remained the African oil giant's "number one enemy". The 74-year-old former general later flew out of the capital for a lightning surprise visit to Maiduguri, the city in northeastern Nigeria that is the epicentre of the bloody insurgency by Boko Haram Islamists. He paid tribute to troops on the frontline of the battle against jihadists linked to the Islamic State group on his first visit to the city since taking office in 2015. "I assure you under this leadership there will be resources available, as much as the country can afford it, to support your operations," Buhari told the troops in Maiduguri. Buhari, who fought in the 1967-70 Biafran war, said in his Abuja speech that those seeking to carve up the country had no idea of the havoc they could potentially wreak. "Those who are agitating for a rerun were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through," he said. He said the war had cost about two million lives, resulting in "fearful destruction and untold suffering". The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement wants an independent state for the Igbo people who dominate the southeast region. Tension has been building since October 2015 when the group's leader Nnamdi Kanu was arrested and held in custody until he was released on bail in April. His trial on charges of treasonable felony is expected to resume this month. The army flooded the southeastern state of Abia with troops this month, ostensibly as part of an operation against violent crime, but the IPOB suspected it was an attempt to curb its activities. Story continues Supporters clashed in Abia and neighbouring Rivers state, while the violence threatened to take on a wider ethnic dimension when unrest flared in the central city of Jos. Nigeria's government has since formally proscribed the IPOB as a terrorist organisation and accused it of stoking tensions by making false claims online of genocide against Igbos. Buhari called for "proper dialogue" in the provincial and national legislatures to defuse the tensions, saying: "These are the proper and legal fora for national debate, not some lopsided, un-democratic body with pre-determined set of objectives." Buhari, who was elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption platform, also said endemic graft remained a major scourge, recalling the period from 1999 to 2015, when Nigeria reverted from military to democratic rule. "In spite of oil prices being an average of $100 per barrel and about 2.1 million barrels a day, that great piece of luck was squandered and the country's social and physical infrastructure neglected," he said. Nigeria is ranked by Transparency International as one of the world's most corrupt countries. Last year it was placed 136 in a list of 176 nations. "The economy must be rebalanced so that we do not depend on oil alone. We must fight corruption which is Nigerias number one enemy. Our administration is tackling these tasks in earnest," Buhari said. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing: Reuters America's top diplomat has said his country is now in direct communication with North Korea amid an unprecdented deterioration in relations between Washington and Pyongyang. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made the revelation during a visit to China, where he is discussing the crisis on the Korean peninsula with President Xi Jinping and other leaders. We have lines of communication to Pyongyang, Mr Tillerson said. Were not in a dark situation. He said the Trump administration was probing the potential for talks with North Korea, adding: So stay tuned. When asked about how he would approach Kim Jong-un, Mr Tillerson replied: We ask, Would you like to talk? We have lines of communications to Pyongyang were not in a dark situation, a blackout. We have a couple, three channels open to Pyongyang. The US Secretary of State declined to comment if the North Koreans had replied to requests to dialogue. We can talk to them, he said, speaking at the residence of Terry Branstad, the US ambassador to Beijing. We do talk to them." He denied those lines of communication went via China, saying: We have our own channels. Speaking an hour after meeting the Chinese President, Mr Tillerson said he was keen to tone down the bellicose rhetoric between Mr Trump and his North Korean counterpart. Meanwhile, Mr Trump was called a racist Orangutan by North Korea's news service in response to the American leader's comments about the poor leadership of Yulin Cruz, the mayor of Puerto Rico's capital, San Juan. The whole situation is a bit overheated right now, Mr Tillerson said in a New York Times report. If North Korea would stop firing its missiles, that would calm things down a lot. The two countries have been in low-key discussions for months, according to the Associated Press, with diplomatic contact occurring regularly between the US envoy for North Korea policy and a senior North Korean diplomat at the countrys UN mission. Story continues Narushige Michishita, director of the Security and International Studies Program at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, said it was not unexpected that the two countries were in communication with one another, despite the increasingly hostile war of words. It was perfectly clear that both North Korea and the United States, and others, are in the renegotiation bargaining process, he said. Sweden could also play a key role as peacemaker if discussions falter between the US and North Korea. Sweden has done so on numerous occasions before, especially in relation to imprisoned Americans, Ulv Hanssen from the Swedish Institute of International Affairs told Reuters. Oslo (AFP) - Norway has agreed to host former Israeli nuclear technician and whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, his Norwegian wife has told local television. "We made a request for family reunification as that's exactly the case here, for spouses and a family to be able to live together," Kristin Joachimsen told TV2 late Saturday. "So even if I know the affair is controversial in some circles, it's the family values that won over," she said. But she said she did not know when her 62-year-old husband could join her in Norway. Karl Erik Sjoholt, an official with Norway's immigration agency, confirmed the request had been approved. "The ministry sent us the request last week and we reviewed it in the usual manner. We approved the request for family reunification," he told TV2. Israel jailed Vanunu in 1986 for disclosing the inner workings of its Dimona nuclear plant to Britain's Sunday Times newspaper. He spent more than 10 years of his sentence in solitary confinement. Upon his release in 2004, Vanunu was slapped with a series of restraining orders, forbidding him from travel, contact with foreigners or speaking to the media. He has twice been jailed for breaking those orders. The couple's Norwegian lawyer, Arild Humlen, said the immigration agency's decision had increased the likelihood of Vanunu leaving Israel to settle in Norway. "I hope it will resolve a blocked situation and that Israel will seize this opportunity," he told TV2. Vanunu converted from Judaism to Christianity shortly before being snatched by Mossad agents in Rome in 1986 and smuggled to Israel. On Sunday, a spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry could not say if Vanunu had made a new request to travel to Norway. But he said restrictions on the whistleblower's freedom of movement were "due to the danger that he posed" to the Jewish state. In a statement, the foreign ministry said: "Israel will continue to review updates of the situation in order to determine appropriate restrictions in accordance with security dangers posed by Vanunu." Israel is the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, refusing to confirm or deny that it has such weapons. Israel has refused to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or to allow international surveillance of its Dimona plant in the Negev desert in southern Israel. After it was revealed President Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and other White House aides used their personal email for work purposes, a Politico report on Friday said the National Security Agency had previously warned against doing so. NSA officials advised White Officials officials against using personal email accounts and cellphones over concerns of espionage by Russia, China, Iran or others. The NSA warned aides in classified briefings shortly after Trump was sworn in as president in January. The warning came before White House officials, including Kushner, used their cellphones and personal emails for work. In the briefings, NSA officials said cyber criminals could use sophisticated malware to turn personal gadgets into listening devices, or take photos and videos without the user knowing about it. Foreign spies could also transfer stolen data via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the NSA reportedly warned. NSA officials told White House aides that they should assume that their private email accounts have already been hacked by cyberspies. They also warned that the use of personal devices for White House business, such as transferring files and emails from one system to another, could give foreign spies access to their work computer and email accounts. Politicos source said Reince Priebus, Trumps former chief of staff, as well as Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert attended the classified meeting. Kushner and other officials were also expected to take part of the briefing. Kushner, a senior adviser, works on issues regarding China, Syria, Middle East peace, Afghanistan, innovation, infrastructure and other issues. If hackers were to break into his email and cell phone, adversaries could steal information related those areas. Kushner reportedly uses his personal email and White House email account to communicate with other senior officials, outside advisers and to discuss media coverage and event planning, as well as other topics. Story continues Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., wrote a letter to Kushner and his attorney when learning he had used his personal email for White House business. The Senators said they were concerned Kushner failed to disclose his use of private email during a closed interview with the Senate intelligence committee earlier this year, according to CNN. The Committee was concerned to learn of this additional email account from the news media, rather than from you, in your closed staff interview, they said. Please confirm that the document production that you made to the committee -- and any and all search of email accounts for that document production -- included the additional personal email account described to the news media, as well as all other email accounts messaging apps, or similar communications channels you may have used. The revelation of Kushners use of personal email for White House matters comes after Trump repeatedly criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server. Related Articles The number of people without drinking water in Puerto Rico increased by more than 10 percent toward the end of last week, even as President Donald Trump on Sunday was characterizing the hurricane relief efforts as amazing. Fifty-five percent of the islands residents were reported as not having access to drinking water as of Saturday, up from 44% reported on Wednesday, according to figures from the U.S. Defense Department. Meanwhile, 95 percent of people were without electrical power as of Saturday, the DOD reported. At a press conference on Sunday morning 11 days after Hurricane Maria made landfall on the island Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello expressed both confidence and frustration over the ongoing relief efforts. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello (Photo: Carlos Barria / Reuters) Food and water are getting there, it is increasing, the logistics and the visibilities [of the aid effort] are increasing as well, although as Ive stated before we recognize that we still need to do much more, he said. Rossello went on to discuss the disadvantage and inequality that he said his islands residents have faced for more than a century when compared to the U.S. mainland. Even after the storm hit Puerto Rico, even when it was evident that it was a disaster in the U.S., only half of our U.S. citizens in the mainland knew that Puerto Ricans were U.S. citizens, he said. A poll by Morning Consult found that only 54 percent of Americans were aware of the citizenship status of Puerto Ricans. Local residents fill cans of water in Carolina, Puerto Rico, on Saturday. (Photo: Alvin Baez / Reuters) He went on to stress the poor health care received by the islands roughly 3.4 million residents, compared with that available for those on the mainland. He also said that Puerto Ricos military veterans dont get equal treatment, despite the island having a storied history of military service. I invite everybody to reflect on this situation, he said. Relief efforts have been a point of contention in the days after the storm, with Trump having been criticized for repeatedly lauding relief work despite the dire conditions on the ground while also attacking Carmen Yulin Cruz mayor of San Juan, Puerto Ricos largest city who has publicly begged for more help. Story continues People fill containers with water in Canovanas, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday. (Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters) The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump, he wrote on Twitter on Saturday. He lashed out against such critics again Sunday on Twitter, calling them politically motivated ingrates. We have done a great job with the almost impossible solution in Puerto Rico, he tweeted. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates,... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 ...people are now starting to recognize the amazing work that has been done by FEMA and our great Military. All buildings now inspected..... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 People are now starting to recognize the amazing work that has been done by FEMA and our great Military, he added, while reporting that all buildings have now been inspected something officials at Sundays press conference said they were unable to confirm or elaborate on. Cruz, appearing on ABCs This Week with George Stephanopoulos, said the response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency was still falling short. People have been told to register via internet for FEMA relief when we dont have any internet or very little internet even in the San Juan metropolitan area, she said. Rossello, who has received praise from Trump, defended the president as well as other government officials Sunday morning and asked that a nonpartisan solution to the islands crisis be sought. FEMA Director Brock Long, speaking on Fox News Sunday, also tried to distance himself from criticism and complaints, but acknowledged much work remains. Every day we have progress. Every day we have setbacks, he said. Its not only a logistically complex event just getting to the island, and being able to support an island that was hit not just by one major hurricane but two within basically a 10-day period, he said, referring to initial damage done by Hurricane Irma. Do we have a long way to go? Absolutely, he said. Trump and first lady Melania Trump plan to visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday. Related... Our Bankrupt Policy For Puerto Rico Maria Leaves Puerto Rico In The Dark A Plea For Help From The Maria-Ravaged Island Of Vieques Puerto Ricans Describe 'Horror In The Streets' After Hurricane Maria This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Jerusalem (AFP) - West Bank-based Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah is to make his first visit to Gaza since 2015 on Monday, in a fresh attempt to reconcile with the Islamist movement Hamas which rules the Israeli-blockaded coastal enclave. The trip by Hamdallah and several of his ministers aims to crown a rapprochement between Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party after a decade of animosity and spurts of violence. The talks are intended to prepare for a transfer of power in the Gaza Strip from Hamas to Abbas's Palestinian Authority. The renewed attempt at rapprochement, backed by Egypt, has the potential to impact both the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and the wider Middle East. For the two million residents of Gaza, the hope is to see an improvement in the miserable living conditions in the overcrowded and impoverished territory. Battered by three wars with Israel since 2008, it is under Israeli and Egyptian blockade and suffers from severe water and electricity shortages, an economic slump and unemployment of more than 40 percent. Hamas and its rival Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, have both expressed confidence that the latest unity initiative will fare better than the failures of the past. But among many questions to be answered is the central issue of whether Hamas is really prepared to give up its Gaza security apparatus and share power with the PA. - Turn of the screw - Senior Hamas official Mussa Abu Marzuq has said there is "great hope" for the success of the reconciliation efforts but that disarming Hamas personnel is not on the agenda. "This never was nor will it be up for discussion," he said in a statement. Azzam al-Ahmad, a leading Fatah member, said he was now "more optimistic of ending Palestinian division in Gaza than at any previous opportunity". But he said the PA must be able to fulfil its responsibilities, "including security, without any interference from any faction". Story continues Hamas, blacklisted as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States, won a landslide victory in 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections. It ousted Fatah from Gaza the following year after wrangling over the formation of a new government degenerated into bloody clashes. Since then, Abbas's limited power is confined to the West Bank which is under Israeli military occupation and located, at its nearest point, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Israel-Gaza border. The Palestinian schism is seen as a major obstacle to a peace agreement between Israel and a future Palestinian state combining the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Abbas has this year turned the screw on his rival, halting payments to Israel for electricity it supplies to Gaza, cutting the salaries of officials in the territory and limiting the number of Gazans given approval to receive medical treatment elsewhere. Hit by a fall in financial aid from longtime benefactor Qatar and facing the prospect of social unrest among disgruntled Gazans, the increasingly isolated Hamas finally agreed to demands from Abbas. - Hot potato - Hamas is now waiting for Abbas to revoke his sanctions. "These measures will be cancelled the moment the Palestinian government takes over its responsibilities in Gaza," Fatah's Ahmad promised. Those responsibilities include a PA takeover of Gaza border crossings with Egypt and Israel, he said. Other issues include the future of the tens of thousands of public officials hired by Hamas since 2007. Ghassan Khatib of the West Bank's Birzeit University says Hamas's initiative is purely tactical. "Hamas seems to be trying to throw the hot potato into the lap of the Palestinian Authority," he said. Analyst Jihad Harb said Egypt was the key player. "It is evident that this time it is playing a serious role, not only in sponsoring reconciliation but in actually implementing it." An Egyptian delegation is to monitor the return of central government to Gaza. Harb said there were signs of wider international support for the plan too. "So far, we have not seen any American or Israeli veto of the reconciliation as in the past," he said. "It is clear there is an international will, whether at the European Union or at the United Nations, to achieve the reconciliation." The UN special envoy for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, said the chance must be grasped. "If we miss this opportunity, I don't think another opportunity will come anytime soon," he said. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, a fierce critic of the United States, is now singing Washington's praises for helping him fight pro-Islamic State group militants. "There are so many factors involved. But I'd rather be friendly to them now," Duterte told residents of the central town of Balangiga during a visit, according to an official transcript released Friday. Islamic militants waving the black IS flag occupied the southern city of Marawi on May 23, and have fought off a US-backed military assault for more than four months. The US deployed a P-3 Orion spy plane and provided other intelligence inputs to Philippine forces trying to retake the city in fighting which has left more than 900 people dead. "I would not say that they were our saviours, but they are our allies and they helped us. And even today, they have provided the crucial equipment to our soldiers in Marawi to fight the terrorists," Duterte said Thursday. "So without their help also, we would be having a hard time," he said. "So we thank you." Duterte marked the start of his six-year term last year with foul-mouthed rants against the US as he steered his country away from the decades-old alliance while chasing trade and investment from Washington's rival Beijing. During a visit to China last October Duterte announced his "separation from the United States," stating he was realigning with China and Russia instead. Duterte explained that at the time, he was angry at then US president Barack Obama for criticising his centrepiece war on drugs, which has since seen at least 3,850 suspects shot dead by the police and thousands more killed by suspected vigilantes and others. He had also denounced the US government over its bloody colonisation of the Philippines in the 1900s. "But these are all water under the bridge," Duterte said, citing the US alliance against Japan's occupation army during World War II. Manila won independence in 1945 after the war, with the two countries also signing a mutual defence treaty in 1951. The dog uncovered a handgun in a bushy areas while tracking suspects (file photo): Wiki Commons A police dog in Canada accidentally fired a handgun when its handlers were investigation a fight outside a shop. Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were called to a supermarket in Chestermere, Alberta, when witnessed reported two men assaulting another man with a handgun. The police dog was tracking the suspects who had fled the scene when it uncovered a gun in a bushy area near the store. Officers said the dog fired one shot, but neither the animal nor officers were injured. In a news release, police said the trigger was activated and a shot was fired from the handgun but no other people were in the area at the time. Thats one of the things that our dogs are trained to do, is find evidence, said Corporal Curtis Peters, a communications officer for the RCMP, told CTV News. The dog is fine. Its trained to respond and do its job even in the presence of gunfire, so the dog was quite happy to continue to go to work, as was the handler. The victim of the assault was later taken to hospital with minor injuries but was later released. An electrical crew attempts to repair power lines that were knocked over Hurricane Maria passed through on 27 September, 2017 in Corozal, Puerto Rico: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Puerto Rico has rejected a $1bn (748m) loan from a group of investment funds in the wake of Hurricane Maria, accusing the group of trying to profit from the disaster. The PREPA (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) was left devastated by the hurricane, but an investment group, which holds bonds in the authority offered a $1bn loan and a discount on a portion of existing debt after Maria, which came days after Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on the island. Maria crippled the island's electrical grid, leaving some 97 per cent of the island's 3.4 million residents without electricity. The electrical grid had also already been mired in debt. The bondholders proposal is not viable and would severely hamper and limit PREPAs capacity to successfully manage its recovery, the islands Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority said in a statement. Such offers only distract from the governments stated focus and create the unfortunate appearance that such offers are being made for the purpose of favourably impacting the trading price of existing debt. The statement asked that creditors "refrain from making unsolicited financing offers at the expense of the people of Puerto Rico". Thomas Wagner, from Knighthead Capital Management, a members of the bondholder group, told Bloomberg TV the loan could be a win-win both for the utility and for the bondholders. What were trying to do is lend where our investors are not disadvantaged," he said. Stephen Spencer of Houlihan Lokey, PREPA's financial adviser, responded saying the group was disappointed that Puerto Rico rejected the offer "without any discussion or counter-proposal". He added: "We sincerely believed our loan would have helped PREPA finance its recovery and rebuilding efforts as quickly as possible in the wake of two terrible hurricanes." Although the US Government has said its relief efforts in Puerto Rico are succeeding, residents of the island say help is scarce and food supplies are low. Story continues Puerto Rican officials said it would take four to six months for power to be fully restored. US President Donald Trump on Thursday waived restrictions on foreign ships delivering cargo to the island, clearing the way for aid to reach the US territory. But Mr Trump has come under criticism for failing to provide a comprehensive aid package nine days after Maria hit. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detained by police as he left his Moscow home on Friday to attend a pre-election rally in a provincial town. Russia holds a presidential election in March which incumbent Vladimir Putin is widely expected to contest. Navalny hopes to run despite Russia's central election commission declaring him ineligible because of a suspended prison sentence which he says was politically-motivated. Navalny said on social media on Friday that police had detained him in the lobby of his apartment block and told him they wanted to interview him at a police station. He was released around 11 hours later and told to appear in court on Monday to face charges of repeatedly violating laws governing the organization of public meetings and rallies, Navalny's spokeswoman told Reuters. He faces up to 30 days in jail if found guilty, she said. The press service of Moscow's interior ministry was cited by the TASS news agency as saying Navalny had been detained due to his "repeated calls to take part in unsanctioned public events". The authorities say opposition protests must be pre-approved by them, but Navalny has in the past said that the Russian constitution enshrines the right to hold such events freely. On Friday, he denied the police's latest allegations, writing on social media: "I've never done that." Navalny had been due to address a pre-election rally in the city of Nizhny Novgorod later on Friday, part of a series of regional events he hoped would help him build support for his presidential run. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Jack Stubbs; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Christian Lowe/Jeremy Gaunt) Gun-toting, horse-riding Republican Roy Moore would handily beat his Democratic rival for Alabama's senate seat if the election was today, a new poll shows. The former Alabama Supreme Court justice is polling at around 50 percent versus 44 percent for Democrat Doug Jones. The remainder is undecided in the Decision Desk HQ poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. Moore's margin suggests a tighter race than expected, given that Alabama has twice as many Republicans as Democratsand 13 percent more than the U.S. average. But a six-point lead is sizeable, given that Moore, who beat President Trump's candidate Luther Strange for the GOP nomination, has been a controversial figure in Alabama for years. Moore is a staunch evangelical Christian conservative who has been removed from the Alabama Supreme Court twice: once over refusing to take down a Ten Commandments monument and another for his stance against marriage equality. And in 2005, he described homosexuality as abhorrent, immoral, detestable, a crime against nature and a violation of the laws of nature and nature's God upon which the nation and our laws are predicated. He said gay sex should be illegal. In his last race for the court in 2012, Moore defeated his challenger by only 3 percent. The latest poll also found that are over 55 percent of the likely voters in Alabama are evangelical Christians, and that the same percentage of voters are somewhat or strongly opposed removing Confederate monumentsnumbers that will likely help Moore over Jones, who has objected to Moore's use of his Christian belief as a basis for policy. The six-point lead for Moore isn't as big as Alabama Republicans usually enjoy. "Any time you get a result that seems to run totally contrary to the conventional wisdom of a state's politics, it gives you pause," Brandon Finnigan, the executive director of Decision Desk, told BuzzFeed News. "I still have difficulty seeing him lose in Alabama. But in a special held 13 days before Christmas? Who knows." Story continues Polls can dramatically change so far before an election. A full month before Moore beat Strange in the primary, he was projected to win by 18 points. He ended up winning by nine points. Jones also benefits from an apparently split Republican electorate. During the campaign, Trump strongly backed Strange. But Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon campaigned for Mooreat one point even telling Alabamians that a vote for the anti-establishment candidate was "a vote for Donald J. Trump." The day after the primary election, President Trump deleted his tweets of support for Strange. Related Articles (BEIJING) U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged on Saturday that the United States is maintaining direct channels of communications with North Korea even as tensions rise over the Norths nuclear and missile programs and the countries leaders spar through bellicose name-calling. Tillerson said the U.S. was probing North Koreas willingness to talk, and called for a calming of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, adding it was incumbent on the North to halt the missile launches. We have lines of communication to Pyongyang. Were not in a dark situation, a blackout, Tillerson told reporters during a visit to China. We have a couple three channels open to Pyongyang. We can talk to them, we do talk to them. No elaboration about those channels or the substance of any discussions came from Tillerson, who met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials in Beijing. Since President Donald Trump took office in January, the U.S. has restored a diplomatic back-channel between the State Department and North Koreas mission at the United Nations. Thats traditionally been a way for the two sides to communicate because they lack formal diplomatic ties. The main aim of the initial contacts was to seek the freedom of several American citizens imprisoned in North Korea, although U.S. officials have told The Associated Press that there were broader discussions about U.S.-North Korean relations. Those contacts, however, have failed to reduce the deep mistrust between the adversaries and its unclear to what extent they have endured the current spike in tensions. North Korea has in recent months tested long-range missiles that potentially could reach the U.S., and on Sept. 3 conducted its largest nuclear test explosion to date. The standoff has entered a new, more dangerous phase since then as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump have exchanged personal insults and threats of war. I think the most immediate action that we need is to calm things down, Tillerson said. Theyre a little overheated right now. And I think we need to calm them down first. He did not directly address the impact of Trumps own rhetoric. Story continues Obviously it would help if North Korea would stop firing off missiles. That would calm things down a lot, Tillerson said. Trump gave a combative speech recently at the U.N. General Assembly in which he mocked Kim as Rocket Man on a suicide mission. Trump said that if forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Kim responded by saying he would tame the mentally deranged U.S. dotard with fire. Tillersons stop in the Chinese capital was helping lay the groundwork for a November state visit by Trump, part of a five-nation swing through Asia. Trump has pressed for sterner measures against the North by China, the Norths chief trading partner and source of aid and diplomatic support. Beijing adamantly opposes steps that could bring down Kims government, but appears increasingly willing to tighten the screws. China has agreed to tough new U.N. penalties that would substantially cut foreign revenue for the isolated North. On Thursday, Beijing ordered North Korean-owned businesses and ventures with Chinese partners to close by early January, days after it said it would cut off gas and limit shipments of refined petroleum products, effective Jan. 1. China made no mention of crude oil, which makes up the bulk of Chinese energy supplies to North Korea and is not covered by U.N. sanctions. China has banned imports of North Korean coal, iron and lead ore, and seafood since early September. Still, Washington hopes China will exert even greater pressure. China argues that sanctions alone cannot solve the impasse, and has urged Washington to cool its rhetoric and open a dialogue with North Korea. But the North is coming closer to having a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike America, and says it will only discuss the weapons programs if the U.S. abandons its hostile policy toward the North. Tillerson affirmed that the U.S. would not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power, while saying the Trump administration had no intention of trying to oust Kim. This was Tillersons second visit to China as Americas top diplomat. China is the worlds No. 2 economy and chief U.S. rival for influence in Asia, and increasingly, the world. In addition to North Korea, the U.S. and China have other security concerns to address. They are at odds over Beijings military buildup and assertive claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea. Trump is also looking to reduce Chinas massive trade surplus with the U.S. $347 billion last year and what American companies say are unfair barriers to investment, including pressure to hand over their technology. In opening remarks at his meeting with Xi, Tillerson said relations between the sides continue to grow and mature on the strength of the relationship between yourself and President Trump. He added: We look forward to advancing that relationship at the upcoming summit. Trump and Xi met in April at Trumps estate in Florida. Trumps planned visit next month will come weeks after Xi is expected to receive a new five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party. The presidents upcoming meeting promises to be grander and more choreographed than the informal talks in Florida that were most memorable for Trumps ordering a missile strike on Syria and then informing Xi about it afterward as they ate chocolate cake. (SAN FRANCISCO) A man injured in the second massive rockfall in two days at Yosemite was driving out of the national park when rock and rubble broke through the sunroof of his SUV, hitting him in the head, his wife said. Television images show Jim Evans, of Naples, Florida, conscious and his wife holding a jacket around his bloody head. Evans was airlifted to a hospital in Modesto, California, and is expected to survive, Fresno television station KSEE reported. Evans wife, Rachel Evans, told KSEE that the couple and two other relatives had ended a three-day visit to Yosemite and were leaving Thursday when the rock slide happened. She said no one else in the car was injured. We didnt know what had happened, but it shattered (the glass) and the dust just poured in, Evans said. We were trying to outrun it; it was like Go! Lets go! and at the same time my husband reached up and he was like oh, my head, my head because it was bleeding profusely and hurting. The slide came a day after a giant slab of granite plunged from the same formation, killing a British man on a hiking and climbing visit and injuring his wife. The massive new hunk of granite broke off Thursday at the parks mountaineering mecca of El Capitan, injuring Evans and sending out huge plumes of white dust. There was so much smoke and debris, said climber Ryan Sheridan, who had just reached the top of El Capitan when the rock let loose below him. It filled the entire valley with smoke. Sheridan spoke to The Associated Press by cellphone from the mountain. It was in the same location of the previous rock fall, Sheridan said. A larger rock fall let loose, easily three times the size. The man killed Wednesday was identified as Andrew Foster, 32, of Wales. The park didnt identify his wife but said she remained hospitalized. Yosemite geologist Greg Stock said the break was probably caused by the expansion and contraction of the monoliths granite as it heats up during the summer and gets cold and more brittle in the winter. Story continues The park indicated that seven rock falls actually occurred during a four-hour period Wednesday on the southeast face of El Capitan. Rocks at the world-renowned parks climbing routes break loose and crash down about 80 times a year. The elite climbers who flock to the park using ropes and their fingertips to defy death as they scale sheer cliff faces know the risk but also know its rare to get hit and killed by the rocks. Its a lot like a lightning strike, said Alex Honnold, who made history June 3 for being the first to climb El Capitan alone and without ropes. Sometimes geology just happens. The last time a climber was killed by a rock falling at Yosemite was in 2013, when a Montana climber fell after a rock dislodged and sliced his climbing rope. It was preceded by a 1999 rock fall that crushed a climber from Colorado. Park officials say rock falls overall have killed 16 people since 1857 and injured more than 100. The rock falls came during the peak of the climbing season for El Capitan, with climbers from around the world trying their skill against the sheer cliff faces. At least 30 climbers were on the formation when a section gave way Wednesday. Foster and his wife were not on the cliff, however. They were hiking at the bottom of El Capitan far from trails used by most Yosemite visitors in preparation for an ascent when the chunk of granite about 12 stories tall broke free and plunged, Gediman said. The slab was about 130 feet (40 meters) tall and 65 feet (19 meters) wide and fell from the popular Waterfall Route on the East Buttress of El Capitan, Gediman said. Officials had no immediate estimate for how much the big rock weighed. But Gediman said all of the rock falls combined on Wednesday weighed 1,300 tons (1,100 metric tons). After successfully hosting the 43rd season premiere of Saturday Night Live, Ryan Gosling celebrated with his love Eva Mendes and tons of stars! A glittering afterparty for the episode was held at TAO Uptown in NYC on early Sunday morning. Along with the cast and crew of the late-night comedy, the A-list couple joined stars like Beyonce and Jay-Z at the event. The happy couple was spotted holding hands as they made their way into the restaurant, looking chic in retro ensembles. CLICK FOR FULL GALLERY VIEW GALLERY Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes celebrated 'SNL' at TAO in NYC Photo: Getty Images The 36-year-old actor opted for a more casual post-host look. He stepped out in a 70s-inspired patterned sweater, which was nestled underneath a light jean jacket, and blue slacks. He also wore a yellow necklace and faded brown shoes. Ryans longtime love Eva kept the retro-style going with a patterned jumpsuit. The mother-of-two also wore a pair of throwback black peep-toe heels. MORE: Eva Mendes raids Ryan Gosling's closet Celebrities like Alicia Keys, Andy Cohen, Diddy, Damien Marley, Dakota Johnson and Scarlett Johansson, whos dating Colin Jost of SNL, were also in attendance for the big bash. Ryans La La Land co-star Emma Stone, who has hosted the Emmy-winning show three times and delivered a cameo during Ryans recent stint, was seen enjoying the nights festivities as well. Of course, one of the shows producers Lindsay Shookus stopped by the event too. However, she was without her movie star boyfriend Ben Affleck. VIEW GALLERY Ryan Gosling and Jay-Z rung in the new season of Saturday Night Live Photo: Will Heath/NBC MORE: Eva Mendes opens up about supporting Ryan Gosling and their family life Ryan did a wonderful job ringing the live show back in. He was a charming host, providing lots of fun and topical moments, including a sketch with Kate McKinnon, where he couldnt hold back from laughing. Jay-Z complemented the actors duties for the night, performing songs from his new album before he joined his superstar wife for the kick-off celebration. The Blade Runner 2049 star first hosted Saturday Night Live back in December 2015. President Donald Trump kicked off his weekend by attacking the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Twitter as she continued to beg for aid after Hurricane Maria. Without naming her, Trump slammed Carmen Yulin Cruz and accused her pleas for help of being politically motivated. "The mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump," he wrote in a tweetstorm. "Such poor leadership ability by the mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort." His remarks came after Cruz made several increasingly strongly worded demands for assistance for her city, which lost power and clean water access, among other basic necessities, after the September 20 storm wrecked the island. On Friday, for example, she said at a news conference that people were dying "and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy." But who is the mayor Trump is slamming? Cruz lived on the U.S. mainland for more than a decade, attending school at Boston University and Carnegie Mellon University, before getting involved in politics in Puerto Rico. She worked for the San Juan mayor and Puerto Rico House of Representatives, according to the local chamber of commerce. Cruz was elected to lead San Juan, the roughly 350,000-person capital of Puerto Rico, in 2012, when she beat out incumbent Jorge Santini. She's a member of the Popular Democratic Party, which supports Puerto Rico remaining a U.S. commonwealth as opposed to becoming a state, and has pushed for gender equality, LGBT rights and help for people with disabilities. Cruz has never been one to mince words. When she won her second term last fall, Cruz said people do not choose to be leaders but are born, Indice reported. She also warned of the "need to make alliances" because that's "the way people want us to govern." Story continues This week, after acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke said she thought the aftermath of Hurricane Maria was "a good news story in terms of our ability to reach people and the limited number of deaths that have taken place," Cruz fought back on CNN. "When you're drinking from a creek, it's not a good news story. When you don't have food for a baby, it's not a good news story," Cruz said. "Dammit, this is not a good news story. This is a 'people are dying' story. It's a life-or-death story." She also responded to Trump on Saturday, tweeting photos of Puerto Rico's recovery efforts and writing that her only goal was to save lives. Related Articles The Mayor of Puerto Ricos capital city, San Juan, has pleaded for more aid to the beleaguered island while fending off criticism from President Donald Trump Saturday morning. Trump on Twitter claimed that Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz has poor leadership ability and that Puerto Ricans want everything to be done for them in the wake of catastrophic damage from Hurricane Maria that left thousands without food, water and power. Trumps denunciation of Cruz was likely in response to a rallying cry she gave Friday, in which she said: Mr. Trump, I am begging. We are dying here. Here is how you can help Puerto Rico rebuild as the U.S. territory grapples with a growing humanitarian crisis: Donate (preferably money) A number of established charities from UNICEF to Save the Children are soliciting financial donations to assist in the relief effort. In the early stages of disaster relief, its better to donate cash rather than supplies as organizations on the ground can route money exactly where its needed. Material donations like food, clothing and supplies tend to require transportation, which is expensive and currently presents logistical challenges with many roads destroyed or flooded. When donating funds, its best to go directly to the charitys website and set up a payment from there. Some of the larger organizations to consider are: Some organizations may have plans to focus on different aspects of relief, so do a little research to determine exactly where your money is going. Crowdfund If you want direct control over where you want charity money to go, you can try launching your own crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for victims. Or, you can head over to GoFundMes Hurricane Maria hub, where youll find a number of organizations raising money for specific causes, like Students with Puerto Rico or Relief for Cayo Santiago Employees, who work on a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico that is home to the Caribbean Primate Research Center. There are plenty of other options, so check the hubs page out. Story continues Volunteer Once the wave of first responders ensures that the situation in Puerto Rico is stabilized, the need for additional volunteers will increase. The Federal Emergency Management Agency directs aspiring volunteers to register here, and you can also look at a list of opportunities at the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. You may not get the call straight away. Countless others have similar desires to volunteer in Puerto Rico, but its important to consider that the battered island will need help in the months if not years to follow. Spread the word A simple post on social media or discussion with friends or co-workers can go a long way. Some people are still not aware of the extent of the damage, so any method you can use to spread the word may be able to convince others to help as well. WASHINGTON On Saturday, President Donald Trump turned disaster relief in Puerto Rico into a personal beef with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz. The mayor had characterized the federal relief effort following Hurricane Maria as too little and too uncoordinated. Trump responded on Twitter, questioning Cruzs motives, writing that she has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump. And of the Puerto Rican residents fighting for their lives, wading in sewage water and standing in day-long lines for water and gas, Trump tweeted: They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. Cruz, who has personally assisted rescue missions, had responded on Saturday that the focus should be on saving lives. The San Juan mayor reiterated her message on Sunday on This Week With George Stephanopoulos. Theres only one goal and its saving lives, she said. So, any any dialogue that goes on just has to be able to produce results. And all I did last week, or even this week, was ask for help. It has to happen in a sustained manner, it has to happen quickly. And mayors all over Puerto Rico are getting to the supply areas and been told, look, call us a few days later. Cruz noted that community kitchens are being set up and residents have been out cleaning the streets. She added that she had been in contact with relief officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I have been quite complimentary of the people from HHS and FEMA, she said. Their heart is in the right place, but we have to cut the red tape. Thats the one message. And number two, let us not talk about the debt, let us not talk about the cost of reconstruction, let us talk about saving lives right now, putting back the power grid as soon as we can, because that has an immediate effect on our ability to recover financially. Across Puerto Rico, a fraction of the hospitals are functioning. Most residents are still without electricity. FEMA administrator Brock Long admitted later on the program that we got a long way to go. But he suggested Cruz needed to communicate more with his agency, and he appeared to question Puerto Rican officials relief efforts but also noted the hardships theyve faced. Story continues Were also having to do a majority of the work because of diminished capacity at the local level, Long said. They got a hard hit.... Two major hurricanes in 10 weeks. Oh, I believe the Puerto Ricans are pulling their weight. I mean, I think theyre doing what they can, Long added. The bottom line is ... that a local mayors job is to push commanders intent down to his or her troops. And in many cases, those that commanders intent from a mayor down to their troops has to be aligned with what the governors priorities are as well as FEMA. Long was rougher on Cruz when he appeared earlier on Fox News Sunday. If the mayors decide not to be part of [joint coordination], then the response is fragmented, he said. We can choose to look at what [Cruz] spouts off or what others spout off or we can choose to look at whats being done. Also on HuffPost Maria Lopez cries while walking from her house that was flooded after the passage of Hurricane Maria, in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / HECTOR RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images) Loiza, PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 22: Aerial photo of the floadings in the costal town of Loiza, in the north shore of Puerto RicoHurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images) HAYALES DE COAMO, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 24: Karlian Mercado, 7, rests on the rubble that remains of her family's home after it was blown away by Hurricane Maria as it passed through the area on September 24, 2017 in Hayales de Coamo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico experienced widespread damage after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Irma Torres poses for a picture at her damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Local residents react while they look at the water flowing over the road at the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins A man looks at damages on his flooded house, close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins A man sits in a wheelchair next to washing machines at a shelter after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in San Juan, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez LOIZA, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: A resident wades through flood water days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in Loiza, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images) People stay at the roof of a damaged house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY PUERTO RICO SEPTEMBER 23: A devastated house in Morovis Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria passed through Puerto Rico leaving behind a path of destruction across the national territory. (Photo by Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images) SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - SEPTEMBER 22: Residents line up for gasoline days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, on September 22, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Many on the island have lost power, running water, and cell phone service after Hurricane Maria, a category 4 hurricane, passed through. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images) A car submerged in flood waters is seen close to the dam of the Guajataca lake after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guajataca, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY A resident lay on a cot inside a shelter after being evacuated from a home near the damaged Guajataca Dam after Hurricane Maria in Isabella, Puerto Rico, on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. Amid their struggles to recover fromiHurricaneiMaria, some Puerto Rico residents found it befuddling that President Donald Trump fired off a number of Twitter rants about professional athletes on Saturday -- yet made no mention of their dire situation. Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images People stop on a highway near a mobile phone antenna tower to check for mobile phone signal, after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria, in Dorado, Puerto Rico September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Alvin Baez A dead horse is seen next to a road after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins An aerial view shows the flooded neighbourhood of Juana Matos in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Catano, Puerto Rico, on September 22, 2017. Puerto Rico battled dangerous floods Friday after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, as rescuers raced against time to reach residents trapped in their homes and the death toll climbed to 33. Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello called Maria the most devastating storm in a century after it destroyed the US territory's electricity and telecommunications infrastructure. / AFP PHOTO / Ricardo ARDUENGO (Photo credit should read RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP/Getty Images) Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. In the run-up to the Catalan independence referendum on October 1 ahead of the police attacks on voters on the day the lines between protecting the Spanish constitution and curtailing freedom of expression became increasingly blurred. More than 140 websites promoting the referendum have been closed by the Spanish government in recent weeks. Reports have been rife of tensions between police and journalists including raids on newspaper offices, broad threats of legal consequences, and an organised protest by journalists against harassment. All this in parallel with the other hostilities from Madrid: threats to arrest Catalan mayors, interference with civic budgets, mass police deployment and now the violence on the day itself. How do these attempts to control communication compare to other referendums and how concerned should we be? Ahead of the independence referendums in Scotland in 2014 and Quebec in 1980 and 1995, there were certainly accusations of media bias. In Scotland pro-independence activists gathered outside BBC Scotland a couple of days before the vote to protest against alleged institutional bias in favour of the union with England. Meanwhile, independence campaigners were continually accused of being abusive on social media. In Quebecs second referendum, the French-speaking public broadcaster was accused of favouring the pro-independence vote and a parliamentary commission investigated possible bias. But for all the political conflict in these referendums, freedom of expression was never called into question neither in the actions of the authorities nor by putting up potential legal obstacles to a referendum taking place. To be sure, there has also been a row about media bias in Catalonia. This has been magnified by the fact that only the pro-independence side is campaigning the referendum is not recognised by those opposed to independence and is regarded as illegitimate by Madrid. Media outlets sympathetic to independence look more partisan because they only have one campaign to cover, while unionist outlets positioned against the referendum which are roughly comparable in number fall equally foul because they report the situation as a political dispute and not as a campaign at all. This reporting goes way beyond presenting two political options for Catalans. The unionist media talk openly about the pro-independence offensive, while the pro-referendum media focus on the state challenge to Catalonia. Story continues For example, anti-referendum activists and others gathered outside the Catalan Public Radio Station on September 27 chanting against pro-referendum editorial lines and carrying threatening signs against prominent news anchor Monica Terribas, whom they regard as one of the key culprits. At pro-referendum events, meanwhile, activists have carried signs saying that the generally unionist Spanish media does not represent them. Media neutering The activities of the Spanish authorities have taken things to a whole different level, however. Earlier in September, Spanish police visited or wrote to a number of Catalan news organisations which had aired the official referendum campaign advertisement to give them a letter from the Catalan Superior Court of Justice. The letter, which also went to all Catalan public institutions, did not forbid the adverts or declare them illegal, or even say explicitly that it was illegal to inform people about the referendum. Instead it warned of possible criminal consequences from helping to bring the referendum about, without specifying what types of actions could fall into that category. The problem with such loose warnings has been the censorship that has come about: the daily newspaper Ara decided not to publish any more campaign adverts, for example. The Network of Local Television (La Xarxa de Comunicacio Local) told its journalists not to ask politicians questions about the referendum until the day after it had taken place. Acting on similar fears, Spanish public mail company Correos stopped distributing the news magazine Omnium Cultural to its subscribers because it contained pro-referendum advertising. Of the 144 websites that have been blocked, most belong to cultural and political associations campaigning for an independence vote. Fourteen individuals have been called before a judge for copying the codes of some of the sites in question. The Spanish military police association, the Guardia Civil, meanwhile, is suing Monica Terribas. It accuses the news anchor of endangering police operations by asking listeners to report on anti-referendum raids by the forces. In all, media observer media.cat has reported than 64 situations where freedom of expression has been affected or disrupted in relation to the referendum. Faced with such accusations, the Spanish government has said it does not want to restrict freedom of expression in Catalonia. Its actions, it says, are aimed at guaranteeing the order against a referendum which was laid down by the Spanish constitutional court a few weeks ago. But even before the outbreak of referendum day violence, Spain already found itself in territory for which it is hard to find comparisons in the West. Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Spain is of course a signatory, lays down the principle of freedom of expression quite clearly. It talks about the right of people to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. Yet little or nothing has been said by the international community in this regard. The situation is troubling to say the least. If there are no consequences, particularly in light of the latest developments on the ground, it will set a dangerous precedent. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. The Conversation Mariola Tarrega does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above. catalonia spain barcelona Catalonia, a region in Spain, vows to vote on independence this Sunday in a referendum declared illegal by the Spanish government. The Spanish government has recently cracked down on the referendum. Even if the government manages to stop the vote, simmering tensions could pose a challenge for Spain going forward, analysts say. Catalonia, a region in Spain that includes Barcelona, says it will vote on independence this Sunday in a referendum that has been declared illegal by Spanish authorities. The question over the referendum has turned into one of Spain's "biggest political challenges" since the country returned to democracy after the death of dictator General Francisco Franco in 1975, according to NBC News. Spains Constitutional Court ruled "that a regional government cannot call a referendum, because Spains constitution does not recognize the right to self-determination and establishes that sovereignty resides with Spanish citizens collectively," according to the Washington Post. The Washington Post added: "The Catalan government says that the Catalan people want a referendum, and the majority of the Catalan parliament supports it. The broader Spanish government insists that the referendum must not go forward because it goes against Spains democratic political institutions and its constitutional order. In this, it has the support of the majority of Spains parliament." The Spanish government has recently taken a strong stance against the referendum by raiding offices, shutting down pro-independence websites, and arresting officials. Some analysts have argued that the recent crackdown has only helped to further unite the pro-independence groups in Catalonia. The pro-independence movement in Catalonia, meanwhile, insists the vote will continue as planned this weekend. According the New York Times' Ellen Barry, "opinion polls suggest that about half of Catalonias 7.5 million people support breaking away from Spain, but the separatists influence ballooned in 2015, when independence parties won a majority in the regions Parliament. There was already resentment that the Spanish government was siphoning too much of the regions wealth." Story continues Catalonia, which has its own language and culture, is one of Spain's economic powerhouses. It contributes nearly one-fifth of the country's total GDP, and has an economy larger than that of Portugal. Even if the Spanish government manages to stop the vote, the simmering tensions could pose a challenge for the administration going forward, analysts say. "We continue to think the vote is unlikely to lead to Catalonia's exit from Spain (Catalexit), and that snap regional elections will follow," a Citi Research team led by Antonio Montilla said in a note to clients earlier this week. "We stress, however, that the risk of even larger confrontations between the sides post-referendum is rising." Tensions rising between Madrid and pro-independence movement Tensions between the regional Catalan pro-independence government and the central government in Madrid have escalated significantly in recent weeks. And the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was described earlier this year by the Financial Times as "famously cautious," recently took steps to halt the referendum. Last week, Spanish police raided three regional government offices in Catalonia and arrested 12 senior officials. Catalonian officials said Spain's Guardia Civil, or paramilitary national police, searched several government departments, including the offices of the presidency, economic affairs, and foreign relations, on Wednesday morning. Madrid also shut down websites and advertising campaigns promoting the vote, sent thousands of police officers from outside of the region, and raided the offices of the companies that would print the paper ballots, according to the New York Times. spain prime minister The Spanish government has taken control of Catalonia's essential public spending, a move that might suggest Madrid is taking a step forward to clamping down on the region's fiscal autonomy, Montilla argued. US President Donald Trump said earlier this week that "Spain is a great country, and it should remain united," while State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said earlier this month that the US has no position on the referendum. Tensions go back decades, but taxes appear to be a recent sore spot Tensions between Catalonia and Spain go back decades. According to Bloomberg, the region's push for autonomy was a factor in the Spanish Civil War; afterwards the Franco regime cracked down on the language, on Catalan institutions, and on the people themselves. After Franco's death, the Spanish constitution of 1978, which says the nation is "indivisible," gave Catalonia language rights and control over its healthcare and education. Recently, nationalists in Catalonia have pointed to the region's language and culture, and have argued that it subsidizes the rest of Spain, according to CNN. The region pays about 10 billion ($11.8 billion) more in taxes than it gets back, according to data from the Spanish Treasury, as cited by Reuters. By comparison, Andalusia, the poorest region, gets almost 8 billion ($9.4 billion) more than it pays. "One key explanation for the rise in independence supporters in the past few years is tax. Madrid has refused to allocate more funds to Catalonia after the financial crisis," argued HSBC research analysts Ioannis Sokos and Anne Karina Asbjorn."Since 2011, support in favour of independence has risen from around 30% to 50%." Not the first referendum Catalonia held an independence referendum back in 2014, but the Spanish government did not intervene in that case, despite the constitutional court's order to stop it. "[N]ow the situation is different. In 2014, the tensions between Madrid and Barcelona had not escalated to the current levels," Fabio Balboni, European economist at HSBC, said in a note to clients last Thursday. "There was not a government elected on a pro-indepedence platform, and no threat to proceed unilaterally after a 'yes' vote. There was also no intervention by the civil guard to seize the ballots, even though the Constitutional Court had also deemed the referendum illegal then," he added. "In our view, the chances of a similar outcome to 2014 are low." Back then, the majority voted in favor (80.7%), but turnout was relatively low (37%), according to data from HSBC. What happens if Catalonia declares indepedence? Catalan President Carles Puigdemont suggested that if the "yes" vote wins, the government's pro-indepedence government might declare indepedence within days. Should that happen, some have argued there's a chance the Spanish government can choose to invoke Article 155, which allows the Spanish government to intervene directly in autonomous regions like Catalonia, according to the FT. It has never been invoked. As HSBC's Balboni explained: "If Catalonia goes ahead with the referendum, and afterwards declares indepedence, unilaterally on a low turnout, 'yes' is more likely to win passing a new constitution, and possibly establishing regional Ministries and even armed forces, Madrid will probably trigger Article 155, and tensions are likely to escalate rapidly. In turn, this could affect negatively consumer and investor confidence, harming the economy [...] and leading to broader political and economic consequences that are hard to predict at this stage." Also notably, if Catalonia were to leave, it would have to reapply for EU membership, which Spain can block. NOW WATCH: Traders are gearing up for Trump's tax cut plan More From Business Insider By Steve Stecklow, Alexandra Harney, Anna Irrera and Jemima Kelly LONDON, SHANGHAI, NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dan Wasyluk discovered the hard way that trading cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin happens in an online Wild West where sheriffs are largely absent. Wasyluk and his colleagues raised bitcoins for a new tech venture and lodged them in escrow at a company running a cryptocurrency exchange called Moolah. Just months later the exchange collapsed; the man behind it is now awaiting trial in Britain on fraud and money-laundering charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Wasyluk's project lost 750 bitcoins, currently worth about $3 million, and he believes he stands little chance of recovering any money. "It really was kind of a kneecapping of the project," said Wasyluk of the collapse three years ago. "If you are starting an exchange and you lose clients' money, you or your company should be 100 percent accountable for that loss. And right now there is nothing like that in place." Cryptocurrencies were supposed to offer a secure, digital way to conduct financial transactions, but they have been dogged by doubts. Concerns have largely focused on their astronomical gains in value and the likelihood of painful price crashes. Equally perilous, though, are the exchanges where virtual currencies are bought, sold and stored. These exchanges, which match buyers and sellers and sometimes hold traders' funds, have become magnets for fraud and mires of technological dysfunction, a Reuters examination shows, posing an underappreciated risk to anyone who trades digital coins. Huge sums are at stake. As the prices of bitcoin and other virtual currencies have soared this year bitcoin has quadrupled - legions of investors and speculators have turned to online exchanges. Billions of dollars' worth of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies - which aren't backed by any governments or central banks - are now traded on exchanges every day. "These are new assets. No one really knows what to make of them," said David L. Yermack, chairman of the finance department at New York University's Stern School of Business. "If you're a consumer, there's nothing to protect you." Regulators and governments are still debating how to handle cryptocurrencies, and Yermack says the U.S. Congress will ultimately have to take action. Some of the freewheeling exchanges are plagued with poor security and lack investor protections common in more regulated financial markets, Reuters found. Some Chinese exchanges have falsely inflated their trading volume to lure new customers, according to former employees. There have been at least three dozen heists of cryptocurrency exchanges since 2011; many of the hacked exchanges later shut down. More than 980,000 bitcoins have been stolen, which today would be worth about $4 billion. Few have been recovered. Burned investors have been left at the mercy of exchanges as to whether they will receive any compensation. Nearly 25,000 customers of Mt. Gox, once the world's largest bitcoin exchange, are still waiting for compensation more than three years after its collapse into bankruptcy in Japan. The exchange said it lost about 650,000 bitcoins. Claims approved by the bankruptcy trustee total more than $400 million. In July, a federal judge in Florida ordered Paul Vernon, the operator of a collapsed U.S. exchange called Cryptsy, to pay $8.2 million to customers after he failed to respond to a class-action lawsuit. The judge ruled that 11,325 bitcoins had been stolen but did not identify the thief. "This is no different than bank robbers in the Old West," said David C. Silver, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys. "Cryptocurrency is just a new front." Vernon could not be reached for comment. Another challenge for traders: government intervention. This month, Chinese authorities ordered some mainland Chinese cryptocurrency exchanges to stop trading. The order, however, did not apply to exchanges based in Hong Kong or outside China, including those affiliated with mainland Chinese exchanges. So-called "flash crashes" when cryptocurrencies suddenly plummet in value are also a threat. Unlike regulated U.S. stock exchanges, cryptocurrency exchanges aren't required to have circuit breakers in place to halt trading during wild price swings. Digital coin exchanges are also frequently under assault by hackers, resulting in down times that can sideline traders at critical moments. On May 7, traders on a U.S. exchange called Kraken lost more than $5 million when it came under attack and couldn't be accessed, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in Florida. During the incident, the suit alleges, the exchange's price of a cryptocurrency called ether fell more than 70 percent and the traders' leveraged positions were liquidated. They received no compensation. The exchange declined to comment on the lawsuit. In a court filing, it asked for the case to be dismissed and said the claims should be decided by arbitration. Another two flash crashes occurred this year on the U.S. exchange GDAX. The exchange said it compensated traders who lost money. Not surprisingly, many banks are leery of cryptocurrency exchanges and some have refused to deal with them. At a bank investor conference this month in New York, Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co, called bitcoin "a fraud" and predicted it will "blow up." Boycotts by banks can make it impossible at times for exchanges to process wire transfers that allow customers to buy or sell cryptocurrencies with traditional currencies, such as dollars or euros. In March, Wells Fargo stopped processing wire transfers for an exchange called Bitfinex, leaving customers unable to transfer U.S. dollars out of their accounts, except through special arrangement with the exchange's lawyer. Wells Fargo declined to comment. Dealing with the banks "is a constant and ongoing challenge," said Bitfinex Chief Executive Jean Louis van der Velde. "Citizens and businesses [are] being treated like criminals when they are not, including myself." He declined to say which banks Bitfinex is now using. In part, banks say they are concerned about the due diligence cryptocurrency exchanges do on their customers to guard against money laundering, criminal activity and sanctions violations. While regulators require banks to verify who their customers are, some cryptocurrency trading platforms have performed minimal checks, Reuters found. Internal customer records reviewed by Reuters from the BTCChina exchange, which has an office in Shanghai but is stopping trading at the end of this month, show that in the fall of 2015, 63 customers said they were from Iran and another nine said they were from North Korea - countries under U.S. sanctions. Americans are generally prohibited from conducting financial transactions with individuals in Iran and North Korea. Statements on BTCChina's website from 2013 and 2014 identify Bobby Lee, who holds American citizenship, as its chief executive and co-founder. Lee is currently CEO of BTCC, a separate Cayman Islands-registered cryptocurrency exchange company, according to a spokesman for the exchanges. The spokesman did not respond to repeated questions from Reuters as to Lee's current role at BTCChina, and Lee did not comment on the issue. The spokesman said that BTCChina complies with Chinese law and "is run by a Chinese citizen, and its legal representative is also a Chinese citizen." The spokesman originally said the exchange had "significantly strengthened" its compliance processes over the last two years, including "banning registrations from sanctioned countries such as Iran and North Korea. Our system still has some inactivated accounts from some sanctioned countries for audit and logging purposes." He said "most" of those accounts had never been used to trade. He later said that BTCChina has never had any North Korean customers and "has had only one Iranian customer." The Iranian used a bank account in China, not Iran, "therefore all of that customer's transactions on our trading platform did not violate" U.S. sanctions, the spokesman said. He said "BTCC has never had and does not have any North Korean or Iranian customers." The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in Washington, which enforces economic and trade sanctions, declined to comment. In mid-2016, the Chinese exchange hired a compliance analyst to help monitor any suspicious activity on the trading platform. It selected Constance Yuan, then 23 years old, who told Reuters she had no prior formal training in compliance. On her LinkedIn page, she listed her title as "Senior compliance manager." "I was a bit surprised," Yuan said of her hiring. "I felt I had no experience, and it was a pretty big responsibility." She said lawyers taught her on the job, which she recently left. The spokesman for BTCChina told Reuters it has had a vice president in charge of compliance on its staff since 2013 and that person helped to develop a "robust" system to verify customers' identities. MICKEY MOUSE IDENTITIES Bitcoin, the first digital currency to gain widespread acceptance, sprang up during the financial crisis about nine years ago. Its attraction, early proponents maintained, was that it offered a way to bypass banks and governments, and to conduct financial transactions more cheaply. Every transaction is validated and recorded on a public ledger called a blockchain that is maintained by a network of computers. While anonymous, the individual transactions are available for all to see on the internet. They are secured by cryptography, the computerized encoding and decoding of data. Mike Hearn, an early bitcoin developer, said bitcoin was initially viewed more as a hobby than a serious alternative to traditional money. "People didn't really think it could take off and get big," he said. "It was a thought experiment that happened to have some code." Though bitcoin turned out to generate huge attention and media coverage, it is still not widely used by ordinary consumers. Few retailers accept it, and processing transactions on the blockchain remains much slower than payment card networks, despite some recent technical changes. The computer maker Dell, which announced in 2014 that it would accept bitcoin payments, has stopped "due to low usage," a spokeswoman said. At the U.S. online retailer Overstock.com, only a fraction of one percent of sales are transacted in bitcoins, according to the company. "Most of the cryptocurrencies right now are more commodities than currency," said Dan Schulman, chief executive of payments company PayPal. "You trade them based on what you think will happen to their value. They're not really accepted by many merchants as a currency." Instead, cryptocurrencies have proved attractive to those seeking anonymity. Poloniex, a U.S. exchange, has allowed some customers to trade cryptocurrencies and withdraw up to $2,000 worth of digital coins a day by providing only a name, an email address and a country, Reuters found. In a statement, Poloniex said it "has spent considerable resources developing a culture of compliance and has systems in place to prevent users from abusing the platform." The exchange isn't allowed to accept New York residents as customers because it lacks a state license to operate a cryptocurrency exchange. But Reuters interviewed two New York residents who had claimed that they lived elsewhere and were able to trade on Poloniex. A Poloniex spokesman said, "Any NY resident who submits false profile information in order to trade on our platform is in breach of our terms of service." Informed by Reuters of the trading on Poloniex by New York residents, the state's Department of Financial Services said it would "take appropriate action." In a statement, the department said: "As New York's regulator of cryptocurrency, DFS will not tolerate any activity by unlicensed operators who attempt to conduct business in the state." In June, a former U.S. federal prosecutor testified before Congress that criminals - including distributors of malicious code called ransomware, "large drug kingpins and serial fraudsters" - were increasingly using unregulated foreign exchanges that don't verify their customers. "Criminals can open anonymous accounts, or accounts with phony names to fly under the radar of law enforcement," Kathryn Haun, a former assistant U.S. attorney, said at a congressional hearing. "Thus, we have received 'Mickey Mouse' who resides at '123 Main Street' in subpoena returns." Haun left the Justice Department in May and joined the board of Coinbase, which runs the GDAX exchange. She told Reuters she was impressed with Coinbase's team and vision. A class-action lawsuit was filed last year against Coinbase on behalf of customers of the collapsed Cryptsy exchange. It claims that Coinbase converted bitcoins allegedly stolen from Cryptsy into about $8.2 million that was then withdrawn. Haun and Coinbase declined to comment on the case; in a court filing, Coinbase denied any wrongdoing. In July, U.S. authorities shut down the website of the BTC-e exchange, one of the world's largest, and ordered it to pay a $110 million fine. The Treasury Department said it had "facilitated transactions involving ransomware, computer hacking, identity theft, tax refund fraud schemes, public corruption, and drug trafficking." BTC-e required only a username, password and email address to open an account, authorities said. Reuters was unable to contact BTC-e, whose base of operations was unclear, though it continues to have a website using a New Zealand domain name. It now forwards to a new exchange called WEX, which didn't respond to a request for comment. FAKE VOLUME One of the criteria traders say they use to select an exchange is trading volume. The more trades an exchange handles, the faster buyers and sellers can be matched. From about early 2014 until late January this year, Chinese exchanges accounted for about 90 percent of global bitcoin trading volume, according to the website bitcoinity.org, which collates trading data reported by exchanges. Some of that high volume occurred because traders were attracted by the fact that these exchanges at that time charged no transaction fees. But some of the volume was fake, six former employees at two Chinese exchanges told Reuters. Artificially pumped-up volumes in China could have affected the often volatile price of bitcoin, because investors elsewhere monitor and respond to the activity. One exchange, OKCoin, inflated volumes through so-called wash trades, repeatedly trading nominal amounts of bitcoin back and forth between accounts, two former executives said. The transactions were logged on the exchanges but not recorded on the blockchain, according to a former employee. Zane Tackett, who held several positions at OKCoin from 2014 to 2015 including international operations manager, said he resigned partly out of concern about its fake volumes. "The motivation is to seem larger than their competition," he said. Changpeng Zhao, a former chief technical officer at OKCoin, stated on the website reddit.com in May 2015 that OKCoin used bots that "are designed to pump up volumes." In a response to the post, OKCoin said: "OKCoin does not need to have any fake volume." In a statement to Reuters, OKCoin said it "never artificially inflated trading volume." Four former employees at BTCChina, including one of its co-founders, said the exchange had also engaged in faking its trading volumes. A spokesman for the exchange said it "has never faked its trading volumes." The Chinese exchanges' sky-high volumes appear to have caught the attention of the People's Bank of China. After a series of inspections by the central bank, Chinese exchanges in January began charging trading fees as exchanges elsewhere typically do and volumes in China plummeted. "A deceptive market is not a healthy market," said Xiaoyu Huang, a co-founder of BTCChina, who said that the exchange had faked some of its volume. "And, in fact, it was the fake volumes that made the government mistakenly believe that the Chinese market accounted for so much of the global trading volume, and caused the government to supervise bitcoin in China so forcefully." Huang said he had left the company in part over a disagreement over its direction. The spokesman for BTCChina said "the Chinese government's scrutiny into bitcoin exchanges earlier this year was because of a dramatic increase in bitcoin's price." China's central bank declined to answer questions. UNDER ATTACK Exchanges are frequently targeted by hackers, causing additional problems for investors. Walle Wei, a Chinese trader based in Guangxi in southern China, said he was trading futures in bitcoin and a cryptocurrency called litecoin on OKCoin.com on July 10, 2015. Betting that the litecoin price, then about $4, would rise, he bought contracts for long positions using borrowed money. This meant that he only had to put down 10 percent to trade. Trading with that much leverage meant that a small move in the price could either wipe out his positions or greatly magnify his gains. Instead of rising as Wei had hoped, litecoin's price began falling and OKCoin's website slowed down, Wei said. He was unable to buy or sell. When he regained access to his account, his contracts had been liquidated. He said he lost 3,136 litecoins, then worth about $12,500. OKCoin announced on its blog that it had been a victim of "large scale" attacks by hackers who flooded its websites with traffic, preventing some users from accessing their accounts. On July 13, Wei suffered a second, similar event with bitcoin. He said the exchange's website became inaccessible, his contracts were liquidated and he lost 57.9 bitcoins, then worth about $16,900. Wei said he complained and OKCoin covered 15 percent of his bitcoin losses, waived one month's worth of trading fees and gave him a mobile phone charger. He said he also filed complaints with police and five government agencies, including the central bank and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). Most ignored his complaints, he said, and those that replied told him his problem didn't fall under their jurisdiction. "They said to find the relevant department. But I don't know what other relevant government departments there are," he said. A person close to the CSRC said cryptocurrency exchanges fall under the purview of the central bank, which declined to answer questions. In a written response, OKCoin said it had invested heavily in guarding against attacks and there was no precedent for multinational corporations to compensate users for service interruptions. "All trading's profit or loss should be solely borne by the users," OKCoin said. To open an account, customers must agree to terms of service that absolve the company of liability for losses from "hacker attacks" and "computer virus intrusion or attack." Inaccessible websites aren't the only way investors can lose money on exchanges. In February, a hedge fund called GABI, based in Jersey, bought a futures contract on OKCoin's Hong Kong exchange, betting the price of bitcoin would rise. But the contract was liquidated soon afterwards when another investor placed a giant bet the other way that dwarfed it. In regulated exchanges, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, there are limits to the size of futures contracts to prevent one trader from dominating the market. That's not the case on some cryptocurrency exchanges. In its online February newsletter, the hedge fund's manager called the incident "clear market manipulation." He said he questioned OKCoin about it: "They confirmed to us that there were no position limits whatsoever and that people were free to do whatever they wanted in their 'happy trading environment' (yes, they used those actual words)." The February bitcoin contract cost the hedge fund between $400,000 and $500,000, according to a person familiar with the matter. OKCoin said the "two customers traded fairly" and "there is no regulation restricting the trading strategy." Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission declined to comment. "AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE" In the past 15 months, Bitfinex, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, was fined by a U.S. regulator, lost $72 million worth of bitcoins to hackers and was cut off by Wells Fargo, one of America's biggest banks. Bitfinex was set up four years ago. Its hundreds of thousands of clients include banks, investment funds and other cryptocurrency exchanges, according to van der Velde, its CEO and co-founder, and its lawyer. It has no head office, is owned by a British Virgin Islands company and is managed by three executives who live in Hong Kong, the United States and Europe. Besides its Dutch chief executive, they include Chief Financial Officer Giancarlo Devasini, who is Italian, and Chief Strategy Officer Philip Potter, an American who once worked at Morgan Stanley. In June 2016, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission fined Bitfinex $75,000 for offering "illegal" cryptocurrency transactions and failing to register as a futures commission merchant. "We were happy with the terms of the settlement," said Stuart Hoegner, Bitfinex's general counsel. In August 2016, hackers stole 119,756 bitcoins from Bitfinex. As customers and others went online to vent their anger - "@bitfinex is an absolute DISGRACE to the #bitcoin community and needs to go," one Twitter user wrote - Bitfinex executives weighed their options. Convinced they couldn't get a bank loan and lacking insurance, they decided to reduce their customers' balances by 36 percent, regardless of whether the investor accounts had been hacked a technique known as the "socialization" of losses. The exchange distributed IOUs in the form of digital tokens, which could be traded on Bitfinex. Some customers converted the tokens into equity in the company that operates the exchange. Although the exchange later redeemed the tokens in full, some customers had already sold them at a loss. In an interview, van der Velde expressed regret for the hack. But he defended his firm's response. "I felt - and I still feel - terrible for those people who lost their money," he said. He declined to discuss how the hack happened, citing an ongoing police investigation. "We took responsibility. How many financial institutions in the past can you find that say within a very short time, 'We are good for that loss, and we issue an IOU for that'? Please find me one." He also said Bitfinex has acted transparently, has rigorous know-your-customer procedures and cooperates with law enforcement agencies. Despite its numerous challenges, van der Velde said Bitfinex is now handling about $12 billion in trades a month and is "very profitable." Last year, the exchange said it expected to make a $20 million profit in 2017. Despite all the Wild West problems besetting cryptocurrencies, van der Velde predicted the final amount will turn out to be even higher. (Steve Stecklow reported from London and Helsinki; Alexandra Harney from Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong; Anna Irrera from New York; and Jemima Kelly from London). (By Steve Stecklow, Alexandra Harney, Anna Irrera and Jemima Kelly. Additional reporting by Jack Stubbs in Moscow and the Shanghai newsroom. Edited by Richard Woods and Janet McBride) BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army and its allies seized control of nine positions at Syria's border with Jordan, expanding their control at the southern frontier, a military news outlet run by the Lebanese group Hezbollah said on Saturday. The captured border positions were located to the southeast of Damascus, the report said, adding that militants had been killed and wounded during the attack. It did not identify the insurgents, or say when the positions had been captured. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shi'ite group, is fighting in support of the Syrian government, which is making rapid territorial gains against insurgents in southern and eastern Syria. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Catherine Evans) Beijing (AFP) - North Korea's nuclear antics have rattled its alliance with China to the point that Beijing is allowing the previously unthinkable to be discussed: Is it time to prepare for the renegade regime's collapse? While China's official goal is to bring Washington and Pyongyang to the negotiating table, it is also permitting once taboo debate on contingencies in case war breaks out in the isolated nation across its northeast border. Observers say the public debate might be a tactic to try and coerce Pyongyang into cooling its weapons programme, with its nuclear and missile tests visibly angering Beijing, which has backed tough new United Nations sanctions on the country. But it may also indicate growing calls to overhaul its relationship with the North, a longterm ally that it defended during the 1950-53 Korean War and has a mutual defence pact with. Jia Qingguo, dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University, raised eyebrows earlier in September when he published an article entitled: "Time to prepare for the worst in North Korea". The paper was published in English in East Asia Forum, a website of the Australian National University, but it is unlikely that he could have released it without the approval of Chinese authorities. Jia urged Beijing to start discussing contingency plans with the United States and South Korea -- talks that the two nations have sought in the past but China has resisted for fear of upsetting Pyongyang. "When war becomes a real possibility, China must be prepared. And, with this in mind, China must be more willing to consider talks with concerned countries on contingency plans," Jia wrote. Beijing, he said, could discuss who would control North Korea's nuclear arsenal -- either the United States or China. To prevent a massive flow of refugees across the border, China could send its army to North Korea to create a "safety zone", Jia said. Story continues Another touchy issue would be who would "restore domestic order in North Korea in the event of a crisis". China, he said, would object to letting US soldiers cross the 38th parallel into North Korea. An August editorial in state-run nationalist tabloid Global Times said China should remain neutral if North Korea launches missiles against the US and Washington retaliated, and only intervene if the US and South Korea tried to overthrow the Pyongyang regime. - 'Better without them' - Discussions about the end of the North's regime could be aimed at scaring Kim Jong-Un and pleasing Trump before the US leader's trip to Beijing in November, a Western diplomat said. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met President Xi Jinping and top Chinese diplomats in Beijing on Saturday to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis. "If the international community can unite and pretend there's going to be a real war, there is a chance that North Korea will freeze its nuclear tests," Wang Peng, research fellow at Fudan University in Shanghai, told AFP. But there are also signs of a genuine shift in perceptions over how China should handle North Korea. David Kelly, director of research at Beijing-based consultancy China Policy, said the thinking among Chinese academics was: "We could do better without them, a unified Korea would be incredibly good for China, the northeast would boom". China has long supported North Korea because it serves as a buffer from US troops stationed in South Korea, but Barthelemy Courmont, a China specialist at the Institute of Strategic and International Relations in Paris, said Pyongyang's downfall could be good for Beijing, especially economically. "China now believes that a collapse of North Korea would not necessarily be to its disadvantage," Courmont said. "If North Korea were to fall in a peaceful way, China would be best positioned for its reconstruction. China is the only country capable of overseeing the reconstruction of North Korea," he said. - Not so simple - Such talk was not always permitted. Deng Yuwen was suspended from his job as editor of the journal of the Communist Party's Central Party School in 2013 after writing an article saying China should abandon North Korea. But this year he wrote unimpeded about post-conflict planning. "If the two Koreas reunified, there would no longer be the needs for the presence of US troops in South Korea and the South Korean people would not let them stay," Deng said in April in an article published by the Charhar Institute think tank. Moreover, he said, South Korea would no longer need to host the US THAAD missile defence system. Its deployment has infuriated Beijing because it fears that its powerful radars could peer deep into China and destabilise the region. But dropping Pyongyang is not that simple, Kelly said. "The problem is: how do you cut the cord, because nobody knows what North Korea will do," he said. Beijing (AFP) - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Beijing on Saturday to discuss efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions and prepare President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to China. Tillerson was scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping after talks with top diplomat Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, ahead of Trump's trip in November. The visit comes as relations between the two superpowers appear to be improving after months of tensions over how to handle North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's nuclear provocations. Trump has repeatedly urged Xi to exert more economic pressure on Pyongyang to convince the renegade regime to give up its nuclear ambitions. China, North Korea's main trade partner, has responded by backing a slew of new United Nations sanctions. For its part, Beijing has insisted that the sanctions must be coupled with efforts to organise peace talks, but Trump and Kim have traded increasingly personal insults that have raised fears that the crisis could spark a conflict. The acting US assistant secretary for East Asia, Susan Thornton, told sceptical US lawmakers ahead of Tillerson's trip that China appears to be on board with the plan to squeeze Pyongyang. "We are working closely with China to execute this strategy and are clear-eyed in viewing the progress -- growing, if uneven -- that China has made on this front," she said. "We have recently seen Chinese authorities take additional actions," she said, referring to new controls on the cross-border trade and finance that is North Korea's economic lifeline. On Thursday, China said it was ordering North Korean firms on its territory to close by January. The announcement came days after China confirmed it will limit exports of refined petroleum products to North Korea from October 1 while banning imports of textiles from its neighbour. The measures were in accordance with UN sanctions that were approved earlier in September after North Korea detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear bomb -- a test that triggered an earthquake felt across the border in China. Trump's November trip will be part of a tour that will also take in regional allies Japan and South Korea. Chinese President Xi Jinping told US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday that he expected President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to be "wonderful", as ties appear warmer following tensions over how to handle North Korea. Xi smiled as he greeted Tillerson at the imposing Great Hall of the People across Tiananmen Square for talks expected to focus on North Korea and Trump's November visit. The two men, however, did not mention the hermit state in public remarks before their private talks. Xi recalled that he and Trump have spoken on the phone several times and that they already met at the US leader's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in April and the G20 summit in Hamburg in July. "I have enjoyed each and every one of those engagements and we have made considerable efforts to push for the development of China-US relations," Xi said. "The two of us have also maintained a good working relationship and personal friendship," he said, adding that he believed Trump's visit "will be a special, wonderful and successful one". Trump has touted his friendship with Xi but he has also prodded the Chinese leader in recent months to exert more pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile activities. The Trump administration angered Beijing this summer by slapping sanctions on Chinese companies accused of supporting North Korea's weapons programme. But China, which accounts for 90 percent of North Korea's international trade, has since backed a slew of additional United Nations sanctions against its neighbour. A senior US official said this week that China appears to be on board with the plan to squeeze Pyongyang. "This is a relationship that continues to grow and mature on the strength of the relationship between yourself and President Trump," Tillerson told Xi. "And we look forward to advancing that relationship at the upcoming summit." Tillerson also met with China's top diplomat, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to lay the groundwork for Trump's trip, which will include stops in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines between November 3 and 14. Story continues "Let us concentrate on cooperation and properly manage our differences in the spirit of mutual respect and mutual benefit so that we can keep moving the China-US relationship forward in the right direction," Yang said. Wang told Tillerson: "At present, China-US relations overall have a positive momentum and have arrived at an important opportunity to progress further." Tillerson had been due to arrive on Friday evening but his aircraft's problems forced him to travel to China on a military transport plane on Saturday. - 'Two trains of thought' - While it has backed UN sanctions against Pyongyang, Beijing has insisted that the punitive measures must be coupled with efforts to organise peace talks. China has proposed a plan, which Russia has backed, in which North Korea would suspend its weapons programmes in return for the United States to halt its military drills in the region. But the North conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3, and Trump and Kim have traded increasingly personal insults that have raised fears of a conflict. "There appear to be two trains of thought in the international community regarding denuclearization of the peninsula: Crush North Korea or talk to North Korea so as to increase its sense of security. China and Russia hold the latter view," China's state-run Global Times newspaper said in an editorial. The acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asia, Susan Thornton, told sceptical US lawmakers ahead of Tillerson's trip that China was making "growing, if uneven" progress in the strategy to strongarm Pyongyang. "We have recently seen Chinese authorities take additional actions," she said, referring to new controls on the cross-border trade and finance that is North Korea's economic lifeline. On Thursday, China said it was ordering North Korean firms on its territory to close by January. The announcement came days after China confirmed it will limit exports of refined petroleum products to North Korea from October 1 while banning imports of textiles from its neighbour. The measures were in accordance with UN sanctions that were approved earlier in September after North Korea's nuclear test, which triggered an earthquake felt across the border in China. Tom Price resigned after taking a number of private flights using taxpayer funds: AP Donald Trump's Health Secretary Tom Price has resigned, the White House has announced, after the US president made his displeasure clear over a scandal regarding private jet travel. Mr Price is the latest official to depart Mr Trump's controversy-ridden administration, which in nine months has seen the dramatic oustings of the President's FBI chief and National Security Adviser, as well as the resignations of multiple advisers and members of the White House communications team. Mr Price was already in hot water for Republicans' several failed attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare, otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act. But his job as head of the administration's Health and Human Services department began to be threatened following a slew of reports about his extensive use of charter aircraft. According to Politico, Mr Price racked up at least $400,000 in travel bills for chartered flights, undermining Mr Trumps campaign promise to "drain the swamp". Mr Trump reportedly feared these revelations undercut his promise to expel everything his supporters hated about Washington: lobbying, corruption and entitled bureaucrats. On Thursday, Mr Price had apparently tried to defuse the President's anger by agreeing to reimburse the government $51,887 for his past use of private jets. However, that didn't appear to work. "I certainly don't like the optics," Mr Trump said on Friday before Mr Price's resignation. "I'm not happy, I can tell you that. I'm not happy." The President said he would decide whether to fire the secretary by the end of the day. Mr Price is not the only member of Mr Trump's cabinet to have come under fire for using private chartered flights or government aircraft to travel for work. Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have also been scrutinised for such conduct. In some cases, cheaper commercial flights were available, but the officials opted against them. Story continues In the wake of Mr Price's resignation, the White House sought to crackdown on government officials using charter aircraft. In a memo to government agencies, White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney said commercial air travel is appropriate with few exceptions even for very senior officials, and the use of chartered aircraft must be approved in advance by the White House chief of staff, John Kelly. Mr Trump made clear that Mr Price's use of private jets went against his promise to save the government money. In his resignation letter to the President, Mr Price said that under Mr Trump's leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services was working "to reform a broken health care system, empower patients, [and] reduce regulatory burdens", among other tasks. "I regret that the recent events have created a distraction from these important objectives," Mr Price wrote. "Success on these issues is more important than any one person. In order for you to move forward without further disruption, I am officially tendering my resignation". The President intends to designate Don Wright of Virginia to serve as Acting Secretary of HHS, the White House said. Mr Wright currently serves as the deputy assistant secretary for health, and director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. From his perch at HHS Mr Price a former congressman who long opposed Obamacare had been leading the drive to overhaul former President Barack Obama's healthcare law. In July, Mr Trump joked that he would fire Mr Price if he did not get the votes for an Obamacare repeal bill. "He better get them," Mr Trump told an audience while standing close to the secretary. "Otherwise, Ill say, 'Tom, youre fired.'" But as Republicans continued to fail in their attempts to get rid of the law, Mr Trump was reportedly fuming about Mr Price over the unsuccessful efforts, according to the New York Times. The most recent drive to undo Obamacare collapsed this week, after Senate Republicans were again unable to muster enough support to pass legislation. Donald Trump, who once said he wouldn't be "a president that takes time off," has a family that loves to take time off. And it gets expensive. CBS News reported Friday that a ski trip taken by Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, their spouses, their kids and their dogs took this past March cost the government a minimum of $330,000. The Secret Service had to spend nearly $50,000 alone on renting cars, ski gear and even lift tickets while its agents monitored members of the first family in Aspen, Colorado. The ski trip is an annual tradition for the Trump family, but now that their patriarch is president it's become more of an ordeal. Ahead of the vacation, members of the Secret Service sat down with the local police department and said they'd be bringing about 100 agents, according to the Aspen Times. The agency itself has previously declined to comment on the specifics of protecting the Trumps, citing security reasons. But CNN cobbled together details of the trip by looking at social media posts. For example, Donald Trump Jr.'s Instagram shows the family took the president's private plane--Trump Force One--to Colorado (Donald Trump Jr. and company soon had to leave because one of his young sons broke his leg). The Aspen vacation wasn't the first time the costs of protecting the large Trump brood has made headlines. When Eric Trump went to Uruguay in January, Secret Service agents racked up a nearly $100,000 bill in hotel costs. First daughter Tiffany Trump's June stay in Germany forced the agency to set up a temporary office--to the tune of $22,000. "The Secret Service does not have an option as to when it is, where it is, nor as to how much it costs, and whether its domestic or international," former director W. Ralph Basham told the Washington Post. "Think about the consequences of something happening to one of the children. The security of it outweighs the expenses of it." Story continues However, the constant guard recently became too much for Donald Trump Jr. The first son gave up his Secret Service protection earlier this month in a bid for more privacy. He then promptly went on a moose hunting trip in Canada. The Obama family was also criticized for racking up trip expenses. According to watchdog group Judicial Watch, protecting them on jaunts to places like Hawaii and Florida cost the Secret Service about $10 million over eight years. Related Articles donald trump President Donald Trump on Sunday diverged from the US State Department and said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was "wasting him time" opening up talks with the North Korean regime. "I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump tweeted, referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!" The president added that being nice to Kim "hasn't worked in 25 years, why would it work now? Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed. I won't fail." The comments came after Tillerson told reporters in Beijing on Saturday that the US has a direct line of communication open with Pyongyang over North Korea's nuclear tests. "We're not in a dark situation, a blackout," Tillerson said. The secretary of state acknowledged on Saturday that the situation with the rogue nation was "overheated" and said the US' first priority was to calm things down, according to The Washington Post. A State Department official told Business Insider on Sunday that though the US has been "probing through our normal channels," North Korean officials have not responded "with any indication that they want to engage in substantive discussions." The threat that North Korea poses has rapidly escalated in recent weeks. The rogue nation fired a missile over Japan a few weeks ago for the second time in two months. Earlier this month, North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, one the country said was a hydrogen bomb. Trump ramped up his rhetoric against North Korea when the United Nations General Assembly convened on September 23, saying that "rocket man" Kim Jong Un was on a "suicide mission," and that if he did not back down, the US would "have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea." Kim responded by saying he would "surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire." North Korea's foreign minister also said that Trump's comments made the possibility of a missile attack on the US mainland "all the more inevitable." Story continues NOW WATCH: 'Rocket man is on a suicide mission': Trump threatens to 'totally destroy North Korea' in major UN speech More From Business Insider Washington (AFP) - The US Supreme Court on Monday opens its 2017-2018 session, facing thorny issues that include gay and labor rights, voter restrictions and limits on gathering private information. On many of these issues the Republican administration of President Donald Trump has taken the exact opposite position from that of the previous Democratic administration under Barack Obama. Unlike in its last session, when the nine-justice court operated with a four-four ideological split with one seat vacant, Trump can now count on Justice Neil Gorsuch, a firm conservative vote who in April took over the position created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. From Trump's perspective, the most significant case would result in a validation of his decrees limiting immigration, which have faced repeated setbacks in lower courts. But after his administration reworked its decrees, the Supreme Court canceled an October 10 hearing on the matter, though it may return to it later. "There is only one prediction that is entirely safe about the upcoming term, and that is it will be momentous," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said recently. At the age of 84, "RBG," as she is known, is the doyenne of the court and a reliable liberal vote. Democrats fear that if she retires, the billionaire president will replace her with another conservative, tilting the ultimate US legal body rightward for years. - ACLU vs. Trump - "For us, this is a 'we'll see you in the Supreme Court' term," said David Cole, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a leading rights group. "In all five of our cases this term, Donald Trump is on the opposite side. And in three of them, his administration has broken from decades of precedent," Cole said. Cole cited a case in the state of Colorado involving a conservative Christian baker who opposes homosexuality and refused to prepare a wedding cake for a gay couple -- the most important case on gay rights to reach the top court since gay marriage was legalized in the United States in June 2015. Story continues The ACLU is representing the bride and groom, while the Trump administration supports the baker, who argues that his refusal is based in part on his right to creative freedom. Another case in which the Trump administration takes the opposite stance from that of Obama concerns a voting case in Ohio, a Midwestern state where the governing Republican Party wants to purge the voter rolls of people who do not regularly vote. This would mainly affect poor and minority citizens, groups that historically vote for Democrats. In another voting case, justices will hear arguments for the first time in 12 years on the way states draw complicated and creative electoral districts to favor the party in power, a process known as "gerrymandering." - Smartphone tracking - A separate case aims to set the parameters on authorities' access to geolocation data for mobile operators. The case concerns a man sentenced to prison for theft in the Detroit area. Police were able to link him to a series of robberies by following his movements for 127 days through the geolocator data from his smartphone. In a case concerning organized labor, the court will look at the compulsory union dues that civil servants are sometimes forced to pay. The matter reached the court last year, but the justices split four-to-four. With Gorsuch now on the bench, conservatives could win a historic victory in their decades-long war against unions. Rulings in these cases are expected by the end of June 2018. President Trump continues to praise his administrations response to the humanitarian crisis in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico and dismiss his critics as ungrateful. We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico, Trump wrote in a series of tweets early Sunday. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates, people are now starting to recognize the amazing work that has been done by FEMA and our great Military. All buildings now inspected for safety. Trump added: Thank you to the Governor of P.R. and to all of those who are working so closely with our First Responders. Fantastic job! We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates, Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 people are now starting to recognize the amazing work that has been done by FEMA and our great Military. All buildings now inspected.. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 for safety. Thank you to the Governor of P.R. and to all of those who are working so closely with our First Responders. Fantastic job! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 The tweets came a day after the president attacked San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz over what he implied was insufficient gratitude for the federal help in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which tore across the U.S. island territory on Sept. 20, killing at least 16 people and leaving millions without power, food and water. The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump, Trump wrote on Twitter early Saturday. Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. Story continues The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 Its not clear what, exactly, caused Trump to lash out against Cruz. During a CNN interview the day before, Cruz was asked to react to acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Dukes assertion that the White Houses response to the storm was a good-news story because of the limited number of deaths that have taken place in such a devastating hurricane. Well, maybe from where shes standing its a good-news story, Cruz said. When youre drinking from a creek, its not a good-news story. When you dont have food for a baby, its not a good-news story. When you have to pull people down from their buildings Im sorry, but that really upsets and frustrates me. I would ask her to come down here and visit the towns and then make a statement like that, which frankly is an irresponsible statement. Related: San Juan mayor: This not a good-news story when people are dying Dammit, this is not a good-news story, this is a people-are-dying story, an emotional Cruz continued. This is a life-or-death story. This is theres a truckload of stuff that cannot be taken to people story. This is a story of devastation that continues to worsen because people are not getting food or water. If I could scream it a lot more louder: It is not a good-news story when people are dying when they dont have dialysis, when their generators arent working and their oxygen isnt providing for them. On NBCs Meet the Press, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was asked why Trump did not show more empathy for Cruzs situation. When the president gets attacked, he attacks back, Mnuchin replied. And I think the mayors comments were unfair, given what the federal government has done. On ABCs This Week Sunday, Cruz responded to Trumps tweeted attack. Theres only one goal, and its saving lives, she said. All I did last week, or even this week, was ask for help. People are being told to register via Internet for FEMA relief, when we dont have any Internet or very little Internet, even in the San Juan metropolitan area, Cruz explained. I recognize the good heart that the FEMA people have. They want to help. But they just dont have the resources, and its not me whos saying it. Cruz also criticized Trumps suggestion that Puerto Ricos debt is complicating federal relief efforts. Let us not talk about the debt, let us not talk about the cost of reconstruction, she said. Let us talk about saving lives. Trump is scheduled to visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday, and Cruz said she would have no problem meeting with him. If he asks to meet with me, of course I would, she said. Read more from Yahoo News: President Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (Photos: AP/Getty) President Trump tweeted on Sunday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is wasting his time trying to negotiate with North Korea and the rogue nuclear nations leader, Kim Jong Un. I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man, Trump wrote on Twitter. Save your energy Rex, well do what has to be done! I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 Trumps tweets appeared to undercut the work of his chief diplomat. At a press conference in Beijing on Saturday, Tillerson told reporters that the United States has established direct lines of communications to Pyongyang in the hopes of coming to a peaceful resolution in North Korea. Weve made it clear that we hope to resolve this through talks, Tillerson said. I think the most immediate action that we need is to calm things down. Theyre a little overheated right now, and I think we need to calm them down first. In an address to the U.N. General Assembly last month, Trump warned that if the United States is forced to defend itself from Pyongyangs nuclear provocations, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime, the president said. The speech drew strong rebukes from critics who said the president used the United Nations as a stage to threaten war. Trumps Sunday morning Twitter diplomacy sparked speculation about Tillersons job security. Story continues Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who once served as an adviser to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, was among many foreign policy experts suggesting Tillerson should resign. Diplomacy not a favor we dispense but a critical national security tool for ourselves. Potus truly misguided here-& SecState should resign Richard N. Haass (@RichardHaass) October 1, 2017 Isn't Rex going to resign sooner rather than later? https://t.co/rWbABidsKr Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) October 1, 2017 Trump just took out Tillerson's knee caps. Why wouldn't Tillerson just resign? Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (@esglaude) October 1, 2017 In light of these tweets undercutting SecState, reupping my article on why Tillerson has failed & should quit: https://t.co/O2cJxBp3zo pic.twitter.com/RBM4b0rJG0 Max Boot (@MaxBoot) October 1, 2017 really hard to see what's in it for Rex Tillerson to be Sec of State he is no good at it, his boss disgraces him, every day diminishes him Philip Gourevitch (@PGourevitch) October 1, 2017 "Save your energy Rex." Humilating for Tillerson, but worse, renders him useless. He'll resign, today or after a brief face-saving interval. Dan Shapiro (@DanielBShapiro) October 1, 2017 President Trump spectacularly shot down SecState Tillerson after important Beijing talks. How long can this last? Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) October 1, 2017 Tillerson has lately taken to calling Jared & Ivanka "the royal family." He's not expecting to be there long. https://t.co/08CxXv8PgV ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 1, 2017 Read more from Yahoo News: Donald Trump has said it repeatedly, both during the campaign and in the first nine months of his presidency: the 2015 agreement between Iran, the United States, the European Union and members of the U.N. Security Council to rein in Tehrans nuclear weapons program, is the worst deal ever. Soon enough, well know if Trump means what he says. The deadline for recertifying the deal is October 15, and the White House has already completed a review of U.S.-Iran policy, led by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. An administration source, who, like others interviewed for this piece, was not authorized to speak on the record, says it likely will be announced before the deadline. What will Trumps decision be? Two sources involved in the Iran policy review say that despite Trumps recent assertion that hes already made up his mind, the administration is still mulling its options. Trump wants out of the accord, which also involved ending sanctions against Tehran. But the president has also come to understand there would be a serious diplomatic fallout if he simply scraps the agreement. All other signatories, including Americas closest European allies, do not want Washington to blow up the deal. They, like the International Atomic Energy Agency, believe Iran has mostly abided by its terms, and since the sanctions ended, have begun doing business with Tehran again. Theyve also been lobbying the administration to stay in the agreement. Related: Why the Iran nuclear deal is at risk of unraveling Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been lobbying the Europeans, trying to persuade them to join with Washington in pressuring Iran to improve the terms of the deal. And hes had some success. French President Emmanuel Macronwith whom Trump has a good relationshiphas said he was willing to address the so-called sunset provisions in the accord, which effectively allow Tehran to have a full nuclear program in 15 years. He agrees with Washington that the U.S. and its allies need to push back harder against Irans increasing influence in the region, and in particular, the regimes support of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad. But he insists that Trump and company shouldnt scrap the agreement. Story continues 0929_Trump_crazy SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Sources involved with the Iran review say one option that has gotten serious consideration by the president and his advisers is to decertify the deal. That is, to say that he doesnt believe Iran is abiding by its terms, but to remain in it. Pulling out of the agreement entirely would require reimposing sanctions on Tehran. The president, on September 14, has already said doing that would not be in the U.S.s national security interest. But many GOP members of Congress have been itching to restore these sanctions. Trump, however, could tell them to hold offand its virtually certain that they would. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, an uber-hawk on Iran and a steadfast critic of the deal, has said hes fine with that option as long as the administration forces Iran to renegotiate the deal. Cottons approval was a sign, an administration official said, that this option would have strong support among Republicans on the hill: No one gets to the right of Tom Cotton on Iran. Yet staying within the agreements framework while publicly saying Iran is not abiding by its terms carries big risks. It effectively means the administration is asking for a do-over with Tehran. Iran hawks have a wishlist of things theyd like to see in a new agreement. The president, says Mark Dubowitz, chief executive officer of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a foreign policy think tank, should insist on conditions making permanent the current restrictions on Irans nuclear program and the testing of advanced centrifuges and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles (those restrictions now phase out over time), as well as the buying and transferring of conventional weaponry. He should also, Dubowitz says, insist on unfettered access for U.N. weapons inspectors to Iranian military sites, where the U.S. suspects nuclear research occurred and may still be occurring. The Europeans have been privately telling Washington that Iran wont accede to such demands. Making them, they fear, may prompt the country to walk away from the agreement entirely and push toward a nuclear breakout. That, potentially, could hand Washington a second nuclear crisis at a time when it is desperately trying to deal with the first one in North Korea. Asked if the White House has the bandwidth to deal with that, an administration official said simply, I dont know. It's a reasonable question. McMaster and Defense Secretary James Mattis are not fans of the Iran deal, or the leadership in Tehran. From their experience in Iraq, they know how many U.S. servicemen were killed by Iranian weapons or Tehran-backed Shiite militias during the war. Theyve also seen, in places like Syria and Yemen, Irans malign influence in the region spread since the accord. Their counsel to the presidentwhich has not leaked to datewill be important in shaping Trumps decision. Iran hawks say that while Tehran will make a huge fuss publicly if Trump decertifies the agreement, the prospect of renewed sanctions would ultimately bring them back to the table for round two of negotiations. We may soon find out if they are right. Related Articles Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Saturday attacked a Puerto Rican mayor over her "poor leadership ability" after she criticized the pace of relief efforts in the wake of devastating Hurricane Maria. Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of the territory's capital city San Juan, has repeatedly called on federal authorities to do more to get vital supplies to residents, many of whom are still without power and running water since the storm delivered a body-blow to the island earlier this month. Trump lashed out in a series of morning tweets, while also suggesting that Puerto Ricans "want everything to be done for them" and had left the bulk of relief work to federal first responders and the military. "The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump," he wrote. "Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. "They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job." Speaking at a news conference on Friday, an emotional Cruz appeared to take issue to a series of oddly upbeat comments made by Trump administration officials. "We are dying here, and I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out logistics for a small island," she said, adding: "(If) we don't get the food and water into people's hands, we are going to see something close to a genocide. "I respectfully disagree with President Trump and I am sure that he is not getting the data that we are seeing in the streets." Trump's latest missive could further inflame sentiment after he had earlier weighed in on the emerging fight over how to finance the already debt-stricken territory's recovery -- comments that were viewed as premature and distasteful by some. The president plans to visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday. Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center: one in four households would pay more Trump himself would be beneficiary of radical plan announced on Wednesday Donald Trump himself would be a big beneficiary of the plan, despite his claims that the proposals had very little benefit for people of wealth. Photograph: Joshua Roberts/Reuters Donald Trumps once-in-a-lifetime plan to cut taxes for average Americans would mainly benefit the richest 1% and deliver only modest cuts for most US households, according to an independent analysis released on Friday. Trump announced a radical overhaul of the US tax system on Wednesday, claiming the plan would bring relief to middle-class households. But according to a study released by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, the average cut to most households would be just $1,700 by 2027 and one in four households would actually pay more tax. Households making more than about $900,000 a year, however, would see their taxes drop by more than $200,000 on average. While many of the tax plans details have yet to be specified, Trump did propose stopping taxpayers from claiming itemized deductions on their tax returns. If passed, that change would mean taxpayers can no longer deduct state and local property tax deductions from income. The shift would reduce the tax savings of many middle-class households and mean the majority of households making between $150,000 and $300,000 would receive a tax increase, according to the report. Taxpayer groups in the bottom 95% of the income distribution would see modest tax cuts, averaging 1.2% of after-tax income or less. The benefit would be largest for taxpayers in the top 1% (those making more than $730,000), who would see their after-tax income increase 8.5%, the report calculates. Trump himself would be a big beneficiary of the plan, despite his claims that the proposals had very little benefit for people of wealth. The plan will reduce the tax paid by so-called pass-through businesses to 25%. Currently profits from those businesses are taxed at the same rate as the business owners personal tax rate, the top rate being close to 40%. Trump owns about 500 such entities. The plan would also scrap estate taxes, meaning he could pass on his fortune to his family without loss. President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that he told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions with North Korea are pointless. The statement is an apparent undermining of the top U.S. diplomat an extremely unusual move for a president to make as well as yet another threat from Trump directed toward North Korea at a time of rising concern around military conflict with the country. I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man, Trump said, referring to North Koreas Supreme Leader, Kim Jong Un. Save your energy Rex, well do what has to be done, Trump added. I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 ...Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 Trump doubled down on his message a few hours later and argued that years have negotiations with North Korea have brought few results. Being nice to Rocket Man hasnt worked in 25 years, why would it work now? Trump said. Being nice to Rocket Man hasn't worked in 25 years, why would it work now? Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed. I won't fail. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 The presidents comments come one day after Tillerson disclosed the U.S. has direct lines of communications with North Korea. Tillerson told reporters in Beijing several diplomatic channels are open, and that the U.S. is seeking to engage in dialogue with North Korea. We ask: Would you like to talk? We have lines of communications to Pyongyang. Were not in a dark situation, a blackout, Tillerson said. A senior U.S. official on Sunday told Reuters that Trump, however, does not believe now is the time to negotiate with North Korea and that existing diplomatic channels are intended to negotiate for the return of American citizens who are detained in the country. Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have escalated in recent months amid advancements in Pyongyangs missile and nuclear programs. North Korea has launched provocative missile tests, including flying projectiles over Japan, and last month conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date. Trump has responded to North Koreas actions with weeks of bellicose statements, including threats of military action and insults directed at Kim. The result has been an escalating war of words between Pyongyang officials and Trump, along with fresh international sanctions against North Korea as it continues to carry out missile tests. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (R) at the Great Hall of the People on Sept. 30, 2017, in Beijing. (Photo: POOL New / Reuters) Tillerson has often taken on the role of walking back Trumps volatile rhetoric and boasts about U.S. military power. After the president threatened in August that North Korean threats would be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen, for instance, Tillerson said that there was no dramatic change in relations between the two countries and that Americans shouldnt worry. On Saturday in Beijing, Tillerson spoke of peaceful denuclearization of North Korea and offered assurances that the U.S. is not trying to topple Kims regime. I think the whole situations a bit overheated right now, Tillerson said. I think everyone would like for it to calm down. But as Trump and Kim continue to goad each other into possible reprisals, the prospects for diffusing tensions have been repeatedly scuttled. Trumps Sunday morning Twitter post comes as the president is facing increasing domestic pressure and criticism over his handling of disaster relief efforts for hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico. The vast majority of the island is still without power, basic necessities are running low and thousands are homeless. This article has been updated with comment from a U.S. official on Trumps view toward negotiating with North Korea. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. President Donald Trump went after San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz on Twitter criticizing her leadership and also complained that people in Puerto Rico want everything to be done for them. His comments come after a Category 4 storm hit the island, killing 18 and affecting millions. Residents in Puerto Rico were left without food, water, gasoline and electricity. This week, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosello said only 40 percent of people in Puerto Rico had potable water. Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission said 90 percent of cell towers in the island were out of service, meaning residents couldnt connect with their loved ones and made it more difficult for first responders. Cruz, like Rosello, had been publicly pleading for aid after the storm. "I am going to do what I never thought I would do. I am begging, begging anyone that can hear us to save us from dying, said Cruz in a press conference Friday. We are dying and you are killing us with your inefficiency. After Cruzs comments, Trump criticized the mayor on social media for her poor leadership ability. The mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump, he said on Twitter. "Such poor leadership ability by the mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help." Trump then went on to slam Puerto Rico in general saying residents want everything to be done for them. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job, Trump added. The military and first responders, despite no electric, roads, phones etc., have done an amazing job. Puerto Rico was totally destroyed. After Trumps tweets, Cruz said on MSNBC she wasnt saying anything nasty about him. Story continues "I am not going to be distracted by small comments, by politics, by petty issues. This is one goal and it is to save lives. Thats all that matters," she said. This is a time where everyone shows their true colors. I have no time for distractions. All I have is time for people to move forward, get help. Backlash Over Comments After Trumps tweets, users on social media criticized the president over his comments. Did you tweet this one from the first hole, 18th hole, or the club? asked Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda. Anyway, it's a lie. You're a congenital liar. Related Articles Geneva (AFP) - The UN Human Rights Council agreed Friday to send war crimes investigators to Yemen, overcoming resistance from Saudi Arabia, which had fought to head off an independent international probe. In a resolution adopted by consensus, the council mandated UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein to send a group of "eminent experts" to Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Huthi rebels since March 2015. The experts will conduct "a comprehensive examination of all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights" committed in the conflict and seek "to identify those responsible," it said. Launching the probe marks a victory for a group of European states and Canada, which pushed hard for an international inquiry fully independent of a Yemeni national investigation that is backed by the Saudis. The Saudi-led coalition has been accused of bombing schools, markets, hospitals and other civilian targets in support of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. The Iran-backed Huthi rebels have also been accused of widespread abuses, which the UN team will also probe. Saudi Arabia had for the past two years succeeded in blocking the rights chief's call for an international inquiry. In a letter leaked to several media outlets this week, the kingdom threated economic and diplomatic retaliation against rights council members which voted for the EU/Canadian proposal. The Saudi envoy to the council, Abdulaziz Alwasil, ended up endorsing Friday's resolution, which was slightly softer than previous EU proposals. An earlier Dutch/Canadian draft asked for a Commission of Inquiry, the UN's highest level investigation, but that call was removed from the adopted version. In a statement, the Saudi Press Agency hailed the move as a victory for Riyadh's diplomatic efforts to have the Dutch proposal withdrawn and for Europe to adopt "the Arab proposal which supports Yemen's national investigative committee". Story continues Countries with significant and lucrative ties to Saudi Arabia, including the United States, Britain and France, were reported to have sought a compromise to break the deadlock. - 'Turning point' - US envoy Theodore Allegra said he was pleased the 47-member rights council was "speaking with one voice on Yemen" and Britain's ambassador Julian Braithwaite called the resolution "a significant achievement". Yemeni envoy Mohamed Saeed Majawar said his government would "engage positively" with the experts. Human Rights Watch had argued forcefully for a Commission of Inquiry but said Friday's result still amounted to a success. "After more than two years of impunity for horrendous crimes in Yemen, today could mark a turning point," HRW's Geneva director John Fisher said in a statement. The new probe "will bring an unprecedented level of scrutiny to the conduct of all parties to the Yemen war", he said. Amnesty International called the resolution "a momentous breakthrough that will pave the way for justice for countless victims of human rights abuses and grave violations of international law, including war crimes." The situation in Yemen is one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. More than 8,500 people have been killed and nearly 49,000 wounded in the conflict, World Health Organization (WHO) figures show. At least 17 million people there are facing dire food shortages. Another 2,100 people have died in a cholera epidemic which erupted in in April. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned Friday there could be as many as 900,000 cases by year's end. Photoshopping models in fashion ads has become such a norm that when companies choose not to retouch their commercials, it makes headlines. France, however, is on a crusade to change that standard. As of Sunday, a new French law mandates that any commercial photo in which the body of the model has been modified to either slim or flesh out her figure must bear a photographie retouchee (retouched photograph) label, reports France 24. Failing to abide by the law could cost rule-breakers a fine of up to $44,000. French officials said the rule was enacted in an effort to reduce the number of unrealistic images of bodies that children and young people are exposed to. Health Minister Marisol Touraine said exposure to such images can lead to a sense of self-depreciation and poor self-esteem that can impact health-related behavior, per BBC. About 600,000 young people are believed to suffer from eating disorders in France, according to AFP. After road accidents, eating disorders are reportedly the top cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds in the country. Earlier this year, France introduced another rule aimed at tackling the issue of eating disorders and to protect the health of models in the fashion industry. Under it, models in France have to provide a doctors note proving they are of healthy weight before they can work. Getty Images recently announced that it would be banning retouched fashion images. Getty, the worlds largest provider of stock photos, said it would no longer be accepting images of models whose body shapes have been retouched to make them look thinner or larger, per The Observer. Getty spokeswoman Anne Flanagan told NPR that the companys decision was a direct response to Frances new rule. Related... Lena Dunham's Perfect Response To Photoshopping Controversy Gina Rodriguez's Perfect Reason For Not Wanting To Be Photoshopped Lil Kim Hits Back At Photoshop Nonsense Victorias Secret Photoshop Secrets Revealed Story continues Emily Ratajkowski Calls Out Magazine For Photoshopping Her Breasts And Lips 4 Men Get Photoshopped To Have Ideal Bodies Fans Think This Photo Of Selena Gomez Is Photoshopped Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Washington (AFP) - The United States "does not recognize" Iraqi Kurds' "unilateral" referendum on independence and calls on all parties to reject the use of force and engage in dialogue, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday. "The United States does not recognize the Kurdistan Regional Government's unilateral referendum held on Monday," he said in a statement. "The vote and the results lack legitimacy and we continue to support a united, federal, democratic and prosperous Iraq." "The United States asks all parties, including Iraq's neighbors, to reject unilateral actions and the use of force." The top US diplomat said Washington was "concerned about the potential negative consequences of this unilateral step." "We urge Iraqi Kurdish authorities to respect the constitutionally-mandated role of the central government and we call upon the central government to reject threats or even allusion to possible use of force," Tillerson said, urging all sides to remain focused on the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group. Washington had previously warned that the vote in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq and some disputed areas -- which was non-binding and will not lead automatically to independence -- would "increase instability." Voters overwhelmingly cast ballots in favor of independence, and Baghdad has responded by cutting Kurdistan's direct air links with the outside world indefinitely. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks to the media following a meeting with Iranian leaders over the Iran nuclear deal: Getty Images The Trump administration has said it does not recognise the independence referendum in Iraqs Kurdish region as tensions flare between the regional government and Baghdad. Iraqi Kurds overwhelmingly voted in favour of independence in a vote earlier this week. However, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement the vote and the results lack legitimacy and that the US will continue to support a united, federal, democratic and prosperous Iraq. Mr Tillersons position puts him at odds with certain members of Congress, including Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer. Mondays historic vote in Iraqi Kurdistan should be recognised and respected by the world, and the Kurdish people of northern Iraq have my utmost support, Mr Schumer said in a statement. I believe the Kurds should have an independent state as soon as possible and that the position of the United States government should be to support a political process that addresses the aspirations of the Kurds for an independent state. Also this week, as people in Kurdistan cast their ballots in their referendum, Republican Representative Trent Franks introduced legislation to support the regions right of self-determination. Meanwhile, the Trump administration maintains that a fractured Iraq could further destabilise the region and make it more difficult to fight terrorism. The fight against Isis/Daesh is not over, and extremist groups are seeking to exploit instability and discord, Mr Tillerson said in his statement on Friday. We urge our Iraqi partners to remain focused on defeating Isis/Daesh. Massoud Barzani, the President of Iraqs Kurdish region, is said to have warned that the Kurds may be forced to retaliate if the central government continues to aggressively respond to its referendum. We want this to be a peaceful transition but if Baghdad decides not, there is a lot we can also do, said Mr Barzanis spokesperson, Vahal Ali, according to The New York Times. Story continues So far, Iraqs central government has mandated that all international flights to and from Erbil in the Kurdistan Region be suspended and has warned that land borders might also be closed. Along with being critical of threats by Baghdad, Mr Ali said the results of the referendum require Mr Barzani to negotiate independence from the rest of Iraq. Baghdad has refused to enter such negotiations, the NYT reported. If the central government maintains this position, Kurdistan could be forced to unilaterally declare independence, Mr Ali said. Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Demonstrators in Haiti took to the streets of Port-au-Prince Saturday for an opposition-backed protest against the government budget, which many believe hurts the nation's poorest. The unpopular budget, released in July, will come into effect on October 1 -- with opponents of President Jovenel Moses concerned poorer families will suffer tax increases. After three hours, violence erupted on the sidelines of the peaceful procession of around 2,000 people as it arrived in the affluent area of Petionville. Protesters dispersed from the march -- the latest in a series of demonstrations this month -- breaking shop windows and targeting vehicles and media covering the event with stones. Some demanding the removal of Moses said they threw stones to demonstrate the issue had escalated past the point of no return. "We need someone in power who can help the poorest people to survive, not once again favor the richest," protester Rene Sanon Fils, parading on Saturday by motorcycle, told AFP. "If today Jovenel refuses to listen to reason, we will take our challenge to another level. Notice to everyone for the coming week: sharpen your machetes, we will tear off those that are only weeds," he warned. During the second half of the march, demonstrators also blocked traffic using barricades made of stones and garbage. Police were forced to use tear gas grenades to contain the violence, denounced by the political parties who organized the protest. Opposition lawmakers have decried the budget for fiscal year 2017-2018, saying it would balloon Haiti's debt. Violence erupts as Catalans vote on referendum on a split from Spain Spanish riot police shoots rubber bullet straight to people trying to reach a voting site at a school assigned to be a polling station by the Catalan government in Barcelona, Spain, Oct. 1, 2017. (Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP) Spanish riot police burst into polling stations across Catalonia on Sunday, confiscating ballot boxes and voting papers to try to halt a banned referendum on a split from Spain as Madrid asserted its authority over the rebel region. Police broke down doors to force entry into voting stations as defiant Catalans shouted Out with the occupying forces! and sang the anthem of the wealthy northeastern region. In one incident in Barcelona, police fired rubber projectiles. Catalan officials said 337 people had been injured in the police crackdown. Officers in riot gear hit people with batons and forcibly removed would-be voters, including women and the elderly, from polling stations. The referendum, declared illegal by Spains central government, has thrown the country into its worst constitutional crisis in decades and deepened a centuries-old rift between Madrid and Barcelona. Despite the police action, hundreds-strong queues of people formed in cities and villages throughout the region to cast their votes. At one Barcelona polling station, elderly people and those with children entered first. (Reuters) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr. "For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness and I will work to do better" Mark Zuckerberg posted to Facebook tonight on Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. Yet first Facebook must redeem itself by recognizing how its dewy-eyed trust in the world can be abused. Zuckerberg has recently faced stern criticism from liberals over Facebook's failure to block fake news and Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, while simultaneously having Facebook called "anti-Trump" by the President himself. Today's statement was met with mixed reactions, with some pointing out that Zuckerberg had listed himself as an atheist until late 2016 when he reaffirmed the Jewish faith in which he'd been raised. "Oh former atheist Mark Zuckerberg, suddenly so religious now that he's aiming for the world's presidency. To make it very clear: no problem in being an atheist whatsoever; the problem is to use religion as a political tool" Brazilian ad platform Boo Box co-founder Marco Gomes tweeted. Journalists from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal cautiously shared Zuckerberg's post without comment. Facebook has shown significant progress in thwarting interference in elections in Germany and France, deleting malicious accounts and working closely with election commissions. But as more information about the extent of Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential race emerges, Zuckerberg has come under additional fire. The company has repeatedly been warned of abuse and its inadequate responses, yet dismissed issues as edge-cases or bugs in its system. Back in 2015, Russian trolls attacked Ukrainian protesters with false reports of inappropriate content, causing their acconts to be taken down. Now news continues to unfold about Russians posting fake news and buying ads to stoke anti-immigrant sentiments in the US, discourage democrat voters, and further divide the country. Story continues Source: Volkan Furuncu/Anadolu Agency + David Ramos/Getty Images Matters worsened when Zuckerberg responded to Trump tweet that "Facebook was always anti-Trump" by saying "Trump says Facebook is against him. Liberals say we helped Trump. Both sides are upset about ideas and content they don't like. That's what running a platform for all ideas looks like." That response derided critics as close-minded and washed over Facebook's troubles as being inevitable while highlighting Facebook's positive impacts on the election. It also cowed to Trump's go-to tactic of bullying his opponents in hopes of receiving softer treatment. Zuckerberg was baited into positioning Facebook as neutral despite Russian election interference coming to the aide of Trump's campaign. By saying criticism comes from all-sides with Facebook in the middle instead of directly rebuking the President's statement, Zuckerberg puts Facebook in a tenuous situation. If its internal investigation into election interference reports the Russians aided Trump, the President can merely dismiss it as the "anti-Trump" sentiment he warned about. Related: For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android. Having interviewed Zuckerberg numerous times over the last 7 years of reporting on Facebook, my belief is that he was earnest and genuine in his apology today. He seems legitimately concerned with the potential negative impact his platform has had in the past year. But the statement is incongruent with his past explanations. Politicizing the Jewish high holiday is sure to rub some the wrong way, and come off as a request for more lenient treatment by the public and press. A more consistent approach of 'I admit we were caught off guard, made mistakes regarding fake news and election interference, did not operate as a safe platform for all ideas, and here's what we're doing to fix it' might be better received. Positioning legitimate concerns about election interference with equal measure to Trump's blustering, while pointing to Facebook's good intentions in the middle erroneously minimizes the complaints while giving strength to Trump's propaganda. It was likely the idealistic perspective of Facebook's leadership that led to the naivety about the potential for misuse of the social network, rather than willful ignorance or greed. But the path forward isn't through faux-neutrality or forgiveness, but clear admission of malfeasance and demonstrable change. The tech industry is no longer just the tech industry, and apps aren't just apps. These products with greater reach and impact than possibly any communication systems in history must be shepherded with more skepticism and cynicism. Worst-case scenarios come true, and must be prepared for rather than assumed to be unlikely. Giving everyone a voice is a double-edged sword. Though it can be a force for good, it also requires more judicious protections against the backside of the blade. A Russian general killed in Syria had been seconded to the Syrian government as a military commander, Russia's military chief of staff said on Wednesday. Moscow has long been a staunch ally of Syria, but the role of the deceased general reveals the extent to which Russia has become an integral part of President Bashar al Assad's ruling system. Lieutenant-General Valery Asapov, 51, was killed on Saturday by shelling from Islamic State positions near Deir al-Zor. He was the chief of staff of Russian forces deployed to the country and later became the commander of Syria's Fifth Corps of volunteers, chief of general staff Valery Gerasimov said. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been treating Israel with hostility in recent years. Time and again, the organization adopts anti-Israel resolutions denying the Jewish peoples connection to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem and defining Jewish sites as "Palestinian heritage sites." Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Time and again, Israel fails to prevent these resolutions, and time and again, it settles for complaints once they are adopted. Sometimes, it seems as if Israel is suffering from some kind of personality disorder which makes it fall in love with complaints about a disease rather than cure it. UNESCO headquarters (Photo: AP) The elections for the post of UNESCO director-general will be held in two weeks. This is Israels chance to show some initiative and active diplomacy, but it seems to have been caught off guard. Of the nine nominations for the position, four come from Arab countriesQatar, Iraq, Lebanon and an Egyptian representative who is in favor of applying Sharia laws. What we do know is that the election of an Iranian chairperson has already been secured. The only education a Qatari-Iranian coalition in UNESCO will offer the world is education to terror, hatred and extremism. The State of Israel is well aware of that, as UNESCO concerns many bodiesgovernment ministries, local authorities and plenty of organizations and NGOs. Everyone knows how important these elections are, but they seem to be continuing their summer vacation and have yet to do a thing to promote the election of a professional and decent director-general for the organization. This is exactly where Israel must use diplomatic counter-terrorism: identify the challenge, detect ways of action and create coalitions that will make it possible to reach the desired result. Instead of fighting specific decisions, Israel must try to change the agenda. Instead of letting the Arab states hijack UNESCO for anti-Israel incitement purposes, Israel must try to influence the organizations leadership. Instead of complaining in retrospect, Israel must wake up and act. Israel is not the only country that would benefit from this; so would the entire world. A professional director-general would be committed to advancing culture in the world, and not medieval culture. He would work for the preservation of heritage sites rather than for their destruction. He would promote literature, not book-burning. A professional director-general who sees the values of education, science and culture before his eyes would know that resolutions which deny the Jewish peoples connection to Jerusalem have no room in the organization, would recognize the Jewish peoples contribution to global culture over thousands of years and would not lend a hand to anti-Israel bias. UNESCO famously denied Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. Is this merely the beginning? (Photo: Reuters) There are two candidates who meet this description, professionals of great stature. People who are working to promote education, culture and science in their countries and in international bodies, and even in UNESCO itself. Candidates who represent countries from different continents whose common ground is the rich cultures they represent. These candidates will be able to restore UNESCOs glory and advance the universal and enlightened values the organization was established for. Israeli officials know these people, know how talented they are and how much they could help the organizationand Israel as well. Instead of being polite, instead of thinking what the world will say if we promote the right candidates, Israel must demonstrate some chutzpah and initiative and put its interests first. Some will say that Israeli support could be a double-edged sword, as it will prompt other countries to act against the candidate favored by Israel. But thats no reason to sit idly by. Our diplomatic toolbox contains many diverse tools that could be used to try to influence the election: Alliances with different countries, offers for cooperation and plenty of ways to operate above and below the radar. We are in the Jewish month of Tishrei, and Israelis like to postpone things until after the Holy Days. In UNESCO, we cant afford to do that. We must act now, before its too late. Amb. Ron Prosor, Israels former permanent representative to the United Nations, is the Abba Eban Chair of International Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed Saturday that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency played a role in Iraqi Kurdistan's independence voteallegedly proved by the waving of Israeli flags during celebrations for the "yes" victory. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Ankara fiercely opposed the referendum and has threatened sanctions against the region, reflecting its worries about its own sizeable Kurdish minority. In a televised speech, Erdogan said Turkey had been saddened to see some Iraqi Kurds acclaiming the referendum outcome with Israeli flags. Turkish President Erdogan and Israeli flags at Kurdish celebrations (Photos: Reuters, MCT) "This shows one thing, that this administration (in northern Iraq) has a history with Mossad, they are hand-in-hand together," Erdogan said in Erzurum, in eastern Turkey. Iran and Iraq's central government in Baghdad have also have expressed alarm over the referendum and have refused to recognize its validity. Israel has been the only country to openly support an independent Kurdish state, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backing "the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state of its own." Erdogan has derided the Israeli support. "Are you aware of what you are doing?" Erdogan said in an appeal to Iraqi Kurdish leaders. "Only Israel supports you." Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah accused Israel on Saturday of planting "booby-trapped cameras" in south Lebanon and then detonating them when the alleged spy equipment was discovered. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In a speech marking the eve of Ashuraa Muslim holiday Nasrallah said that if these violations were not dealt with politically, the Lebanese organization would have to look for other ways to deal with them. Footage of Hassan Nasrallah in his address "We will not remain silent about this," said Nasrallah, who wondered aloud about what would have happened had Hezbollah planted and detonated such a device in Israeli territory. "The entire world would react and we would be dragged into war, even though this is our natural right," he claimed. Thousands of Hezbollah supporters watch Nasrallah's speech Nasrallah also took the time to accuse Israel of the Kurdistan independence referendum "As we put an end to ISIS's plot, which was created by Israel, the region is once again preparing for a new division," he said. "After the failure of Israel's ISIS program, they returned to their plan to divide the region, starting from the Kurdistan-Iraq region." Nasrallah warned the division would lead to internal wars in the region, and that "only Allah knows how long they will continue." The secretary-general added that the referendum in the Kurdish region threatens the entire Middle East and the only one in the world that supports it is Israel, comparing its support of the Kurdistan-Iraq region to its support of the rebels in Syria. The rock that reportedly contained the detonated espionage equipment In recent years, Hezbollah and the Lebanese army have frequently reported the uncovering of Israeli espionage equipment, particularly in southern Lebanon, but sometimes also in the Beqaa Valley. In September, the terrorist organization claimed to have located an Israeli spying device that had been placed inside a rock in Kfarchouba, a village in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah's military information page says the device was equipped with a thermal camera, which can take pictures both during the day and at night. In August, Hezbollah claimed to have uncovered Israeli espionage equipment on a mountain in the Barouk Nature Reserve in the Beqaa valley, overlooking the village of Saghbine. The organization's Al-Manar network claimed Israel detonated the equipment from a distance. Gush Etzion will be an inseparable part of the State of Israel in any peace agreement reached through negotiations, and according to any outline for a settlement. That is indisputable and has been indisputable in all the rounds of talks on a permanent agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Israeli society, however, is split over the future of the territories. As for the West Banks legal status according to international law, the Supreme Court ruled that Judea and Samaria are held by Israel under military occupation or belligerent occupation. A military government, led by a military commander, has been established in the area. The military commanders power and authority are granted by the rules of public international law regarding belligerent occupation. These are likely the reasons why the alleged state ceremony celebrating 50 years since Israel captured the West Bank was boycotted by the Supreme Court chief justice. More importantly, these are the reasons why not a single Israeli government has annexed the Judea and Samaria territories. Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Gush Etzion ceremony, last week. For 50 years, the Knesset has avoided applying Israeli sovereignty to the area whose liberation is being celebrated (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky) The fact that Gush Etzion is located in an area which isnt under Israeli sovereigntyeven under Israeli lawpresents the ceremony, celebrating 50 years since the liberation of the territories, in a grotesque light: For 50 years, the Knesset has avoided applying Israeli sovereignty to the area whose liberation is being celebrated. Moreover, the Supreme Court has allowed the settlement enterprise to exist by legally leaning on the territories temporariness. But when the State of Israel celebrates the 50th anniversary of the territories liberation, it conveys a message to the entire world that Israels control of the territories is permanent, thereby undermining the ruling allowing the settlements existence. The international legal angle is, of course, just a reflection of the public-national question we have been dealing with for generations. The Israeli public is struggling with the issue of the territories fate, which is part of a complicated decision involving security issues, our relations with our Palestinian neighbors and our international standing. While this is a very difficult decision for the Israeli society, which has been debating the issue for 50 years now, it doesnt bother the current Israeli government, which lives on factionalism and incitement, to celebrate a strongly disputed issue in a state ceremony. The court is indicating to the government and to the Knesset that seeing the settlements as part of the state requires a law annexing the territories, like in the case of the Golan Heights and east Jerusalem. But whoever wants the State of Israel to be the democratic state of the Jewish people must decide: Pursuing two states for two people is the way to maintain the State of Israels character and security in accordance with the Zionist vision, rather than devious PR tricks. Whoever wants to save the settlement enterprise must stick to the main settlement blocs, where the vast majority of settlers are already living today, and even annex them if required, and let go of most of the West Bank, which will never be part of the Jewish-democratic State of Israel. From a political and diplomatic aspect, Israel must declare that it has no sovereignty claims east of the security fence and in the Palestinian villages that have been annexed to Jerusalem. As a result, Israel wont work to expand the settlement in those territories and will only build in the areas west of the security fence, in Jerusalems Jewish neighborhoods or in the existing settlement blocs. It must move from maintaining the existing settlements and taking root everywhere to shaping reality and setting a border, if only temporary, around the main settlement blocs. Until the permanent agreement is reached, there will be no change in the IDFs deployment and freedom of action in Judea and Samaria. Thus, Israel will start leading a reliable and sincere diplomatic move, which will move the parties towards a reality allowing a separation into two states ahead of a permanent agreement, while establishing a durable Palestinian state. Gradual and continuous progress towards a reality of two states, through independent and constructive interim steps, will lead to stability and normalization over time, and might make a regional permanent agreement possible. The area over which Israel has no sovereignty claim will be the minimum land for the establishment of a Palestinian statethe entire West Bank territories and Gaza, excluding the settlement blocs. The settlers living on these lands (who make up about 20 percent of all settlers beyond the Green Line) will be able to vacate as part of a law for voluntary evacuation and compensation, which will actively reflect the Israeli declaration on the future sovereignty of the territories. It is in our hands to decide whether we want to create a reality in which a state ceremony in Gush Etzion is a unifying event marching Israel towards a future that implements the Zionist vision, or a divisive event marching Israel towards its end as the Jewish peoples democratic state. A governmental policy based on the aforementioned basic guidelines will make it possible to hold the ceremony in Gush Etzion next year, this time in the presence of the Supreme Court chief justice. The Yellowstone County Attorneys Office counts about 150 active cases involving allegations of sex crimes as of late September. That caseload is divided among a dozen prosecutors, including County Attorney Scott Twito, who assigned himself several cases. These attorneys also handle the rest of the offices 2,000 felony criminal cases, plus misdemeanor cases in Justice Court. The county attorney only counts cases that are reported to law enforcement and presented for prosecution. The majority of sex crimes go unreported and, thus, unprosecuted. But even with reporting, prosecution generally is challenging when the offense involves sexual behavior. Thats a major reason why the formation of a Sexual Assault Resource Team can be great help to victims of these crimes and to the professionals who are working with the victims. After months of planning, Twito recently convened a gathering of Yellowstone County stakeholders, including police and sheriffs detectives, a sexual assault nurse examiner, doctors, licensed therapists, hospital social workers and victim-witness coordinators. Billings YWCA, which provides direct services to victims of sexual assault, also will be a part of the SART, Twito said. Deputy County Attorneys Morgan Dake and Molly Rose Fehringer will coordinate the team formation. Both attorneys have had specialized training in sex crime prosecution. I want get files sooner; I want to make sure victims are getting services before prosecution, Dake said. Victims who choose not to proceed with prosecution still need services, said Fehringer, who has trained in helping people affected by the trauma of rape. Among the 150 active cases, 70 are listed as sexual intercourse without consent and 29 of those are in some phase of pretrial or sentencing. The remainder are unfiled, which includes cases where the office has been unable to contact the victim or is waiting on other evidence. Getting the DNA results from a rape kit tested at the Montana Crime Lab in Missoula takes about nine months, Twito said. The list includes seven cases of sexual abuse of children, all of which have felony charges filed. Other sex crimes the office is prosecuting include incest, indecent exposure, sexual assault and two cases of aggravated promotion of prostitution. The 2017 Legislature extensively reformed laws dealing with sex offenses. The biggest change is the update to the definition of consent. Under the new law, which takes effect today, consent means words or overt actions indicating a freely given agreement to have sexual intercourse or sexual contact. The new law says that: An expression of lack of consent through word or conduct means no consent or consent withdrawn. Current or previous dating relationship or manner of dress does not constitute consent. The updated law is needed, but the way victims are treated is even more crucial. The interdisciplinary team coordinated by Fehringer and Dake will improve services to victims. Victims, their friends and family must have confidence that they will be treated with respect and dignity. The professionals working to help victims deserve to have the best information about how to do their job in concert with other professionals. The Yellowstone County Attorneys Office has seen its workload explode in the past several years while the tax levy directly supporting it hasnt increased. On Nov. 7, voters will be asked to pay a little more in annual taxes so that the office can hire enough prosecutors and support staff to avoid delaying justice. When you vote, remember that a yes for the levy will assure that bright, young prosecutors like Dake and Fehringer can deliver justice and compassion to crime victims. If we could set aside Obamacare and Trumpcare and instead talk about the real issues of health care in America, perhaps we could address questions like these: Who is responsible for ones own health? Is health care a right or a responsibility? If you exercise and eat healthy, should you be made to pay for the health care of couch-potato smokers? On the other hand, if you have a medical problem beyond your control, should your fellow citizens contribute to your care? Is the concept of insurance even relevant to health care? With fire insurance, you pay into a pool that helps the few who actually have fires. Theres no such thing as a pre-existing condition; if your house is already on fire, you cant buy insurance. But everybody uses health care all the time. Were born in hospitals, we seek health care all our lives, and were most likely to die in hospitals or hospice. Should I pay for your infants health care because eventually youll pay for my old-age care? Would health care costs decrease if we had to shop and compare prices as with food and clothing? Should medical providers operate like businesses or like social services? These and other questions require public debate based on reality, not on conservative or liberal ideology. Sadly, until we stop pointing fingers, well never get down to an informed discussion, much less arrive at sound public policy. Sue Bury Red Lodge BAC gets repair station certification Bismarck Aero Center has received repair station certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for its aircraft maintenance facilities. Repair stations are held to higher standards by the FAA in areas such as quality control and training. Earlier, BAC was recognized by the National Air Transportation Association and the FAA for annual training of all company maintenance technicians. SBA grant aids international efforts North Dakota has been awarded a $228,225 grant through the U.S. Small Business Administration's competitive State Trade Expansion Program. The North Dakota Trade Office will use the funds to establish STEP ND 2017, a program through which eligible North Dakota companies can receive monetary reimbursement for international business activities. The STEP ND program has assisted more than 60 North Dakota businesses with about 235 international business activities. Sanford fulfills accreditation requirements Sanford Health has received full accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program. To obtain accreditation organizations must show that their protections exceed the safeguards required by the U.S. government. The former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi has said that Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is a failed country. Obi made this known in Abakaliki during the 2017 independence anniversary lecture which took place at the Akanu-Ibiam international conference centre. He expressed regret that Nigeria had no qualified leadership to revitalized the economy of the country, stressing that the country was still operating in the past. The former governor blamed the recent rise in agitation of youths, especially the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and others across the country as a result of the poor leadership of the present administration of the federal government. For me, the country has failed, If anybody tells you that Nigeria is doing well, tell them it is a lie; they said that we are out of recession but almost all Nigerians are still feeling greatly the impact of recession, he stated. Obi, who was a guest lecturer at the event, urged the governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Umahi to always tell the people he is ruling the truth, adding that the people will trust and believe him the more. Former Governor of Abia, Dr Orji Kalu, has declared his opposition to agitation for Biafra. He, however, called for restructuring as a panacea to solving the problems facing the country. Kalu made the remark on Friday in a paper he presented at a Public Lecture organised by the Department of Social Sciences, University of Calabar. In his paper, entitled: Devolution of Powers and the Future of Nigeria, Kalu insisted that the only acceptable solution for Nigerias problems remained restructuring. He said: I believe fully in the unity of Nigeria. I am against those who call for the division of the country. There is no such provision as division in our Constitution. If you look at all political or constitutional conferences we have had in this country since after independence, you will find that devolution of powers featured prominently but under different guise. Therefore, like the Igbo people will say, where a child is crying and pointing at, if his father is not there, his mother must surely be there. So, I think there is need for us to fully review the call for devolution of powers within the context of our current realities and as permissible by our constitution. Whether we call it resource control, Sovereign National Conference, Restructuring or by any other name, we are saying the same thing. That we want power to devolve so that our states and local governments can have constitutional powers to do much more than they are doing today. It is what the nation needs at the moment, to move forward. The agitation for devolution of power, restructuring or referendum, are all legitimate democratic demands. They form part of the conversation that must take place to strengthen democracy and make it a real system of government of the people, by the people and for the people. The Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State Of Biafra, MASSOB, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to let Biafrans go. The group noted that Python dance and other forms of intimidation cannot stop the agitation for Biafra. It also stated that they were not calling for disintegration of Nigeria but the freedom of Igbos. This was contained in a statement in Enugu, yesterday issued by MASSOBs National Director of Publicity, Samuel Edeson. According to the release, MASSOB is not saying that Nigeria should disintegrate. What we are demanding is freedom of Biafrans. Any Igbo man or woman who wishes to remains in Nigeria is free and if any Nigeria feels to live in Biafra, he will be accepted. If President Mohammad Buhari is supporting the states of Palestinian and Saharawi, why is he against Biafra freedom? MASSOB wishes to make it clear that no amount of threats by Nigerian army, police and other security agents can ever stop us from pursuing our freedom. What we are doing is legal, constitutional and justifiable and nobody can ban us because self determination is guaranteed by United Nations and the African Union charter, which Nigeria is signatory to both organisations, Edeson said. The Pro-Biafra group alleged that it was for fear of international prosecution that the Nigerian government was considering pulling out of 90 international organizations it belonged to. Nigerian government is afraid of prosecution by all these organizations. The genocide and war crime cases are at the door of Nigeria government. The Chief of Army Staff and the GOC 82 Division must face ICC. Python should go ahead and dance, after dancing we shall see the end of Python. Biafra agitators cannot be banned. Nigeria, let Biafra go and you will have peace, he stated. Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, PDP Delta North, has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to provide evidence that he took a loan of N1.2 billion from the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, NEXIM. EFCC had claimed that Nwaoboshi secured a N1.2billion loan in 2014 under the Local Industrial Growth Scheme, when he was sitting on the Board of Directors of NEXIM Bank, alleging that part of N1.2billion facility was diverted for other use other than what it was granted for. Reacting, Nwaoboshi said, I didnt take a loan of N1.2bn. I challenge EFCC to show the documents that I Peter Nwaoboshi took a loan of N1.2 billion. The company in question has Nigerian and Chinese directors. It is a manufacturing company. They approached NEXIM bank to take a loan of N1.2 billion. Because I know some of the directors, I excused myself from participating in the process in accordance with the law. It was the Deputy Governor of CBN who was the chairman of the board. The minutes of the board meeting are there. I told the board to excuse me and they did. The company offered a security valued at N3.5 billion as collateral. The records are there. The company in question provided documents verified by the bank that they were given a contract of N1.9 billion. The loan was for running cost, purchase of equipment and raw materials. This was verified by the bank. The bank went to Delta State and verified that the contract was given. The tenure of the loan was for a period of five years. It means it will expire in 2019. The company domiciled the payment of that contract to NEXIM Bank and the Delta State Government has been paying the money into this account in the bank, including the one they paid just last week. Where now lies the diversion. Even if the money was diverted without conceding, NEXIM Bank will return after five years and recover their money. Where now lies the offence? For the records, the Delta State Government does not pay through the company. They pay directly to the bank. EFCC has written to Delta State Government and they have been told that no offence was committed. The bank never complained to EFCC. EFCC on its own is pushing for this case because they think we are supporting some people. In any business I transact, I try as much as possible to move within the law. I am a free man, I am a lawmaker, I dont break the law. I am a little bit hesitant to speak further on the matter because EFCC has not actually come out to say that they are behind the stories flying around. The facts are in NEXIM Bank. The Profoma invoice for the execution of thee contract is in the bank; they are verifiable. What the law requires you is to pay the loan and at the end of the tenure of the loan facility, the bank calls for the loan and interest. If you cannot pay, the bank will refer to the security. The loan still has two year period to go. Bangladeshi men help Rohingya Muslim refugees to disembark from a boat on the Bangladeshi shoreline of the Naf river after crossing the border from Myanmar in Teknaf. Photo: Fred Dufour/Getty The brutal purge of the Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim population that has been suppressed in Myanmar for decades, has intensified in recent days, with thousands of people continuing to trudge over the border to Bangladesh to escape the horrors in their own country. The total number of refugees leaving Myanmar has now been estimated at over 501,000. An Associated Press report from Bangladesh highlights the plight of those who have made it out: [Mohamed Rafiq] collapsed onto a muddy spit of land cradling his wife in his lap a limp figure so exhausted and so hungry she could no longer walk or even raise her wrists. The couple had no food, no money, no idea what to do next. Their two traumatized children huddled close beside them, unsure what to make of the country they had arrived in just hours earlier, in the middle of the night. Rafiq said their third child, an 8-month-old boy, had been left behind. Buddhist mobs in Myanmar burned the child to death, he said, after setting their village ablaze while security forces stood idly by. Others didnt even get that far. On Thursday, dozens died when a boat carrying Rohingya traveling from Myanmar to Bangladesh capsized. Refugees face new hardships even if they do reach Bangladesh. There, they join hundreds of thousands of others in sprawling, desperately poor camps, where Bangladeshi volunteers and international aid groups are attempting to do what they can to help a traumatized, rapidly swelling population. Where the Rohingya go after that, and whether Bangladesh can or will absorb hundreds of thousands of new people, is unclear. A Bangladeshi official has said that the Rohingya will not be granted refugee status. The group, whose population is centered in the northern Rakhine state of Myanmar, has not been granted citizenship by the country since 1982, and have been systematically oppressed and brutalized for decades. The latest crisis exploded just weeks ago, when a Rohingya insurgent group attacked a number of security posts, killing 12 people. Countermeasures taken by the Myanmar government have been so brutally violent that a top United Nations official said they amounted to a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Whole villages have been burned to the ground, and stories of indiscriminate murder and sexual violence abound. The episodes really bring back memories of the genocide in Rwanda in terms of the level of hatred and extreme violence shown especially towards women and children, Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera. The worsening calamity has cast an increasingly harsh glare on Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmars de facto leader, who had been revered as a hero in the international community for years. She was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent resistance to the military junta that ran the country for decades, and spent more than a decade under house arrest. But she has long treated the plight of the Rohingya with indifference. She was silent for weeks about the latest catastrophe, then partly blamed the Rohingya for the violence committed against them. Several Nobel laureates have expressed their disappointment, and critics have called for her prize to be revoked. Blacked-out San Juan with lights only showing in buildings that have generators. Photo: Carolyn Cole/LA Times via Getty Images You live glued to the radio, Mikol Hoffman said, of the hours and days after Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico. Cell, internet, TV, landline everything was down. For literally days, the only form of communication for 90 percent of the island was a single radio station that was broadcasting nonstop, 24 hours. That radio station, WAPA, filled the communication black hole that enveloped Puerto Rico as the storm walloped the island, completely knocking out electricity and damaging or destroying much of the U.S. territorys telecom infrastructure, including cell-phone towers. It took until Monday for the Puerto Rican government to contact all 78 municipalities. Family members in the United States struggled to make contact through midweek. Now, more than ten days after the storm, pockets of Puerto Rico are coming back online. People have cell signals, though its not always reliable. Some can get near-functioning WiFi, even if its just an hour or two. But before that, as Hoffman described, the radio signal was pretty much all that connected Puerto Ricans, a surreal throwback to another era. Thats how we are finding out about things and thats how people were letting other people know that they were okay, Hoffman, a business consultant and freelance journalist in San Juan, told Daily Intelligencer. If somebody had a signal, they would call into the radio station. They would say, You know my name is such and Im such and such. Please tell my family Im okay. Or, My name is such and such. Im on an oxygen tank and my generator just ran out of diesel. I live here and here. Please send help. Those that made such pleas on the airwaves were among the lucky few whose landlines still got a dial tone, or whose cell still picked up a signal people like Zuania Capo, whose working cell phone turned her into a traveling dispatcher. Capo visited places that were totally cut off, collecting messages and the telephone numbers of the people families wanted to contact but couldnt. Then she called those numbers, and through the receiver, translated desperate assurances of safety. Her mission began a few days after Maria, when Capo, who lives in the Hato Rey section of San Juan, couldnt get in touch with her family on the north side of the island, near Manati. I got very desperate and I waited for two days, and after that, I couldnt wait any longer, she said. So she risked the wasted gas and debris to drive out there. She saw her family, and they were safe. But she realized that many of their neighbors were as desperate as she was to reach out to their families, but had no way to do so. I went to the neighborhood asking people to give us their telephone numbers that way we could communicate to their loved ones that they were okay, Capo explained, That night, we went back to San Juan. We waited the three hours so we could get back on and get the signal. We spent all night calling families, just letting them know that their loved ones were okay. Capo and her husband kept up their mission through the weekend, using the gas they had left to travel to different towns. They charged their cell-phone batteries in the car. We just [kept] going to different places and asking people, Hey, if you give me your telephone number of your loved ones, your contact information, I will contact them and let them know youre okay, she told the worried, frustrated families. Univision eventually heard of her work and reached out to help support her efforts as part of their own #PRActivate campaign. They offered to supply gas so she could keep driving to towns, keep collecting numbers, keeping calling people on the island, or back on the U.S. mainland. People were so relieved, Capo said. I actually received a call, a message from someone saying, I will pay you. And that broke my heart. I will pay you if you can go to this other person. Capo left Puerto Rico this week, waiting hours at the airport to catch a plane to Florida. She said, even now, people are calling her. She is still doing what she can, even if its just a social-media post, from afar. Paired with Marias destruction and devastation downed trees, shattered glass, palm leaves carpeting the ground the dead phone lines seemed to intensify the initial scale of disaster after the hurricane. It was really scary because not getting caught up with your loved ones or even your co-workers, you tend to think the worst, Patricia de la Torre, who lives in the San Juan suburb of Guaynabo, said. After a while, you just get really, really, really frustrated because you just feel like you dont have any power. You feel powerless. It also added another layer of anxiety when it came to security. Even the police that there was no way of getting a hold of anyone, de la Torre stressed. The only way to communicate with people was driving or trying to drive. And, of course, you have the problem of gasoline. Others still echo that fear that should an emergency happen, police or first responders might be unreachable. If you do get robbed, what are you going to do? Hoffman said. She added that, as a result, neighbors were banding together to form watch groups for buildings, for blocks. They also got together when they had to clear the streets, residents pulling out their chainsaws, or hauling away branches, because they couldnt wait for the municipalities. And without cell phones, they passed whatever snippets of news they heard by word of mouth. I met my neighbors for the first time, Hoffman said. I met more neighbors in two days than I have in two years. A scene from the chaos. Photo: Raymond Roig/Getty Catalonias highly contentious vote to become its own nation spiraled into chaos on Sunday, as the central Spanish government employed violent tactics to suppress the referendum and clear voters from polling places. Riot police confronted thousands of Catalans on the streets of Barcelona, the regions capital, and scenes of police firing rubber bullets and beating and strong-arming protesters spread across the internet. Dear @JunckerEU : Article 7 of the European Union Treaty "Suspension of any Member State that uses military force on its own population." Please share.#SpainOutOfEU#ShameOnSpain#CatalanReferendum pic.twitter.com/WUfBoAf75N Liz Castro (@lizcastro) October 1, 2017 The Spanish police are now beating up Catalan firefighters. This is an absolute shocker. #CatalanReferendum pic.twitter.com/zJeTATJQxJ Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) October 1, 2017 EU FASCISM! You know something is wrong when Police start to violently brutalize First Responders #CatalanReferendum pic.twitter.com/6KLc6pZ0i7 Mark Kennedy (@MarkKenn4Trump) October 1, 2017 The Catalan health ministry said that more than 844 people had been injured in the region, hundreds in Barcelona. Two people were seriously injured. The Spanish government had deployed hundreds of officers to the region ahead of the vote and warned citizens of its illegality. But tens of thousands of people turned out anyway, often singing and chanting as they assembled at polling places, even as security forces raided some voting locations, confiscating ballot boxes and dragging people out by their hair. Many citizens had camped out overnight to ensure that they would remain open which most did. Voting ended at 8:00 p.m. Spanish time, and before the results were known, separatists urged the Catalan government to declare independence. Opinion polls before the vote showed that slightly less than half of the population favored the measure. Carles Puigdemont, Catalonias leader, called the Spanish governments actions unjustified and irresponsible, and said that the image of the Spanish state has reached levels of shame that will stay with them forever. Former Catalan president Artur Mas told Spanish TV that Spains prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, should resign immediately from his position, calling him an authoritarian. In a television address, Rajoy denied that any independence referendum had taken place, and said that Spain had shown itself to be a mature, advanced, friendly and tolerant democracy but also a firm and determined one. He also maintained that the country had set an example for the rest of the world though many would argue not in the way he intended. And he said he hoped separatist leaders would now give up on their aspirations, a wish that seemed diametrically opposed to what is likely to happen next. Earlier, the Spanish deputy prime minister had said that Spanish police intervened with firmness and proportionality. International condemnations of Spains heavy-handed tactics came from Scotlands prime minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who has recent experience with independence votes. U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn also denounced the violence, along with other European leaders though most of the European Union responded mildly or not at all. The referendum had not been supported by the bloc, which is already on shaky ground after the United Kingdom voted to leave last year. The situation in Barcelona was so unstable that Barca, its famous soccer team, played a game to a crowd of zero after its stadium was closed to the public. The teams players came out wearing Catalan flag uniforms before switching to their regular jerseys. Catalonia, a prosperous region of northeast Spain with a population of about 7.5 million, has flirted with independence for hundreds of years. The latest wave of nationalist fervor is tied to Spains catastrophic economic downturn after the global recession in 2008. But the independence push has evolved into an existential struggle that has outlasted the countrys economic struggles. Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine has hit back at critics who accused some of the MPs of lacking parliamentary decorum expected of members of parliament. The criticism heaved mostly by the ruling party, NRM MPs at fellow legislators opposed to lifting of the presidential age limit from the Constitution who filibustered in plenary sessions last week and on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. They were later engaged in a fist fight with fellow legislators and the presidential security guards (SFC) for over an hour. Bobi Wine with a copy of the Constitution in Mubende yesterday But Bobi Wine in a statement issued on Friday said, Gentleness has its place. Humility has its time. Decorum has its season. None of them is applicable in situations of INJUSTICE. No one would look on as their mother is being raped. Uganda is our mother and that's why we call her Nyaffe. I shall never fail to do all in my power, to defend and protect the Constitution because that is what Article 3(4) of the Constitution demands of me. Yesterday, I watched TV in amusement. In our absence from parliament, a few ministers and MPs were trying to lecture us about parliamentary decorum, civility, good manners, and about morality. They [critics] wanted us to look on and cheer them as they RAPED the Constitution! They wanted us to be gentle while some SOLDIERS dragged elected representatives of the people out of the parliamentary chamber like grasshoppers! They wanted us to sing melodies for [minister Ronald] Kibuule and thank him for defiling the sanctity of parliament when he entered with a GUN! Let me ask those people a few questions. What is civil about raping the Constitution? What is moral about selling your conscience? What decorum is there in betraying the people who stood in the sun the whole day trying to elect you to represent them? HOW SHAMELESS CAN YOU BE??, he wrote. Bobi Wine was suspended from parliament by Speaker Rebecca Kadaga alongside 24 other MPs including minister Ronald Kibuule who entered the chambers with a firearm on Tuesday which sparked off the first fist fight. On Thursday, police summoned the all the suspended MPs to Kibuuli excluding Kibuule for questioning. Bobi Wine received by multitudes of people in Mubende yesterday TV and radio stations have also reportedly been barred from hosting the suspended MPs. According to Capital Gang host, Oskar Semweya-Musoke, Capital radio was called by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) officials and warned against hosting Bobi Wine who was scheduled to appear for the Capital Gang, a political talk-show on Saturday morning. However acting government spokesperson Chris Baryomunsi denied the MPs have been barred from appearing on radio and TV stations. While in Mubende yesterday for a music concert in Mubende Bobi Wine said the fight against lifting of the age limit is still on. Vistas de pagina en total Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript. Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript. Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript. Dolar USA Vs Euro Archivo del blog PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR OTAN = Asesinos OTAN = NATO = Muerte Mas temprano que tarde los derrotaremos Hipocresia 3.0 El principe Carlos habla sobre el alto costo de la vida Es un chiste? 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Por culpa de Chavez Cerveza Polar Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar Translate LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares? Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano... Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos: Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias. Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera. No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje. En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio. Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida. Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella. Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal. Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista. Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen. Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che? Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio. Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora. Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo. Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo. Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania. No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar. Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga. Alguna duda? Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia. OZ1 OZ2 OZ3 OZ4 Homenaje a Jason Galarraga La Victoria de Samotracia Odalisca Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008 La Sierra Nevada de Merida Nuestro precioso Churum Meru Homenaje a Picasso Autoretrato Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola? La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar. Mi profesion? Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos. Sal en la Coca Cola? A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar. De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla: Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido) azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa) Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas Mucha Cafeina Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja. Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos. Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja. En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero). Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma. La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate. Bebidas Light? Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal. Publicado por loretahur En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina: 1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias. 2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina. 3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard. 4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos. 5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla. 6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos. Ahora... sobre la margarina: 1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) . 2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias. 3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno). 4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer. 5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna. 6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo. 7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina. Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas: * No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo). * No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!! No a la guerra, Si a la Paz Misterios de la ciencia... Los costos de la guerra medicos y capitalismo... Capitalismo... medicos (2) Quien educa a nuestros hijos? Los Medios... Sin Palabras... Chistes feministas - Cual es el problema, Eva? - Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas. - Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas... - Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti. - Que es un hombre? - Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente. - Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente. - Cual es el truco?. - Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion. - Cual? - Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer. Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas? Porque todos son unos cerdos Ellas... Ellas (2)... Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1 Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije: -Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro. Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria. Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre? -Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa! VENGANZA NUMERO 2 Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris. A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita: - Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!! Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta. La mujer paso quince dias en Francia. El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla. Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es: - Y amor me trajiste mi francesita?? - Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina. VENGANZA NUMERO 3 El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion. - No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo. - Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz. Te quiero confesar algo. - Esta bien, esta bien. Habla! - He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga. - Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!! machismo y cibernetica Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston. -Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?. El simio hace la sena de OK. -Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide. -Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!. .Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos. Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco. Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas Gol !!!! Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso! Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy! Just-A-Buck store celebrates one year QUEENSBURY Community, Work and Independence will celebrate the one-year anniversary of its nonprofit retail dollar store, Just-A-Buck, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the Queensbury Plaza, 756 Upper Glen St. The free anniversary celebration will include hot dogs, chips, soda and cake. The store will have closeout Halloween costumes for sale during the celebration, while supplies last. Just-A-Buck is a mission-driven dollar store that provides employment, internships, assessments and training opportunities for people with disabilities. CWI is the seventh human services organization in the nation to operate a mission-driven dollar store. All members of the community are welcome and invited to attend this celebration. Calling all zombies, vampires, ghouls GRANVILLE The Pember Library and Museum and the Slate Valley Museum are teaming up to host their fourth annual Halloween Party and Zombie Walk from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday. At the Pember, mayhem will prevail from 7 to 8 p.m., when ghouls overrun the building to live music, both inside and out, finger sandwiches, jelly eyeballs, bloody punch and other delicacies of the undead. Makeup will be available to help everyone look his or her worst. Festivities begin at 7 p.m. inside and in front of the Pember, culminating in the 8 p.m. walk down Main and River streets to the extravaganza of the undead at the Slate Valley Museum. Adult trivia night to help youth center GLENS FALLS A trivia night will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Glens Falls Elks Lodge on Cronin Road to benefit the Glens Falls Area Youth Center. Bring a team of six and have fun answering questions on a variety of topics. A complimentary light buffet will be offered between rounds. Cash bar is available. The cost is $30 per person or $180 for a team. All proceeds will be used to support the only center for at-risk youth in the area. For more information, go to GFYouthCenter.org or call 518-793-5932. K of C procession, knighting planned SOUTH GLENS FALLS The Monsignor D. F. Curtin Assembly No. 0709 of Glens Falls announced the Exemplification of the Fourth-Degree to eligible Knights of Columbus during a ceremony being held at 4 p.m. Saturday at St. Michael the Archangels Church, 80 Saratoga Ave., South Glens Falls. The knighting will be preceded by a procession along Route 9 including Sir Knights in regalia and a pipe and drums corps at 3:30 p.m. Following the ceremony at the church, the new Sir Knights and many other state dignitaries will spend the evening at a formal dinner at Heritage Hall in Cool Insuring Arena starting at 6 p.m. Elvis Fan Club will host variety show HUDSON FALLS The Memories of Elvis Fan Club is sponsoring a musical variety show from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion Hall, 72 Pearl St., to benefit the Glens Falls Open Door Code Blue Mission. The show will feature people impersonating Elvis Presley, Garth Brooks, Buddy Holly, Dean Martin and George Jones. Tickets, on sale at the door, are $20 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and younger. Cruise into Argyle for a good cause ARGYLE The R. Stiles House Committee will host the Cruise in Stiles Car Show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 55 Main St. to raise funds to restore the historic R. Stiles House in the village of Argyle into a community center. Ransom Stiles was a key figure involved in many facets of the early days of Argyle, from providing loans for people to build their homes to connections with the Underground Railroad. All proceeds from the show will go toward the building of a handicap-accessible ramp for the building. There is a $10 registration fee and a $3 spectator fee. Gates open at 9 a.m. For more information, contact Jeff Gargano at 518-796-2572 or go to www.stileshouse.org. SUNY Adirondack students will cook QUEENSBURY SUNY Adirondacks culinary arts program will serve lunch every Wednesday and Thursday from Oct. 4 through Dec. 14 at the Culinary Arts Center. The public is invited to attend the meals, which are served in a casual setting. All lunch services start at noon, and seating is available at noon, 12:15, 12:30 and 12:45 p.m. The cost is $13.95, including tax. Each lunch is a three-course gourmet meal featuring an appetizer, entree, dessert and beverages, including soda, tea or coffee. The lunches are organized and prepared by students in SUNY Adirondacks advanced culinary course, which introduces theories and procedures of healthy recipe and menu modification. Students design each meal menu following nutritional guidelines established by the American Heart Association. Reservations are preferred. Call 518-832-7725 or email culinary@sunyacc.edu. West Pawlet VFD serving pancakes WEST PAWLET, Vt. The West Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department will host a pancake breakfast fundraiser from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Oct. 8 at 2806 Vermont Route 153, Main Street. The breakfast menu includes pancakes of several varieties including regular, chocolate chip, blueberry, and for the month of October, pumpkin-flavored pancakes, along with local maple syrup, as well as waffles, West Pawlets world-famous home fries, scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon. The menus beverages include coffee, tea, milk and orange juice. Pancake supper at North River church NORTH RIVER A community pancake supper will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at the North River United Methodist Church, 194 Thirteenth Lake Road. The menu will consist of pancakes, sausage or bacon, applesauce, real maple syrup, light dessert and coffee or tea. Take-outs are available. Donations will be gratefully accepted. For more information regarding this event, contact Roxie Freebern at 518-251-4129. National 4-H Week in Warren County WARRENSBURG For the 75th consecutive year, millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni across the country will be celebrating National 4-H Week during the first full week of October. Warren County 4-H will leverage National 4-H Week this year by showcasing the incredible experiences that 4-H offers young people, and will highlight the remarkable 4-H youth in our community who work each day to have a positive impact on those around them. A special celebration will be held for 4-Hers and their families at the culmination of the celebration week. 4-H alumni around the country are always the first to acknowledge the significant positive impact 4-H had on them as young people; the opportunities and experiences that 4-H provides youth empowers them to become true leaders. In fact, research has shown that young people in 4-H are almost four times as likely to contribute to their communities, and are twice as likely to engage in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs in their free time. 4-H is the largest youth development organization in the United States, empowering over six million young people to learn by doing. The program is open to any youth ages 5 to 19 years old with opportunities to learn through clubs, after-school and school enrichment programs and through the variety of programs offered through the Cooperative Extension offices. For more information about 4-H, call the Warren County Cooperative Extension office at 518-623-3291 or 518-668-4881, or email warren@cornell.edu or find Warren County 4-H on Facebook. Boating for Babies nets over $17,000 LAKE GEORGE Yankee Boating Center in Diamond Point held its second annual Boating for Babies fundraiser Sept. 16 and 17 at its Lake George Marina and raised more than $17,000 for renovations to the Glens Falls Hospital Joyce Stock Snuggery. Yankee offered 50 percent off of its regular boat rental rates for the event and donated all of the revenue to the Snuggery renovations. Coffee and baked goods for guests were generously provided by Caffe Vero in Lake George Village. An amazing weekend of sun with temperatures in the 80s drew people from near and far and helped make this years event an astounding success, far surpassing Yankees goal of raising $10,000. The Glens Falls Hospital Snuggery has been the areas leading family-focused birthing center for more than 30 years, providing new families with experienced first-class physicians, nurses and midwives. The Snuggery is in the final phases of renovations, which began in late 2016, to provide new technology and make the birthing unit more comfortable for families. Yankee Boating Center is a family-owned and operated marine retail, rental and service business that has been serving New York from the lower Hudson River to the Thousand Islands since 1966, when Bob and Sheila Brodie began selling dinghies and sailboats out of a small garage near Amsterdam. Glens Falls YMCA gets grant money GLENS FALLS The Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area received a grant donation in the amount of $5,000 from TD Charitable Foundation. This grant will be used to support the YMCAs Y-Achievers program in the Glens Falls Area. Y-Achievers is a national YMCA program designed to provide talented, underachieving at-risk youth in grades 6, 7 and 8 with a solid support system throughout secondary school as a means to assure graduation from high school, pursuit of higher education and access to gainful employment in the global marketplace. For more information, contact Lynelle Mykins at 518-793-3878 or lmykins@glensfallsymca.org. Breakfast prices are $8 for seniors 65 years of age and older, $10 for those 12 to 65 years of age, $5 for children 5 to 12 years of age and free for children younger than 5. The West Pawlet firehouse is a handicap-accessible site. All are welcome. As a charity fundraiser event, breakfast profits are dedicated for the departments equipment and training needs. The department is a nonprofit. Donations are appreciated and are gratefully received. For more information, contact Antonio Landon at 802-345-4312 or email wp5801@yahoo.com. Volunteers needed for tax preparation The Tri-County United Way VITA Coalition in Washington, Warren and Northern Saratoga Counties is seeking volunteers for the 2018 tax filing season. No experience is required; all volunteers will receive free instruction along with training and certification materials necessary to prepare basic tax returns. VITA volunteers are trained to assist moderate- to low-income individuals and families to electronically file their personal tax returns. Make a difference for 40 families by volunteering four hours a week for 10 weeks. Volunteer during day and/or evening hours at sites throughout the region. Training sessions begin in November and include the use of electronic filing software supplied by the IRS. For more information about the local VITA program, call Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County at 518-623-3291 and ask for Amy Sabattis. Sign up through the Tri County United Way at 518-793-3136 (ask for JoAnna Sheridan) or via the United Way website, www.tricountyunitedway.org/our-programs/. To volunteer in Washington County, contact Joan Prouty at 518-746-2560. Soroptimists seek award applicants SARATOGA SPRINGS Soroptimist International of Saratoga County, an international volunteer organization for business and professional women, invites women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families and are in need of financial assistance for schooling to apply for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream Award, formerly known as the Womens Opportunity Award. In addition to being the primary wage earner, the applicant is required to have a financial need; be accepted or enrolled in an undergraduate or vocational skills training program; be a resident of any of the locations where there is a Soroptimist Chapter; not have previously been a recipient of this award; and not be a current Soroptimist. If you meet these criteria and wish to apply for this grant, email a request for an application to Cynthia Eletto at cynthiaeletto@gmail.com. Applications must be returned to Soroptimist International of Saratoga County by Nov. 15. Since 1972, the Soroptimist Womens Opportunity Awards program has provided women who serve as the primary wage earners for their families with the financial resources to offset costs associated with their efforts to attain higher education or additional skills and training. The award can be used for tuition, books, child care, car fare or any other education-related expense. The Saratoga County club provides a $5,000 cash grant to its award recipient, who is then eligible for additional awards at the regional and international Soroptimist levels. For more information, visit www.soroptimistsaratoga.org or the International website, www.soroptimist.org. QUEENSBURY SUNY Adirondack will hold a College Night event on Thursday to help connect local high school students with representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities. The free program, organized by the college and the Adirondack School Counselors Association, will run from 6 to 8 p.m. in the gymnasium on the Queensbury campus. All high school students and their family members are invited. Public and private schools, including two- and four-year colleges and universities, from across the Northeast have signed on to participate. Interested high school students should contact their schools guidance counselor for more information. Also Thursday, SUNY Adirondacks Counseling and Transfer Center will present a Transfer Day from noon to 2 p.m. in the Student Center. The free event gives current college students a chance to meet with representatives from the areas most popular four-year colleges. For more information, contact Doug Gaulin in the SUNY Adirondack Counseling Center at 518-743-2253 or email gaulind@sunyacc.edu. ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., ripped the GOP's tax plan as a "massive transfer of wealth." The senator and former Democratic presidential contender told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" Sunday that the tax proposal "is just really bad policy." "What this is, is a massive transfer of wealth. It's the Robin Hood principle in reverse," Sanders said. "He's taking from working families and low-income people and giving to it the super-rich and creating a $1.5 trillion deficit. Sanders said he hopes Democrats across the country unite in fighting the GOP's proposal. "This is not politics, George. This is just really bad policy. And I'm not clear why anybody would support a proposal, which gives massive amounts of tax breaks to the people who don't need it, at a time of incredible income and wealth inequality in America." Sanders scoffed at the contention by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin in an earlier interview on "This Week" that the administration's goal is to benefit the middle class, not the wealthy. They are repealing the estate tax, the Vermont independent said. The estate tax only applies to the top two-tenths of 1 percent, millionaires and billionaires like the Walton family of Walmart, like the Koch brothers' family, like the Trump family. ... This is not a tax break for the rich? Well, I dont know what a tax break for the rich is. Sanders said he supported one aspect of the Republican tax plan. I think you can raise the standard deduction; what Trump is talking about is right, the senator said. But Sanders qualified his support for even that one change, saying of Trump, "He gives with one hand and takes away with the other by repealing the personal exemption. Sanders also responded to accusations that his Medicare-for-all plan is pulling the Democratic Party too far to the left. Well, let me just say that the idea of a Medicare for all, the idea that the United States of America should join every other major country on Earth in guaranteeing health care to every man, woman and child -- this is not a radical idea. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. FARGO Farmer Ron G. McMartin Jr. of St. Thomas has provided details of his financial situation as part of a Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy. An initial meeting of creditors in the individual bankruptcy has been rescheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 18 at Norm Mark Reporting, 300 NP Ave., Suite 201, in Fargo. McMartin ran McM Inc., which in 2015 had 50,000 acres of land, mostly in eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. McM Inc. in February filed a separate but related Chapter 7 bankruptcy. McM Inc. listed $50 million in liabilities and but $10.2 million in assets. Sara Diaz of Grand Forks represents McMartin in the individual bankruptcy. He lists $52.2 million in unsecured claims and property assets of about $1.5 million. Between the two cases there are assets of more than $11 million against debts of more than $50 million, says Erik Ahlgren of Fergus Falls, Minn., the court-appointed trustee for both cases. In the individual Chapter 7, filed Sept. 11, McMartin lists himself as unemployed and living in St. Thomas. He describes that he has about $4,583.33 in income averaged by month, without describing a source. He says he has monthly expense obligations of $26,960 a deficit of $22,376.67 per month. About $23,000 of McMartins monthly obligations go to his ex-wife Gail L. Martin, Detroit Lakes, Minn., in a property division settlement from a 2010 divorce. He also owes $88,480 in a real estate mortgage securing Gails home. Income change The bankruptcy figures indicate the change in McMartins income as the farm economy declined on the McM Inc. farm for which he had provided personal guarantees for loans. In the documents, McMartin said that in 2017, up to the bankruptcy filing on Sept. 11, he had an income of $25,800 in business income, and separate income of $11,548 and $23,000 in income tax refunds a total of about $60,000. Also in 2017, he sold $250,000 in Ramsey Financial Corp. stock. In 2016, to compare, he said hed made $244,000 in wages, $59,000 from operating another business, $60,650 in gains from sales of property and $31,000 in real estate rental nearly $400,000. In 2015, McMartin said his total income was about $658,207. 17 SuperCrew McMartin claims the equity in a vehicle as exempt from creditors. He drives a 2017 Ford F-150 SuperCrew XLT pickup with premium sound and navigation, worth about $50,000. National Bank of Columbus, Ohio, has a $47,991 claim against it. He owes $1,100 a month in payments. McMartin lists a total of $83,876 in credit card debt to three different accounts. He lists more than $43 million in guaranteed business debt to BMO Harris Bank of Milwaukee that he describes as unliquidated, meaning that a final amount hasnt been determined. The forms dont say whether he disputes the guarantee. He also lists more than $60,000 in debt to Deere & Co. and Deere Credit Inc. He owes $11,776 to Ford Motor Credit on an automobile deficiency in a guaranteed debt of McM Inc. McMartin on Oct. 17 sold his home in Grand Forks for about $418,900. He moved about $2,500 in household goods to a local warehouse. The bankruptcy doesnt include a listing for a homestead exemption. $400K deal McMartin said he had a 28 percent interest in RGMC Properties LLC, an apartment building at 5932 53rd Ave. S. in Fargo. He lists the asset at $420,000 on $1.5 million collateral value. He said a tenant has offered to purchase the building for $1.1 million. Bremer Bank has a claim of $591,382 against the secured debt. According to the documents, on June 11, 2016, McMartin said he assigned non-voting membership rights in the apartment building to daughters Laura R. Hagemeister and Rachel McMartin, both of Fargo, with estimated value of $200,000 each. Details of that transaction arent clear from the record. McMartin also lists $961,592 in CHS patronage dividends, but says CHS Inc. has a $665,694 claim against that. He owns a $500,000 life insurance policy on his father, and a $2 million policy on Bonita McMartin, who is married to his father. He has a $500,000 policy on his brother, Larry McMartin. Separately, he was ordered to take out a $3 million life insurance policy on himself for his ex-wife, Gail McMartin, as beneficiary. McMartin also has life insurance policies of a total of $6 million in face value with Hagemeister and Rachel McMartin as beneficiaries. WARRENSBURG A cold morning rain didnt deter shoppers on Saturday as treasure hunters from as far away as Albany, Plattsburgh and Oswego descended upon the town for the 2017 Worlds Largest Garage Sale. With new, handcrafted, gently used and vintage pieces lining both sides of Route 9, there was something for just about everyone. Need a set of truck tires with good tread? A pair of old wooden skis or a snowshoe lamp-table combo? How about a blue crocheted dress or an outdoor metal bumble bee sculpture? Maybe youve been searching for some rattlesnake meat or a few phython and alligator heads? If you are still looking for some tarantula or scorpion, check out Venison Joes booth a block off Main Street about halfway into town going north, right near the hand-drawn $10 parking sign. After trekking up and down Main Street on Saturday afternoon in search of the interesting or unusual, The Post-Star discovered a few treats that might still be available before the sale ends Sunday afternoon. Hand-cranked rapid-fire rubberband gun There are only about 50 of these rare creations, said Steve Hutchins of Oswego, who was selling smaller rubberband shooters as well. But this high-powered baby shoots 144 rubberbands from 12 loaded barrels, each holding 12 rounds. Just turn the crank and it starts firing, Hutchins said, demonstrating the unloaded shooter. This was on the David Letterman show once and he shot all 144 rubberbands into the audience. This elaborate creation is made from southern pine and the loading gears, fitted into the barrels, move in precision when the hand-crank turns and the trigger is pulled. Hutchins said the rubberband shooters come from Sure Fire Products in Fort Worth, Texas. But for anybody thinking about getting this elaborate toy, it doesnt come cheap. Its $495, Hutchins said to a teen boy visiting his booth. Coreys Pickles On Saturday alone, Corey Bellarosa will sell about 2,000 of his pickles made from an old family recipe. I used to make them with my dad as a kid, said Bellarosa, who was working his stand on Saturday with his fiancee, Alyssa Heins. And because his dad has been coming to the Warrensburg Garage Sale for years, Bellarosa said it is a must-do event. This is one of my favorite events of the year and a tradition since I was 5 years old, he said. On Saturday, samples of the hot and spicy, the sweet horseradish, the garlic dill were out, and those trying the various pickles said, These are the best pickles. Bellarosas favorite is the hot and spicy pickle, but their No. 1 seller is the garlic dill. Lots of people will try the garlic dill and say, I grew up on these. When he first started his pickle business about a year and a half ago, Bellarosa started making them himself for wholesale and retail sale. But it got too busy and now he has someone make them for him, using his recipe, he said. Coreys Pickles sell for $8 a container, or two for $15. Here are some of the other items offered at the garage sale: We agreed with the leaders of Adirondack environmental organizations who spoke out two years ago against a plan to store oil tank cars on rail lines in the state forest preserve. The dangers of pollution and even human injury from toxic residue in the tank cars were clear. But we dont agree with the opposition now to the storage of empty rail cars on the lines by the same company, Saratoga & North Creek Railway. The rail cars may already be in place or are at least on their way to an unused line the company owns north of North Creek in the Adirondack Park. Peter Bauer, director of Protect the Adirondacks, characterized the empty rail cars as garbage in a press release and likened the railways action to importing waste into the Adirondack Park. These rail cars will be parked on the tracks. They are functioning they have to roll along the rails to get to the storage spot. They arent garbage. Protect the Adirondacks is also arguing that parking hundreds of rail cars on the tracks constitutes a change of use for the company and requires permission of the Adirondack Park Agency. This also is a stretch. Railways park rail cars on their tracks, for short periods and long ones. Its no more a change of use than it is, for example, for an automobile repair shop to have cars parked on its lot for weeks or months. We can understand why environmental organizations and local politicians are concerned. The tracks run through beautiful wild forests, along rivers and in environmentally sensitive areas. The cars must not contain any hazardous materials that could pollute the surrounding woods and waters. But the railway is struggling to make money on its line. Freight operations have mostly not worked out, and its scenic passenger service hasnt gone well either. Bills are going unpaid, including bills from Warren County, which last year signed a five-year contract with the company. So if the railway has found a way to bring in some revenue, thats good news for the county. But Protect the Adirondacks and the Adirondack Council, which also opposes on-track storage, are saying the cars will be an eyesore. These are train tracks, and they are meant to carry rail cars. The cars dont transform from OK to eyesore when they stop moving. The Protect website has photos of rail cars parked on Route 28 along the Hudson River. Some of the cars have been spray-painted with white graffiti. They dont look bad. Other photos show other cars, in worse condition, on a different section of track. These have flaking paint, some of which has fallen onto the ground. Its fair for counties and the Park Agency to demand the rail company clean up any pollution from the cars. Since Warren County has committed itself to a deal with Saratoga & North Creek Railway that stretches for four more years, local taxpayers have a stake in the companys viability. Ideally, it will be able to run passenger and freight services at a profit, but since it is struggling with that, were glad it has found another way to make money. You could make an argument that the stored rail cars dont clatter or shake the ground and are therefore less disruptive to the wilderness than ones that are moving. But moving or still, the cars should be allowed on the tracks. Editor: Recent publicity regarding John Strough and Doug Irish caused me to reflect on our first meeting 20 years ago. We were all working together as members of Citizens for Queensbury. Dr. Hoffman, the Boors and concerned members of the community, organized to oppose the towns unusual act of rezoning the Fox Farm property. The real reason the town changed the zoning and doubled the density is unknown. I believe it was the same group or their progeny who bought into the trash plant, allowed all the curb cuts for the Miracle Mile, bought and sold the motel across from the Great Escape, and refused to buy Paradise Lake (Round Pond), but I digress. To be sure, we eventually lost the Indian Ridge legal battle but gained density reduction and raised community awareness about intelligent planning. Large numbers of citizens came out for the next master plan. Fighting the good fight propelled Johns second career, exiting retirement from teaching government studies at Queensbury High School, to serve the community on the Planning Board, the Town Board and finally as supervisor. There is no question that Johns vision and commitment has continued in the same spirit that inspired the Citizens for Queensbury, balancing growth with quality of life issues. The Exit 18 and Bay Road corridors, the Dixon/Aviation traffic circle, connecting bike trails and building hiking trails are examples of Johns hard work and effort. If all our leaders had Johns vision, character and integrity, we would be in a better place. I believe that John doesnt even accept campaign contributions. John is an excellent example of a true public servant. Queensbury is well served by John Strough. Thank you, John, Mark and Doug, for the memories of when we could agree to disagree and continue to work together. Michael Stern, Queensbury High Graduate, Argyle Democratic Committee Chair, Washington County Democratic Party Executive Committee Next week's ballot offers some intrigue for North Dakotans from late congressional entries by independent candidates to term limits and marijuana legalization. Voters will decide whether to endorse changing the state constitution to limit the terms of the governor and state legislators. Another citizen-led initiative also will put the question of marijuana legalization before voters, who rejected the idea four years ago. Ninety-eight of the Legislatures 141 seats are on the ballot. All but one Democrat is up for reelection this year. Contests for secretary of state, attorney general and other state offices Also will appear on the ballot. Connection denied by Geolocation Setting. Reason: Blocked country: Germany The connection was denied because this country is blocked in the Geolocation settings. Please contact your administrator for assistance. The Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization announced 2017 research funding of $30.7 million for 98 grants focusing on new treatments and more understanding of the most lethal forms and stages of breast cancer. The funding, which went to organizations in 27 states and 7 countries, also includes research into new screening technologies, treatments for metastatic and aggressive types of breast cancer and disparities in breast cancer outcomes, along with $17.6 million to early-career investigators in ensure continued breast cancer research. Komens research program is funded in part by contributions from Komens nationwide Network of Affiliates, which directs 25 percent of funds raised locally to Komens national research program. The remaining 75 percent is invested into community outreach programs that serve local women and men facing breast cancer. To date, Komen Greater Iowa has funded $12,569,678 in community programs serving local women and men, while contributing $4,900,004 to Komen research. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $956 million in research and provided more than $2.1 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs. MINOT -- Norwegian students on a cultural exchange to North Dakota have been enjoying time at the Norsk Hostfest. Marta Maria Heggelund and Julia Wilhelmine Haalestad, both 14, and Malte Sylvest Leikvin, 12, are among 14 students from a Waldorf school in Tromso, Norway, who visited schools in the Belcourt area on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation this past week and now are learning and teaching craft skills at Norsk Hostfest. Leikvin was learning how to whittle a wooden flute from Owen Jerome, of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, on Friday afternoon. He said he enjoyed having the opportunity to go fishing for catfish when he visited the Turtle Mountains. "There are no catfish in Norway!" he said. The two girls said they particularly enjoyed seeing buffalo when they visited the Turtle Mountains. The students spoke with other students their age at schools in Belcourt, Dunseith and Bottineau and in Minot and also had their choice of recreational opportunities like seeing the buffalo or fishing. The girls said they also are enjoying visiting the Hostfest. However, the Norsk Hostfest bears little resemblance to life in Norway, the three students said. One of their teachers, Anita Barth-Joergensen, said the seventh through 10th graders have benefited from learning about Native American culture as well as immigration issues in the United States. Students at schools in North Dakota also learn about schooling in Norway and Norwegian culture. Students at the Waldorf school begin learning English when they are about 8 years old. For most of the children, this is their first trip to the United States, but other members of the group from Norway have a long partnership with the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Les Thomas, an enrolled member of the tribe and board chairman of the North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance, said this is the 13th year that the tribe and members of the Sami, an indigenous group in parts of Scandinavia, have teamed up at Hostfest. Thomas said there are many similarities between Native Americans and the Sami. Whereas the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa has tepees, the Sami have lavvus. Native Americans followed the buffalo, while Sami followed the caribou. Both groups pass down stories and hand held drums are of importance in their cultures. They also play similar traditional games. The group from Norway arrives a week early each year and spends time in the Turtle Mountains. They also performed earlier this week in Bismarck. The groups sing, tell stories and teach crafts in The Villages at Norsk Hostfest this week. A tepee and a lavo are set up side by side. Also in the area are demonstrations of Viking live steel combat and Viking games. All were popular with area school children on Friday, who were visiting Norsk Hostfest for field trips. Jorgen Engdal, 18, from Trondheim, Norway, is an apprentice cook in the area giving demonstrations of Viking cooking. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa also does storytelling and demonstrations of crafts. Thomas said he hopes to attract more overseas groups to the area. Events such as these are also good for Turtle Mountain Tourism, he said. He encourages groups in the area to plan their events at least a year in advance and set firm dates so that it is easier for overseas travel groups to book tours. More information about the Turtle Mountain Tourism Association can be found at www.turtlemountains.org AJ Petersen could not think of a better moment. Moments after being named St. Ambroses homecoming king Saturday afternoon, the Davenport West grad proposed to his girlfriend and St. Ambrose homecoming queen Sarah Jacob. Overcome with emotion, Jacob simply nodded yes in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd at Brady Street Stadium. I was confident shed say yes. I was just nervous about doing it in front of all these people, Petersen said. No better opportunity than to do it in front of all the people and friends and family that are here. It didnt seem suspicious to have friends and family show up so it worked out perfect. After the proposal, the duo spent time sharing the moment with family as well as answering questions from those who seemed to know the moment was coming. That's everyone except Jacob. "I think he did a good job," she said. "I had no clue and apparently everyone else did. They kept a good secret." Petersen and Jacob, a Green Valley, Illinois, native, first met in their sophomore year and started dating on Valentine's Day. Petersen said they were serious from the start. He knew he wanted to marry her after he had an emergency appendectomy in his junior year. Despite having strep throat herself, Jacob was by his side throughout the procedure and was the first person Petersen wanted to see after the surgery. "She was the first person I thought of so I knew she was the one," he said. "I bought the ring last summer because I knew I wanted to have it in case something perfect came up. When I found out we were both on the homecoming court, I knew that was the perfect time. When you know, you know. Theres just no other way to say it. Petersen is a behavioral neuroscience major and plans to take a gap year to work with Medic EMS before going to medical school, and Jacob a forensic psychology major also plans to take a year off before applying for graduate school. Wedding plans were the furthest thing from their minds Saturday, a day that won't soon be forgotten by those who were there. "I wasnt surprised. Im just overwhelmed," said Sarah's mother Kelly Jacob. "St. Ambrose has been so good to us. And were so happy to expand our family this way." A body found Thursday along Interstate 80 in Davenport has been identified as Bobbie Jo Shouse-Byrd, 50, of Davenport, according to a news release from Davenport police. Officers from Davenport, the Scott County Sheriff's Office and Iowa State Patrol responded about 9:15 a.m. to Interstate 80 at the Wisconsin Avenue overpass. Westbound traffic on I-80 was diverted for about 30 minutes during the initial investigation. Investigators from the Davenport Police Traffic Safety Unit are following up on the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call the Davenport Police Department at 563-326-6125 or submit an anonymous tip via the mobile app CityConnect Davenport, IA or CrimeReports by Motorola. MOLINE -- Second-grader Ali Coons can't wait to get back to school Monday. Her week off from classes at Moline's Franklin Elementary School due to a fire last Sunday was far from enjoyable. "I love school," Ali said. She especially loves math. She, along with hundreds of Franklin parents and students, learned Saturday that classes will resume Monday at a building that most recently serving as the Western Illinois University Regional Center, 3561 60th St., Moline. The building was bought Friday by Rock Island, Honolulu and Sausalito, California, businessman Joe Lemon. Lemon said he had a number of large companies interested in the building, "but I just told them to step aside." He said he felt fortunate to be in a position to help someone, and knew he needed to move quickly to be able to care for the kids at Franklin School. Lemon joined Franklin walkers in Friday's homecoming people, unbeknownst to most parade-goers. When Moline superintendent Lanty McGuire warned Lemon that the district may need the building for the rest of the year, "he didn't flinch," McGuire said. "It's a big relief to us," said McGuire. "We were thinking we would have to scatter students to other schools, but Mr. Lemon solved that problem for us." Moline administrators had considered several other options, including the Coolidge building, Allendale school headquarters, the Rock Island Arsenal, and a number of churches, including Heritage Church's offer of its Esperanza Center -- the former Ericsson Elementary School, McGuire said. "Finding a building means we all get to stay together," Principal Michele Pittington said. "And that's a huge relief to our students, parents, administrators and to the community." McGuire said he told teachers that they were going to like the new building so much that they may wish to never leave. Pittington told him he was right. "I will never be able to get you out of there," McGuire said. "It has air conditioning," a comment that drew loud and sustained applause. Teachers, though, weren't around to ask. "They're busy moving," Pittington said. Slightly shorter school days will be necessary, she said. "Our day will begin at 8:25 a.m. and end at 2:30," Pittington said. "Everything will be a little shortened," but will include music, library, PE and art. "We don't have a gym, but will make a small make-shift one," she said. Volunteers also spent Friday assembling a fenced-in, outdoor playground center. Three district-wide counselors also will be available to support students, she said. Student transportation will be provided. Buses will pick up kids from 8:05 to 8:10 a.m. from the Moline Two Rivers YMCA Spirit, Mind and Body Center/Union Congregational Church site, at 1811 53rd St., Moline. Students opting for bus rides will be taken to the new building, 3561 60th St., Moline, or parents may take their kids to school. Detailed traffic directions were handed out to parents. Franklin School and the "New Franklin" are 2 1/2 miles apart. School dismissal times will be 2:30 p.m. or at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Buses will return to Two Rivers Spirit, Mind and Body with students who elected to ride. The center also will be open as early as 7 a.m. for parents needing to drop their kids off early. Parents needing any additional help should call McGuire, who said he realized how difficult it was for people who needed to take emergency time off and that he would work with anyone to remove any hindrances caused by the school transfer. McGuire thanked students and parents for their patience and understanding. He also thanked core groups of people including members of crisis teams, school board members, WIU administrators, maintenance personnel and other community members reacting to the situation. School board member Andy Waeyaert mentioned Franklin's plight to WIU administrators to start the ball rolling, McGuire said. "People in this school district are so fortunate to have the type of leadership, teachers and staff willing to take such good care of children, keep them safe and get them back to school," Lemon said. Anyone who walked in the parade Friday would know what a great community we live in," McGuire said. "But I realized that our T-shirts should have read "Franklin Strong, Moline Strong and Community Strong." Franklin PTA president Emily Keag, wore a Franklin T-shirt Saturday, while saying "Franklin parents are awesome." She also found it interesting comparing Franklin's blue colors to IBM's Big Blue nickname. Health care reform has dominated the national discussion for about the past decade. And for good reason. The health care industry represents about 18 percent of Americas economy, and is expected to reach 20 percent in the next decade greatly outpacing the growth of overall gross domestic product. And while politicians and policymakers have debated a variety of health care nuances, from coverage mandates to the skinny repeal, now is a good time to consider the role of behavioral health in the overall health care system. September has been established as Recovery Month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in order to draw attention to substance abuse in our communities. I entered the behavioral health field not as a clinician, but as a lawyer, philanthropist, and business executive. As a result, I confess to having shared some common misconceptions about addiction. Like many people unfamiliar with the topic, I thought, You have a problem with drinking too much? Heres a suggestion, quit drinking! The epiphany that exposed my naivete came not from government statistics, but from interacting with our patients. I learned immediately that addiction provided no pleasure for our clients. To a person, they were all sick and tired of being sick and tired. They wanted to quit, but didnt know how. For decades, the health care system had given short shrift to addiction treatment and mental health generally. Health insurance companies literally discriminated against behavioral health treatment compared with treating other chronic diseases. By 2008, however, Congress sought to address this systemic disparity, and passed a law that is generally referred to as the Parity Act. In a nutshell, it requires health insurance to cover behavioral health on an equal basis as other physical health problems. Mental health and addiction treatment were later included as essential health benefits in the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare. Not only does such coverage for mental health and addiction treatment make good ethical sense, it is fiscally responsible. The uninformed may well oppose coverage for behavioral health treatment for fear of higher health care costs. But that position is contradicted by the facts. People who suffer from behavioral health problems tend to be high utilizers of health care services. They are often the types of patients who seek primary treatment in emergency rooms due to injuries caused by impairment or even the acute need for detoxification. We once had a patient whose prior medical history included cardiac arrest related to his substance abuse. He was then airlifted to a regional teaching hospital, where he spent about a week in the ICU. The helicopter transfer cost over $17,000, and his intensive care costs reached nearly $180,000. By contrast, after spending a few weeks at our facility and through his compliance with his continuing care, he recently celebrated two years of sobriety and avoided the revolving door into the emergency room that had plagued him (and cost all of us) for many years. In fact, to assuage opponents of improved behavioral health treatment, the Parity Act included a safety valve: If costs associated with addiction and mental health coverage increased by more than 2 percent, then the health insurer could apply to discontinue the coverage. I am not aware of any health insurer that has alleged that expansion of behavioral health coverage has led to higher costs by 2 percent or more. Rather, studies commissioned by state insurance commissioners have indicated that there is no net cost associated with mental health and chemical dependency treatment because those costs are offset by savings elsewhere in the health care system. And, yet, despite these neutral cost impacts, many nefarious insurance companies continue to violate the federal Parity Act by restricting behavioral health coverage illegally. We know this because we fight them every day on behalf of our patients. These unscrupulous health insurers deny coverage because they know that patients and providers are diffuse and state insurance commissioners that oversee them are overburdened and unable to enforce those federal regulations. Since September is Recovery Month, we urge you to consider both the ethical considerations and the cost savings associated with covering addiction and mental health treatment. In so doing, we will save not only money, but actual lives of patients while lending support to the families that love them and the employers that hire them. That addiction treatment we provide today may well keep a drunk driver off the road how can you put a price on that? Whatever steps are taken in health care reform, lets plan to keep caring for people suffering from addiction. Sometimes the right thing to do can also be the most affordable. Recently, this papers editorial board wrote a misguided editorial, and we felt it was important to set the record straight as well as stand up for the majority of Iowans who voted in the last election whose judgment was mocked in the piece. Whether its working for the extension of tax credits to support production, fighting trade barriers to U.S. biofuels from other countries, or pushing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fulfill its statutory obligations on biofuels, we fight for ethanol, biodiesel, and Iowa every day. A big part of upholding the rule of law in any area is staying on top of actions from unelected agency leaders who have a lot of power to wreak havoc with regulations. The Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule from the Obama Administration is a prime example of a regulation that badly over-reached. After an outcry from farmers, home builders, Congress and the voters who elected a new president, the EPA has finally begun the process to withdraw this rule. Those of us from biofuels-producing states constantly have to fight for federal agencies to follow the rule of law on biofuels. President Obamas EPA often did not fulfill its obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which sets the level of renewables in the nations fuel supply. It repeatedly fell sway to arguments from Big Oil that biofuels producers were unable to produce the needed capacity to contribute to the fuel supply. We called out that hogwash. And were calling out the newest hogwash from the EPA on biodiesel. The EPAs latest proposal to reduce biodiesel levels is a bait and switch from what the agency put out in July. The July proposal, while not great, essentially did no harm to biodiesel. The new proposal came from nowhere, blindsided biodiesel producers, and has the potential to do great harm. The proposal specifically cites, a number of times, proposals from oil producer Valero and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, the refiners. That reveals that Big Oil may be prevailing at the EPA yet again. We are already fighting the EPA on what it is proposing, and we are going to keep fighting. We each have already contacted President Trump. The EPAs move is counter to what the President has pledged, last year and even a few weeks ago, for renewable fuels. As candidate Trump and as President Trump, he has repeatedly expressed support for the RFS. That means the EPA administrator who works for the President has to follow his bosss lead. When Scott Pruitt was nominated as the EPA Administrator, we organized a meeting with him to emphasize the importance of biofuels to job creation, energy security, the environment, and meeting the countrys significant energy needs. Since we had been disappointed by the Obama Administrations lack of strong support in implementing the RFS, we wanted to know where Mr. Pruitt stood. We received a very positive response on Mr. Pruitts support not just for the RFS but more importantly, for the rule of law. The rule of law is the measures Congress passed. The EPA is supposed to follow it, not undermine it. We conveyed the tremendous contributions that Iowa and other renewable energy-producing states contribute to the economy, energy security, and much more. We reiterated that from the standpoint of what then-President-elect Trump wanted to accomplish, renewable energy supports a high number of jobs, including 43,000 jobs in Iowa in just biofuels and another 7,000 jobs in wind energy. Mr. Pruitt committed at that meeting and again during a public hearing to following the law. He needs to keep his word and follow the clear direction from his boss, the President, that biofuels are valuable and that the EPA must follow the RFS. Toward that end, we will continue to make sure the EPA and the President hear loud and clear the impact the latest EPA proposal on biodiesel would have on Iowas corn and soybean farmers, on biofuel producers, and on our rural communities. We will never stop fighting to protect the RFS and Iowa. U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Illinois, is in the pocket of the nation's beet and cane sugar cartels. Bustos continually votes to maintain the U.S. Sugar Program. Why? It is really quite simple, Rep. Bustos received well over $40,000 in political donations from the sugar cartels since coming to Washington in 2013. Thanks to Rep. Bustos and others, the U.S. Sugar Program continues. The sugar program is a Soviet-style command-and-control scheme that restricts planting and imports. This inflates the price of sugar in the United States to almost double the world price. So, when you go to the store to buy a snack cake or anything sweetened, you pay more. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the program means Americans pay $3.5 billion every year in increased grocery costs, which breaks down to $58 per household. In Rep. Bustos' four years in office, she repeatedly voted against sugar reform costing each Illinois family an additional $232 for groceries. You have to ask yourself, is my congresswoman really fighting to make life better, or is she just another politician in it for the campaign contributions? It's time for Rep. Bustos to step up and end this costly government giveaway to the cartels. Nicholas Pyle Washington Editors note: Pyle is president, Independent Bakers' Association DEADWOOD | After nearly a century on the run, an autographed photo of President Theodore Roosevelt jumping a fence on horseback has returned to the original building in which it was first displayed. The personalized and signed photo of the nations 26th president was presented to Deadwood businessman, attorney and U.S. congressman Eben Martin in 1905, and is thought to have been originally displayed in his law office in the Martin Mason Hotel a block off Deadwoods Main Street. Martin, who first served as a U.S. representative before being appointed to the U.S. Senate representing South Dakota, gave Roosevelts nomination speech at the 1904 Republican convention, and with Deadwood Marshal Seth Bullock, became a personal friend of the American statesman, conservationist, author, soldier and reformer. Roosevelt inscribed the unusual photo depicting him on horseback midair while jumping a fence, To the Hon. Eben W. Martin with regards of Theodore Roosevelt. The inscription is dated March 9, 1905. It is believed Martin hung the portrait in his original law office in the Martin Mason Hotel, which he maintained from 1893 to 1920, when he moved to Hot Springs. Then, mysteriously, the autographed presidential gift vanished from the Black Hills for nearly a century. History recovered Fast-forward to January 1970, when a young University of California graduate named Jim Newell moved into a rental house with three Vietnam veterans in Sunnyvale, Calif. I was the college boy and hadnt yet been drafted, so I was low man on the totem pole, Newell said last week while visiting Deadwood. They told me to go out to the car port and clean everything up and throw stuff away. I pulled a Dumpster up to the mess, swept stuff into piles and noticed when I was throwing stuff away that there was an old print. When he turned it over, he immediately recognized T.R., a president he had come to admire as a child growing up in Red Lodge, Mont. My parents idolized Teddy Roosevelt because they basically lived at the northern gates of Yellowstone National Park, Newell recalled. When I found the photograph, I said to myself, `I wonder if this is real? Then I noticed it had his signature and it was signed in 1905. I thought that was pretty cool. On that winter day in 1970, Newell first placed the Roosevelt image on his bedroom wall, and it maintained a position of honor in his successive apartments, offices and homes for the next 47 years. After teaching high school mathematics for 27 years and serving as a principal for another nine, the now 67-year-old Newell retired in 2008. He and his wife, Adenelle, decided to downsize by selling their large house and moving to their small A-frame summer cabin near Lassen Volcanic National Park 85 miles north of Lake Tahoe. Most people had a teddy bear, but I had a Teddy picture, Newell remarked, noting the move made him come to a fateful decision. Theres not a lot of vertical wall space in an A-frame. So I packed up the awards, most of the pictures and Teddy, and put them in storage. For the longest time, he didnt hang anywhere. But Newell never forgot his prized photograph of the Trust-Buster who helped establish Americas national parks, and a leader he had grown to love over a lifetime. Reluctantly, Newell took the image to an appraiser who told him, due to its personalized inscription and signature, it could be worth several thousand dollars. He also explored eBay, where he found three or four identical photos lacking the personal message, but including Roosevelts autograph, priced at $1,500 to $2,000. Then, the lifelong educator decided to see who in the world this Eben Martin was whom Roosevelt apparently regarded so highly. When he Googled Martins name, he discovered the man was a Deadwood businessman and attorney who had represented Homestake Mining Co. owner and newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, built a still-standing hotel in Deadwood, and had served in the U.S. Congress. I found out this guy was pretty big, served in Congress, placed Teddys name in nomination for the presidency, and had a pretty good connection to Theodore Roosevelt, Newell said. It seemed a shame to sell it. So, Newell pondered the best approach to his way forward. It weighed heavy on me, he said. I had done research on my own ancestor and one of the best things you can have is a photograph or document tied to your family. One night, I looked at my wife and said, 'Were just going to give it to them.' She said, 'Thats great.'" Coming home So, on a lark, Newell emailed the Martin Mason Hotel in Deadwood and informed them of his keepsake, told its owner that he was ready to place the photograph for sale on eBay, and wondered if the hotel still had any connection to the Martin family. Martin Mason Hotel owner Blake Haverberg, a distant cousin of Eben Martin who has made significant investments to restore the 124-year-old three-story hotel since purchasing it with his wife, Melanie, in 1995, begged Newell not to sell the piece and said he would work to raise the money to bring the image home. I told him not to place it on eBay, and that wed like it to hang it in the Martin Mason Hotel, Haverberg said on Thursday. And fortunately he agreed that it would be appropriate to hang it in the place from which it had come. In exchange for a complimentary hotel room perfect for a Black Hills adventure, Newell and his wife arrived in Deadwood last week with their Harley-Davidson Tri Glide. And they brought the historic photograph of Roosevelt with them, intent on returning it to its original home. Of course, Teddys honored at Mount Roosevelt with the Friendship Tower built by Seth Bullock, and hes one of four presidents on Mount Rushmore, and we knew he was a friend of Eben Martin, Haverberg said of the president he regards as a second son of South Dakota. The fact that this signed photograph was lost for 47 years, I thought, was a good Lassie-come-home story, he said. Newell said when he unveiled the photograph for Haverberg last week, all the hotel owner could do was grin. He said he knew then that he had made the right decision, honoring a century-old friendship from Deadwoods frontier days. I got my love of Theodore Roosevelt from my dad, Newell said. He told me how to be a man, go out and rough it, and about the all-American man who became president. He was the first president to make conservation of wildlands a priority. He was a mans man. Life is short, and I wanted some control of what would happen to Teddy, Newell said of the image. It might not mean that much to my children, so I thought, lets get him home, and now hes there. The themes of hope, recovery and collaboration dominated the Legislatures Whiteclay Task Force Summit on Saturday. In the glass-enclosed rotunda of the Oglala Sioux Tribe Nursing Home just south of Whiteclay, ideas for economic development and a look at the regional healthcare challenges were presented. All of the ideas came with calls for collaboration between the OST, the State of Nebraska, private individuals and nonprofits. But while there was optimism about the future, questions about outreach to tribal leaders to attend the summit arose more than once, and at one point tensions spiked after a local official was perceived to have spoken negatively of Whiteclay and the Native American population in Pine Ridge. The solutions have to come from the tribe and theyre not here today, said Judi Gaiashkibos, the executive director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, expressing disappointment when introducing herself at the summit. Both Sen. Tom Brewer and Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks addressed the issue, assuring those present that the task force had indeed invited tribal leaders to attend. You cant force people to come and participate, Sen. Brewer said. Those outreach efforts will continue, but it will take time and baby steps, he continued. So lets focus on the goal of making Whiteclay a better place. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Troy Weston had planned to attend, but was called to Rapid City for other responsibilities, Sen. Pansing Brooks explained, reading a brief email from Weston. The morning session of the summit focused mostly on economic development, with the potential for a makerspace stirring passions. James Keim of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Foundation explained the makerspace concept to the roughly 50 people in the room, calling it a community center with tools. The Innovation Studio at UNL can serve as a model and provide some guidance, he explained, noting that there is no guaranteed outcome with a makerspace. You cant go into it with strong, rigid ideas about what it looks like, he said. This is about giving people access. Fifty percent of the makerspace memberships at UNL are from the larger community, and other things, like mini-business classes, have sprung from that. What if we dont just do this in Lincoln? What if we create a makerspace network? Sidney, McCook and Ravenna are currently exploring the possibility of makerspaces, and another in Whiteclay would capture makers in the northwest corner of the state. There is already a crowdsourcing campaign to raise funds for a Whiteclay Makerspace on Indiegogo, with the goal of raising $127,000. Gordon City Manager Jacob Sheridan questioned the sustainability of such an effort, however. My concern is that weve got the cart miles ahead of the horse, he said, adding that there will be no government support for such a space in unincorporated Whiteclay. How does the region support this after the people here today go home. That sounds to me like Well, those Indians cant develop something like this, responded Lakota artist Joe Pulliam, who lives in Pine Ridge. Ive honed my skills to make a living and support my family There are hundreds of my people on my reservation trying to do the same thing. A makerspace has the potential to help the Lakota, he continued. The people need to become a part of this. Its about healing and moving forward. After the exchange, Pulliam spoke with Sheridan privately, and the two men shook hands, but the moment prompted Sen. Pansing Brooks to re-iterate the goal of the task force. Im asking you to put down your swords, she said. If your vision is for more hatred, more turmoil, then please leave. We can work together to heal this area. Local heroes had a night to call their own recently, during the inaugural Spirit of Heroism Awards banquet. The event was held Sept. 8 at the Comfort Suites Hotel & Convention Center in Rapid City, hosted by 16-year-old Rapid City student Jessica Benson. She created the event to honor local law enforcement officers, firefighters and veterans. The program is supported by TeenUp, a local youth leadership program, for which Benson is an ambassador. Benson said more than 140 law enforcement officers, firefighters and military members attended the banquet. Larry Mantei, Dan Mertz and Joseph Carlin Jr. received special awards during the banquet. Carmen Visan, Jim Hansen and Scott Sitts also were nominees. Kohls donates $80K to hospital program Regional Health Rapid City Hospital recently received an $80,000 Kohls Cares grant to implement an evidence-based program called KidShape 2.0. A news release from the hospital says the program's goal is to educate local youths and their families about healthy behaviors related to nutrition and physical activity. We are so grateful for the Kohls support. Regional Health is always looking for ways to help our patients and communities live well, Pediatrics and Advanced Care Pediatrics Nurse Manager Kamela Johnson said in the release. The Kohls Cares grant provides us the needed resources to make an impact on the health of our community. We are very excited to implement the Kidshape 2.0 program with the Kohls Cares grant. KidShape is for 6- to 12-year-old children who are overweight or wish to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The release says children will need a parent or guardian's help throughout the program. Group classes meet weekly for two hours over the course of six weeks. For more information about KidShape 2.0, call 755-8337. Referrals can be scanned and emailed to kidshape@regionalhealth.org. Tablescape fundraiser coming up Hill City's Beta Rho Sorority will have its Tablescape fundraiser at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 at The Little White Church in Hill City. According to a news release from the sorority, the event will showcase tables each decorated with a different theme. It will be open to the public for table viewing for a $5 donation or a canned food for the local food bank. Viewing starts at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 10:30 a.m. There will also be a luncheon at 11 a.m., catered by Anita Peters. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis for $25. Event speaker will be Kim Krull. Local pianist Karen Kruse will provide music throughout the event, and there will be drawings for door prizes. Attendees can also buy raffle tickets for goody baskets. This year's event proceeds will go to a Hill City Scholarship, making funds available for any graduating senior girl, and to the local food bank. For more information contact Pam Keller at 484-4271. YMCA of Rapid City receives $7K grant The YMCA of Rapid City recently received a $7,350 grant provided by the Taco Bell Foundation to support local youth. According to a release from the YMCA, the organization operates three teen outreach centers in Rapid City. The funding will go toward providing YMCA memberships to area teens. We are thrilled to play a part in the Taco Bell Foundations investment in Americas youth, said Keiz Shultz, chief development officer of the YMCA, in a release. When you come across another organization committed to championing education and empowering this nations next generation of leaders, you know theres a special energy there. Taco Bell employees take an active role at the YMCA outreach centers by partnering with the YMCA to encourage teens to develop skills such as writing resumes, learning about the job application process, and practicing mock job interviews. This mission were sharing is one with an enormous upside for our young people. This partnership on the local level enables teens in Rapid City to develop skills and set career goals to be successful throughout their life. The YMCA of Rapid City is one of more than 350 youth-serving organizations that will receive a portion of the $4.5 million in grants being presented by Taco Bell Foundations philanthropic arm this year. A pipeline that recently spilled more than 33,000 gallons of brine in a pasture on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation occurred on a segment of pipeline that was scheduled to be replaced. The pipeline owned by Crestwood Midstream is made of a material called Fiberspar LinePipe, the same fiberglass-reinforced material tied to two of the largest brine spills in North Dakota history. Three Affiliated Tribes Pipeline Authority Travis Hallam said numerous spills both on and near the reservation prompted the Tribal Business Council to no longer allow fiberglass-based materials for new pipelines that carry produced water, a waste byproduct of oil production. It was involved in far too many failures to be considered an acceptable material to protect us from the produced water it was transporting, Hallam said. Crestwood, which owns the pipeline that contaminated Lake Sakakawea in July 2014 after 1 million gallons of brine spilled near Mandaree, is replacing Fiberspar pipelines in environmentally sensitive areas on the reservation. The recent spill, reported on Sept. 3, occurred on a pipeline segment that was scheduled to be replaced in the coming months, Hallam said. It strengthens our case that we dont want fiberglass-based pipes, Hallam said. We want coated steel lines. The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources gathering pipeline regulations do not specify pipeline material. Kevin Connors, pipeline program supervisor, said the states rules focus on enforcing proper installation of pipelines. Our initial concerns are that the (Sept. 3) spill may have been caused by the way it was installed, not necessarily the material but the actual installation of the pipe, Connors said. Proper installation of Fiberspar is critical, according to a 2015 pipeline study by the Energy and Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota. Researchers heard from industry workers that Fiberspar seemed less tolerant to incorrect installation and more easily bruised by improper handling. It was conveyed to the EERC team by these field personnel that a small flaw can serve as a seed for a catastrophic failure after the line is installed and buried, the report said. A spokesman for Fiberspar LinePipe, a division of National Oilwell Varco, said the pipeline material is safe for transporting produced water if installed according to the manufacturers guidelines. Improper installation is the main source of damage to the product, the company said. Sometimes, its easier to blame the product than to accept responsibility for improper installation or other improper product handling, the spokesman said. Lack of oversight North Dakota did not have oversight over the construction of gathering pipelines when the Crestwood system and many other Fiberspar pipelines were installed in the Bakken. The Three Affiliated Tribes began implementing pipeline regulations in June 2015. North Dakotas gathering pipeline rules took effect in January. At least 684 miles of Fiberspar pipeline are installed in North Dakota, according to the Department of Mineral Resources. However, that figure could be incomplete because the states rules dont require information to be reported for gathering pipelines in service before August 2011. About 28 miles of Fiberspar were installed in North Dakota in 2016, the department said. A total of 2,857 miles of produced water pipelines are in the states database. Companies in North Dakota have been replacing Fiberspar with other materials, Connors said. Summit Midstream, the owner of a Fiberspar pipeline that spilled 3 million gallons of brine north of Williston in 2015, contaminating a tributary of the Missouri River, is one of the companies that has replaced Fiberspar lines. The company declined to comment. Crestwood also declined to answer questions about Fiberspar. But in a letter submitted to the North Dakota Public Service Commision in June after questions arose about the companys spill history, Crestwood said its now using a coated steel product known as FlexSteel for all new produced water pipelines. Crestwood, which emphasized that it acquired the system and was not involved in the installation, said in the letter it plans to replace more than 40 miles of pipeline by the end of this year to reduce the risk of spills that could affect water bodies. Representatives for FlexSteel said in a statement the company has installed more than 900 miles of pipeline in the Bakken since 2012, with more than 150 miles installed to replace existing pipelines that failed while in service. The company declined to comment about how often its product was used to replace Fiberspar. The frequency of spills on pipelines constructed of Fiberspar is unknown because North Dakota regulators have never tracked it and public information is limited. Under Department of Mineral Resources rules, the material of a pipeline is considered confidential information, so the material is only known if a company discloses it. Landowners can find out what material is crossing their land. Troy Coons, chairman of the Northwest Landowners Association, said the type of pipeline transporting produced water is a concern for landowners. Produced water is a killer to the soil. It sterilizes it, Coons said. When you look at the thousands of miles of pipelines and the millions of gallons of product were moving, we need to be using the best product available. And that needs to be looked at sooner than later. John Harju, vice president for strategic partnerships for the EERC, said the groups research has shown that proper installation is more important to focus on than the pipeline material. My own observation is that installed poorly, any product can fail, Harju said. Inspections, monitoring Gathering pipelines in North Dakota now have significantly more inspections and oversight, with state and tribal regulators both overseeing pipelines at Fort Berthold. Regulators credit pipeline monitoring on the system owned by Crestwood with preventing the spill volume from becoming even larger in the Sept. 3 incident. The company said it detected the leak within 20 minutes. Their detection system worked, Connors said. It notified them of the leak and they sent out their personnel in the middle of the night to shut in valves and to isolate the line. The 791-barrel spill contaminated about 0.35 acres of pasture land in McKenzie County, with the spill staying on the pipeline right-of-way. It did not contaminate any water sources. Even though that is a large volume, it is a large spill, were fortunate it wasnt a more impactful spill like weve seen in the past, Hallam said. Pipelines that fail now have to pass a pressure test to verify the integrity of the pipeline before returning to service. After the Sept. 3 spill, regulators discovered another weakness in the Crestwood pipeline when it failed to pass the required pressure test. Further investigation revealed a large rock buried underground against the pipeline that had caused it to fail, Connors said. Under current state rules, rocks larger than 2 inches in diameter are not allowed in the pipeline trench, but that rule wasnt in place when the pipeline was installed. The pipeline system has since passed an integrity test, regulators said. Crestwood also reported another pipeline spill on Sept. 10 on the reservation. In that case, Crestwoods contractor, Boyd and Co., accidentally struck a pipeline that was temporarily out of service, causing a spill of 70 barrels of produced water, Connors said. Crestwood Equity Partners said in a statement it is working to clean up both spills and return the land to its natural state. Crestwood is committed to safe, compliant, sustainable operations, the company said. Hallam said tribal officials will continue to be proactive by working with Crestwood to upgrade other segments of its pipeline system. Hallam said he has seen the number of pipeline spills cut in half since the tribe began enforcing its new rules, and the volume of spills reduce by 99 percent. As far as the state and the tribe, we have a common goal, and that's responsible development, Hallam said. A child is not a pair of shoes. Those stark words put into perspective the scourge of alcoholism on the Pine Ridge Reservation and impact it has on the children born there. They came from Nora Boesem, president of Roots to Wings FASD and the parent to 12 children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Our FASD population has truly been a throw-away population, she said Saturday at the Legislatures Whiteclay Task Force Summit. She learned the hard way. When she and her husband applied to be foster parents, they indicated that they would not take children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Their first three placements all had FASD. When she began seeking assistance for them, she was told they were lucky they hadnt adopted them yet and could send them back. I didnt take that well, she said. We had to rebuild our lives. After changing their approach to everything, they decided they would only take in foster children with FASD. A lot of my children are products of Whiteclay, and their parents are products of Whiteclay. When her now 25-year-old son came home drunk at 17, she felt like a failure. But during conversations with him at the hospital, she realized her son didnt realize that beer wasnt the only thing he shouldnt be drinking because of his disorder. He was convinced he had a head injury and swore he hadnt been drinking because he believed beer was the only thing he should avoid. They (FASD children) cant think in abstracts, Boesem said. I cant name every type of alcohol that is off limits. Instead, they now tell their children they can only drink milk or water. There is no good data on the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome on the Pine Ridge Reservation or the towns surrounding it across the border in Nebraska. Diagnosis of the disorder can often run $2,600, and insurance doesnt always cover it. That can be a yearly income for some of the families I work with on Pine Ridge, said Boesem, who is also a clinical social worker. Thirty percent of children under 18 in Sheridan County also live in poverty, and a recent health needs survey by the Panhandle Public Health District highlights that cost of health care whether its insurance or outright costs for medical care is a barrier to access for much of the population. Telehealth services through the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a collaboration thats attempting to address a severe shortage of professionals in the Panhandle, may be a partial solution. The collaboration is already offering virtual drug and alcohol counseling at the Oglala Sioux Tribe Nursing Home south of Whiteclay for both scheduled and on-demand needs, said Dr. Fernando Wilson, who works with the UNMC Center for Health Policy. The Medical Center also recently hired an expert in fetal alcohol syndrome, so the collaboration at least as the potential to expand. Longterm, the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, also based at UNMC, has just started working with Chadron State College to determine if a masters level curriculum for counseling services could be created at CSC. The idea is that individuals from the area who attend CSC will be more likely stay in the region and provide drug and alcohol counseling in the region. While closing the Whiteclay liquor stores in April doesnt wont solve the alcoholism and drug problems in their entirety, Boesem said it creates a sense of hope that more is possible. Raised by his grandmother, Leo Yankton, suffered from alcoholism until 2009. She taught him the ways of the Lakota. It wasnt enough for me (to beat his addiction) because I live in a society with two worlds. You have to be able to survive in both of them to flourish. During his time in a residential rehabilitation center, he learned financial skills that helped him build a life once he was released. Now, he owns two businesses and a home. Those life skills are an important piece of recovery, said Selina Hayle, the national expansion director for the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions. The Pine Ridge region needs a detoxification center, an expanded residential treatment facility the current one on the reservation has a capacity of seven and transitional facilities. If any of those steps in the recovery process are missing, individuals are more likely to fail, Hayle said. Options for family treatment, where an addicted mother can be in a residential setting with her children while seeking treatment, is also ideal, said Marry Barry Magsamen, the chief officer of organizational growth at St. Monicas in Omaha. Women will often choose to delay or deny treatment if it means leaving their children, or have domestic trauma that they are uncomfortable discussing in mixed gender groups. This summers catastrophic wildfire season and hazardous, persistent smoke pollution has all Montanans talking. The fires took the lives of two young men, destroyed homes and Sperry Lodge, blew a hole in the state budget, discouraged tourism and other businesses and burned more than 1.2 million acres of Big Sky Country. Fire and smoke throughout our region forced large-scale evacuations and school closures, curtailed outdoor recreation, threatened health, robbed us of our glory days of summer, and was red-flag risky to the chilly end. As former smokejumpers, were no strangers to the threat wildfires pose to human life, property and the states economy. While wildfires are an annual occurrence and a natural, even necessary, part of our ecosystems, the scale and ferocity of this years fires and associated drought are extraordinary. They challenged the defensibility of our homes and communities. Its time for our elected leaders to set partisan politics aside and hold objective discussions about forces driving fire seasons and what were going to do about it. Three years ago we penned an Op/Ed in this paper highlighting links between our changing climate and increased drought and wildfire. 14 of the 15 hottest years on record have occurred since 2000. Temperatures increased 2-3 since 1950 and are predicted to rise 4.5-6 by midcentury. Summers are predicted to become drier and warmer. Winter snows are melting earlier. Our fire seasons are lasting longer. Forest fires are larger and fire behavior is more extreme. This summers drought is one for the books. Our forests and grasslands became super-combustible and prone to dangerous, fast-moving mega-wildfires that threatened firefighters, public health and communities. Ranchers and farmers of Eastern Montana lost an estimated $400 million worth of crops and cattle due to a drought that may be the worst seen in a century. Some of the same people faced devastating wildfires. These are impacts climate scientists have warned about for years, and recent history shows wildfires and droughts are intensifying. Four years ago the state spent a record $57 million fighting fires; this year we blew past $100 million. This legislative session the state borrowed from the fire budget because they thought the wet winter meant wed have a manageable fire season. Now we have a budget shortfall, forcing the state to consider drastic cuts to essential public services that will impact the lives of citizens all over the state. If this intensified level of wildfires and drought is our new normal, which climate models and recent experience both indicate, there are things we can do. First, address the root causes. Global warming loads the dice in favor of more frequent mega-fires. We cant control the weather, but it is clear that human activity is causing global warming which in turn is leading to mega-fires and exacerbating fire seasons. We must confront global warming as the long-range solution to the rising temperatures. This means we must demand that our politicians foster science-based policies that better address the realities of climate change. For example, we know that burning coal is the major driver of rising temperatures, so we must look to alternatives. Montana has everything it needs to be a clean energy leader: some of the most consistent wind in the country, abundant sunlight, and large-scale transmission lines that transport electricity to customers on the West Coast. We must demand that our political leaders focus on this future and assist their citizens in making the transition to clean energy. We can take affirmative steps to moderate global warming, right here in Montana. Our firefighters and our communities demand no less. - Harold Hoem, Missoula: Paul Johnson, Clancy; Brad Sauer, Forsyth; Phil Difani, Hamilton; Rod McIver, Kalispell; Mike Oehlerich, Whitefish I dont understand the cuts being made in our state budget to atone for the current shortfall. I cannot fathom how the legislators fail to look at generating more money to avoid devastating populations that are already under-served. I applaud the excellent letter by Karen Harvey of Victor in the Bitterroot Star Sept. 27. She listed these cuts systematically. I was already upset about closing the Job Service, and the proposed elimination of Voc-Rehab in our county, but I am sickened that the very least among us - the disabled infants and elderly, the folks struggling with mental illness, senior meal services, Medicaid reimbursement to public hospitals - are being asked to carry the burden of budget deficits. When a households budget turns up short, there are three options: spend less, bring in more, or both. The cuts in the DPHHS budget will cost far more money down the road. If children dont receive the services they need from birth, their chances of being taxpayers in the future are reduced every year. Bring in more money! Why cant the very privileged, and the corporations make up the deficit for a few years? They can certainly better stand a tax increase than the elderly and disabled. But we dont hear about that, do we? So afraid of alienating them, they are off limits. Id like to see a few years when the very poor, the disabled and the hungry are off limits. The underlying theme is that these populations are disposable, but the corporations are sacred. I challenge the legislators, generate income and stop punishing the rest of us. Star Jameson Hamilton [27 Sept 2017] Karnataka became the second state to approve anti black magic bill in its cabinet - Success for the continuous collective efforts and follow up by Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti The New York Times, September 25, 2017 Editors note: On Dec. 13, 2001, a suicide squad attacked the Indian Parliament in New Delhi. India blamed Pakistani terrorist groups for the attack. Amid shock and anger, India mobilized and moved tens of thousands of soldiers to its border with Pakistan. War seemed imminent. Pakistani military and political leaders threatened to use nuclear weapons if India attacked. Top American diplomats and generals were convinced that Pakistan wasnat bluffing. South Asia was in the grip of its first nuclear crisis. Television networks began calculating what might survive of cities like New Delhi and Lahore after a nuclear attack. Indian and Pakistani soldiers relentlessly fired bullets and mortar shells across the border. Land mines were placed in rice fields in villages along the border. Residents were displaced. The spring and summer of 2002 turned into a long season of furious nationalism. Intense diplomacy from the United States and Britain eventually persuaded India and Pakistan to withdraw troops from the border in October 2002. But the air, rail and road links between the two countries remained closed. India was also shocked and polarized by February 2002 riots in the Western state of Gujarat under the watch of Narendra Modi, chief minister at the time. About 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed and roughly 150,000 people were displaced. In July 2003, in a small step toward reducing hostility, the sole bus service between the two countries that runs between Lahore and New Delhi was resumed. An unlikely passenger on that bus from Lahore to New Delhi became a moving reminder of common humanity and decency. Noor Fatima, a 2-year-old girl from Lahore, had several holes in her heart. The surgery was prohibitively expensive in Pakistan. Nadeem Sajjad, her father, a marketing executive, traveled with his ailing child and wife across several thousand miles, a difficult history and a toxic politics, to Narayana Hrudayalaya, a hospital in Bangalore, in southern India. The girlas visit to Bangalore became a major media event. Ordinary Indians offered financial support; celebrations followed her successful surgery. Gauri Lankesh, the Indian editor who was assassinated this month, wrote about Nooras surgery, India and Pakistan in the Kannada-language paper Lankesh Patrike. Her original essay was published on July 24, 2003. Ms. Lankesh, a fierce critic of majoritarian politics and a champion of equal rights for lower castes and minorities, stood up against the powerful and stood for justice. In seasons of nationalist fury, she stood for pacifism. We are publishing this translated version to honor Ms. Lankeshas courage and generosity of spirit. o o BANGALORE, India a Every evening, a peculiar convention takes place at Wagah, a village along the India-Pakistan border. Border gates of both countries stand five feet apart. Flags of both countries flutter nearby. On occasion, the soldiers on either side of the border ask after one another: aGood day! How are you?a When I visited Wagah in 1999, a senior Indian Army officer introduced me to his Pakistani counterpart. I stepped inside the no-manas land between the two countries. The Pakistani Army officer came forward. We shook hands, even as the two countries were at war in the northern mountains of Kargil (in the disputed Kashmir region). Amicable with one another during the day, the soldiers of both countries get into a kind of contest as the evening sets in. Ordinary Indians and Pakistanis gather near the gates and the daily ritual of lowering the national flags commences. (A choreographed exercise follows as both Indian and Pakistan soldiers stomp their boots angrily.) On which side were the soldiers more bellicose? On which side were they stomping their boots more vehemently and loudly? Mindful of details like these, the citizens clap and shout slogans and root for the soldiers from their country. It begins to feel as if a small war is about to break out between the soldiers. A strange sight follows: After the flag-lowering ritual is over, Indians and Pakistanis rush toward the border gates. They stare at one another curiously. A sense of rivalry isnat seen among them. A ayou are just like usa sentiment prevails instead. Hoping to see relatives separated from them at the time of the partition in 1947, some Indians and Pakistanis visit the Wagah border time and again. They stand in silence searching for a familiar face on the other side of the border and head home only when the soldiers drive them away. Noor Fatima has brought back these memories. News of her surgery has spread far. What I liked most though was the moral and economic support that Indians extended to her. They have offered her the help that politicians have been unable to give. Nooras parents have welcomed it graciously. Numerous Indians have donated money to the Dosti Fund (Friendship Fund) that Nooras father set up to offer aid to poor Indian children. An industrialist, who had lived in Lahore before migrating to India after the partition, has offered 1.2 million rupees. This act of generosity from an Indian Hindu to a fund set up by a Pakistani Muslim demonstrates that the people of the two countries need friendship and harmonious co-existence. At a time when efforts to divide people in the country along lines of caste and religion are underway, ordinary Indians have proved that they wonat let religious difference divide them. The Noor episode clarifies that Indiaas hostility toward Pakistan is limited to its own security and does not extend to the people of that country or their religion. Indians have ignored the fact that young Noor is from another country. Those Indians who hesitated to come out in support of Muslim victims of the Gujarat violence have stood in support of a Muslim girl from Pakistan. Our hearts donat have to be filled with hatred. Noor made us see that. Gauri Lankesh was the editor of Gauri Lankesh Patrike, a Kannada-language newspaper published in Bangalore, India. This article was translated from Kannada by Chandan Gowda, a professor of sociology at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. A version of this op-ed appears in print on September 26, 2017, on Page A9, in The International New York Times. Education Reporter Mathew Burciaga is a Santa Maria Times reporter who covers education, agriculture and public safety. Prior to joining the Times, Mathew ran a 114-year-old community newspaper in Wyoming. He owns more than 40 pairs of crazy socks from across the globe. Crews continued to battle the Rucker fire just north of Lompoc on Tuesday, though they had an anticipated finish line in their sights as well If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). "South Dakota Swaps Lawyers for Tablets in Prisons" | Main | First big SCOTUS order list has lots of big "cert denied" decisions in big sentencing cases October 1, 2017 Interesting look at what prison consultants advise as elites head to prison This MarketWatch article, headlined "When the rich get sent to prison, they call these wise guys first," provides an interesting little looking into an interesting little segment of the "prison-industrial complex." Here is how the article gets started: Former congressman Anthony Weiner cried when a judge sentenced him to 21 months in prison last week for sexting with a 15-year-old girl. Prison is tough and most felons have no idea what to expect. For a few thousand dollars, however, high-profile felons like Weiner can hire a prison consultant to help smooth the transition to life behind bars. For non-violent criminals like Weiner and pharma bro Martin Shkreli whos now behind bars in a Brooklyn jail prison is a totally different environment than theyve ever been, its crazy in there, said Michael Frantz, director of Jail Time Consulting, who served 36 months in a federal facility for tax evasion. They come from a world where theres order, Frantz said. They have people under them and tell them what to do. When you get into federal prison, you have no control whatsoever. In the real world, theres order and rational thinking. In the Bureau of Prisons theres absolutely no rational thinking. Weiners attorney didnt respond to a question on whether hes using a prison consultant, and neither did the lawyer for Shkreli, who was recently sent to a Brooklyn detention center while he awaits sentencing on fraud charges. But Weiner and Shkreli are just the type of convicts who typically use prison consultants. Theyve already helped the likes of Bernie Madoff and Martha Stewart. What do these prison preppers do? A combination hand-holder, shoulder-to-cry-on, and red tape slicer, prison consultants prep future inmates for life behind bars, teach them how to make the best use of their time on the inside, and can even help inmates shave time off their sentences. Many of the consultants have been to prison themselves and know from personal experience how to navigate the Bureau of Prisons bureaucracy. Prices for their services range from $500 for advocating for better medical care in prison to $20,000 for comprehensive post-prison consulting to help ex-inmates rebuild their lives by starting new businesses in fields theyre not legally barred from working in or writing books. Marketwatch talked to prison consultants to find out how they would advise Weiner and Shkreli. The best part? Many of these tips work for non-criminals too. For what it is worth, I think "absolutely no rational thinking" is big part of the reason Anthony Weiner is headed to prison. October 1, 2017 at 11:09 AM | Permalink Comments I didn't read it but so a book that might be useful ... "Doing Time Like a Spy: How the CIA Taught Me to Survive and Thrive in Prison" by John Kiriakou. Posted by: Joe | Oct 1, 2017 12:27:04 PM As someone who entered prisons but left at the end of the day, from what I have seen, from the outside, just don't be an asshole. You should do well. Take advantage of any structured programs, to keep busy. The only real assholes I saw? Guards. Kissing female prisoners in front of strangers, using deprivation of treatment and useful activities to retaliate for personal slights, and over-reacting. However, the biggest assholes of all? The fucking lawyers running the crazy system, and over-regulating everyone. Fucking assholes raised the cost of personnel 10 fold. They protected, privileged, and empowered the vicious, ultra-violent predators that were assholes. A guard will get fired for verbal abuse for saying, stop acting like a fool. Lifers may kill at will, under the protection of the pro-criminal, lawyer subhuman filth. I support their hunt by both prisoners and guards for making prison life unlivable. Hunt them and beat their asses. OJ did well, and got out early. Not an asshole in the structured setting of prison. Prison is our best treatment for antisocial personality disorder, which he has. Posted by: David Behar | Oct 1, 2017 10:15:18 PM Post a comment Another look at the realities of more offenders aging and dying in prison | Main | Interesting look at what prison consultants advise as elites head to prison October 1, 2017 "South Dakota Swaps Lawyers for Tablets in Prisons" The title of this post is the headline of this Courthouse News Service article that struck me as linguistically and conceptually amusing on a number of levels. Substantively, however, I am not sure anyone should be amused by what the body of the story reports: Sometime in the next few days, inmates in South Dakota prisons will start counting on tablet computers not a state-funded, in-prison attorney or paralegal to help them with their cases. The South Dakota Department of Corrections did not renew a contract for attorney Delmar Sonny Walter and his paralegals, who since the early 2000s have assisted the states prison population with research and filing of legal documents ranging from habeas petitions to child support documents. Corrections secretary Denny Kaemingk told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader the move will save taxpayers money. But one prisoners rights attorney has concerns. Whats someone who cant read or write or cant do so fully effectively or without mental illness supposed to do with a tablet? said David M. Shapiro, clinical assistant professor of law at Northwestern Universitys Roderick MacArthur Justice Center. Its a pennywise, pound-foolish approach. This past May, the state announced every one South Dakotas approximately 3,000 inmates would receive a free tablet computer. This allows the inmates longer phone calls, subscriptions to online movies and music, and text messaging with loved ones. Inmates also now have access to law-references websites such as Westlaw and LexisNexis. It was a change supported by Walter, the on-site attorney, but hes doubtful the technical upgrade is a substitute for legal insight from professionals. The things we did made the institution run smoother, Walter said, noting his staff did everything to help inmates -- most legal novices unfamiliar with complex documents -- with everything from knowledgeably preparing appeals to making copies to helping inmates with medication requests. We helped the inmates get into court in a number of ways, and now they wont have that stuff. In 1999, a state judge ruled the prisons must provide legal assistance for inmates. The program -- which cost the state $276,000 in 2017 -- has never been luxurious. In Springfield (the Mike Durfee State Prison) we were basically in a closet, Walter said. These inmates had maybe two to four hours a week. They often had to choose between a doctors appointment or researching their case.... He predicts the state will soon see another access lawsuit. A book isnt going to make you a lawyer. These people need legal assistance.... In the past year, falling revenue has forced South Dakota to cut back on projects and revise spending goals. In part, providing inmates with tablets was an effort to lower re-offense rates and reduce taxpayers burden. Shapiro, the Northwestern law professor, argues this nickel-and-dime cost-cutting distracts from a bigger problem. At the end of the day, America has more people locked up than any other country on earth, he said in a phone interview. A reduction in incarceration would lead to genuine savings. October 1, 2017 at 10:20 AM | Permalink Comments The inmates should have access to lawful sites, become addicted to video, and reduce the number of incidents. Although, not listed in any diagnostic scheme, I have no doubt video is addictive. It used to be correct dogma, no addiction before puberty. Now, try to take a tablet away form a 4 year old. You will see addiction. Amazon has a nice tablet for $49, new. The prison system can probably get them for free as people upgrade frequently. I can also see tablets as full time snitches, recording inmate sounds and visuals, even if seemingly turned off. My son in law discussed a product with a friend in the living room, with everything off. He started getting ads for it on the internet. The turned off Samsung TV likely reported the conversation to Google Ads. Pro se criminal litigants have outperformed defense lawyers at trials, in terms of rates of innocent verdicts. The prison may wish to continue a customer service of a paralegal answering procedural questions by email or else ask the bar association to do that for free. Because one gets good at an activity by doing it, prisoners have a lot of time, and will get good. Indeed, they are already filing too many claims. From 1996: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ppfc96.pdf Only 2% were successful. That is not bad for the appellate business, however. This handout is useful as to process. http://www.caed.uscourts.gov/caednew/assets/File/prisonerselfhelppacket.pdf Posted by: David Behar | Oct 1, 2017 10:45:47 AM Chess has 37 possible moves, each play. Go has a billion. The best humans have been beaten at those games computers looking to the consequences of each choice many moves ahead, to beating to the human. The professions likely have much fewer moves per play. All professionals may be replaced, except for one instance, creativity, the off the wall, unpredictable move. Most of those fail, anyway. I would like to see a study in the above situation comparing the quality of product before and after the tablets. Quality does not mean, the content is good legalese. Quality means, the claim of the prisoner prevails. The sole hope for mankind is something not yet available to the computer, creativity. CRISPR/cas 9 technology must be rushed to make all humans as creative as Mozart or Einstein. Otherwise, we will all be on welfare, funded by taxes paid by computers. Posted by: David Behar | Oct 1, 2017 10:56:54 AM This will be a boon to the 1% of prison "lawyers" (inmates) who can now charge exorbitant fees for their legal services. For the other 99%, this will be a comedy of errors as the judge will routinely interrupt the inmate defending himself using InmateMouthpiece (TM) as his "legal representation," which will result in more court delays, which translate to much higher overall cost. SERIOUSLY??? Posted by: Eric Knight | Oct 2, 2017 11:52:04 AM Post a comment SHELDON, Iowa -- Held in September, the seventh annual Northwest Iowa Development (NWID) Partner Meeting at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, Iowa, paid tribute to a slew of businesses, support organizations and regional business leaders. Receiving the Kirk Grau Business or Organization Innovation Award were businesses from Paullina and Cherokee. Owner Justin Stamer of Mill Creek Machining in Paullina has grown his company from operating in a car wash building in 2001 to an innovative business with 30 employees. Similarly, Diane Young, owner of Foundation Analytical Laboratories of Cherokee was recognized for her entrepreneurship starting the company in 2008 and growing her successful company with 18 employees and more than 800 clients. Rock Rapids Development Corporation (RRDC) was recognized by Northwest Iowa Development with the Beyond Expectations Economic Development Support award for outstanding efforts to increase housing and maintaining population following the devastating flood of 2014. RRDC was a key player in a community effort. RRDC and the city are in the final stages of work with FEMA following the flood. Also being recognized for economic development support was Kelly McCarty, Iowa Small Business Development Center in Spencer, who has served four of the six counties for the past 15 years. Finally, two past NWID Board Members were recognized for their years of service to the organization with Awards of Appreciation. Mark Buschkamp, long time Cherokee NWID Board member and Frank DeMilia, long-time Northwest Iowa Community College representative on the Board, were recognized. More than 120 community and regional leaders from the six-county NWID region representing economic development, business, city councils and boards of supervisors and others with an interest in growing the region attended the meeting. SIOUX CITY -- Four Opportunities Unlimited employees were recognized by the Iowa Association of Community Providers (IACP) during a statewide recognition contest to celebrate Direct Support Professionals week. Aida Guzman, Kevin Grell, Melody Bentson and Mona Tremmel were recognized by IACP. They received an Amazon gift card and an opportunity to be featured on the IACP website. IACP has advocated for Iowa providers for more than 35 years, and is the state trade association that represents more 150 community-based organizations. Based out of Sioux City, Opportunities Unlimited provides residential rehabilitation services for individuals who have a brain injury, a spinal cord injury or other physical disabilities. WAYNE, Neb. -- Sally Harms of Wayne State College has earned the Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science (NATS) Catalyst Award. This award was given to her during the joint conference of NATS and the Nebraska Association of Teachers of Mathematics at Younes Conference Center in Kearney, Nebraska, on Sept. 8. The NATS Board bestows the Catalyst Award on individuals who make significant contributions to science and science education in the state of Nebraska. This is the highest NATS award given, beginning in 1978. Harms, who holds a doctorate degree, is a professor of science and science education at Wayne State College. She also belongs to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). She has served as a board member in NSTA and as president of NATS (2007-2008). She assists with other science activities including the Northeast Nebraska Junior Academy of Science Regional Science Fair, and the Nebraska State Science Bowl, both hosted by WSC. SERGEANT BLUFF -- Gary Stieneke has hit a 40-year milestone with Sioux City Brick. Loren Mahoney, the father of current CEO Mark Mahoney, hired Stieneke in 1978 as a dispatcher in the ear of rotary dial telephones and manual typewriters. In those early days, Stieneke used a Telex machine to communicate with the shipping railroads and brick manufacturing plants in Adel and Sergeant Bluff. After two years, Stieneke moved into sales in the Nebraska and southwest Iowa markets where he sold brick for about a decade. His next move was to the customer service department where he made his mark as one of the best in the brick business. Stieneke currently schedules the Sergeant Bluff plant production and is part of the team that reviews brick colors and other product attributes. OMAHA Riekes Equipment, an industry leader in material handling and warehouse solutions, announced that Christine Hunt has joined the Omaha-based business as director of operations. In her new position, Hunt will provide leadership for the Parts and Service teams across all six Riekes locations, including its Sioux City location, 3306 Northbrook Drive. Hunt brings with her more than 20 years of experience in leading operations, logistics, project management and safety adherence within the supply chain management field. She joins Riekes from Kelloggs, where she held numerous operations and service roles. Hunt holds a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University. SIOUX CITY | A knock at the door used to send Stephanie Bolyard scurrying for a place to hide. When the Sioux City woman was strung out on methamphetamine, she was convinced that DEA agents were outside her home just waiting for the right moment to arrest her and haul her off to jail. It was a scary time for Bolyard, 36, whose recollection of her descent into the depths of drug addiction rapidly tumbles out of her mouth as she sits cross-legged on a sofa at Jackson Recovery Centers. Bolyard, who is wearing salmon pink scrubs, bluntly describes herself back then as "a mess." "For the last two years of my addiction, I cried every single day," says Bolyard who stayed up for four days straight at times, drank household chemicals in effort to pass drug tests and sold her cars to the salvage yard in order to buy dope. "I don't hear voices anymore. I don't see things. I don't get paranoid when the cops are behind me. I can answer my door now. I don't run and hide and I give back." Bolyard tells her story to teenagers and adults in recovery. She sees a younger version of herself looking back at her in the girls' faces. Before meeting with patients at Jackson's Child & Adolescent Recovery Hospital, she says a prayer in her head, "God, please let one of these girls hear a message that's gonna make them stop using." "They're a hard bunch, sometimes," she admits. "Using at that age is normal. They don't really think that it's going to cause any problems." Bolyard knows otherwise. Living for drugs At age 17, Bolyard found herself in a hotel room with "the wrong guy," a pound of cocaine and a gun. She was arrested and charged with a felony. "I got put away for 44 days across the state of South Dakota. I thought I was never, ever going to return. It was really frightening," Bolyard recalls, brushing a loose strand of brown hair from her face. Early on, Bolyard says she never thought she was using drugs to cover up her feelings. It was just a way to "have fun" and ease the boredom and loneliness that comes along with moving to a new city. Bolyard grew up in Hornick, Iowa, participating in cheerleading and volleyball and playing the flute in the school jazz band. Her parents divorced when she was 5. When her mother remarried, Bolyard and her three sisters gained a stepbrother and two stepsisters, as well as a stepfather. "It was good. We were like the family fun house. Everybody came to our house for the holidays," Bolyard says, before pausing. "Then sexual abuse happened in my family with my stepdad." When Bolyard's stepfather went to prison, the family broke up. Bolyard, her mother and her biological sisters moved to Sioux City, where she smoked cigarettes and hung out with boys at a skating rink. Soon Bolyard was drinking alcohol and experimenting with various drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and acid. At 15, Bolyard dropped out of school. She says she used drugs all day with her friends. "That's kind of what we lived for," she says. Nobody noticed Bolyard caught a break when her 10-year prison sentence was suspended. She was placed on three years' probation and house arrest until she earned her GED. Bolyard followed the court's orders by enrolling in a recovery program, but she says she continued to use drugs. She drank gallons of water and bleach, which could've killed her, in an effort to pass probation drug testing. "All you think about is you need to be clean so you don't go to jail, because if you go to jail you can't use. You almost get an adrenaline rush off that in itself," she explains. It was also at age 17 that Bolyard met her future husband, whom she would spend the next 13 years of her life with. Four years into their relationship, Bolyard gave birth to a son. "We didn't expect to have a child," she says. "We're using, I have this kid and he comes out with a cleft lip and palate." Bolyard thought, "How am I going to take care of this baby?" Her mother-in-law suggested she enroll in nursing school so she could get a job to provide for her family. While her husband watched their son, Bolyard attended nursing classes high on methamphetamine, a powerful stimulant that was the No. 1 drug in the rural Midwest in the early 2000s. Iowa's small towns and cities were ravaged by the mix of over-the-counter cold medications, cleaners and chemicals that was produced in clandestine laboratories located in home kitchens, garages and vehicles. In the classroom, Bolyard says nobody noticed that she was under the influence of meth, or if they did, she says they didn't say anything about it. "When you're on meth, it makes you feel 10 feet tall and bulletproof," she says. "Whatever project you can set yourself up to do, you're gonna do it and you're gonna do it really good." Bolyard focused on the end goal -- financial stability. With a degree in hand, she could get a nursing job. She didn't think twice about what meth was doing to her body. Looking back, Bolyard has doubts about whether she could've made it through nursing school at the time without the drug. "I would like to think I would, but I don't know if I would've," she says. A dark world After graduation, Bolyard landed a job at a nursing home. She was high while she cared for elderly patients overnight. Bolyard says her former employer never gave her a drug test, but after 13 months at the nursing home, she lost her position. When Bolyard's husband started dealing meth to make money, Bolyard says she stole from his supply. Bolyard's home was broken into and her husband was beaten up. Soon she began hearing and seeing things that didn't exist and became obsessed with the suspicion that her husband was cheating on her. Eating food, drinking water and sleeping weren't on Bolyard's radar. She drastically lost weight. When Bolyard could barely function, she reassured herself that she was a good mom. Her son had food and clothing and a TV in his room. The night before her son's first day of kindergarten, Bolyard set five alarms to ensure that he wouldn't be late for school, but she couldn't get out of bed on time, couldn't focus and felt like she was losing her mind. "You get stuck in this dark world of all you need is the drug and you'll be OK. It's really sick," Bolyard says chuckling slightly. Miracles happen Bolyard's relationship with her husband turned violent. She sported black eyes on Mother's Day and New Year's Eve. "I got really mad and I wrote in Sharpie all the girls names he cheated on me with on his motorcycle tank -- that was like the final straw," she recalls. "His mom came over. I went to jail." Fed up with the situation, Bolyard's family contacted the Department of Human Services (DHS); and Bolyard entered inpatient drug treatment at Jackson Recovery Centers' Synergy Center. People at the center told her, "This could be the first day of the rest of your life. You never have to use again. There's a better way of life out there." Bolyard says a light bulb switched on in her head. That first day at Synergy Center, she was excited to have a schedule after living a life where structure was nonexistent. But after some success with recovery, Bolyard relapsed. It wasn't until she was asked to write a goodbye letter to her son in family treatment court that she decided she was done with drugs for good. "That was it. I didn't want to miss out on any more of his life," says Bolyard, who was 31 at the time. She has been drug-free ever since. A new way of life Today, Bolyard is back working at a nursing home as an assistant director of nursing. She is a single mom to a 5-year-old son, as well as her 15-year-old son, and owns her own home. Bolyard's involvement in the recovery community is a big part of her life. She offers support to a dozen or more sponsees in 12-step recovery programs and recently joined the parent partner program, which pairs mentors with current DHS clients who have had a child removed from the home. When Bolyard thinks about the time she wasted using drugs, she still feels tremendous guilt and shame. She says she wishes she could go back in time to when her oldest son was 5 years old, so she could be the mom that she is now to his younger brother. "I'm still very, very damaged, but I work a 12-step program," she says smiling. "With each step comes a little bit more sanity back." Bolyard says if she can get clean and stay clean, anyone can. "Us addicts have a way of wanting what we want when we want it; and we want it now," she says. "If you take it moment by moment, day by day, miracles happen." VERMILLION, S.D. | Scores of Northwest Iowa students have seized the opportunity to save several thousand dollars by enrolling at the University of South Dakota over the last two years. Starting with the 2016-2017 school year, the South Dakota Board of Regents has allowed new freshmen and transfer students from Iowa to be eligible for the same tuition rate as South Dakota residents at USD and three other public universities. The added incentive contributed to a 67 percent increase in Iowans attending USD. The number has jumped from 244 in the 2016-17 academic year to 311 this fall, according to the college. "We have been thrilled with the initial success," said Scott Pohlson, USD vice president of enrollment, marketing and university relations, adding that how long new Iowa students will continue to receive in-state tuition is an open question. "This will depend on how Iowans continue to respond to the in-state rate, so hopefully this lasts for years to come," Pohlson said. Overall, the number of new out-of-state students was slightly down this year, while USD's total enrollment rose 2.2 percent to 10,261 students, the second-highest mark for the fall semester in college history. With its proximity, USD has long attracted students from Northwest Iowa to its main campus in Vermillion, about a 10-minute drive to the border for the two states. But the number of Iowans enrolling at USD had dropped off in recent years as Iowa's three public universities stepped up their focus on keeping more students in the state. "We had seen a steady decline in Iowa students since fall 2011 of 25 percent and felt that a new approach to Iowa recruitment would be helpful in attracting top talent from Iowa," Pohlson said. USD's tuition and fees for South Dakotans and new Iowa students is $8,772 for the 2017-18 school year, about $3,200 less than out-of-state tuition. That translates to a savings of about $12,800 for Iowa residents over four years. The in-state tuition also is comparable to 2017-18 tuition and fees for Iowa students at the University of Iowa ($9,189), Iowa State University ($8,636) and University of Northern Iowa ($8,699). Kaitlyn Strock, of Spencer, Iowa, is a sophomore who considered attending UNI, but found with the tuition break that she could attend USD more cheaply. Hunter Bryan, a 2016 graduate of Woodbury Central High School in Moville, Iowa, was going to attend USD, regardless of the tuition break he got by being the first wave of students to get it. However, cost was a concern for Bryan, who didn't want to graduate with a mountain of college debt, during an era when the average student exits owing $37,172. "It eases the stress of the whole college process" of taking classes and paying for living expenses, Bryan said. "You don't have to have the burden of money on your shoulders." So a host of freshmen and sophomore students from Iowa are paying in-state tuition and fees this year, while some upperclassmen Iowans who started at USD before 2016 are paying the non-resident price of $12,019.There are some oddities for Iowa students on campus, since officials when beginning the lower tuition option in 2016 didn't apply it to existing Iowa students. In at least one case, for example, two siblings from the same Iowa family are paying two different rates. Besides Iowans, USD also offers in-state tuition to children of alumni, no matter where they live. South Dakota natives who attend USD this week said they aren't upset that Iowa students are getting the lower tuition. Cley Charlson, a junior from Sioux Falls, said he understands the rationale of offering in-state tuition to draw out-of-state students. In fact, Charlson likely would have attended the University of Minnesota, if an option of accessing less expensive in-state tuition were possible. "It is a great idea, to get a diversity of people coming from a different state," Charlson said. Pohlson said any resentment South Dakota students might have felt about Iowans getting a lower tuition was perhaps softened by the fact that tuition overall has been reasonable. "There are always risks associated with a change in pricing strategies, but our tuition was held flat for South Dakotans. So the hope is that by making affordability a priority for USD and the South Dakota Board of Regents, we are doing our part to keep USD a top value in the Midwest," he said. Courtney Dahlberg, of Newell, South Dakota, said the lower tuition rate for Iowans isn't widely discussed on campus. "I am OK with it. It is a good opportunity for people to get outside of the state where they were born and raised," Dahlberg said. Bryan, who is a graphic design major, said there appears to be an increasing number of Iowa kids from his home W-C school going to USD, which he said might be attributable to the ability to get the in-state tuition price. Pohlson said the prime growth of Iowa students is coming from people who live in the Sioux City "backyard," and further south to Council Bluffs, plus some students from Cedar Falls, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Pohlson said that in spite of Iowans being able to nab in-state tuition, when looking at the direct costs of tuition, fees, room and board, in terms of overall revenue, "we would conclude that the Iowa in-state rate strategy was a net gain for USD." DEAR ABBY: I am 74, and my wife is 71. We are lonely. All of our friends have died, and we have no relatives in this state. We both have health issues that keep us mostly housebound. That leaves out volunteering and sports, and the high cost of gas is a factor. We live in our own home and want to continue living here. Our home is in a development consisting of busy families involved in their own lives, or too young to bother with a couple of older people. We tried church, only to find that everyone there is as involved in their own lives as our neighbors are. I fear the thought of one of us dying and leaving the other to possibly die alone in our house, not to be missed or discovered until much later. How can we have friends like we used to have, and not shallow acquaintances? -- FRIGHTENED OF THE FUTURE IN PENNSYLVANIA DEAR FRIGHTENED: If there are senior citizen centers in your community, I recommend you contact them. That way you can meet new people and form relationships with contemporaries. Also, these centers usually have geriatric specialists or social workers on staff with whom you can discuss your concerns. That said, it's important to remember that the kind of friendships you and your wife used to have take time to develop -- they don't happen overnight. Another thought: You say most of your neighbors are busy with their children. Perhaps you could reach out and offer to baby-sit for some of them in your home, if the parents would like a night off. I'll bet some of them will take you up on it. DEAR ABBY: I was recently in the bakery section of our neighborhood grocery store. A woman came rushing in carrying a cake that had been at least three-fourths eaten and made a scene, saying the cake was terrible and demanding that she be given a new one. To stop the scene, the store manager gave her a new one, even though she had managed to eat most of the "terrible" cake. The next night, my husband and I went to dinner at a nice steak house. The couple sitting next to us ate almost their entire dinner before complaining to the manager that the steaks were awful and demanding their meals for free. Has this become acceptable? If something is wrong with the food, shouldn't management be told after the first bite? It looks to me like these people are looking for a free ride. -- OFFENDED IN KANSAS DEAR OFFENDED: It certainly appears that way. The most effective way to demonstrate that an item of food is inedible is to NOT eat it. In situations like this, the restaurant manager will sometimes offer as an accommodation a free dessert rather than write off the entire meal. As to what happened at the grocery, if the complainer was a good customer, then what the manager did was a wise public relations gesture. WASHINGTON -- One simple rule for decoding foreign policy is that presidential trips often drive the agenda. So the fact that President Trump is planning to visit Beijing and other Asian capitals in just over a month may tell us more about what's ahead in that region than all the tweets, rumors and palace intrigue. War with North Korea? It's a scary possibility, for sure. But a president who is preparing for a grand meeting in November with Chinese President Xi Jinping won't want to fly there through a cloud of nuclear fallout. Will Xi deliver on his promise to pressure Pyongyang beforehand? The trip plans make that more likely than some analysts think, given that Xi and Trump want a Mar-a-Lago 2.0 that celebrates joint efforts on regional issues. And what about Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the gray man of Trump's foreign policy team and the subject of ceaseless rumors that he will be fired? Well, he was on his way to Beijing Thursday to prepare the way for the Trump visit. It's unlikely that the Sherpa will be thrown off the mountain before the president reaches the summit. The hardest challenge in following this chaotic White House is separating actual policy from the "House of Cards" backbiting that surrounds the president. Trump seems to operate with what might be called an "iron whim," becoming enraged about perceived slights and oversights, fulminating one moment and threatening retribution -- but then turning to something entirely different. These presidential cycles of favor and disfavor seem to change almost daily: Trump publicly insults Attorney General Jeff Sessions but continues to work with him. He rages at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and flirts with his Democratic rival, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and then a few weeks later discards bipartisanship and panders to his GOP base. Most recently, he was all in for Luther Strange in Alabama's Republican Senate primary until he wasn't. At the center of this perpetual White House hurricane have been Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who in the administration's first weeks lashed themselves to each other, and to the mast of policy. That alliance seems as steady as ever, even as the rumors fly that the president is about to throw Tillerson overboard in favor of U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. That Cabinet shuffle may happen eventually, but it's unlikely now, when Tillerson is stewarding the China trip and diplomatic strategy for North Korea. The politics of travel helps explain another policy knot. Trump's first overseas destination was Saudi Arabia, and he loved the royal pomp that greeted him. He invested heavily in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a change agent -- a Trumpian disrupter of the status quo in Saudi Arabia (who delivered "bigly" with this week's announcement that women will be able to drive). When the Saudis and the UAE decided to squeeze their troublesome neighbor, Qatar, Trump instinctively sided with Riyadh. Tillerson initially peeved Trump by leaning the other way, arguing that this dispute should be mediated. But by this month, Trump seemed to have come around to Tillerson's viewpoint and was talking on the phone to King Salman and in person to Qatar's ruling Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to say that it was time to resolve the dispute. An effort last week failed, but there will be another. Trump still leans toward Riyadh, but he knows that Tillerson and Mattis have a united front on this issue, as on most others. The Tillerson-Mattis relationship remains the balance wheel of this administration. Trump may get angry, as after Tillerson's comment that the president spoke for only himself after the Charlottesville unrest. But it's said that Trump watched the video of Tillerson's remarks three times and decided he was "OK with them," though he may still be quietly grumbling. Tillerson remains mystifyingly reluctant to use the communications tools that are an essential part of U.S. foreign policy. The latest example was the way he ceded control of refugee policy, a traditional State Department issue, to White House aide Stephen Miller, who set a cap of 45,000, the lowest in decades. Apparent (unfortunate) message: Tillerson didn't want another open dispute with the president. In Trump world, we're learning to watch what he does, more than just read his inflammatory tweets. That lesson applies to his itinerary. Watch where he goes, and some of the policy implications become clear. A president who is about to attack North Korea doesn't schedule a November trip to China. When elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court in 2000, Judge Roy Moore installed in his courthouse a monument with the Ten Commandments that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai carved into it. Told by a federal court his monument violated the separation of church and state, Moore refused to remove it and was suspended -- to become famous as "The Ten Commandments Judge." Roy Moore is now the Republican candidate for the Senate from Alabama, having routed Sen. Luther Strange, whom President Trump endorsed and campaigned for. Moore's primary win is a fire bell in the night for GOP senators in 2018. And should he defeat his Democratic opponent, the judge will be coming to Capitol Hill, gunning for Mitch McConnell. Yet it is the moral convictions of the candidate that make this an interesting race for all Americans. For Moore is a social conservative of a species that is almost extinct in Washington. He believes that man-made law must conform to the "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," as written in Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. If a law contradicts God's law, it is invalid, nonbinding. In some cases, civil disobedience, deliberate violation of such a law, may be the moral duty of a Christian. Moore believes God's Law is even above the Constitution, at least as interpreted by recent Supreme Courts. Homosexuality, an abomination in the Old Testament, Moore sees as "an inherent evil." When the high court, in Obergefell v. Hodges, discovered a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, Moore, back on the Alabama court, defied the decision, was suspended again, and resigned. Postmodern America may see the judge as a refugee from the Neolithic period. Yet, his convictions, and how he has stood by them, are going to attract folks beyond Alabama. And the judge's views on God, man and law are not without a distinguished paternity. In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. King wrote: "(T)here are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'An unjust law is no law at all.'... "A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law." In his Declaration, Jefferson wrote that all men are endowed by their "Creator" with inalienable rights, and among these is the right to life. Many Christians believe that what the Supreme Court did in Roe v. Wade -- declare an unborn child's right to life contingent upon whether its mother wishes to end it -- violates God's law, "Thou shalt not kill." Throughout our history, people acting upon such beliefs have defied laws, and are today celebrated for it. Abolitionists, in violation of laws they believed immoral, set up the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to freedom. King believed that laws imposing racial segregation violated the American "creed" that "all men are created equal" and acted on that belief. Thomas More is considered by Catholics to be a saint and moral hero for defying Henry VIII's demand, among others, that he endorse a lie, that the king's marriage to Anne Boleyn was not adultery. Early Christians accepted martyrdom rather than obey laws of the Caesars and burn incense to the gods of Rome. After Hitler took power in 1933, he authorized the eradication of "useless eaters" in the Third Reich. Those who condemned these laws as violations of God's law, and even attempted to assassinate Hitler in 1944, are today regarded as moral heroes. Moore, should he win, is going to become an object of fascination in The Secular City. Yet his questions and concerns are those of the silent millions on the losing side of America's culture war. Is the USA still a good and Godly country when 55 million abortions have been performed with the sanction of law in 45 years? Do court decisions that force Christians to act against their religious beliefs have to be obeyed? What is the duty of Christians in a paganized and perverted society? What is taking place today is a growing alienation of one-half of the country from the other, a growing belief of millions of Americans that our society has become morally sick. Christianity and the moral truths it has taught for 2,000 years have been deposed from the pre-eminent position they held until after World War II, and are now rejected as a source of law. They have been replaced by the tenets of a secular humanism that is the prevailing orthodoxy of our new cultural, social and intellectual elites. If elected, Judge Moore, one imagines, will not be rendering respectfully unto the new Caesar. The amount of time and money spent to document and pay taxes is ridiculous and our family small businesses are eager for the relief. We spend over $1,500 per year to prepare our taxes and that does not include a monthly bookkeeping fee of $150 nor the $1,000 per year for a software fee to help keep track of expenses and do payroll. I'm afraid to add up the number of hours we spend to track all of our tax-related compliance. I could grow my business if I spent less time and money on tax-related items. The insane thought that tax cuts must be paid for is the most infantile idea that the Democrats have ever foisted upon the citizens of the United States. Allowing the people of the United States to keep more of their hard-earned income is not something that has to be paid for. Thinking so is like telling your boss that he must pay for the fact that you are in debt. We the people are those the government works for. We the people are the employers of those in Washington D.C., and it is not up to those in government to tell us that we must pay for their foolish spending habits. What needs to be done is to reverse this thinking. Congress must think about how they are going to pay for a project or program before they pass it. The pockets of the people are not bottomless, and the debt being incurred by thoughtless government officials must be stopped. Giving the people a tax cut is a wonderful idea. Allowing the people to keep more of their hard-earned income will only stimulate the economy, and in the long run will increase government revenue. The government needs to stop spending like drunken Democrats and give us our tax breaks. Only a fool thinks that tax cuts must be paid for. - Mark Solheim, Sioux City Nutcracker Sweet sat the pocket as Closing Statement moved for the top, besting the 4-5 favourite in the stretch to win the second of four divisions of the $302,000 Western Ideal Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace, presented by Hanover Shoe Farms and Brittany Farms, at The Red Mile on Saturday, September 30 in 1:50.3. Taking the front after a :28.3 quarter, Nutcracker Sweet later yielded to Closing Statement, stretching him out through the backstretch before eventually letting him clear at the half in :55.3. Tim Tetrick tipped the 8-5 second choice off the rail midway around the final turn, drawing alongside Closing Statement following a 1:23.2 third-quarter before putting him away into the final eighth of a mile. Keystone Tenacious, tracking the contested lead from the rail, took third. Competing for the interests of Howard Taylor, Order By Stable, and Richard Lombardo, Nutcracker Sweet, by Bettors Delight from the Falcons Future mare Sweet Future, won his third race in starts, amassing $85,116 in earnings. Trained by Jimmy Takter, he paid $5.20 to win. Im A Big Deal swept to the front off a fast setup, cruising to a 1:51.3 victory in the opening division of the Bluegrass colt and gelding pace. Positioned fourth as Larry Karr rushed to control in a :25.4 quarter, David Miller tipped Im A Big Deal wide, gaining the lead after a :55 half. Somebaddude, tracking his cover, was left first over around the final turn, applying pressure to Im A Big Deal through a 1:22.3 third-quarter before giving way into the stretch. Scooting away from the field, Im A Big Deal was unchallenged through the stretch, holding a clear lead as Shadow Cat rallied from second over to take second, while Bounding Dragon, from third over, took third. Owned by Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo, and trainer Chris Ryder, Im A Big Deal, by Somebeachsomewhere from the McArdle mare Big Mcdeal, won his third race in eight starts, earning $55,010. Driven by David Miller, he paid $5.40 to win. Points North popped from the pocket to the lead passing the quarter, proceeding to a 1:52.4 win in the third Bluegrass colt and gelding pace split. Settling for second as Grand Teton swept to control through a :28.4 quarter, Points North angled outside to retake the lead before the half, hitting that station in :56.1. Manverick moved first over into the far turn, challenging Points North at three-quarters in 1:25.1 before faltering into the stretch. Room opened for Grand Teton to rally off the rail, rushing alongside Points North into the eighth pole but finishing a neck shy of the winner while Rockin Away closed from third over to finish third. Scoring his fifth-consecutive and overall win in nine starts this season, Points North, a gelding by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Western Hanover mare Northwest Hanover, returned $7.00 to win. Owned by Pinske Stables, trained by Richard Nifty Norman, and driven by Andrew McCarthy, Points North pushed his career earnings to $75,030. Tim Tetrick, driving 4-5 favourite This Is The Plan, plotted a first-over trip to take the fourth Bluegrass colt and gelding pace in 1:52.4. Getting away fifth, This Is The Plan sat off a :29 opening quarter set by Pro Beach entering the backstretch. Twin B Tuffenuff moved wide from third, brushing to the front before a :57.1 half to lead into the far turn while This Is The Plan began his move uncovered. Drawing alongside Twin B Tuffenuff past three-quarters in 1:26, This Is The Plan fought through the stretch to take the lead from Twin B Tuffenuff, edging by in the closing strides to win while Twin B Tuffenuff finished second in a dead heat with pocket-sitter Pro Beach splitting horses late. A gelding by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Western Ideal mare Thats The Plan, This Is The Plan, winning his second race in nine starts this season, has earned $149,149 for owner-trainer Chris Ryder and co-owner Robert Mondillo. He paid $3.60 to win. Making a slingshot move in the stretch, Kissin In The Sand bested odds-on favourite Rainbow Room to take the first of three divisions of the $262,700 Artspeak Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Filly Pace, presented by the Artspeak Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms, in 1:51. Kissin In The Sand, sitting second to Double A Mint around the turn, circled to the front through a :28.2 opening quarter, soon opting for the pocket as Rainbow Room brushed to the lead from third before a :55.4 half. Coming to three-quarters, Yannick Gingras gradually edged Kissin In The Sand off the rail, readying for a challenge past the third-quarter in 1:23.4, drawing alongside Rainbow Room into the final eighth and edging by in the final strides with Majorsspeciallady chasing in third. By Somebeachsomewhere from the Real Artist mare Kiss Me Kate, Kissin In The Sand, returning $9.00, won her fourth race in nine starts, compiling $121,748 in earnings. She competes for owners Marvin Katz and Hatfield Stables and is conditioned by Nancy Johansson. Sansovina Hanover fanned off cover into the stretch, sliding to a 1:53.1 win in the second division of the Bluegrass filly pace. Cuts Like A Knife took the lead from Yankee Will Dance, blasting to the rail off the gate, before a :29.1 opening quarter. Kjs Bekah, sitting third, moved off the rail for the front, taking it prior to a :56.2 half. Sansovina Hanover, flushed first over by Ana Hanover, advanced uncovered around the far turn, picking up cover from Cuts Like A Knife edging off the rail to match strides with leader KJs Bekah at three-quarters in 1:25.2. KJs Bekah remained in front turning for home. Sansovina Hanover moved toward the center of the track, taking the lead inside the eighth pole while KJs Bekah held second from Betterthangraduate, rallying from a rail trip to take third. Winning her second race in nine starts, Sansovina Hanover, by Somebeachsomewhere from the Western Terror mare Shacked Up, has earned $73,520 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Silva, Purnel and Libby, Michel Yanek and Weaver Bruscemi. Trained by Ron Burke and driven by Yannick Gingras, she paid $6.40. Bye Hanover hurried through openings at the rail, winning the third Bluegrass filly pace in 1:52.2. Strong Opinion set a mostly uncontested pace, going fractions of :28.1, :56.2, and 1:24.4 while enduring mild pressure from 3-5 favourite Come See The Show first over. Drifting off the rail in the stretch, Strong Opinion and Alexas Power, tipping wide off a pocket trip, left a seam for Bye Hanover to slide into contention through the stretch, with Bye Hanover emerging on top within the final sixteenth, besting Strong Opinion in second and Alexas Power finishing third. Trained by Brian Brown and driven by David Miller, Bye Hanover, by Well Said out of the Somebeachsomewhere mare Beachbunny Hanover, races for owners Richard Lombardo, RBH Ventures, Joe Sbrocco, and Hutchison Harness. Winning her second race in nine starts, she has earned $107,248, and paid $11.60 to win. Grand Circuit Racing at The Red Mile resumes Sunday, October 1 for the first matinee program of the meet. The Sunday card is highlighted by two divisions of the $177,500 Galleria Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Filly Pace, presented by Fashion Farms, three divisions of the $183,900 Cantab Hall Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Filly Trot, sponsored by Hanover Shoe Farms and Brittany Farms, three divisions of the $220,200 Somebeachcomewhere Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace, sponsored by the Somebeachsomewhere Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms, and three divisions of the $216,300 Explosive Matter Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Trot, presented by the Explosive Matter Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms. First-race post for the Sunday card is 1:00 p.m. EDT. (With files from The Red Mile) Pappys Pal tipped wide into the stretch to take the $20,000 featured pace at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono Saturday, September 30 in 1:50.2. Favoured Parnu Hanover went to the top in :27.1, reamining in front through a :54.2 half. Super Imposed N mounted a first-over bid into the backstretch toward the leader, reaching Parnu Hanover at three-quarters, clocked in 1:21.4, and grabbed a short advantage in early stretch. Pappys Pal, reserved inside by driver Jim Marohn Jr. until the far turn, swung two-wide when the second-over couldnt stay with cover. Wider as they turned for home, the Cams Card Shark gelding wore down Super Imposed N, then held off passing-lane challenger Casimir Jitterbug, winning by three-quarter lengths, with Super Imposed N another neck back in third. Pappys Pal boosted his bankroll here to $314,103, winning his fourth race in 30 starts this season. Matias Ruiz trains the sharp pacer, and he co-owns him with James Mascola. He returned $13.80 to win. (With files from the PHHA) Worldwide Marriage Encounter Perception Survey for North America Ending Thursday (Oct. 5, 2017) SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Oct. 1, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- Participation in a short perception survey concerning Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) will end this Thursday, Oct. 5th, 2017. The survey, which is in both English and Spanish, can be accessed by going to http://tiny.cc/WWME-Perceptions-Survey or http://tiny.cc/EMM-Perceptions-Survey or http://tiny.cc/EMM-Percepciones-Encuesta , it was announced today by Carlos & Citlalli Palomares and Fr. Vincent Clemente, the WWME North American Weekend Pillar Ecclesial Team. "We have exceeded over 2000 survey takers in the last two months and as we wrap up the project we want to give everyone, especially married couples who have not attended a Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend, the opportunity to give their input to the survey questions," said the Palomares and Fr. Clemente. The survey takes 5 to 7 minutes to complete and can be completely anonymous. Each spouse can complete the survey separately. The results of the survey will be announced in mid-October at the United States WWME board meeting. The survey was created so that WWME leaders can see how married couples perceive Worldwide Marriage Encounter and its various programs. Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been offering weekend experiences for over 49 years and is considered the original faith-based marriage enrichment program. The programs are continually updated to keep abreast of changes in society, and WWME now offers evening and half-day programs that are presented at parishes and other church facilities. The weekend program, traditionally presented as an overnight experience at a hotel or retreat center, can also be presented at the parish where the couples return to their homes in the evenings. WWME has a presence in almost 100 countries, which makes it the largest pro-marriage movement in the world. In North America, the WWME programs are presented in English, Spanish, French, and Korean languages. Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers married couples the opportunity to spend time together away from the busyness of the world to focus on each other. Priests are also encouraged to attend a WWME weekend, which offers insights into their relationship with the church and their parishioners, and how their Sacrament of Holy Orders interacts with the Sacrament of Matrimony. WWME offers tools for building and maintaining a strong, Christian marriage in today's world. To learn more about the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends online, go to wwme.org, or contact the WWME national office at (909) 863-9963. Arts and culture have an important role to play in helping cities like Tauranga reach their potential in the 21st century. Thats the opinion of Wellington advertising agency chief executive Peter Biggs, who came to speak to key stakeholders in the Western Bay of Plentys Arts & Culture Strategy. Peter, who is also chair of the New Zealand Book Council and a former chair of the Arts Council of New Zealand, spoke to a group of invited guests at Maungatapu Marae on Tuesday afternoon, including representatives from local iwi, Tourism Bay of Plenty, Creative Bay of Plenty, The Incubator, and Tauranga Society of Artists. His talk looked at how changing times and technologies means creativity will be more important than ever in driving economic growth, now and in the future. We live a strange century. Everything is changing dramatically, he says. Who wouldve thought, 10 years ago, that the biggest accommodation provider in the world today Airbnb wouldnt own any hotels? Or that the worlds largest taxi company, Uber, wouldnt own any cars? He also stresses the need to look beyond the concept of countries, and to see the world as more like a network of cities. This is the century of the city. One million people move from rural areas into cities every week across the globe. Peter is a fan of magnet cities cities that attract the best and brightest people to live and work there. Arts and culture, he says, are a part of that attraction. In the past, economic fortune made culture possible. But now, it is culture that makes economic fortune possible. He points to Tel Aviv as an example of a city with a definable identity the city that never stops and how this culture is built into its bylaws and structures. He says 120 years ago it was just desert, and now its the most vibrant city in Israel. After speaking at the marae, Peter also attended a networking event with Priority One in the CBD. Arts & Culture Strategy development steering group chair Sonya Korohina says feedback has been received from the community, and soon theyll have a document to present to Tauranga City Council. It consists of 30 actions to promote arts and culture in the region, each with corresponding lead and support agencies. We had over 600 submissions on our Arts & Culture Strategy, compared with just 400 for Aucklands one. Were really excited about the depth and diversity of the community engagement. The Arts & Culture Strategy will be presented to the council on November 14. Looking at the world through the eyes of the Web Dozens of community volunteers picked through blackberry bushes Saturday as they gathered trash from a former homeless camp near Coal Creek Boat Launch. Thirty-eight people had registered to help with the cleanup by mid-morning, and they brought a large contingent of willing youngsters who also pitched in. Erica Kirkley of Silver Lake said was the groups fifth river cleanup since her husband Jarrod Kirkley founded the nonprofit Riverjunky a year ago. Organizers said they expected to haul out as much as 20,000 pounds of trash from an area riddled with former homeless camps. The cleanup drew volunteers from across the region, from as far north as Sammamish, Washington, to as far south as Vancouver. Eric Peterson, of Fife, said this was his fourth Riverjunky cleanup. I fish! Beyond that, this stuff doesnt need to be out here, Peterson said when asked why he keeps coming to the cleanups. Youngster Caelyn Smith, of Longview, was on her first cleanup. Its actually really fun. I dont like cleaning my room, but I like doing this, she said. Caelyn and a group of other local and Seattle-area kids were hauling metal shelving, plastic garbage bags full of trash and a plastic child stroller shaped like a Volkswagen beetle along the single-file trails that had been hacked through towering blackberry brambles to get from the river back up the rise to a parking area. Kirkley said that the original suggestion to attack this area came from a post on the groups Facebook page. She did not know if they would be able to get it all in one Saturday. But as people kept hauling in the big items such as table tops, backpacks and fan parts, and picking up the smaller ones like clothing, paper and aluminum foil from the campsites and out of the blackberries, it was clear that they are going to make a big difference in the area. J. L. BELL is a Massachusetts writer who specializes in (among other things) the start of the American Revolution in and around Boston. He is particularly interested in the experiences of children in 1765-75. He has published scholarly papers and popular articles for both children and adults. He was consultant for an episode of History Detectives, and contributed to a display at Minute Man National Historic Park. Business / Companies by Staff Reporter ECONET Wireless boss Strive Masiyiwa's Kwese TV yesterday received a major boost after its partner Dr Dish's application seeking to broadcast pending a Supreme Court appeal by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), was granted by High Court judge Justice Charles Hungwe.Early this month, Dr Dish (Private) Ltd, filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court seeking authority to continue broadcasting after its High Court order was challenged by BAZ chief executive officer Obert Muganyura.The current court battle came about when Muganyura, on August 22 this year, cancelled Dr Dish's licence on the basis that its service provision to the country was illegal.However, when the matter was urgently heard, Justice Hungwe ruled in favour of Dr Dish, resulting in the pending appeal.A fortnight ago, Dr Dish filed an urgent application seeking leave to execute pending appeal arguing BAZ and Muganyura were simply playing a delaying tactic which would be costly to the independent broadcaster.Dr Dish further said prior to being stopped operating it had 24 145 subscribers and when the court ruled in its favour 5 429 more subscribers joined bringing the total number of subscribers to 32 429.Dr Dish said the violation of its subscribers constitutional rights would be perpetuated if leave to execute pending appeal was not granted on an urgent basis, an argument Justice Hungwe upheld.In his recent judgement, Justice Hungwe ruled that Muganyura's decision to cancel Dr Dish's licence was illegal since he had no authority to make the same decision. iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- President Trump said he told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that any negotiations with Kim Jong Un, whom Trump called Little Rocket Man, are a waste of time. In an apparent response to news this weekend that the U.S. has open channels of communication with North Korea, the president also tweeted Sunday that Tillerson should save his energy because the U.S. will "do what has to be done." I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 ...Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017 Tillerson, speaking off-camera with reporters during his trip to China's capital, said Saturday that the administration is speaking to North Korea "directly, through our own channels." "We have lines of communication to Pyongyang. We're not in a dark situation, a blackout," he said from the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Beijing. "We can talk to them. We do talk to them." Tillerson said the Trump administration has "three channels" open with the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The top U.S. diplomat also said broad sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program "are beginning to have an effect." "We are seeing from what we can observe -- and the Chinese are telling us -- that it is having some effect," Tillerson said, adding that the Chinese "have a pretty close view of it." "But I also think it's the uniform voice coming from the international community. There is almost no one aligning with North Korea on this nuclear program of theirs." This is not the first time Trump and his secretary of state have publicly differed in their statements on North Korea. In June, Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis said the U.S. and China were pushing ahead on applying diplomatic pressure on North Korea. At the time, Trump tweeted that, while he appreciated Chinas efforts, they have not worked out. On Saturday, the secretary of state described the situation with Pyongyang as "overheated" after back-and-forth barbs between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Tillerson blamed North Korea for the rising tensions, saying that if it would stop testing missiles, that "would calm down things a lot." Following Tillerson's remarks, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert issued a statement Saturday saying there are "several open channels" in which the Trump administration "can communicate" with the North Korean government, but officials in Pyongyang so far "have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization." "U.S. diplomats have several open channels in which we can communicate with officials within the North Korean regime," Nauert said in the statement. "Despite assurances that the United States is not interested in promoting the collapse of the current regime, pursuing regime change, accelerating reunification of the peninsula or mobilizing forces north of the DMZ, North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding denuclearization." Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Opinion / Columnist President Robert Mugabe's declaration that he is going nowhere despite the hardships experienced by ordinary Zimbabweans clearly shows his obduracy to the plight of the citizenry.This also demonstrates that the soon-to-be 94-year-old Mugabe does not care about the people's suffering despite his claims that only the people who elected him will remove him from power when the time comes.It proves Mugabe simply considers his power as an end in itself rather than a means to an end.What is regrettable is that Mugabe never takes responsibility for his actions. First, he blamed the British and the Americans, then the opposition and sanctions, now its internal foes in Zanu PF, yet the truth is none of these as this is a pure case of his poor leadership style and endemic corruption in the country.Mugabe himself is the biggest saboteur. Where did his wife First Lady Grace Mugabe get the money to buy a $1,4m diamond ring, how about money buying latest cars and mansions in foreign lands for his family?What does he and his family do that brings them all this cash to burn if these are not acts of economic sabotage, some kind of asset-stripping for self-aggrandisement.History is awash with presidents who opted to step down even if those who elected them had not said so because they realised and appreciated that they had failed their people - even though Zimbabwe's case is worse than what they had gone through.It is said age comes with wisdom, but in Zimbabwe's case, this has become a curse as regards Mugabe and his overbearing wife whose love for opulence is unfathomable.Conventional wisdom entails that one knows when it is time to go and when not to. As the situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate every day, it appears there is no likelihood that there will be real economic development as long as Mugabe remains an albatross on the necks of the citizens.This is despite central bank governor John Mangudya, Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa and Mugabe's own hallucinations that the economy is on the rebound.One can only wonder which economy they are talking about. We have no doubt that surely it can't be in the once great nation of Zimbabwe.Mugabe must be warned that he has had his time, and the day for him has already come and gone. The fact that his Zanu PF acolytes could be plotting against him should definitely show him that he has overstayed his welcome and his threats to hold on for as long as it takes is a demonstration of his selfishness and egocentric attitude.He would rather everyone be impoverished while his family continues to enjoy obscene wealth and luxury.The President should ask himself why some people would foment economic turmoil as a way of pushing him to relinquish power.The simple answer is they know Mugabe would never be ejected through the ballot because he has the entire electoral system in his pocket.If he is confident that he has done extremely well, then why would people plot to push him out instead of helping him to stretch his stay?If Mugabe did not know, the fact is Zimbabweans are pinning their hopes on Zanu PF's capacity to destroy itself from within through the factional wars before the next polls.When a country is in as bad a situation as Zimbabwe, any noble, decent and self-respecting leader would do the right thing and allow someone else to come in and try new things.This kind of politicking shows the President is not keen on dealing with cash barons within his family because he knows he is the biggest beneficiary. Mugabe has completely lost his marbles, if ever he possessed them in the first place. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Unless we are traveling or picking up someone from the airport, most of us likely do not give much consideration to the role aviation plays in the ability of Southern Illinois to work and its impact on the regional economy and it is a significant impact. I think it is a very exciting time for aviation in Southern Illinois, said Doug Kimmel, airport director for Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois. Kimmel and other aviation and economic development leaders in the region say the industry is in growth mode. Weve seen our operations here things like aircraft takeoffs and landings increase fourfold in the last year, he said. Much of the increase is because of the presence of Airgo, a Centralia-based company which offers aviation training. Kimmel says the company is helping Chinese flight students achieve their private pilot licenses and earn in-flight hours with the goal of becoming airline pilots in their home country. Cape Air continues to offer passenger service from the airport located between Herrin and Marion to St. Louis International Airport at Lambert Field. He says Cape Airs ridership is also on the upswing. I think we can attribute that to a new airfare structure they have, he said. They are using a tiered structure where the sooner you booker your flight, the cheaper your seat. He says the airline, which offers multiple flights to and from St. Louis daily, is a significant economic development tool. For us a region, passenger service is one more arrow in the quiver for economic development, he said. Its part of our transportation infrastructure. Just like Interstate 57 or Amtrak, its a means of accessing Southern Illinois without having to drive. For leisure travelers, it is a convenience. But from a business and economic perspective, it opens our region up for immediate access, not only for our business people to get to other places, but for others to be able to come here. Gary Shafer, manager of the Southern Illinois Airport, located between Carbondale and Murphysboro, said the ability to get to and from the region is vital. Access is critically important to participate in national and international commerce, he said. Having the ability to go from one of these airports to anywhere in the world is so important. Shafer says the strength of aviation nationally comes from an increase in the number of people flying nationally as well as the increase in the use of private jets by business, and an increase in demand for commercial pilots and mechanics. The need for additional pilots is of particular importance to Shafer and Southern Illinois Airport, which serves as the base for Southern Illinois University Carbondales aviation program. Annually, the program turns out dozens of pilots, airplane mechanics and other aviation professionals as one of the nations top aviation programs. The university is a strong and large tenant of the airport facility, Shafer said. It has been that way since 1960 and they have grown considerably since then. It has been and continues to be a great partnership. Carbondale Economic Development Director Steve Mitchell said the airport is an asset to the community and region. For the Southern Illinois Airport, the benefits are multi-faceted, he said. Not only do you have the great work of SIU aviation and the attention that particular program brings to SIU and the region, but having the airport here is hugely important during site selection and site visits for businesses considering Southern Illinois. I dont think the region could really move forward without some sort of air transportation. Its a major factor as companies look at our community and region for potential business placement. The airports are not just for coming and going, but also are actively pursuing businesses to locate on their property. One of the missions we have is to develop property, Shafer said. We have identified a number of parcels for both aviation and non-aviation development. Weve ramped up our efforts to attract companies her that could take advantage of low-cost space, available talent in the aria and other resources that are available here with a relatively low cost of living. I expect well continue to see that across the region. Shafer said several companies have located on airport property and that these businesses continue to make an impact on the local and regional economies. We are working closely with the Southern Illinois Airport Authority to place aviation-related businesses on their property, said Cheryl Benn, executive director of Jackson Growth Alliance. "Any business that serves the aviation industry such as those that manufacture parts or do maintenance or those businesses which have a need for flying as part of their business operations are all a good fit. A 2011 State of Illinois economic impact study of every airport in the state showed that airports are key players in regional economy. The study showed that the Southern Illinois Airport had an economic impact of $68 million annually and that Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois had an impact of nearly $22 million. Both airport directors think those numbers are lean. Id guess it has gone up since then, Kimmel said. With the addition of Airgo, new buildings in the airport business park and more all have really generated a lot of activity for our communities. Plus, since we just finished the construction of the new airline terminal, that was a construction job of $15 million that generated a lot of economic development itself. Shafer added, The study included the purchases by the businesses that are located here, payroll figures, supplies and inputs and the turn-over of those dollars. I think they study used a multiplier of 1.2, which I think is very conservative. Combined, the impact of just the two larger airports in the region approaches $100 million annually, without considering the numerous smaller airports across the region. Together, it means that aviation is a big part of the local economy, and leaders expect more. I think the years will show that it all plays together the educational aspects, the business aspects and the access, Kimmel says. Route 13, I-57, Amtrak and the airports all combining as a sort of crossroads for transportation that can attract and accommodate business activity. I wholeheartedly see future growth. The sky is the limit for potential. Most will never know many of the things Thomas C. McNamara did in his nearly 40-year career in law enforcement. Williamson County Sheriff Bennie Vick worked with McNamara on and off for about 40 years. Tom was real secretive about everything he did. We did some things you wouldnt believe, things like you see on television, Vick said. McNamara began his career as a part-time administrative assistant to Carbondale Police Chief Jack Hazel while he was a senior at SIU. Over the years, he was an author, instructor, investigator, expert witness and undercover agent. He was an inspector for the investigation of organized criminal activities throughout the state of Illinois and worked as a covert drug-gang officer, intelligence officer, and director of Southern Illinois Enforcement Group while working for Illinois State Police. After retirement, McNamara continued working with SIEG and local police departments as an instructor and working on grants and special projects. He was well-known among police agencies and was considered an expert in narcotics enforcement. Joseph Dakin, who served as police chief in Carbondale from 1970 to 1974, met McNamara when he started in 1970, and they had been friends since then. He was my administrative assistant and he helped me immeasurably. He knew things that I didnt have any knowledge of. We worked pretty closely together and become very good friends. We maintained our friendship all these years, Dakin said. Dakin said much of McNamaras career centered around narcotics enforcement and investigation. He also worked undercover compiling evidence against a motorcycle gang, which Dakin said was very dangerous. Tom worked in narcotics field. He became a very well-known expert in the drug field, Dakin said. Mac was always involved with drugs. That was his forte. He was probably the leading person on meth. He was an adviser for a lot of people and helped train others, Vick said. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan echoed the sentiments shared by Dakin and Vick. McNamara worked with Madigan to combat meth and later synthetic drugs. Mac was a public servant whose dedication to protecting our communities from drugs saved countless lives. He was driven by a deep commitment to help others and make the world a safer and better place, and I will always be grateful for his friendship and support on combating drugs, Madigan said in a statement issued Friday to The Southern. Dakin and his four children thought of McNamara as a family member, even after Dakin took positions at SIU and in Springfield. They maintained a close relationship even when Dakin was not around. I dont know who to put into words how dear he was to me and how much we will miss him, Dakin said. McNamara was one of the finest law enforcement officer Vick ever saw. He doesnt think there is anyone in law enforcement that Mac did not help, either of those working today or back 40 years ago. He was just a good man. Gosh, I miss him. It will be hard for everybody, Vick said. He was just a very, very capable, kind and understanding man. Im going to miss him a whole lot, Dakin said. Services for Tom McNamara will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, in John A. Logan College. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m. A law enforcement walk through will begin at 2 p.m., followed by services. Father Jack Frerker will officiate. Other speakers will include Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, Susan Nichols, Joseph Dakin and family members. Memorials may be sent to Williamson County Sheriffs Department Canine Unit, 404 N. Van Buren St., Marion, IL 62959. Please write Macs K9 Fund in the subject line. Memorials also may be made to Centerstone rehabilitation center in Marion. News / National by Staff reporter Sekuru Kamwelo Banda - the popular Harare-based traditional healer, herbalist and spiritualist - has a burning desire to one day travel to Vatican City and meet Pope Francis, from whom he said he draws inspiration.Pope Francis is the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, and his position as ex officio Bishop of Rome makes him the leader of the world's largest Christian denomination.Sekuru Banda has forged a working relationship with people from diverse religious and cultural beliefs."Although I am a Muslim and traditional healer, I have great respect for other for religions. I draw a lot of inspiration from Pope Francis and several other Christian leaders. I am on a learning curve and in the event that I meet him, I am expecting to learn a lot from him," Sekuru Banda said.He talked about his daily experiences with the Christian community."Research has shown that the majority of Zimbabweans are Christians. When I treat people, I don't look at their religious beliefs. Our clinic, just like Harare Hospital for example, caters for everyone since I treat people as people and not basing on their religious beliefs," said Sekuru Banda, who was speaking on the sidelines of a training session that he recently conducted in Victoria Falls and Livingstone, Zambia.During the session, Dr Banda taught 200 herbalists, medical doctors and scientists drawn from several European countries some aspects of African culture and traditional healing.According to Sekuru Banda, the group that he taught were drawn from people of different religious beliefs.Apart from some aspects of African traditional medicine, the group also learnt about such spiritual aspects as evil spirits."It is known that the Western world is struggling to contain such diseases as diabetes, various types of cancers, arthritis, heart diseases and asthma, among others. African traditional medicine can easily cure such ailments. Medical doctors cannot chase away evil spirits," added Sekuru Banda.When casting out evil spirits, Sekuru Banda said: "I do everything myself. There is no need for beer brewing ceremonies. What a client simply does is to present the problem."As part of efforts to learn other religious and cultural beliefs, Sekuru Banda visited Israel last year and visited some of the most important religious sites in Jerusalem.He also briefly stayed and exchanged notes with Kwaku Nana Bonsam, the well-known Ghanaian traditional healer and fetish priest.Fetish priests serve as mediators between the spirit world and the living. GREENVILLE -- Student musicians from the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities will make a stop in Orangeburg on their 2017 Share the Music Tour. They'll perform a free, public concert at Claflin University's W.V. Middleton Fine Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17. "We invite the community to get to know South Carolina's only public, residential school for the arts through this musical experience, featuring some of our state's most talented young musicians," said Dr. Cedric Adderley, SCGSAH president. "Guests will enjoy a wide range of works performed by Governor's School music ensembles, including the Cantus Chamber Choir, Concertato String Orchestra, Music Theatre Ensemble, Piano Ensembles and Wind Ensemble." The annual Share the Music Tour, sponsored by the KEMET Corporation and the Governor's School for the Arts Foundation, is a Governor's School outreach initiative that brings performances to schools and communities throughout the state. This year, touring students will spend two days visiting and performing for 17 elementary and secondary schools located in Allendale, Bamberg, Edgefield, Newberry, Orangeburg and Saluda counties. "Our music faculty value this tour as an opportunity to give back to the citizens of the state, all while allowing our students the chance to hone their performance skills in front of supportive audiences," said Dr. Stephen Taylor, SCGSAH Music Department chair. The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities is a public, residential high school in Greenville, serving gifted and talented students from across the state. Built on a conservatory model, the Music Department provides pre-professional training, by experienced and dedicated faculty of artist-teachers, that focuses on the advanced development of individual musical skills and knowledge. Music graduates attend some of the most prestigious colleges, universities and conservatories across the nation, and alumni are performing and teaching around the world. The Governor's School also offers two-week summer programs for younger students, providing a specialized and intensive classical training experience. Applications are now being accepted for the 2018-2019 residential high school and summer programs. Any student who is a resident of South Carolina and in 6th-10th grade is eligible to apply. For more information, visit www.scgsah.org. Connecting with HBCUs is an important factor in Alpha Phil Alpha bringing its district conference to Orangeburg, the fraternitys district director said. From 200 to 300 Alphas are expected for the Oct. 13-14 conference, Don Weston of Greenville said during a telephone news conference with Panther reporters on Sept. 26. The event will be held on the campuses of Claflin and South Carolina State universities. Its kind of a homecoming for us, Weston said. It gives us an opportunity to reconnect with our HBCUs. Events are being held at Claflin and S.C. State instead of other local facilities by design, Weston said. Collegiate members of the fraternity are expected to take part in the weekend, with about 40 brothers coming from Claflin, S.C. State and Voorhees College in Denmark. It is our way of being engaged and connected to the college campuses, Weston said. The district conference is returning to Orangeburg as part of a rotation between five areas of the state. Its theme is The Urgency of Now: Community Impact and Brotherhood Unity! The two days will include events to which the public is invited and encouraged to attend. The Oct. 13 public program from 6-7:30 p.m. at Claflins W.V. Middleton Fine Arts Center will feature presentation of awards to citizens embodying the spirit and service of the Emanuel Nine, the church members slain in Charleston in 2015, Weston said. Honors will be presented in five categories: political action, safety, faith, volunteerism and educational support. Living Legends awards will go to two Alpha fraternity members from chapters in the Orangeburg area, Weston said. A reception is planned afterward to further recognize the honorees. The event is free and open to the public. Weston said the conference includes community outreach and mentoring initiatives. Conference attendees will participate in two projects on Oct. 13 at Brookdale Elementary School and Howard Middle School in Orangeburg. At Brookdale, fraternity brothers will serve elementary students with the Alpha Men Do Read initiative. The project promotes literacy development with a book drive and dedicated reading time. At Howard, brothers will serve middle school students through the "Lets Tie Things Up" initiative by conducting interactive workshops regarding the importance of a positive and professional male image and career readiness. Students will also receive and learn how to tie neckties and bow ties. Other public events include: Step Show Competition, Oct. 13, 8-11 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, S.C. State. The competition highlights chapters in the art of stepping and creativity by allowing each team to showcase its individual style and talents. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Belford V. Lawson Oratorical Competition Luncheon, Oct. 14, S.C. State Bulldog Lounge (student center). College brothers get the opportunity to enhance and display their communication skills through oration. Tickets are $30. Dr. John Hope Franklin Collegiate Scholars' Bowl, Oct. 14, 3-4:30 p.m., Belcher Hall at S.C. State. A public forum through which undergraduate collegiate scholars demonstrate academic and intellectual knowledge and skills. Free and open to the public. Dr. Hobart S. Jarrett Debate Competition, Oct. 14, 3-4:30 p.m., Belcher Hall at S.C. State. Develops the skills of fraternity members in argumentation and research, persuasion, oral and written communication, and critical thinking. This event is free and open to the public. Miss Black and Gold Pageant, Oct. 14, 8-10:30 p.m., W.V. Middleton Fine Arts Center at Claflin. The pageant spotlights young women's poise, self-confidence, communication skills, intelligence and beauty. Contestants are provided scholarships to assist with the financial obligations associated with post-secondary studies. Tickets are $15. Founded on Dec. 4, 1906, at Cornell University, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African-Americans and people of color around the world. The fraternity initially served as a study and support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice, both educationally and socially. Famous fraternity members who have been in the forefront of civil rights include W.E.B. DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Edward Brooke, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, William Gray, and Paul Robeson. Today Alpha Phi Alpha is comprised of 686 active chapters located in the United States, Germany, Bermuda, Korea, the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and Canada. There are 32 local chapters in South Carolina, including Orangeburg and Denmark, and on the three local HBCU campuses. For more information about the convention and tickets, visit www.scalpha.org. A Cope woman is going to prison for driving a killer from the scene and not reporting the incident to police. Adrienne Michelle Hay, 24, of 1511 Blewer Road, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact of voluntary manslaughter in the death of Adrian Jamil Eaglin, a 20-year-old Sumter man. The plea came before 1st Circuit Judge Ed Dickson on Friday at Orangeburg County Courthouse. Dickson sentenced her to 10 years in prison, suspended to 120 days at the Orangeburg County Detention Center, five years of probation and 250 hours of public service employment. Eaglin died on July 5, 2015, when Luther Green, 32, shot and killed the man after an argument at Indian Bluff Park near Eutawville. The argument stemmed from a dispute about women recklessly riding Jet Skis on Lake Marion near children. After the deadly argument, Hay, one of Greens friends, drove him to the hotel room in Santee that they rented. Deputy Solicitor Josh Edwards said Hay left her children at the park and then returned after dropping off Green at the hotel. When she returned to the park, she saw police were there. Instead of sticking around and talking with police, she left again and went back to the hotel. By that time, police made their way to the hotel, where they were trying to apprehend Mr. Green. She was not cooperative with police until she was taken into custody, Edwards said. She was not originally charged in the case, but after hearing everything that came out, especially at the stand-your-ground hearing, where she chose to testify, the state believes she testified untruthfully. I made the decision at that point to indict her for accessory after the fact. Green pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on June 26. Dickson earlier rejected his stand-your-ground defense. He is serving a decade in prison. Eaglins mother, Arkell and his twin sister, Adriana, stood together in the courtroom on Friday. Arkell Eaglin told the court that Hay knew better. She knows that she was wrong, she said. Its been a struggle. I have to deal with my own pain along with her pain, she said with her arm draped around her daughter. Kimberly Ann Young, 27, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in early July. She was Greens girlfriend at the time of the shooting. Young accompanied Green to the hotel after the shooting along with Hay. Hay, a stay-at-home mother, was represented by Glenn Walters. A newly formed Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce committee will focus on public teacher recruitment and retention. The committee was created through the Chamber's Main Street Business Town Hall meeting on Sept. 26. S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster was in attendance at the session held at Orangeburg Country Club. "It was very inspiring and open-minded meeting," Chamber President President Melinda Jackson said. One of the topics was related to shortages in light of the number of teachers retiring from public schools. Through the encouragement of the governor's office, the chamber, along with the grassroots organization One Orangeburg County, will put together a small group to discuss multifaceted educational issues facing the county with a special focus on attracting teachers. The advisory committee will consist of less than 10 members and will address issues from elementary school through college. South Carolina State University, Claflin University, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and Southern Methodist College will also be a part of the discussion. Jackson said the chamber feels a focus of local discussions needs to be teacher recruitment and retention. "We want to make sure we offer the support to our local colleges to provide the best curriculum and to meet whatever their needs are," Jackson said. Jackson said the committee will also focus on teacher pay in rural areas. "We need to see teacher pay more competitive than in the metro areas," she said. "We will look at the impact of attaining teachers in rural areas. One solution is looking at teacher pay scale." Ideas developed through the advisory committee will be brought to the governor's office for review and further discussion. Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4 Superintendent Dr. Tim Newman, who currently chairs the One Orangeburg County education committee and will serve as the head of the education advisory committee, could not be reached for comment. Superintendents for Consolidated School District 3 and 5 could also not be reached for comment. Teacher shortages and recruitment are not just challenges facing Orangeburg County. According to the state's Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement, about 6,500 public school teachers statewide didn't return to their classroom last year, while the number of college students graduating with an education degree shrunk to fewer than 1,900. Of the 6,500 teachers, more than 1,640 took a teaching job in a different South Carolina district, leaving more than 4,800 teachers this year who quit teaching altogether. A continuing problem is that teachers dont want to stay in their jobs. Of the teachers who did not return for the 2016-17 school year, 38 percent left within their first five years of teaching, and 12 percent left after one year or less in the classroom, according to the CERRA. Looking only at first-year, newly hired teachers, 28 percent hired for the 2015-16 school year did not return to the same position the following year. And 22 percent neither returned to the same position nor moved to a teaching position in any other South Carolina public school district, according to CERRA. Teacher pay is often cited as one of the reasons for teacher shortages. A 2015 study by the National Education Association ranked South Carolina No. 37 among the states for average teacher salary at $48,430. In an effort to address the issue, the state has formed a teacher-recruitment panel made up of educators, legislators and state officials. Higher education On the higher education front, OCtech President Dr. Walt Tobin, who participated in the governor's visit, said the college has not had a difficult time retaining teachers, but it has had a difficult time finding teachers for professions like nursing, health science and manufacturing. "We are competing against folks in the industry for those faculty members," he said, noting teachers of nursing need to have a master's degree to be in line with four-year institutions. "We have been lucky in that regard. We have grown our own faculty." "A lot of nursing grads with advanced degrees have expressed interest in teaching," Tobin said, noting they have also expressed an interest in specifically teaching at OCtech. Tobin said faculty and staff at OCtech tend to remain at the college for a number of years, but he says just last year the college had three long-term nursing faculty to retire. "That was a big hit for us," he said. "It was a challenge to them. We were worried about filling those responsibilities." He said the college was successful in doing so. In an effort to keep faculty, Tobin said the college encourages teachers to expand their horizons and will help pay for faculty to go back to school to help them advance professionally. One example is OCtech's relationship with Columbia College, where faculty can take evening or online classes to earn a baccalaureate degree. As for sparking interest in students to pursue a teaching degree, Tobin said the college has a teacher cadet program that exposes high school students to teaching careers. The students are then encouraged to transfer to OCtech, where they can spend two years and then transfer to South Carolina State, Claflin or USC for a four-year teacher-education program. "We have a couple of success stories of people coming to us and going on to get a master's and Ph.D in education," he said. Tobin says locally the task of the advisory committee should be to look at increasing teacher salaries and to provide a loan-forgiveness program for teachers in low-performing or rural schools. "In some way we need to expand loan-forgiveness programs," he said. Overall, Tobin says it is a matter of a community "growing your own" teachers by "making teaching attractive to young adults." He says there is also an opportunity to tap into those individuals who have started a career and want later to change into teaching. "Teaching is a noble profession and has particular value in a rural community where education is the pathway out of poverty and provides the opportunity to live the American dream," he said. News / National by Staff reporter War veterans leader, Chris Mutsvangwa, testified over the phone in a United States tax fraud case - which had sucked in Zimbabwean senior government officials - resulting in the conviction of former Chicago Congressman, Mel Reynolds.Reynolds was convicted of deliberately failing to file tax returns for about $400 000 in income he made when he was consulting for a Chicago businessman in Zimbabwe between 2010 and 2014, before he was deported to the US for overstaying his visa,Mutsvangwa yesterday confirmed the developments to the Daily News on Sunday, detailing how US prosecutors recorded his evidence over the phone."I was telephoned by two US prosecutors on Wednesday. I gave my evidence and expressed readiness to fly to Chicago to stand witness against (Mel) Reynolds before Judge Gettleman."That saw scared Reynolds cowering and backing off to conviction for a possible four years," said Mutsvangwa."I told Chicago prosecutor James Carrigan that Reynolds defrauded both his Chicago benefactors and me through bank fraud."He used to divert investor funds to his South African accounts. He had no company expenses as he had no office and no employees."I have been to Zimra, Stanbic, Meikles and the Manikai-Hwacha Lawyers collating all the information on Reynolds, the fraudster and purveyor of pornography during his stay in Zimbabwe masquerading as a businessman," he added.Mutsvangwa was director of SubSahara Africa, a company formed by Chicago businessman, Elzie Higginbottom in partnership with Reynolds in 2009.The company collapsed in 2012 after it only managed to make one deal, a contract to sell latex gloves to Zimbabwe hospitals which made a whopping $100 000 loss.Mutsvangwa also described to the prosecutors how Reynolds allegedly left him sinking in a huge debt following his deportation in 2014."Reynolds registered a local company, SubSahara Africa in 2010 and I was invited to be the Zimbabwean director under the instruction of Higginbottom."Reynolds proceeded to open an account with Interfin Bank and promptly ran up a huge loan bill at usurious interest rates."He expatriated the drawdowns to his daughter, now posted from USA to UCT (University of Cape Town) or studies. This became his second source of income apart from Higginbottom investment transfers he was defrauding."The Interfin loan then ballooned from $50 000 to $200 000 plus bank charges within months."The defaulting loan is then called in and I was being sued by Interfin Bank through Manikai Hwacha law firm."That is when I realised I was the victim of a scam. They wanted to attach my assets, so I had to pay off the loan of $200 000, otherwise I was going to be sequestered."So, when I gave all this information to the US and expressed my willingness to fly to Chicago to testify and he found out Mutsvangwa would come (to the Chicago High Court) he rested his case out of fear" he said.Mutsvangwa also claimed his political rivals had seized the issue and were trying to link him to the fraud to tarnish his image."They had pulled a big one on me, dragging my name into the far off Chicago High Court trial in amplified mischief."The G40 had infiltrated this Reynolds crook but they underestimated my global network."They believe power can be won by tarnishing other people's images. My response was swift and ferocious," he claimed, referring to a Zanu-PF faction which differs sharply with his preferred political style.Mutsvangwa and his Zimbabwe Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) executive have openly declared that they want Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to succeed President Robert Mugabe, a proposition which G40 vehemently opposes. In South Carolina as much as anywhere, domestic violence is a vicious cycle. With October designated as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Violence Policy Center in Washington has released its latest report, When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2015 Homicide Data. The annual report details national and state-by-state information on female homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender. It is not good news for South Carolina. Alaska ranks first in the nation in the rate of women killed by men: 2.86 per 100,000. Ranked behind Alaska are Nevada, Louisiana and Tennessee with rates of 2.29, 2.22 and 2.10 respectively. South Carolina is fifth with a rate of 1.83 per 100,000. This is the sixth year in a row that South Carolina has been in the top five states for women murdered by men. The annual report uses 2015 data, the most recent year for which information is available. The study uses data from the FBIs Supplementary Homicide Report. Key findings include: Nationwide, 1,686 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2015, at a rate of 1.12 per 100,000. Of the 1,686 female homicide victims, 1,110 were white, 476 were black, 48 were Asian or Pacific Islander, 28 were American Indian or Alaskan Native, and in 24 cases the race of the victim was not identified. In 2015, black females were murdered by men at a rate of 2.43 per 100,000, more than twice the rate of 0.96 per 100,000 for white women murdered by men. Nine out of 10 victims knew their offenders. Of the victims who knew their offenders, 64 percent were wives or other intimate acquaintances of their killers. Fourteen times as many females were murdered by a male they knew than were killed by male strangers. Firearms especially handguns were the weapons most commonly used by males to murder females in 2015. Nationwide, for homicides in which the weapon used could be identified, 55 percent of female victims were shot and killed with a gun. Of the homicides committed with guns, 69 percent were killed with handguns. The overwhelming majority of these homicides were not related to any other felony crime, such as rape or robbery. Nationwide, for homicides in which the circumstances could be identified, 84 percent of the homicides were not related to the commission of another felony. Most often, females were killed by males in the course of an argument between the victim and the offender. Women killed by men are most often killed by someone they know and more than half were killed by an intimate partner, Violence Policy Center Legislative Director Kristen Rand said. Much more must be done to identify and implement strategies to prevent these tragedies. More resources are needed at the federal, state and local levels to help keep women safe. If there is good news in anything to do with the statistics, it is that during the 20 years that the Violence Policy Center has been publishing the report, the nationwide rate of women murdered by men in single victim/single offender incidents has dropped 29 percent from 1.57 per 100,000 in 1996 to 1.12 per 100,000 in 2015. But can it be said that any number of such deaths is acceptable? No. The focus on this violence is necessary. Hopefully, calling constant attention to the problem will promote both community outcries (neighbors not remaining silent to the problem) and growing awareness on the part of men that women are to be respected, not abused. RMC has dedicated professionals Recently while in the hospital for 17 days, I learned something amazing. Do you have any idea how good a group of people we have? The doctors, nurses and staff at The Regional Medical Center were wonderful. Everyone seemed concerned about my getting well. The nurses on 3 West, nurses in CCU like Amy and Carmen and the guys who tried to make me comfortable like Eric and Sam. Mike, Blake and Jenny tried to help me build back strength and keep me strong with exercises. Numerous nurses like April Wolfe, Caitlin Swayer, Afton, Ciera, Ashley, Annie, Nantasha and many more adjusted my bed, answered questions and were polite. Three different chaplains met with me to see that I was okay. "Miss~ Shirley cleaned my room every morning and had a good word to say. The lady serving meals was always ready with an extra cup of coffee or lunch drink. There are many people whose names I have forgotten but not their kindness nor professionalism. I would like to thank everyone of these people and thank God for them. Our hospital has a valuable commodity -- its people! Keep up the good work. The next time you think about our hospital, remember the dedicated, professional people we have at all levels. Chuck A. Henson, Orangeburg Clyburn should seek end to sugar program Sixth District Congressman Jim Clyburn is in the pocket of the nation's beet and cane sugar cartels. Clyburn continually votes to maintain the U.S. sugar program. Why? It is really quite simple, Clyburn received well over $120,000 in political donations from the sugar cartels since coming to Washington in 1993. Thanks to Clyburn and others, the U.S. Sugar Program continues. The program is a Soviet-style command-and-control scheme that restricts planting and imports. This inflates the price of sugar in the United States to almost double the world price. So when you go to the store to buy a snack cake or anything sweetened, you pay more. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the program means Americans pay $3.5 billion every year in increased grocery costs, which breaks down to $58 per household. In Clyburn's 26 years in office, he repeatedly voted against sugar reform costing each South Carolina family an additional $1,392 for groceries. You have to ask yourself, is my congressman really fighting to make life better, or is he just another politician in it for the campaign contributions? It's time for Clyburn to step up and end this costly government giveaway to the cartels. The Independent Bakers' Association is an international trade association that fights to protect the interests of mostly family-owned wholesale bakers and allied trades. For more information, visit IBAbaker.com. Nicholas A. Pyle President Independent Bakers' Association Qarar, a leading decision analytics company in the region, has appointed Nico van der Westhuizen as its new chief operating officer. Based in Dubai, UAE he will be responsible for driving strategic development, delivery excellence and partnerships for Qarar. With increasing demand for software and advisory services in the advanced analytics space, Qarar has increased its commitment and focus to offer clients more opportunities to implement advanced analytical solutions to support better decision making capabilities. With over 20 years of experience in organisational decisioning enablement through data analytics across various industries, der Westhuizen joins Qarar from Barclays Africa, where he led the groups Capital & Risk Information Services organisation. His professional expertise has been acquired across Europe, North America, the UK and his continent of birth Africa. At Experian, der Westhuizen led the global consulting practise and his responsibilities included expanding the companys global consulting acceleration programme and other strategic planning initiatives within decision analytics. Der Westhuizen has a B.Sc. Engineering (Mechanical & Mathematics) degree from the University of Potchefstroom, South Africa. I am thrilled to be taking on this new opportunity. In addition to joining a forward looking and innovative organisation like Qarar, it is with great excitement that I move my career to the Mena region, said der Westhuizen. I look forward to building on the strong foundation of a mature product suite focusing on delivery excellence for a loyal and growing client base across the region. Our focus is to empower users so that businesses can capture opportunities, better anticipate risks, and react faster to regulatory and other risk related challenges. Zaid Kamhawi, CEO of Qarar, said: We are delighted to welcome Nico to the Qarar team. He is a proven leader in his field, and his expertise in the area of credit risk and decision analytics will be crucial in expanding our footprint in the region. This reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering in-depth technology and market knowledge in the fields of credit risk, advanced analytics and decisioning software within the Mena region. We are pursuing a strategy of growth that is underpinned by our existing relationships with major GCC financial institutions and the growing demand for automation, governance, and compliance in the market. TradeArabia News Service One of the most highly anticipated Samsung flagship devices, the Samsung Galaxy Note8 is now available to du postpaid customers. For only Dh295 ($80.3)/month for 24 months, customers will be able to enjoy doing bigger things on the innovative new smartphone and stay connected with the value added 6GB of data and 300 flexible minutes. The Galaxy Note8 can also be used along with the du Emirati Plans which come loaded with national minutes. At du we always promise to deliver the latest and most innovative products to our customers. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 is a game changer that will allow our customers to do bigger things with the latest smartphone. There has been a lot of excitement around this model and at du, we strive to add life to life through all our latest product offerings, and we look forward to delighting and surprising our customers with our latest postpaid plan, said Fahad Al Hassawi, chief commercial officer, du. With the Samsung Galaxy Note8, du customers will be able to see the bigger picture and communicate in a whole new way with the latest smartphone. The innovative smartphone device has a 6.3-inch infinity display. In addition, du customers can communicate on a whole new level with the S Pen, and draw emojis or write a handwritten note to their family and friends. With the Galaxy Note8, du customers will also be able to do bigger things with the 12 MP rear camera and 8 MP front camera, capturing photos day or night clearly even in low light. Furthermore, the smartphone has some additional exciting features that du customers can enjoy, including the iris scanner, 10nm Octa-core processor / 6GB RAM, 64GB + microSD storage and IP68 water resistance. - TradeArabia News Service At least 216 people were killed after an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck Mexico on Tuesday. The quake came hours after the country participated in emergency drills to mark the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 tremblor that killed thousands. Several buildings collapsed, electricity supply was cut off and mobile networks were interrupted, sending waves of panic through the streets of the countrys capital. The Mexican government has declared a state of disaster in Mexico City, reported news agency AP. Many civilians assisted authorities in rescue operations, amid fears that the death toll will climb higher. Many people are feared trapped under the debris. The international airport in Mexico City has suspended operations. Rescuers searched for survivors through the night after Tuesday's powerful earthquake shook Mexico City and surrounding states, killing scores and leaving many trapped under collapsed buildings. All the deaths were reported in Mexico City -- the country's capital -- and in the states of Puebla, Mexico and Morelos, officials said. Previously, authorities had said that as many as 248 people had died. The death toll was later revised, reported CNN. The epicenter of the 7.1-magnitude earthquake was 4.5 km east-northeast of San Juan Raboso and 55 km south-southwest of the city of Puebla, in Puebla state, according to the US Geological Survey. President Enrique Pena Nieto said 22 bodies were found in the debris of an elementary school in Mexico City that collapsed due to the earthquake. At least 30 children were still missing Tuesday night, he said. "We are facing a new national emergency," Pena Nieto told citizens earlier on his first address following the earthquake. Tuesday's earthquake came more than one week after a magnitude-8.1 earthquake struck off the southern coast of the country, killing at least 90, according to the governor of the hard-hit state of Oaxaca. In Mexico City, thousands of soldiers, rescuers and civilians -- including college students -- were working side by side to dig through tall piles of rubble from dozens of crumbled buildings. The quake left the busiest city in Mexico in chaos. Windows buckled and shattered, falling several stories to the ground while thousands of people streamed into the streets running away from buildings and potential gas leaks, said the CNN report. People struggled to get home when power poles that toppled in the quake blocked the streets and the public transportation system temporarily shut down operations. Nearly 5 million customers were still without power early Wednesday, it added. The St. Regis Doha has appointed Rebecca Platt as the new director of marketing. With over 15 years marketing experience in the hospitality industry, Platt brings extensive PR, marketing and digital knowledge to the property. Platt will be heading the marketing team as part of the senior leadership team at the hotel and will be responsible for developing the complete marketing strategy and representation of the St Regis Doha, developing media and partnership relations, as well as ensuring the overall sales and marketing objectives are achieved. Having worked in the hospitality industry for over 15 years throughout the Middle East, UK and Europe, Platt brings with her a wealth of experience and a background in the luxury hospitality market having worked in the past with many internationally recognised brands. Originally from the UK, she started her career as a creative designer who moved into marketing for the specialist hospitality market and, within three years of graduating, was running her own award-winning marketing and communications company in London. Commenting on her appointment, Platt said: I am delighted to have joined the team here at this stunning property and am very excited to be part of the St. Regis family. Although I have worked in the GCC for a number of years now I am looking forward to exploring the Doha market and driving new and exciting marketing initiatives to raise awareness of the hotel. Tareq Derbas, area general manager at The St. Regis Doha, said: We are delighted to welcome Rebecca to The St. Regis Doha here in Qatar and am looking forward to working with her to develop the marketing strategy at the Hotel. She brings with her a diverse range of skills and expertise and I am sure she will prove to be an excellent addition to our leadership team. In more recent years, Platt has worked for recognised hoteliers such as the Shangri-La Group, the Intercontinental Hotel Group, Wyndham Hotels and UK-based Bespoke Hotels Group, as well as celebrity chef Marco Pierre White in assisting in his hospitality ventures in the UK. - TradeArabia News Service This year's edition of the 2017 Korea Medical & Wellness Travel Mart kicked off at the Intercontinental Dubai Festival City Hotel with an aim towards reinforcing South Korea's growing reputation as a highly preferred medical destination. Leveraging its advanced and world class medical services to a potentially large target audience in the GCC region, particularly the UAE, the medical and wellness travel mart is being held in the presence and patronage of Kang Ho Park, the South Korean ambassador to the UAE. In 2016, around 26,893 tourists from the GCC visited South Korea, with 10,690 coming from the UAE of which a large part of these figures are composed of tourists visiting South Korea for medical purposes. The increasing preference towards South Korea being favoured as a medical destination can be attributed to key factors like its utilisation of the world's best medical technologies, the presence of a strong workforce of highly professional and trained medical practitioners, modern and state-of-the-art medical facilities and equipment and affordable medical services. We are proud to organise this year's edition of the 2017 Korea Medical & Wellness Travel Mart, which strongly demonstrates the strong ties between South Korea and the UAE and reflects the great deal of efforts that we have done to expand cooperation in the health and medical field, said ambassador Park. Over the last five years, the number of Emirati tourists visiting South Korea for medical purposes has increased by more than 10 times, and we are more than welcome to open our doors for them--providing them with the best patient care services combined with modern medical breakthroughs and highly skilled and trained medical professionals. Rest assured that we will remain steadfast in our efforts to create more events and occasions for Korean and Emirati people to interact and communicate, not only in the medical and health field, but also in other diverse areas. Other key drivers that have helped consolidate South Korea as a preferred medical destination is its strategic location, accessibility and safe environment. The country can easily be reached from major cities in Asia, North America, Europe and the GCC, which allows patients to experience a safe and comfortable journey. The South Korean government also provides certification policies for hospitals and clinics that guarantee the high level and world class quality of the medical services they offer. In addition to this, the government also provides various support systems to help tourists coming for medical purposes--including medical visas, access to a medical translator and coordinator services, among others. GCC nationals are given visa-free arrival status for 30 to 90 days. South Korea is emerging as one of the leading players in the global healthcare segment. In line with this, we are confident that today's event will help attract more UAE tourists to come visit us. The strong ties with the UAE and other countries in the GCC region have prompted us to implement successful inroads for personalised services catering to Muslim patients--which includes clearer guidelines on clinical care, Halal food services, religious observances, apartment type of accommodations, translation services and much more, said Kyoosang Kang, regional director of Korea Tourism Organization. - TradeArabia News Service Dubai-based airline, flydubai, has announced the launch of two flights a week to Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. The flights, which include a stopover in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will begin from November 1. Flydubai operated a service to Tivat in Montenegro between June and September. The route marked the airlines first entry to the Balkan country. The popularity of our summer flights to Tivat has shown a continuous demand for more access to this part of the world and we are delighted to be offering flights to Montenegro on a regular basis, said flydubai chief executive officer Ghaith Al Ghaith. With the launch of the new route, flydubai will become the first airline to offer regular services between Podgorica and Sarajevo. TradeArabia News Service The award-winning La Petite Maison continues to delight loyal UAE patrons with its French-Mediterranean cuisine as it celebrates its seventh anniversary in the Emirates this month. To mark the occasion, the restaurant is treating diners to a complete Nicois experience with signature dishes and the return of musical extravaganza The Troubadours, straight from the French Riviera. The much-loved musical ensemble, who return after having performed a rollicking show at the restaurants fifth anniversary, will once again charm guests for one-night only on October 25, performing pieces from their eclectic repertoire at 8:30PM and 10:30PM. Since opening in the Dubai International Financial Centre in October 2010, La Petite Maison has elevated the dining scene in the UAE, cementing itself as one of Dubais landmark restaurants. La Petite Maison has won several awards for its quality and stellar service, being listed four times on the prestigious Worlds Best Restaurants list and securing the title of Restaurant of the Year in UAE-based magazines awards. Building on that success, La Petite Maison is set to open its much-awaited second restaurant in the UAE on Al Maryah Island Abu Dhabi on October 15, bringing French-Mediterranean cuisine influenced by Ligurian Italy to gastronomes in the capital for the first time. - TradeArabia News Service News / National by Staff reporter MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai's family has ordered the man to step aside and rest to allow for him to heal, Zimeye reported."Zvepolitics zvirikuvakanganisa utano hwavo Save," a source said."For this reason we have pressed on him that he rests," they added and their comments come as visible friction between Tsvangirai's two vices, Thokozani Khupe (who hasn't entered Harvest House for months) and Nelson Chamisa continued took to a peak when they this week fought each other for a sitting position in parliament.When asked to state when Tsvangirai will be back in Zimbabwe, they were non committal, only saying, "even if he comes back next week, the firm family resolution is that he must step aside and stay at home." Their statement coincides with that of Tsvangirai's spokesman who yesterday claimed that the man was now in "excellent health." Abu-Dhabi based aviation company Maximus Air provided vital humanitarian relief to Barbados in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which caused catastrophic damage when it swept across the Caribbean and several US states in early September this year. The airline sent three relief flights to the area between the September 15 and 21 to provide relief cargo for those who were affected by the disaster. Despite challenges, the commercial team in coordination with the flight operation department and flight and loading crew successfully dispatched the companys Antonov AN-124-100 plane to Barbados and back three times within the space of a week. Mohamed Al Qassimi, CEO of Maximus Air, said: We are proud to have been able to put our logistical expertise to the service of those affected by Hurricane Irma. Since our inception we have held true to the belief that we have an important duty to help those in need around the world. We would like to thank our customers for their continued trust in us and our team for their determined commitment to supporting this cause, which helped to make our relief mission a success. Maximus Air is prepared to offer its assistance whenever duty calls, and we urge to other companies to embrace this responsibility. Since it was established in 2005, humanitarian and relief missions have been a key component of operations at Maximus Air, which has gained extensive expertise in managing logistical operations and is fully equipped to respond swiftly and effectively to disasters like Hurricane Irma. - TradeArabia News Service Gov. Matt Mead expressed concerns Friday about possible federal changes to sage grouse management, reiterating his desire for western states to be consulted during revisions. His statement came after the New York Times leaked information Thursday about the Trump Administrations plans to make significant changes to sage grouse management in the coming days. The news scattered like buckshot across the West where the imperiled bird lives. The Interior Department is expected to publish a notice of intent in the federal register opening the plans, 98 in total, for changes. But the future of the bird with the bright yellow chest that struts gravely across breeding grounds to find a mate has cast a troubling shadow in Wyoming. The state is home to nearly 40 percent of the birds population, and it has blazed a trail of conservation in recent years in an effort to keep the bird off of the endangered species list. Hardline environmentalist didnt believe it was enough, while others argued the protections were too restrictive of energy development. A listing would devastate energy dependent economies in the West, as it would mean severe limits on oil and gas development, wind farms, ranching and infrastructure projects. Many in the conservation community responded with dismay to the Department of Interiors recent 60-day review of the plans, as well as to comments made by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke promoting energy development and controversial environmental strategies. Mead said states should drive changes as they have in the past, not Washington, he added. I just cant overemphasize how important it is to have that state input, Mead said. If it was a state by state listing decision, thatd be one thing. But the way we are with the law right now, if one state gets listed, we all are going to get listed. We sink or swim together. Mead last spoke to the Interior secretary in June. The governor wrote a letter to Zinke mid-week requesting a meeting with Western Governors to ensure states continue to have input. Environmental groups that have been involved in sage grouse management in Wyoming for years are growing frustrated by the federal intrusion on their plans. Though developed by the Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies, the strategies were part of a wide collaboration in Wyoming with state officials, energy companies, landowners and conservation groups like the Audubon Society. Sec. Zinkes direct statement has been that he wants to open those priority habitats up to further development, said Brian Rutledge, conservation policy and strategy advisor for the Audubon Society. That is an anathema to these plans. The bird simply wont survive more intrusion onto its key habitat, he said. Whatever happens to the bird in the coming years, the debate, and the repercussions if other states weaken protections, will come back to Wyoming, he said. All of the restriction will be placed on us, Rutledge said. As those other populations wink out, what we will have to do is put even heavier protections in the places that maintain habitat. The pressure will be on the state that has done the best job of managing its sage brush ecosystem. The governor also expressed a degree of worry Friday about the unknown nature of the changes. Until the Interior Department has made its intentions clear, the governor would not speculate on what could be amended. But Mead has written a number of public letters to the Interior advising that the plans be kept whole and discouraging talk of setting population targets instead of focusing on habitat protections. Mead admitted that there are some changes that could be problematic for the bird, but change itself could also be dangerous if it is not carried out thoughtfully, he said. Mineral companies need long-term predictability as they decide where to put capital. On top of that the bird needs a long-term plan, the governor said. We cant have wholesale changes in wildlife management every four or eight years. I dont think that is the best way to sustain populations or provide the necessary predictability to industry and business in our states. The oil and gas industry group Western Energy Alliance has called for action following the federal review of the sage grouse plans. The group was not one of the key players in developing the plan in Wyoming, but has been vocal on the need for changes that support energy development. Many other groups weighed in after the news of big changes was leaked to the New York Times, including Back Country Hunters and Anglers, the National Wildlife Federation, the Western Leaders Network and the Western Watersheds Project. The Obama administration weakened sage-grouse protections in federal plans in response to pressure from state governors, creating a crazy-quilt of loopholes that exempted the industries causing the most damage to sage grouse in each state from complying with protections, said Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist working for the conservation group Western Watersheds Project in response to the NYT news. The existing federal sage-grouse protections already are far too weak to sustain sage grouse populations in the face of commercial uses that are being approved on public lands in many areas. Western Watersheds was the group that sued the feds in 2007 after they ruled the declining bird was not warranted for a listing. That lawsuit led to the rapid development of a sage grouse task force in Wyoming, and the gradual workings of a plan in the state to avoid a listing decision. For Mead, there are parts of the plans that can do for changes or updates. But ahead of the Interiors move, the governor reiterated a desire for caution. What no one in the West wants is another endangered species listing on the horizon, he said. Its a very good place to start and a very good place to end up: What is the states point of view on any changes we would make? Gustavo Dieguez has always wanted to be a baker since growing up in his parents bakery in Guatemala City. His dad would send him to the back to do his homework, but hed make bread instead, he said, laughing. Later, he ran his own bakeries in Guatemala, sharing recipes passed down from his parents. Now, Dieguez runs Bakery Don Gus, which opened in July in the back of Tacos Mexico at the Beverly Plaza. Its named for Gustavo, who owns the bakery with his son, Cristian Dieguez. The bakery turns out fresh goods every morning, and customers will find different options every time they visit, Cristian said. They also sell breakfast burritos in the mornings. Cristian also grew up watching his father bake. But he took to business and now manages the bakerys finances and employees. When I have a lot of clients in, and theyre all eating, sitting down and I see them talking saying how good the food is, how good the bread is, and theyre giving me compliments all the time, Cristian said, Thats my favorite part of the business. Baked variety In the back of the bakery Thursday morning, Gustavo stood over a sizzling grill turning eggs, meat and vegetables with his spatula while head baker Guillermo Maldonado rolled dough. The bakery options vary by day, though customers can always find Mexicos most popular pastry: conchas. The puffy, sweet bread is topped in a sugary coating of vanilla, strawberry or chocolate flavor, Cristian said. Another favorite are the ginger-flavored, pig-shaped cookies called marranitos, or little piggies. A cooler near the front of the bakery chills flan as well as strawberry tres leches cake a moist, fluffy cake on a base of three creams. The shops best sellers also include his familys Guatemalan banana bread, Cristian said. A former Mexican bakery in the spot had closed several months ago before the Dieguez family opened shop. The previous head baker has returned, and the owners added their own Guatemalan recipes to the mix, Cristian said. A lot of people were sad that the last bakery left, Cristian said. A lot of people have been telling us that they are super excited that we opened back up, because they missed the Mexican bread. And now its nice, because we added Guatemalan bread. Both Mexican and Guatemalan pastries typically are slightly sweet, with subtle spices and flavors. A few of the bakerys options are stuffed with cream cheese or fruit fillings. Most Guatemalan bread and pastries are made for dipping in coffee, milk and other beverages, Cristian said. His favorites, champurradas, are like thick, bready biscuit cookies with a slightly crisp and crumbly exterior. Dip a bite in your cup, and it fills and holds the coffee. In Guatemala, people eat coffee and bread three or four times a day, Cristian said. In the morning, sometimes in the afternoon and, for sure in the evening, every day. Its a big thing over there. Looking forward The bakery has stayed busy, and several offices regularly call in breakfast orders, Cristian said. We get all kinds of different customers, Cristian said. We get Americans, we get Hispanics all kinds of different Hispanics, Mexicans, Salvadorians, Guatemalans all kinds of people come here from all over. Customer Damon Laird tried a breakfast burrito Thursday morning and took a bag of pastries with him. They bring back fond memories of several trips hes taken to Mexico since he was a child, he said. I like the variety, Laird said. You can purchase something thats different than anything else youd get around town in Casper. The team has been adding a few new goodies as they go. They plan to serve Mexican and Guatemalan hot beverages this winter as well as stock Mexican candy that customers have suggested. Bigger plans include expanding the breakfast menu and offering delivery. Cristian also hopes to eventually open a west and east side location. Ive always been a business guy and I love doing it, Cristian said. I have a big passions. I dont give up trying to make this place bigger. I think about it, I sleep it, I dream it. This is my life now. Susan Thomas is the widow of the late U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyoming, and the founder of The Craig and Susan Thomas Foundation, which has awarded scholarships and monetary prizes to students who have fallen through the cracks and educators who have championed the needs of at-risk young people. Recent additions to the foundations work include a Retrain to Gain program to help those laid off from the energy industry and new help for homeless students. The foundation will reach its 10-year life cycle in June 2018 and will then cease operations. We chatted with Thomas recently about the foundations work, which she calls my life. Why is the foundation ending? It was a 10-year mission when we set it up. We are nudging up to our 10th year and so the school year that is ending in June 2018 is our last. Who made the decision to end it? There is a statewide scholarship board and a board of directors, and the decision was made because we set it up that way. We have people who have devoted 10 years of their lives to this and they have other things to do. What becomes of the money in June? There will be money left over, and it will be given to nonprofits whose mission is education. And its been successful? When we started, we thought we could afford two students per semester. We have 29 or 30 per semester now, all funded by donors from everywhere. There is so much generosity for this effort. That tells me its an important program. I mentor every single of one my students face-to-face, and always have. Its always been for students who struggled in school and in life. And you have always held special students who needed a break? They are eager and bright. They want what you and I want. They want validation, to be a part of their community, to have a family. I was in the classroom for 36 years 18 in the Natrona County School District and 18 in Arlington, Virginia, and this foundation is an extension of that. I had court-ordered seniors in Virginia. They were cynical, angry and tough, but they wanted what you and I have. Thats the hook. They behaved the way they did in order to survive. Some are in prison, some are dead, but I did the best I could. Will you explain Retrain to Gain? I was driving through Gillette the day hundreds of energy workers were laid off. I grew up in Johnson County, so thats my neck of the woods. We decided that day to help those in the energy field. They understand that its not going to be the way it was, and they are happy to have help to learn something new. Can you share a success story? There is a girl who hated school. Hated it. She got her GED because she wanted to go and do things. She got funding and mentoring from us. She finished two years at Casper College and went to the University of North Dakota with a double major. She has completed one residency in Denver and is doing a second residency in Casper. She will be a doctor of orthopedics. These people want to succeed. A final thought? I will miss these students. Customers who walk into Metro Coffee on Wednesday morning will find a few baristas, an assortment of customers lounging on couches and team of Casper police officers. Police wont be there expecting trouble, however. Theyll be holding a daily shift change briefing, when officers who are clocking out hand over the reins to the next shift. They hope community members will join them. The briefings happen twice a day at 6:50 a.m. and again 12 hours later. Normally, they take place a few blocks away in the dim basement of the Hall of Justice, where at least seven officers and a sergeant sit around a table. During the sessions, officers are updated on the last shift whether police are looking for a violent offender, a stolen car or a runaway teen before hitting the streets. From time to time, a sergeant might update officers on policies and procedures or give a quick tutorial on tactics. Starting Wednesday, the briefing will be conducted once or twice a month in a public setting, when people can watch the process and interact with officers. The public briefings are part of a larger effort to bring the police department closer to the community it serves, Interim Chief Steve Schulz said Thursday. First and foremost, all these officers are community members, Schulz said. Were all here to live in the community. Our Community An initiative called Our Community was announced Thursday by the police department. Along with the community team briefs, the initiative includes intermittent foot and bike patrols downtown, participation in National Coffee With a Cop Day and more frequent appearances at community events. The effort also focuses on being more sensitive to the needs of domestic violence and sexual assault victims. The department recently opened a new soft interview room to help victims feel safer while talking to investigators. Officers are also receiving new training for interviewing victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Schulz said he hopes the new campaign will help make citizens more comfortable interacting with police officers, which he said will help the department effectively fight and deter crime. The changes come amid a national period of strained tensions between police departments and some communities. High-profile police shootings primarily involving people of color have sparked major protests in larger cities. Police and their unions, meanwhile, say they are under fire from a public that doesnt understand the difficulties of the job. We dont wanna see that the police against the community, the community against the police, Schulz said. In addition to the Our Community initiative, police have taken other steps to encourage more communication between the department and the community it serves. It recently rolled out online forms for citizens to submit compliments and complaints regarding officers. Police have also stepped up their use of social media to communicate with the public. Amanda Huckabay, a City Council member who has frequently been critical of the police department, said she is heartened by the initiative. The increased focus on sensitivity to victims and transparency from the department will help build public trust, Huckabay said. This opens the door for real conversations, she said. How (the department) was previously being run was more punitive and militaristic. A tumultuous time Last fall, sexual assault victims began showing up at City Council meetings to criticize how their cases were handled by police. In the spring, morale problems at the department became public. Finally in May, the city dismissed then-Chief Jim Wetzel without explanation. The city is in the process of hiring a new chief, who should be in place by the end of the year, City Manager Carter Napier said. Schulz said he has applied for the permanent position. Things have changed since Wetzels departure, Huckabay said. She said she believes morale and camaraderie in the department have improved, which she said is at least partially due to Schulzs leadership. Hes doing a good job, she said. Napier and Schulz have met on a regular basis since Napier came on as city manager this summer. Although Napier said he did not direct Schulz to implement the new program, the city manager thinks it lines up with his philosophy. The community and the department are not effective without each other, Napier said. The city managers office has narrowed the field of candidates for the chief position from 45 to about 20, and Napier said he expects to interview five finalists in October before coming to a decision. He said he would prefer to hire from within the department. Building in community Police spend most of their time on duty taking calls, meaning officers only see citizens when theyre making arrests or otherwise enforcing the law. That can have a negative effect on police-public relations, Schulz said. Additionally, staffing shortages in the department can make it difficult for officers to talk to citizens in non-enforcement settings, Schulz said. However, by building set times into officer schedules for public interaction, police will be able to get to know citizens better, making them more comfortable coming forward, Schulz said. Residents who dont get up by 6:50 a.m. Wednesday can meet officers at four other coffeehouses later that morning for National Coffee with a Cop Day. Blue Ridge Coffee, Pour House, Java Jitters Espresso and Crescent Moon Coffee shop will all host officers from 7:30 to 9 a.m. But the community initiatives success is dependent on participation from the community, Huckabay said. The hard work of police, City Council members and sexual assault survivors will be for naught if the people dont show up to meet officers. Will people take the opportunity to be part of this change? Huckabay asked. I hope that they do. For 10 bucks you can taste exquisite chilis of all flavors during the Fun Chili Cook-Off at Jonathans Cork, 6320 E. Tanque Verde Road, Saturday, Oct. 7. The annual fundraiser helps send local boys and girls to overnight summer camp through the Arizona Daily Stars Sportsmens Fund Send a Kid to Camp program. Local restaurants will donate their best chili some made specifically for this event for the public to sample and judge from noon to 2 p.m., or until the last spoonful is consumed. Over 13 years, the chili cook-off has raised $145,403 for the Sportsmens Fund Send a Kid to Camp program. Tickets at the door are $10 for chili tasting from the following Tucson Originals restaurants: Casino del Sol, Claires Cafe, Eclectic Cafe, Jonathans Cork (2014 and 2012 champion), Kingfisher Bar and Grill (2013 champion), Pastiche (2009 and 2016 champion), Mamas Hawaiian Bar-B-Cue and Noble Hops and Roccos Little Chicago Pizzeria. In addition to chili while it lasts, raffle tickets will be sold and tequila tasted. The Send a Kid to Camp program raises money so economically disadvantaged kids and children from military families can go to YMCA, Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps and Camp Tatiyee, for school-age children and older teens with special needs, for little or no money. We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Oct. 1 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages. Two programs to prevent teen pregnancy in Southern Arizona are in peril due to funding cuts by the Trump administration. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is halting grant funding for its Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, created by the Obama administration in 2010. The funding affects 81 sites, including sites in Tucson and Phoenix. Officials with Child & Family Resources, a nonprofit Tucson social-service agency, are trying to figure out how to move forward after the recent and unexpected news that, come June, the organization will lose the final two years of a $7 million, five-year federal grant to prevent teenage pregnancy. The lost money amounts to $2.8 million for evidence-based programs that have been reaching 3,000 Southern Arizona youths per year. Evidence-based refers to programs shown to improve measurable outcomes. HHS emailed a statement to the Star that the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program has shown very weak evidence of a positive impact and is proving to be a poor use of more than $800 million in taxpayer dollars nationwide. Federal officials also cited a recent report that sexually transmitted diseases are at record highs as further evidence that the program was ineffective. HHS says future decisions regarding the program will be guided by science and a firm commitment to giving all youth the information and skills they need to improve their prospects for optimal health outcomes. But grant administrators in Tucson and around the country say the programs have proven effective in continuing a national trend of reduced teen pregnancies. Teen childbearing has substantial social and economic costs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, including lost tax revenue because of lower education attainment and income among teen moms. The children of teen moms are more likely to drop out of high school, have more health problems, be incarcerated during adolescence and face unemployment as a young adult, the CDC reports. Teen birth rates in the U.S. have dropped 8 percent since 2014, the CDC reports. But the rate is still substantially higher than in other industrialized nations, says the Big Cities Health Coalition, a forum for the leaders of Americas largest metropolitan health departments. Youth Council The Tucson teens wee quiet for a moment as they thought about the true or false question: A female can become pregnant even if a male does not ejaculate. The teens, all members of the Child & Family Resources Youth Advisory Council, had divided themselves into two teams for a game they called Who Wants to be a Millionaire: the human sexuality version. The statement is true because pre-ejaculation can cause pregnancy, one team shouted out, offering the correct answer first. The teens went on to answer several more rounds of questions with a range of topics, including consent and healthy relationships. While the teens were enthusiastic during the retreat at the Triangle Y Ranch Camp and Retreat Center north of Tucson, some were also feeling disappointed, they said privately. They had just learned that due to the federal funding blow, the future of the Youth Advisory Council was now uncertain. The 13 members of the council play an integral role in those programs, acting as ambassadors and advising on curriculum content. They are able to tell grant administrators whats going on with teens and sexuality, whether its sexting or obstacles to getting contraception. We start to learn what kids are wondering about that no one is talking about, said Richard Sosa, a facilitator of Guy Talk, one of the Child & Family Resources pregnancy-prevention programs. They advise us on what is lacking, he said of the youth council. In August, 20 leaders from the Big Cities Health Coalition, including Maricopa County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Bob England, wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Tom Price asking that the funding be restored. They wrote that cutting it short will halt important research and data analysis midway through the grant process. Critics of the funding cuts are concerned the influence of top Trump appointees like Valerie Huber, the former president of an abstinence-only organization, are putting morality issues ahead of science. Huber is now chief of staff to the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services. In March, Huber wrote an editorial in the publication The Hill that criticized the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, saying it normalizes teen sex. In fact, teens report that these programs make them feel pressured to have sex. More pressured to have sex, in fact, than the pressure they feel from their dating partners, Huber wrote. Big impact in Sunnyside The grant money provides teen pregnancy-prevention and sex-education programs targeted to students in pockets of Southern Arizona that have higher-than-average teen pregnancy rates. Those programs include the sole sex education currently offered to students in the Sunnyside School District, a discussion-based program called Guy Talk for boys in Southern Arizona and outreach in the San Xavier District of the Tohono Oodham Nation. Sunnyside officials say they are doing their best to build capacity in order to sustain the programs on their own after the funding is pulled. The curriculum does a great job at framing and addressing the role that our young men and women have in communicating and respecting each others boundaries, as well as how to communicate when they are in uncomfortable, non-consenting situations, Sunnyside spokesperson Victor Mercado said. These are skills that will serve them well in college and in early adulthood, and even in navigating abusive relationships, where sex can at times be a form of control, he said. If our students dont have the appropriate refusal skills, this may lead to unwanted pregnancies. Called Mobilization for Positive Futures, the grant money has funded programs called Making a Difference and Reducing the Risk for eighth- and ninth-grade students, as well as Be Proud, Be Responsible, Be Protective for Sunnyside teens who are pregnant or already have a child. Disappointment The Child & Family Resources Youth Advisory Committee, which advises the agency on its teen pregnancy-prevention curriculum, spoke about the funding cuts during their August retreat at the Triangle Y. It makes me pretty sad, honestly. I am disappointed, said 17-year-old member Miranda Escobar, a senior at Tucson High Magnet School. Kids need information and resources to help themselves, she said. I didnt get much information until I joined the Youth Advisory Council. My family members gave me books. Some of the grant money $541,339 per year went to the Guy Talk program that encouraged frank discussion among Southern Arizona boys, which is a huge need in our culture, said Ysabelle Garcia, also a 17-year-old Tucson High senior and advisory council member. There is so much toxic masculinity in our world, Garcia said. Its good for guys to know how to respect themselves, to have good relationships. Most of the sex education Garcia recalls having in school was abstinence-only, which she says isnt realistic. The advisory council has opened her eyes, she said. I learned about consent on the internet, and that is not a reliable source, she said. At the youth retreat, Garcia gave the teens a class in anatomy, among other topics. She also gave a lesson in consent. It has to be clear, enthusiastic permission, she said. It cant be mumbled. The other person has to be sober and capable. Giovanni Rodriguez, a 14-year-old Palo Verde High School freshman, went through the pilot for Guy Talk after he finished eighth grade in 2016 and said the programs social interaction stood out most. It wasnt like a typical class, he said. We did things in groups most of the time, he said. I learned things like healthy relationships, safe sex, STDs and how to prevent from getting them, and birth-control methods. Looking forward Child & Family Resources will do its best to work with the resources it has and hopes the cuts dont translate into job loss, said Marie Fordney, its senior director of prevention programs. One immediate obstacle: Fordneys team was gathering data from participating students in Guy Talk as part of a five-year study to measure its effectiveness. The program aims to reduce teen pregnancies by empowering young men to define masculinity for themselves, beyond societal expectations, and to take an active role in healthy relationships, birth control and consent. We wont be able to complete the study, Fordney said. Moving forward, one thing Fordneys agency will not do is an abstinence-only-until-marriage program. Its better to have no sex education at all, she said. Among other things, such programming alienates youths who are not heterosexual and youths who have had sexual experiences, including experiences that were not by choice. Those kids just end up feeling ashamed, she said. The loss of funding is a really big deal, she said, especially since one of the grants has an impact on an entire school district. PHOENIX Health care for more than 22,000 Arizona children is in jeopardy because of congressional inaction. The federal budget year expired Sept. 30 without lawmakers taking action to fund the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for the new year. States use those dollars to provide care for about 9 million children of the working poor, including 22,389 at last count in Arizona. But Congress inaction on the $15 billion annual appropriation does not immediately leave these children uninsured. Officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services say they have some unspent dollars from the fiscal year just ending, said Heidi Capriotti, spokeswoman for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, which administers the CHIP program. Capriotti said there should be enough to carry Arizona through October and November. There is broad bipartisan support for the program. But the debate over how to pay for it, coupled with recent dysfunction of Congress, leaves the question of whether it can be restored, and how quickly, up in the air. We expect the Congress is going to take action soon, Capriotti said, saying the debate on this health-care program kind of got derailed by Graham-Cassidy, the last version of an unsuccessful effort by Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Obviously we want to give our members 30 days notice prior to any program change, Capriotti added. There is another option: The state could pick up the tab. But that is unlikely, given that the Republican-controlled Legislature balked last year at renewing the program, even with no state dollars needed. Arizona already provides health care for individuals and families up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $28,180 for a family of three. CHIP, approved by Congress in 1997, is designed to cover the children in families who earn more than that but not enough to afford private health insurance. Children can get covered if the family income is less than twice the federal poverty level, or $40,840 for a family of three. Arizona joined the federal program in 2001 under Gov. Jane Hull, a Republican. She said the federal match three dollars for every state dollar made it a good deal. There have been bumps before in what is called the Kids Care program in Arizona, though not due to what is happening in Washington. In 2010, lawmakers seeking to cut state spending said they could not afford even that 25 percent match. They imposed a freeze on enrollment, though those already in the program could remain as long as their families remained eligible. The result was that the program, which had 45,000 children enrolled, dropped by last year to fewer than 1,000. It also left Arizona as the only state without a functioning program. A divided Legislature last year agreed to reinstate the program after Congress agreed to pick up the full cost, at least through Sept. 30 of this year. It is that authorization and funding thats awaiting renewal. Enrollment built back up to 22,000. Even with the state no longer having to provide a match, there was opposition among at least some Arizona legislators. Andy Biggs, then the Senate president, said he wasnt buying arguments that there would be no cost to the state. But he said even if that were not the case, Arizona shouldnt be lining up for the federal dollars. While every program ... has an advocate and a desire to accomplish a certain albeit potentially even altruistic or beneficent purpose, at some point one realizes that perhaps we cant afford every program, said Biggs, who at the time was running for Congress. He has since been elected. And state Sen. Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, was unimpressed by arguments that Arizona has been the only state without a CHIP program. Well, kudos to us, she said. It took a bit of political gamesmanship to get the program restored over the opposition of GOP leadership and the lack of support from Gov. Doug Ducey. State Rep. Regina Cobb, R-Kingman, attached language to restart enrollment to Kids Care into legislation to allow more parents to use public dollars to send their children to private and parochial schools, something the Republican leaders wanted. That gambit succeeded as the House attached the amendment and approved the bill with 38 votes, as 15 of the 36 Republicans joined with all 24 Democrats to override the GOP leaders. Cobb, in pushing to restore Kids Care, conceded at the time that federal funding beyond Sept. 30 of this year was not assured. But she pointed out that if that happens, the measure contains language allowing the state to once again stop enrolling children, just as it did in 2010. In March 2014, the staged release of water into the Colorado River Delta was an international spectacle. Thousands of onlookers joined dozens of elected and appointed officials, environmentalists and scientists at Morelos Dam at the Arizona-Sonora border south of Yuma to see the first significant flow of river water into the parched delta for more than 15 years. Downstream in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, kids and their parents swam and splashed, ecstatic to see a live river again, enjoying the first burst of what was destined to be a pulse flow of 105,000 acre-feet into the delta. Now, a second round of releases is headed to the delta that wont be nearly as dramatic. But these flows will restore more riverfront with cottonwoods and willows than the last time and their impacts will likely last longer. The new U.S.-Mexico Colorado River agreement, announced last week, sets aside 210,000 acre-feet of river water for environmental restoration in the delta over nine years, starting next year. This 2017 agreement also calls on the two countries to share shortages on the river in equal proportions in times of drought. The earlier, 2012 agreement under which the huge pulse flow was unleashed also enabled the more gradual release of another 53,000 acre-feet over four years that will end Dec. 31, 2017. The first round of flows has restored about 1,100 acres of cottonwood, willow and mesquite habitat, said Osvel Hinojosa, water and wetlands program director for Pro Natura Noroeste and a co-chair of an environmental working group that developed restoration ideas for the new agreement. Pro Natura is headquartered in Ensenada, Baja California. In that time, more than 230,000 native cottonwoods and willows were planted along the river, said a coalition of six U.S. and Mexican conservation groups calling itself Raise the River. The groups raised more than $10 million for restoration work and to buy water rights for those releases. This time, the goal is to restore about 4,300 acres over the next nine years, the new agreement says. Now, We will see a resurgence of the Colorado in its delta, the ribbon of green that is re-emerging in the Sonoran Desert, said Jennifer Pitt of the National Audubon Society at last weeks signing ceremony in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It offers relief to every living being that seeks rest in the cool shade of a cottonwood, renewal in the bounty of life that flows from the waters of the Colorado River. We are finding new ways to share the water, among our communities, but also with hundreds of thousands of egrets, herons, flycatchers, rails and other birds that need it to survive. Although smaller pulse flows may be released later, the immediate plan is to focus on lesser, steadier amounts of base flows, Hinojosa said. Pulse flows release lots of water over short periods from a single point such as the dam. Base flows deliver lesser amounts, often over longer periods to specific restoration sites. At this point, the best way to proceed with restoration is base flows. Thats the best use of the water, said Karl Flessa, a University of Arizona geosciences professor who oversaw the scientific monitoring of the 2014 pulse-flow impacts and hopes to be involved in similar work this time. A lot of the 2014 pulse flow infiltrated into deep groundwater and was not available to nourish cottonwoods and other trees, he said. By applying base flows to restoration sites, you make sure water gets to the right place at the right time, Flessa said. Hinojosa said he considers base and pulse flows equally valuable, and may want to use smaller pulse flows for social purposes allowing people living nearby to enjoy water in the river and reconnect with nature. Scientists and environmentalists will also accomplish more this time because they learned a lot from the first restoration effort, said Hinojosa and environmentalist Pitt, who co-chairs the conservation work group. We are going to be more efficient now in how we use that water because of everything we learned. That speaks to the importance of dollars invested in science and monitoring, said Pitt, Audubons Colorado River programs director. Last time, We were starting blind, Pitt said. The earlier round identified suitable sites for restoration and helped develop best practices for landscaping, planting and irrigation, Flessa added. It takes more than water to restore habitat in the delta. It also takes international collaboration, financial support, scientific know-how, and lots of hard work, Flessa said. This round of restoration will have lots of money. The new agreement commits the U.S. and Mexican governments and conservation groups to contribute equally towards a total of $18 million for research, monitoring and restoration. A longer-term goal is for those parties to raise a total of $40 million, and double the water for restoration. The 210,000 acre-feet will come equally from the Mexican and U.S. governments and the conservation groups. The U.S. share will come not in wet water, but indirectly, as part of the $31.5 million the government agreed to contribute toward improving the efficiency of Mexican irrigation systems. That, in turn, will provide more water for other purposes. This means that no US water will leave Lake Mead for the purposes of restoration in the delta, Flessa said, referring to the reservoir of Colorado River water on the Arizona-Nevada border. The 4,300 acres of restoration will still pale in comparison to the 100,000 acres of delta that existed a century ago before the U.S. dammed and diverted all the rivers water before it could reach the delta. For Pitt, who has worked for delta restoration 20 years, Whats most important to me in this agreement is that the U.S. and Mexico have an agreement on how to share water in times of short supply ... as the supply decreases. With the agreement creating more resilience for the river, water leaders and politicians can support collaborative efforts to restore the delta, she said. But in Santa Fe last week, Pitt warned that if governments and water users end up fighting over a dwindling supply, the environment will be the biggest loser. No politician can support nature when communities are threatened by a water supply crisis, she said. News / National by Tendai Ruben Mbofana Tendai Ruben is a social justice activist, writer, author, and speaker. He is available should anyone want him to speak at any gatherings. Please call +263782283975, email tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.com This morning I met a mother with her small child - who was being a bit naughty - so in order to scare him into behaving well, she threatened to report him to a police officer who was standing nearby - who would dish out instant punishment and untold suffering upon him.Needless to say, the little boy immediately cowered!The look on her son's face was of pure terror, as he never took his eyes off the police officer - obviously expecting the law enforcer to pounce on him unexpectadly.Of course, the police officer had no knowledge of the mother to son threat, and so took no notice of the two.However, this disturbing incident got me thinking as to whether such threats by parents, as a means of disciplining, is not the root of our unhealthy fear of police brutality, especially when wanting to exercise our constitutional and democratic right to peaceful demonstrations.Most people - including me - have, at some point during childhood, been subjected to such threats.Is it then any wonder that whenever we have genuine grievances against any institution, including government, and we feel the need to engage in peaceful demonstrations, most of us are apprehensive at the thought of police presence and possible brutality?Most people have truly had enough of the suffering that they have endured for far too long - additionally, feeling that those in authority are taking no notice - and are all too eager to make their voices heard by peaceful demonstrations, but their unhealthy fear of police brutality is more than enough to keep them off the streets.I refer to it as 'unhealthy', because people would not normally have such a fear - no matter the pain inflicted - as long as they are eager and desperate enough to demand their voices be heard.We have a Section 59 constitutinal right to peaceful demonstrate.Thus, with numerous Zimbabweans bearing so many grievances, why do we not witness magnificent multitudes of people on the streets demonstrating againt their apparent neglect by those in power?Admittedly, in the 1990s, there were major demonstrations, which were largely violently quashed, but such stiffling of popular dissent can never be main source of our present day fear.There has to be a deep-seeded terror of police violence, which I still attribute to the threats we received in infancy.The brutality we were subjected to later on in our lives only served to further reinforce this unhealthy fear, thereby, ingraining it in our minds.We need to stop using such threats towards our children - which might immediately yield the desired result - but will, in the long-run just turn them into fearful adults.I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, advocating for us to be anti-police, or to fight for regime change through the streets.We have a watershed election next year in 2018, so there is absolutely no need - and definitely, no appetite - for a street-drive regime change, but a ballot box-led revolution.Nonetheless, in any democratic society - even a pseudo one like ours - peacefully demonstrating is a right that every citizen is entitled to, as a means of making their desires heard loud and clear.This should be engaged in boldly, notwithstanding any form of repression, as the people's grievances can not be simply washed away by water cannons, or covered up by tear gas.As long as people feel ignored by those in authority, they need to fearlessly make their demands known, even through peaceful demonstrations.Actually, it is not the demonstrator who is the problem - and should not be the one to be vilified by the police.The very fact that people feel the need to constantly demonstrate is an unambiguous sign there is something seriously wrong with those in authority, who would clearly be reneging on their responsibilities towards the people they are supposed to serve and wait on.As such, the best way to curtail demonstrations is to attend to the needs of the people, not by arresting, tear gassing, or pepper spraying them.The people have never demanded anything out of the ordinary.Demanding electoral reforms in line with the constitution, or the availability of cash in the economy, can hardly be labelled unreasonable and worthy of suppression.Even if peaceful demonstrators urging a leader - whom they consider to have failed - to resign, is constitutional.In a democracy as the United States (US) we witness nearly daily 'Dump Trump' demonstrations, which are seldom brutally suppressed as regime change machinations.We now need to discard all forms of unhealthy fear of the police and boldly make our voices heard loud and clear, as our constiutional right, despite any repression. In April 2006, longtime labor and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta spoke to students at Tucson Magnet High School. In her speech, Huerta, who had more than 50 years of political organizing experience, said that Republicans hate Latinos. A firestorm erupted. Outraged Republican state legislators and national radio talking heads took umbrage. It was as if Huerta had taken a knee during the national anthem. A year later, Republican legislators set their sights on the Tucson Unified School Districts Mexican American Studies program. And by 2010, the GOP-led Legislature and the governor banned the program the same year that Arizona Republicans approved SB 1070, a law that enabled local police to stop and detain people on suspicions that they were living here without documentation, which resulted in the racial profiling of Latinos. Eventually, federal court rulings all but gutted SB 1070 and in August a federal judge ruled that the ban on Mexican American Studies violated students constitutional rights because both enactment and enforcement were motivated by racial animus. Huerta, who in the early 1960s co-founded the United Farm Workers Union alongside Cesar E. Chavez, has long been on the national stage. Now a new documentary film focusing on her work and life will bring even more attention to Huerta who, often shunted aside in the history books, has been a leading voice in support of agricultural workers, women, the environment and Latino communities. Huerta, 87, will return to Tucson Oct. 9 to appear at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway, for the 7:30 p.m. screening of Dolores. She will participate in a Q&A after the film, which opens Oct. 6. The film, she said, is historical and relevant to todays politics. Last week I interviewed Huerta, who was at the office of the Dolores Huerta Foundation in Bakersfield, California, by phone for an interview that will air on KXCI-FM. When I asked her if she felt that her 2006 remark was vindicated by U.S. District Judge A. Wallace Tashima when he ruled that racism was at the basis of the Mexican American Studies ban, Huerta demurred. She didnt gloat. She simply said, Im so happy to hear that happened. She easily could have said yes. Instead, Huerta talked about the value and importance of the now-defunct Mexican American Studies program. The program improved students overall academics and character, taught them necessary critical-thinking skills and was never compulsory. These were critical points that opponents never acknowledged, that instead were buried by the dog-whistle racial politics of Republicans, led by former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal and former Attorney General Tom Horne, who as Huppenthals predecessor launched the campaign to burn and bury Mexican American Studies. While the Tucson Unified School District canceled the program under state threat of losing millions of dollars in school aid, Huerta is not giving up that the program will return. Moreover, she said all public schools should incorporate ethnic studies into classrooms, from kindergarten to the 12th grade, so students can learn about the contributions of people of color. If we dont include that into our schoolbooks, that means that the racism and the bigotry will continue and our children of color will never be given the dignity that they deserve, Huerta said. They will always feel like second-class citizens. Since she was a child growing up in the agricultural fields surrounding Stockton, California, Huerta understood clearly that being a worker, being a Latina, relegated her to second-class status. Several years before she met Chavez in the mid-1950s, Huerta had begun organizing farm workers to seek better wages and working conditions. In 1962, Huerta and Chavez formed the National Farm Workers Association, the forerunner to the United Farm Workers Union. In subsequent years, the UFW took on the powerful growers in California and the Southwest who were aligned with their Republican patrons, former governors Ronald Reagan in California and Jack Williams in Arizona, and President Richard Nixon and the Teamsters Union. In doing so, Huerta and Chavez, and the UFW and its supporters, brought the much needed spotlight on the field workers deplorable working conditions. Their efforts also paralleled the burgeoning Chicano-rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in the urban barrios throughout the Southwest. Huerta was there. She helped lead. She voiced the dreams and demands. This may all be history to many, but the issues of the past remain largely the same today, said Huerta. Todays political climate expressed by President Trump and his administrations policies on gender and minority rights, immigration and the environment, she said, are a call to action. It is Jose Armandos birthday, and he has been up since sunrise preparing breakfast burritos and washing cars outside the Southside Workers Center in South Tucson. Although few would be thrilled to spend their Saturday working in a blistering parking lot, Armando cannot imagine a better way to celebrate his special day. Im happy to be helping my friend, he said. Thats what we do here. He would do the same for us. Armando is a longtime member of the center, which organizes day laborers and ensures that they are paid a fair wage. It recently held the car wash to raise funds to pay bond for a Guatemalan national who is a long-time member of the center. The Guatemalan man was detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement on his drive to work one morning in July. He joined the 1,291 undocumented immigrants who were detained in Arizona between Jan. 20 and April 29, the first four months of the Trump administration, ICE data show. But as immigration enforcement has stepped up, so has the community. Although holding fundraisers to bail people out of immigration detention is not new, the efforts have intensified, ranging from car washes to tamale sales. When President Trump announced in early September the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama administration program that protected from deportation young people brought to the United States illegally by their parents, groups in Tucson and across the country quickly responded with marches, information forums and scholarship funds. A rally in support of DACA at Tucson City Hall on Sept. 6 attracted more than 600 people. According to Sabina Trejo, coordinator at the Southside day laborers center, policy changes like the end of DACA drive people to be more active in protecting immigrant community members. Ive been surprised at how many new faces weve been seeing at events, Trejo said. We definitely couldnt raise the money if we didnt have much new support. The Trump administration has said those who pose a national or public safety risk and gang members remain the top priority for deportation, but anyone who is in the country illegally can be detained and processed for deportation. Arrests of undocumented immigrants who have no prior criminal histories, such as the Guatemalan detainee in Tucson, rose nationwide from 4,372 from Jan. 20 through April 29, 2016, to 10,937 during the same period in 2017, according to ICE numbers. Were seeing a significant increase in the enforcement of our immigration laws just generally, and with that comes a lot more individuals being arrested and detained, said Mo Goldman, a local immigration attorney and a representative of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. On top of that, and even over the last one to two years, before Trump became president, we started to see some of the judges in the immigration detention setting bonds at a higher level than we have seen previously, he said. Families just dont have the resources to pay for it. The Guatemalan mans bond was set at $7,500. Trejo said average bond for an immigrant with no criminal history was around $2,000 a couple of years before. So far, his advocates have raised $4,000 toward their goal. Since the man lived only with his two dogs and has no family here, backing from the Tucson community is essential for his financial and moral support, his co-workers said. Theres been a lot of people really wanting to rally to support him, said Trejo. People wrote him letters of support, and sometimes he calls in the morning to hear peoples voices. Magdalena Escobedo, a speech pathologist for the Sunnyside Unified School District, follows organizations like the center on social media and has seen a definite uptick in fundraising events. Theres a sense of urgency, said Escobedo, as workers washed her car. A lot of the time I feel helpless, like theres not a lot I can do ... but this is something. When asked if he felt that holding a car wash is going to make a difference, Jose Vasquez, a worker at the center and a friend of the detained man, didnt hesitate to answer. It makes a difference for him, he said. Today for him, tomorrow for one of us. Tucson Electric Power is looking for volunteers to surrender control of one of the most untouchable items in every home: the thermostat. TEP is asking regulators to approve a pilot program in which customers with smart internet-connected thermostats would allow the utility to cycle off a customers air conditioner or adjust the thermostat. The idea is to help the load on TEPs power grid during times of peak demand, like late afternoons on summer days. In exchange, up to 650 participating customers initially would get an incentive payment of $40 annually, while having the opportunity to save money on a time-of-use rate plan. TEP proposed the residential load management pilot program recently as part of its 2018 energy-efficiency plan to comply with a state mandate to save power through energy-efficiency programs. Having your power company control your AC unit may sound a bit Big Brotherish, but the pilot program will be designed to allow participating customers with smart thermostats to save money without major discomfort, said TEP spokesman Joe Barrios. Details of the program must still be worked out, a process expected to take six to nine months after initial approval, which is expected by late this year or early 2018. TEP has requested a budget of $1.3 million to get the program going. The idea is that TEP would cycle off AC units for brief periods, say for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, within a certain temperature range. Customers could opt out on certain days when, for example, theyre home on vacation or have guests. Its not like we would always have the ability to reach in and adjust it as much as we want to we would have limited range to make adjustments, Barrios said. TEP has proposed $40 as an initial annual incentive payment, but that could go higher if needed to attract participants, he added. A supporter of energy-efficiency programs applauded TEPs proposal, while acknowledging the program may not work for everyone. It is a tough sell for some customers, but for other customers, if their AC is cut six or eight times a year while theyre at work, it might be a good deal, said Jeff Schlegel, Arizona representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project. Similar programs, often referred to as demand response or load control plans, have been offered to commercial customers for years in exchange for lower rates. We do see firms signing up for these programs all across the country, said Ashley Langer, a University of Arizona assistant professor of economics whose current research focuses on how consumers make decisions that affect the environment. About 30 states have energy-efficiency mandates, and utilities in about a dozen states have adopted demand-response programs including load-control arrangements similar to TEPs plan and incentives to voluntarily cut energy use during announced peak-demand periods. Arizona Public Service Co., the states largest investor-owned utility, also has proposed a residential load-control program as part of its pending 2018 energy-efficiency plan, offering customers free smart thermostats to participate. Langer said getting the details right, like limiting utility thermostat control to short periods or allowing customers to opt out of the program at certain times, could help persuade wary ratepayers to participate. Youre signing up for 15 minutes, youre not signing up to come home to a 100-degree house, she said. A recent study suggests utilities have some work to do to persuade customers to hand over control of their thermostats. A study issued in March by researchers in Australia showed that general consumer distrust of utilities is a significant deterrent to signing up for demand-response programs. Langer said TEPs proposed program also might appeal to environmentally conscious customers, since saving energy during peak times would reduce the need to fire up gas-burning turbine peaker generators. In 2010, the Corporation Commission required state-regulated power companies to achieve savings of at least 22 percent by 2020, with some of that coming from reductions in peak demand. Besides allowing remote load control, TEPs proposal seeks to use some participating customers homes and water heaters to store energy. TEP also would explore feeder-level, or neighborhood-level, power storage in some areas to help reduce peak demand. This isnt the first time TEP has tried a load-control program. In 2010, the utility tested such a program with the help of a U.S. Department of Energy grant. About 750 participants in the program, which concluded in October 2012, were given internet-enabled thermostat monitors to allow them to monitor and adjust the temperature of their home or business remotely, and each got a $50 billing credit at the programs end. TEP system operators were able to cycle off a customers air conditioner or adjust their thermostat during periods of peak electric demand, using those controls eight times on 100-degree-plus days in 2012, the utility said. Since the last test program ended, smart thermostats like the $250 Nest Learning Thermostat have become widely adopted, so TEP can offer the program to any customers who use the devices, Barrios said. With this program, its a lot simpler, he said, noting that TEP is currently offering a $35 rebate on the purchase of a Nest thermostat. TEP will evaluate the Nest and other brands of smart thermostats for their performance and security and eventually list which models will qualify for the program, Barrios added. Police in the southern Vietnamese province of Vinh Long are likely to suspend an investigation into an armed bank heist earlier this week as the suspect has killed himself, officers said on Saturday. On Friday morning, N.V.K., who worked for the armed forces, was found dead after an apparent suicide at his workplace. The 42-year-old appeared to shoot himself with a K54 gun. Vinh Long police confirmed on Saturday that K. was the suspect in the robbery at a Vietinbank branch in Long Ho District on Wednesday. With the suspect having committed suicide, the probe into the case could be suspended, according to police officers. Police said the K54 pistol found at the scene of the suicide was the same gun used in the robbery, in which a man, wearing a helmet and face cover while wielding an object that appeared to be a gun, charged into the bank and quickly left with his bag filled with more than VND200 million (US$8,724). K. said in his suicide note that he had conducted a bank robbery [to pay] huge debts from bank loans and a fuel firm. The stolen money has not been retrieved yet, according to Vinh Long police. K.s body has been transferred to his family for funeral rites. Vinh Long police at first asserted that the suicide and the robbery were two separate incidents. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Berlin gangster drama 4 Blocks will air on Amazon from Wednesday. The six-part series centres on an Arab family in the Neukolln district of Berlin where Toni Hamady (Kida Khodr Ramadan) and his wife Kalila (Maryam Zaree) want to leave their four blocks and put criminal activities behind them. It premiered at Berlinale in February while Kida Khodr Ramadan won the Best Actor award at the Series Mania Festival in Paris. Hannes Heyelmann, Turners Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Central & Eastern Europe and International Original Programming Strategy: With 4 Blocks, we took the risk of financing a series almost entirely on our own, and also handling distribution sales for the first time. We believe we have found ideal partners with Amazon Prime Video and ZDFneo to make the series available globally via on-demand as well as on German free-to-air TV. These sales prove that our strategy of telling stories that are clearly locally rooted also work in international sales, and they enable us to invest even more in our productions going forward. A second season is already in the pipeline for 2018. More dating shows are on the way. TEN has commissioned Bachelor in Paradise, a spin-off of The Bachelor franchise. It features previous contestants who have already been on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. TEN chief content office Beverley McGarvey told the Australian Financial Review, the show was like a Bachelor All-Stars. You have to have enough seasons under your belt to be able to do All Stars. We have a broad pool of potential participants to pull from and we just started casting in the past few weeks, and have had a phenomenal response, she said. The show is tipped to replace Biggest Loser early in 2018 as a short-run series. Meanwhile Nine is tipped to be planning an Australian version of Love Island, which has been a hit in the UK (pictured). It screened in Australia on 9Life. ITV Studios Australia has the rights for the Australian production where 3 seasons have been filmed in Majorca, Spain. The format is not dissimilar to Paradise Hotel in which singles hook up with one another. News Corp speculates 12 couples will be filmed at an island location, as a a non-celebrity version. Chatter about dating shows recently has also included First Dates: Hotel, a marriage makeover show from The Block producers, plus casting notices for Second Chance at Love, Ultimate Love Match & Forever Love (may not be their actual titles). Wil Traval (All Saints) will guest star in the upcoming season of Chicago P.D. He will play Sergeant McGrady from Narcotics. TV Line reports when the Intelligence units case requires the help of McGrady, its revealed that the sergeant shares a past with Detective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos), but the exact nature of their history is unclear. Traval has also appeared in Marvels Jessica Jones, Arrow, Once Upon a Time, Grimm and Red Widow. Chicago P.D. returns to Universal on October 10th. The focus this week has been on the Labour Party Conference and what it would be like since the general election. Unfortunately, most of the media were obsessed with claiming that there were divisions within the party over Brexit and claims of anti-Semitism were rife. However, these were manufactured and several quotes were taken out of context. This has taken the focus away from what was a hope-laden event and the mess the Conservatives are making of government. Meanwhile, in the world there has been progress in Saudi Arabia and for the Kurdish in Iraq. The Spanish government are at odds with Catalonia, Germany held its general election and in America, there was divide in the Republican party over Obamacare. Labour conference and Conservative divides From those we have spoken to, the Labour conference has been described as buoyant and hopeful, but the media chose t focus on Brexit, ignoring the mess the government are making of it and reporting supposed 'divides' within Labour. The reality is that they have announced that there they would have unimpeded access to the single market and there would be a transition period of 2 - 4 years, clear and concise with many in agreement. Several policy announcements included, Tom Watsons pledge to make gambling firms pay a levy to help fight gambling addiction, this was after he took aim and said they target the poorest and most vulnerable in society. John McDonnell announced that Labour would bring PFI contracts back into government control, Jeremy Corbyn used his speech to announced council flat residents would be able to vote against developer's knocking blocks down, in a bid to combat gentrification. He continued by saying that the NEC would draw up plans to combat rising rents, looking at models used by Berlin and Ontario. Furthermore, he said that Labour would create an opt-in system for organ donation and he said that he would make firms audit their gender pay gap and could issue fines if a company doesn't comply. Away from Labour, the Conservatives divides deepen after Boris Johnson published four points they must gain from Brexit, with further claims that he is undermining Theresa May and beginning his leadership bid. Theresa May stated in a bizarre admission that they weren't ready for the general election, despite calling it and said there weren't enough debates even though she refused to debate Jeremy Corbyn directly and appear on televised debates. They have also given G4S and Serco and 290 million contract that will see them given powers to arrest citizens, in short, a private company are given powers to police the state but with no public accountability. World news Saudi Arabia announced that they are to remove the ban on women driving, influential clerics have long argued that the ban stops wives from committing adultery. Interpol recognises the state of Palestine. The Kurdish region in northern Iraq voted in a non-binding referendum to secede from Iraq, the timing could cause further destabilisation to the region but they do have previously promised rights to autonomy. The Republicans have ditched their lasted and probably last attempts to repeal Obamacare, this came after John McCain joined two other steadfast opponents of repeal. The German general election was held and Angela Merkel won another term as Chancellor but with a reduced majority. The election saw the rise in the far-right Nazi sympathisers, AfD, who won 90 seats in the Bundestag. What is concerning is that many people in the UK and around the world, including people like Nigel Farage were celebrating their improvements. Signalling the return of fascism as a mainstream ideology. In Spain, Catalonia prepare to vote in an unconstitutional referendum that has been condemned by the Spanish government, ignoring their wishes could cause further divides within the country. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an issue that stretches further back than either side is willing to admit. There have been intermittent times of peace and war between the Jewish and Arab people throughout history. However, the current conflict arises from the creation of the Israeli state in 1948. The UN took land from the Arab people with no consultation and installed a Jewish government. Whilst many moderates have been elected to power following the outbreaks of violence, each time they have not been able to negotiate peace, which has left the door open for extremism to thrive and with the wests support, Israel have colonisers in power. Recognising the needs of Palestine Progress has since been made after Interpol voted in favour of accepting Palestine as a member over significant objections from Israel. The Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki said, "This victory was made possible because of the principled position of the majority of Interpol members." However, Israel argued that Palestine was not a state, therefore not able to join Interpol and Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that membership contravenes signed agreements with Israel. The Israeli government has been slowly colonising more land from Palestine and their aim is to see the end of the Palestine altogether and Netanyahu's statement confirms this. With significant abuses towards the Palestinian people by the Israeli government under Netanyahu, the UN must recognise that his party are far-right extremists. In 2008, Israel formed a blockade to stop UN aid from getting through to the Gaza Strip. A summary of history Since the inception of Israel, the governments have largely placed restrictions on Palestinian people, unlawfully killing them, abusive detention and other systemic abuses of the Palestinian population's rights. Prior to the creation of Israel, there hadn't been a Jewish majority in the region for over 1800 years, the history tells us that Jewish Palestine effectively ended in 137 CE. The creation was centred around Zionism but traditionally whilst Jerusalem remained the holy site, the creation of a physical state was never the original teachings. In fact, it was a spiritual endeavour to find home with oneself. It wasn't until the late 19th and early 20th century that Theodor Herzl coined the term Zionism and began to take on the form as we know it today. But despite the good intentions, the Israeli government are close to coloniser rather than religious Zionists. Heinrich Heine described the Bible as "the portable fatherland of the Jews, the portable Jerusalem". From this idea and the sanctity of Jerusalem, it became the chosen city and Palestine became the chosen land which was embraced by both Christian and Muslim communities. This idea of Zionism is largely a romantic idea perpetuated by western enthusiasm and guilt over anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. But the reality is that Palestine and the city of Jerusalem have been places of continuity, as explored by Simon Sebag-Montefiore in Jerusalem: The Biography. He explores Jerusalem and that its evolution from a one-faith city to a three-faith city and how it avoided the nationalist narratives of modern times as a place of multiple cultures and histories in harmony. The steps by Interpol indicate a clear desire to come to a peace agreement but with Benjamin Netanyahu's continuation as Prime Minister and his party's unwillingness to recognise the Arab peoples, there is still significant progress to be made. Opinion / Columnist Last week at the launch of the voter registration exercise, chairperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), Rita Makarau, knelt before President Robert Mugabe.Generally speaking, in other circumstances, the very act of kneeling is quite commendable. It is a very high degree of respect bestowed upon the one before whom one is bowing. Within the context of our African culture, one, usually a woman, kneeling denotes respect, submission, reverence and possibly allegiance too.It means I give up my ground, my height and minimise myself to make you bigger. I dare not stand toe to toe, shoulder to shoulder or indeed eyeball to eyeball with you, therefore I make myself the shortest, lowest height possible so you, my lord, can loom higher, tower above me and possibly "reign supreme".As African women, we do it often, or are at least expected to do it often enough. We have been socialised to do so particularly before elderly and/or authoritative male figures in our families/communities.Sometimes we do it before matriarchies of authority in our families as well. Traditionally, this gesture of respectfully minimising one's self through kneeling has been ascribed to women (though of late we have seen a disturbing trend of even men kneeling before other men, be it for the president or the men of the cloth, vana Papa, but I digress.) I wish to interrogate the act of Makarau's kneeling vis-a-vis the context.From a socio-cultural perspective, Makarau a relatively younger woman to the president, himself a father or grandfatherly figure could be commended for finding it within herself to subordinate and humble herself in such a manner. Culturally speaking.However, in the interest of professional independence, objectivity, disinterestedness, impartiality and standing one's own ground without giving up any power whatsoever or without leaning in any manner of allegiance towards any one side at all, Makarau's kneeling fills one with a sense of apprehension of things to come and casts some doubt as to whether or not her dispensation of her duty as the nation's chief election administrator would not be influenced by her regard of the president. Her kneeling betrays her attitude towards the veteran statesman.That she views him as worthy of giving one's ground over; one to belittle one's being before; one to humble yourself before. Within the context of election administration, one wonders whether any of the above sentiments would not seep through into her electoral duties.Million dollar question being, given her submissive relationship with the president, can she be firm enough with him and his party by extension, enough to preside over the plebiscite without fear or favour? With the requisite independence or she is always going to hold him in reverence? The kneeling betrays a leaning towards the incumbent. And perhaps it's nothing new. In the past, aspersions have been cast regarding Makarau's alleged bias towards the ruling party.But this article's subject of interest is neither elections nor politics. This article seeks to shine the spotlight on cultural practices that women may or may not do or succumb to in line with our tradition and heritage (chivanhu chedu) and what bearing these practices have on women's professional and indeed leadership capacities.The discussion here also wishes to show the dual nature of our existence as a people who were formerly colonised by another and different culture.I invite debate and introspection around these issues by pausing following questions.Within a professional and leadership perspective which is hinged on the need for a woman leader to stand her ground; stand tall, hold her own, do actions like curtseying/doffing (kutyora muzura) or kneeling have a place?Once you curtsey or kneel to a man at work, can you as a woman leader maintain or recover your ground in matters or circumstances needing your firm hand, iron fist or decisive demeanour? If we are to view curtseying and kneeling as giving up some of your power, how able are you to retrieve that power when you need to? Or do you give up or give in for always? For good?In the professional world, should a woman be kneeling/ kutyora muzura to bosses or even male colleagues that are "culturally" older than her though may be on the same level as her? Who do you tyora muzura for and who not? Where do you draw the line? And when you are drawing this line, what are you basing on, cultural context or business/professional context?Whether we like it or not, admit it or not, our business or professional etiquette are heavily influenced by the western world and its norms. As an African woman, this criss-crossing between cultures or orientations, is it not taxing? Does it or does it not take away from us? How much mental energies are expended on these shifts in orientation? Or are you always able to know which orientation to base on for a specific event, action or occasion? I imagine at any given point in time, a western female counterpart, does not have to criss-cross anything, she generally has one reality to abide by does this stand her in better stead?My take is for professional women, whether in leadership or not, being in the office and remembering and trying to safeguard our cultural beings as well, causes us to conflate our roles our professional role and our cultural roles. I imagine that for Makarau, in that instance when she knelt before the president, she conflated her professional roles as chairperson of ZEC, judge of the Supreme Court, secretary of the Judicial Services Commission, with her socio-cultural role as a respectful African woman addressing a father/grandfather figure.In the process, the independence of those three professional roles of hers was lost. Independence became a casualty. Yet, she is expected to, above all, exercise independence in her roles, at this point in time as per our country's calendar, most especially as chairperson of ZEC.I daresay, kneeling and curtseying are all very well in a home, family, community set up, but at the office, particularly in an office that demands its own independence, its own power, its own ground, I don't think so. What do you think?Maggie Mzumara is a Media, Communication & Leadership Strategist. She is founder of the Success in Stilettos, a platform dedicated to the development of women leadership. She is also founder and publisher of the Harare South Western News a community newspaper founded to empower and lend a voice to under-represented communities in high and medium density suburbs in Harare. She can be reached on email: maimzumara@yahoo.com Twitter @magsmzumara Ithala Game Reserve has stunning diversity. The reserve incorporates the highlands of Ngotshe, where the Zulu people of Dinizulu found safety in hidden caves during the Zulu wars in the mid-1800s. From the heights, there is a splendid vista across grasslands that sweep down to the lowlands. There, twines the Pongola River that empties itself across the rugged landscape of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on its way to the sea. The array of different habitats in the well-established reserve allows for an equally diverse population of birds, reptiles, and mammals. Ithala before the 5-star Ntshondwe Camp This was not always the case, and back in 1986, 13-years after the reserve was taken back from settler farmers, the old farmlands were still showing signs of human occupation. Animal numbers were still being carefully monitored. Scientists were gathering information about historical animals that had occupied the area before white settlement. The rich history of the area was being studied and written up. San bushmen cave painting were studied to establish the types of fauna that historically occurred in the area. Back then, the focus was not on visitors. It was not the world-class five-star destination it has become. The famous Ntshondwe Camp, (now a popular destination for western same-sex marriages), was merely an idea on paper. There were two bush camps under construction and a campsite with almost no amenities. This was a good time to live and work in the reserve. Rhino poaching was at an all-time low, so the rangers all had the time to become involved in research projects. The human history of a preserved area is as important as the natural history, so we set off to find out as much as we could about the ancient days of this land. This was later incorporated into the self-guided drives and walks that visitors to the reserve find so rewarding thirty years later. Near the old and long defunct Ngotshe mine, there stands the remnants of an old stone hut. Across from it and up a rocky slope of tumbled rocks was a place the Zulu elders in the area said was guarded by a giant spirit mamba. Africa is rife with legends, and as I wrote in my book, "Blood of The sacred," - "Myth and legend are more than just stories in Africa. There the seen and the unseen intertwine for the people of the dark continent live close to the dead." Usually, if there is a legend in Africa, there is something tangible to back it up. So we set out to find the mamba. Mamba's are legend in Africa Black Mambas are legend themselves, in Africa. The deadly snake is described by the Kruger Park Times as, "one of Africa's most feared and respected snakes, [and] inevitably evokes reactions of fear, respect or awe - often merely by being mentioned." The publication does not exaggerate when they allude to some of the legends associated with the snakes - "coined super-fast, super-intelligent, and shrewd and magical abilities have even been attributed to it." There are obvious myths associated with the snake, but certainly, respect is the one thought that was uppermost in the minds of me and my husband, Frank, who was Senior Ranger of the Eastern Section of Ithala at the time. He was busy studying for his conservation diploma and his research paper was about the occurrence of these snakes in the reserve. They were common - sometimes, too common. One of them decided to make its nest in the ceiling of our house and for a few days, baby snakes rained down in our sitting room through a crack in the beading. That was not comfortable, but baby snakes, poisonous as they are, are not really awe-inspiring. Flight or flight and a moment of awe in mamba encounter Awe-inspiring was walking around the hill near the mine, looking for signs of mambas just before dusk, when a large mamba making for water stood up as high as my chest, a few feet away. The slivery-black beauty and I stood like that - immobile, frozen for an eternity of seconds. Then he swished across the path and was gone. I remember I was shaking with excitement and fear. I wanted to sit down with relief but my survival instincts wanted me to flee. I experienced the flight reaction - but the fight part of the human fight or flight instinct just never came into the picture. You don't pick a fight with a six-foot mamba! That snake was big, but he was not the giant that the spirit mamba was described to be. The interesting part of the encounter was that we had established we were in the territory of a mamba. As the original mamba of the legend was at least a hundred years old, it was quite possible to suppose the original snake had populated the area with offspring and this was a descendant of the original ancestor. People who live in cities often suppose that wild animals wander around kind of randomly. This is a misconception though - they have their homes and their comfort zones and even their daily routines, just like humans do. We got to know that snake quite well and discovered he had family in the area. The snake that never was...perhaps One day, driving across to the campsite to attend to a broken shower, we drove past the hillock. We were not intent on looking for anything. It was a hot day, dry and dusty. The road was wide, as it was built to accommodate two vehicles traveling in opposite directions. Suddenly we had to stop. From one edge of the yellowed grassy verge to the other, a long black snake was strung out like a fat giant hose. Neither his head nor his tail were visible initially. It was crossing the road and we watched it move off. As the tail end of the snake disappeared into the bush before I could get to my camera, there is no official record of the reptile. Frank decided to measure the tracks on the sandy road. If he knew the girth of the mamba, he might be able to estimate the length - or so his theory went. We got out the truck and walked over to where the snake had been. There were no tracks. We hunted everywhere for them. The fine and powdery sand was full of little bird prints and a mosaic of small rodent tracks, but there was no sign of the enormous snake. Had we just found the Spirit Mamba of Zulu legend? I like to think so. This is Africa after all, where myth and legend and the seen and the unseen are often so closely intertwined, that the difference is impossible to discern. Footnote - Ithala Game Reserve is managed by Ezemvelo Kzn Wildlife. The world-class Ntshondwe Camp is quite often a destination of choice for Americans in the LGBT community who want to experience Africa in its natural state. According to their website, "All staff members working within Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Resorts have fully completed intense LGBT Sensitivity Skills training courses...They are the first hospitality group of resorts in South Africa to embrace ....and manage LGBT sensitivity and diversity as well as including LGBT HR Policies to ensure fair and equal rights for all for that work for Ezemvelo and stay in their resorts." It was reported on Wednesday that President Trump deleted all of his tweets that were related to endorsing the Republican candidate for Alabama, Sen. Luther Strange. This was right after the president had tweeted about all of the chances he claimed that Strange had to win the primary race for former Senator Jeff Sessions open seat. Instead, Roy Moore - who is more of the type of candidate that fits with Trump - won the election. This resulted in a tweet that was just as congratulatory as if he had been supporting Moore the entire time. Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time. Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race. He will help to #MAGA! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017 Despite the deletions, the president also appeared to act like a "good sport" by giving Strange some credit for running a good race. Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017 President Trump's misdirection to support establishment candidate Prior to this, Donald Trump became part of a situation that confused many when both Moore and Strange were coddling for the president's support. They fought over which one of them was the true Trump candidate. Many felt that it would make more sense for the president to put his support behind Roy Moore, especially since Moore got the support of Breitbart CEO and Trump's former chief strategist at the White House, Steve Bannon. CNN reported that as soon as it was announced that Moore had won the primary Tuesday evening, that the President was furious about the loss and slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for pushing him to support Strange. According to the article: "Trump infuriated after backing Alabama loser," the President also vented on his political team who he felt had misled him. The article also pointed out that McConnell had consolidated GOP support from the establishment behind Strange. Reasons for why Trump supported Strange The article also reported that Trump was already having second thoughts about Strange saying that he felt he was "too low energy." Because of this, the President was also concerned that his support for an establishment candidate would make him look weak. This would make the populist effort generated by Steve Bannon another win for the far right. It also gave the appearance that the president was wrong in his decision because to many, it only made sense for Trump to give his support for Moore, who is just as controversial as Trump. It has been pointed out that the reason for Trump's decision, however, wasn't entirely because it was made at McConnell's request. Luther Strange was also quite loyal to Trump, who seems to prioritize loyalty over everything else. The loss, no doubt, also made an impact with him as it happened on the same day that Republicans failed again to pass a bill that would repeal Obamacare, which Trump has promised to do but the GOP has failed to do, repeatedly. It was recently reported that 30-year-old Erin Lee Macke had been taken into custody Thursday on child endangerment charges after traveling to Germany on an 11-day vacation, leaving her four children alone, with a gun in the house. The 12-year-old twins had been put in charge of their six- and seven-year-old siblings, as their mother jetted off for a visit with her brother and niece in Germany. Iowa womans ex-husband is angry but not surprised Matthew Macke, the mothers former husband, told Inside Edition that he was really angry, but added that he was not surprised. Father to the two younger siblings, Macke said to him it was clearly a deliberate and intentional act on the part of his former wife. Johnston Police received a tip and visited Mackes home on September 21 to discover the 12-year-old twins, alone with their younger siblings. Macke had flown to Germany the day before, intending to take an 11-day vacation and wasnt due to return until October 1. People quotes Johnston Police Lt. Lynn Aswegan as saying Macke was visiting her brother and niece and that by all indications the trip was a "social venture." Police immediately contacted Macke in Germany, telling her to return home. She reportedly told police at the time that she didn't think it was a problem that the children were alone. While she was away, it was also noted a gun had been left unsecured in the home. Top News: Ex-husband of woman who ditched kids for Germany trip says it was 'intentional act' - New York Daily News https://t.co/o0CoUiLfka Matt (@FlabinAlert) October 1, 2017 The four children were taken by welfare officials and placed with family members until their mothers return. However, it was another seven days before Macke flew back to the U.S., landing on Thursday. On landing back home, Macke was arrested and charged with four counts of child endangerment. She was also charged for making a firearm available to persons under the age of 21. Macke has also been ordered by the court to have no contact with her four children. Macke posted photos on social media while cops awaited her return In the meantime, Macke had posted images showing her enjoying herself in Germany, despite the fact that police had ordered her to return, including photos of the Danube River and other locations, as pictured at the top of this article. Her former husband went on to tell Inside Edition that if his ex wants to take a vacation, thats all well and good, but added that she has a responsibility as a parent to the four children. When asked, Macke told Inside Edition that the children are doing well. WTH?? This women not only left her 4 children home alone, but she left them to go on vacation.... in GERMANY!!... https://t.co/7PIj4pUL33 Christen Marzilli (@healthy2skinny) September 30, 2017 That report said Erin Macke was in court on Friday and that she had insisted the children werent alone, stating they were with an aunt and uncle from September 20. Macke was later released on bail with her next court appearance scheduled for October 17. Donald Trump on Saturday attacked San Juan's mayor and other Puerto Rican authorities, scornful of his complaints regarding a slow response to the hurricane that threatens the island's future. "What poor leadership from the mayor of San Juan and others in Puerto Rico who cannot get their workers to help," Trump said in a series of Twitter messages a day after the mayor asked for help to prevent deaths. Carmen Yulin: 'Killing us inefficiently' "They want (others) to do everything when it should be an effort of the whole community," wrote Donald Trump.The messages represented an aggressive response to San Juan Mayor 'Carmen Yulin Cruz', who had accused the Trump administration of "killing us inefficiently" after Hurricane Maria. She begged the president, who has a scheduled trip to the island next Tuesday, to "make sure someone is in charge of saving lives." Trump has repeatedly praised residents of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, who were also affected by devastating storms, as strong and resilient. Trump promised maximum help Donald Trump promised to spare no effort to help Puerto Rico recover from the catastrophic consequences of Maria, and tweeted that the military and rescuers are doing "a wonderful job," although there is no "electricity, roads, telephones, etc." However, after a week of mounting criticism, Trumps patience seems to be dwindling. His administration has tried in recent days to counter the view that it failed to grasp the magnitude of the destruction caused by Maria and the urgency it needed. The administration gave Puerto Rico less attention than it gave to the states hit by Harvey and Irma. After spending days without mentioning the storm-devastated islands, government officials attended some press conferences describing aid efforts and Trump mentioned Puerto Rico at almost every public event. The life coming back to Puerto Rica Thousands of Puerto Ricans received more water and food in aid distribution. Telecoms have been re-established on about 30% of the island, almost half of the supermarkets have been reopened for at least a few hours a day, and approximately 60% of the gas stations are running. However, many still have urgent needs, especially water, after the September 20 hurricane. Trump is expected to hold an hour-long telephone conversation with the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Brock Long, Puerto Rico's governor Ricardo Rosella, and other local officials. 'Goal is to save lives' Carmen Cruz refused to enter into the discussion and preferred to ask for united focus around the people who need help. "The goal is one: saving lives. This is the time is to show our 'true colors.' We cannot be distracted by anything else," she tweeted, along with photos of her meeting with residents and rescuers, walking waist-deep in a flooded street and comforting an elderly woman. Natural disasters sometimes represent rare moments of bipartisan solidarity. After Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed the East Coast in 2012, New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie praised Democratic President Barack Obama for his attention and compassion. Still, the cash-for-recovery fight has become political and controversial, with many Republicans voting against an aid law. Over the last two weeks, Puerto Rico has struggled to bounce back after the destruction left by Hurricane Maria. As Donald Trump continues to insult officials on the island, the Mayor of San Juan was forced to set the record straight during an interview on Fox News. Fox News on Puerto Rico Last month, three major hurricanes ripped through various parts of the United States. First it was Hurricane Harvey in Texas where the city of Houston was damaged worst of all. Just over a week later and Hurricane Irma moved through Cuba and took its toll on Florida, where the city of Miami and other parts of the south where hit with 130 mph winds. Despite the damage that took place during those storms, it was Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico that might have caused the most devastation. The entire island lost power, as food and water quickly became scarce. Due to the major airport being taken out, residents weren't able to contact love ones, with dozens being reported dead and thousands being displaced. The reaction from Donald Trump came slow and was lackluster, as the majority of the mainstream media piled on the president. In response, Trump became defensive and even took a shot at the mayor of San Juan by questioning her leadership. As seen during a October 1 interview on Fox News, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz clashed with Geraldo Rivera. (The conversation over people dying in Puerto Rico starts at 3:20 in the above video.) Joining Fox News contributor and part-time host Geraldo Rivera for an interview on Sunday morning, Carmen Yulin Cruz was forced to get real over questionable comments about the current state of Puerto Rico following the storm. "We have had our hospital try to go back to speed but then the electricity goes off and we have to do all the bacteria testing, which takes three to four days," Cruz pointed out. At this time, Geraldo Rivera then pushed back at the notion that people were dying due to the impact of the hurricane. "But are people dying?" Rivera asked, while cutting Cruz off. "Ive been traveling around, I dont see people dying," Rivera added, before explaining that he spoke to several doctors, stating, "they say they saw 53 patients and they had a person who was septic, but nobody dying." Here is Geraldo Rivera being a jerk https://t.co/IrEENrm7H6 Raw Story (@RawStory) October 1, 2017 Cruz responds Responding to Geraldo Rivera, Carmen Yulin Cruz said "Dying is a continuum." "If you dont get fed for seven, eight days and youre a child, you are dying," Cruz explained, before also noting, "If you have 11 people, like we took out of a nursing home, severely dehydrated, you are dying." Next up As many in Puerto Rico fight to save their lives, it appears that Donald Trump and some in the conservative media are not going to make things any easier. Trump's tweets over the last 24 hours have come under fire for criticizing Carmen Yulin Cruz for "complaining" about the White House's response, while also trashing many others on the island who "want everything to be done for them." "Game of Thrones"' star Kit Harington (aka Jon Snow) will play a major role in the new BBC's three-part TV miniseries about the seventeenth-century Gunpowder Plot. Kit Harington will star as Robert Catesby, while Tom Cullen will star as Guy Fawkes. BBC One teased the debut of the new show with a catchphrase in pure "Game of Thrones" style: "Autumn is coming." You can find the brand new teaser trailer of "Gunpowder" at the bottom of the article! What the miniseries is about The drama follows the story of the group of provincial British Catholics who attempt to kill King James I and to blow up the House of Lords in 1605. Guy Fawkes, who is a worldwide known figure since the debut of the dystopian political thriller film "V for Vendetta", played a crucial role in the Gunpowder plot, but the mastermind behind the plan was actually Robert Catesby. Catesby's plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament to fuel a popular revolt during which a Catholic monarch would be restored to the English throne. The guy from the Iron Bank will be there too The British television drama program is produced by Kudos and Kit Harington's Thriker Films. The mini series is written by Northen Irish novelist and screenwriter Ronan Bennett and directed by J Blakeson ("The Disappearance of Alice Creed"). Peter Mullan will star as Henry Garnet and Liv Tyler as Anne Vaux. Mark Gatiss (who wrote for and acted in "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock", will star as Robert Cecil. Gatiss is also known for his role as Tycho Nestoris (the Iron Bank's emissary) in the HBO series "Game of Thrones". The Guy Fawkes Night Also known as Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is a commemoration observed on 5 November in Great Britain. Traditionally, in the weeks running up to the 5th, children made "guys" (effigies supposedly of Fawkes) usually made from old clothes stuffed with newspaper and fitted with a grotesque mask, to be burnt on the 5 November bonfire. Watch 'Gunpowder' teaser trailer Here you are the official first teaser trailer for the BBC's mini series: 'Gunpowder' release date We don't have an official release date for "Gunpowder" at the moment, but according to the teasing words chosen by BBC One to announce the arrival of the show ("Autumn is coming. Kit Harington stars as Robert Catesby in our brand new three-part drama #Gunpowder. Coming soon to BBC One"), it's very likely that the mini series will premiere in the next few weeks. After all, the fifth of November is approaching! The Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini has one of the best academic reputations in Argentina, but Students are not in class. A checkpoint has been set up in the Italianate entrance hall; a table around which a group of students sits drinking mate, eating biscuits, playing guitar, and checking the ID of anyone who wants to enter. For three weeks, students have been occupying the school, sleeping on the premises, and preventing lessons from going ahead. It is just one of a wave of protracted sit-ins that have spread to 30 schools across the city in protest against Education Reforms which students argue amount to enforced child labour. Students reject reform without consultation It is not uncommon for students to take such measures. Students closed Carlos Pellegrini for a week in May to demand the removal of a member of staff accused of harassment. The protests are highly organised - a list of rules is pinned up at the entrance to the school: bags must be searched. No spray paint is allowed - and politics is part of school life. The voting age in Argentina was lowered to 16 in 2013, and while voting is not obligatory as it is for adults, 59 percent of those under 18 exercised the right in the 2015 presidential election. The decision to occupy a school and to continue the occupation is taken through regular democratic votes at obligatory assemblies of all students. Camila, 15, said: We dont take the decision lightly. This is the most drastic measure we can take, but its the only way make ourselves heard. Nobody in the city government went to a state school, but theyre playing with our education without consulting anyone. The first in the latest wave of sit-ins began at the Escuela de Bellas Artes Manuel Belgrano on August 29. Students arrived at the school with sleeping bags and Thermos flasks, and took control of the building after news of planned educational reforms was leaked. The most contentious part of the city governments proposal is a plan for students to spend the half of the final year of secondary school in obligatory unpaid work experience. The government claims it is following the German dual education system, and education minister Soledad Acuna has said that the reforms are necessary to prepare students for the modern workplace, but many students see themselves on the front line of a broader ideological battle. Student president Malena Parisse said: Besides the issue of child labour, if students are going to do free work in companies, what happens to the people who would have been doing those jobs otherwise? If the government succeeds in pushing this through, the next step will be labour reform. She was also concerned that the proposed change will only widen the gap between private and state schools. Fifty-two percent of students in the City of Buenos Aires now attend private schools, with parents often citing the state of disrepair at state schools, the number of days lost due to strikes and protests at the lack of preparation for university as reasons. With free further education open to all, Argentina has one of the highest rates of university enrollment in Latin America, but only 20 per cent of those who enroll graduate. According to Malena, therell be even less chance for state school students to have the academic preparation needed for university. The city government is basically saying that if you go to a state school, youre not going to go to university. Teachers unions have yet to make a formal response to the reforms but many teachers are sympathetic to students complaints, while harbouring their own fears about parallel plans to introduce facilitators, rather than teachers in some classes. Mariano Toscano, a history teacher at Escuela Normal No.8, said: Companies have no idea how it will work, the government has no idea how it will work, and yet they want this to start next year. Students feel they have to act because if they wait until someone has drawn up a real plan it will be too late." From a teachers point of view, there isnt enough detail for us to be able to decide if we agree or not, but we suspect the introduction of facilitators is a way to avoid paying teachers and to bypass the teachers unions. Scientists might have underestimated the contribution of cows and other animals in Methane emission in the atmosphere and its overall impact on Global warming, suggests a new study published in the journal Carbon Balance and Management. Methane is more effective in trapping the heat Carbon dioxide (CO2) is considered the primary cause for global warming, but scientists reveal that methane is actually much more powerful than CO2 in terms of trapping the heat in Earths atmosphere. Methane, also known as marsh gas, is emitted by both natural and man-made sources. It is naturally formed during the process of digestion in animals and during decomposition of organic wastes in wetlands and marshy areas. This gas is also released in the atmosphere through thermogenic sources such as during oil and gas production. Link between farm animals and global warming In this study, researcher explored the potential link between farm animals and global warming. Julie Wolf, a plant physiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and colleagues examined the methane emission estimates of the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report. The estimates given in this report were based on the rates of methane emission increases between 2000 and 2006. Researchers observed that this older data was inaccurate as it did not take into account variables such as animal and land use. The team re-calculated the levels of methane emissions and found that livestock methane emissions for 2011 were actually 11 percent higher than the estimates based on the figures provided by IPCC 2006 report. Changes in livestock management According to Julie Wolf, livestock numbers have greatly increased in many parts of the world. Moreover, the size of livestock animals has also increased over the years, thanks to new breeding techniques. These bigger-size animals eat more food and thereby release more methane in the environment. The researchers also found that the amount of methane produced when animals pass gas is actually higher than earlier estimates. Wolf hopes that the finding of this study will encourage other scientists to come up with more detailed research on the impact of livestock methane emissions on global warming. This study was sponsored by NASAs Carbon Monitoring System research initiative. The detailed findings of the study were published in the journal Carbon Balance and Management. Opinion / Interviews AN organisation that seeks to gather oral history of the liberation struggle recently organised a tour for the media, historians and other bodies dealing with history and archives to Zidube ranch in Kezi, Matabeleland South province, where Zipra combatants fired their first guns in an attack that signalled the start of the liberation struggle. Some surviving members of Zipra, who were involved in the attack, were part of the tour.The attack, carried out on 12 September 1964, was the first attack by Zipra cadres, ahead of fully fledged battles. An attack was whereby liberation fighters fired guns for a brief period, and battles were when there was exchange of gun fire. It was the attacks that stoked the fires of the Second Umvukela as they took place ahead of full battles. The attack at Zidube ranch is one watershed moment in the history of the struggle, particularly to the Zipra side, and was aimed at the farm/home of a retired magistrate who was part of the colonial system.In this second instalment of the tour of Zidube ranch, Elliot Ngwabi, whose Chimurenga name was Okello, who was part of the six combatants who launched the attack, speaks about the event and his life during the liberation struggle. He shared his war time experiences from the time he joined nationalist politics in the early 1960s. The 82-year-old veteran of the struggle posits that the first guns that marked the Second Chimurenga were fired in Kezi and he was among the six men who fired the guns.Below are excerpts of the interview between the Sunday News (SN) team of Vincent Gono and Clinton Moyo and Elliot Ngwabi (EN).SN: Ngwabi you one of the early veterans of the country's struggle for independence. Can you start by telling us who Comrade Elliot Ngwabi is?EN: My name is Elliot Ngwabi. I was born at Esiphezini (just outside Bulawayo before Esigodini) in 1935 and I went to Esiphezini Primary School. But I wasn't really good at school, I went up to grade four. I then proceeded to Mzilikazi Primary School where I managed to complete my primary education.SN: What made you think of joining nationalistic politics?EN: I think I was influenced by the young guys I used to meet and play with in Makokoba because at that time the youths were very active. I remember we had Philani Ndebele, Dumiso Dabengwa, James Chekerema, Edson Sithole, Bernard Mutuma and other chaps who were very politically active so it was easy for me to join politics because I also lived in Makokoba. During those times we were doing a lot of sabotage, we would throw stones at the colonial government buildings and white people's cars. The air of revolt was just getting thick and the emotion of oppression was beginning to be felt. I was very young when I decided to join politics. I think I was around 17 or 18 years thereabout when I joined the Southern Rhodesia African National Congress (SRANC) in Makokoba.SN: Tell us about your experience when you joined politics.EN: It was really tough back then but we had to remain determined until we gained our independence. I remember in 1963 when we were welcoming Joshua Nkomo at the airport; I was in the transport department at that time. The police tried to manhandle him because he had brought some weapons into the country from Algeria. I quickly moved towards the police and I started to push them. I was arrested and I spent the whole night at the main police station in Bulawayo. The other comrades came to see me the following day with the party's lawyer. I do not remember his name but I think it was Branston something.It was after that incident and after my release that we went for military training in Lusaka, Zambia. From Zambia we went to Algeria for further training. Moffat Hadebe was also there with us, among other comrades. We were trained by Algerians but they spoke French so the Egyptians would translate for us because they could speak English.We then came back from Algeria via Lusaka, we were welcomed by the likes of Cdes Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo and Lookout Masuku. We also came back with weapons from Algeria. Those weapons were in a suitcase but we managed to get them to Zambia without any problems and those are the same guns that sparked the Second Chimurenga. We then proceeded to Zimbabwe using a train. We were very lucky that there was a lax in security and we were not searched at all, otherwise had they searched us they were going to see the suitcase that had our firearms.SN: What happened at Zidube Ranch in 1964 because we hear there is a narrative that says the first gun that was to be the matchstick that lit the war of liberation from the Zipra side was fired there?EN: I wouldn't like to dwell much into who first did what because the war was fought by the two forces, Zanla and Zipra, and we won the liberation war together. It really does not matter, the Unity Accord testifies to that. But I can tell you that the Zidube Ranch mission was to capture the Bulawayo Chief Magistrate Mr Roberts who was declaring state of emergences in the country and sending our comrades to detentions without following due processes and that did not go well with us. We had a tip that he had a farm near the Zimbabwe and Botswana border. This farm is less than 15km from the border. We sent our intelligence to find out whether the information was true. I really do not know how they did it but the reconnaissance team failed to notice that there were dogs in the farm.So we made our calculations without that in mind and we went to the farm at around 7 o'clock in the evening, before getting into the farm we cut off the telephone line so that he could not communicate with the police. Our commander was Moffat Hadebe and he was the one who was telling us what to do. My position was at the water tank. When we opened fire Mr Roberts said "catch" and we saw big dogs charging at us. We focused on killing the dogs and we managed to kill all of them, they were three dogs. Mr Roberts also started firing back at us and we retreated. He was serious and had we not taken cover he was determined to down one or two of us. I escaped a blurry of bullets as I jumped close to a pool and started rolling as bullets flew just above me.SN: How many were you when you attacked Zidube Ranch?EN: There were six of us. There was Moffat Hadebe, Cain Nkala, Rhodes Malaba, Roger Machimini Ncube, Israel Maduna and I.After the attack we stayed at Matopo Hills in Kezi but the villagers were fed with information that there were people who wanted to steal cattle from their communities. They therefore came in their numbers with spears, axes, logs and knobkerries to the area where we had taken cover. We were resting that afternoon when we saw a group of people approaching us carrying axes and all. They surrounded us but Hadebe told us not to run away.Among them were black Rhodesian police officers who were in civilian clothes. The villagers later realised it was us and they were shocked at the misinformation because most of them knew us. Hadebe tried to talk to the police officers but one of them suggested that we be taken to Gwanda prison.SN: May you briefly take us through your life in prison. How was it like?EN: We were treated well because the guards were instructed not to harm us. They were told that the government will deal with us, sometimes we would even go to an extent of insulting them. We did not stay long in prison. There were black guards who sympathised with us. We managed to get a cutter through them and silver paint. So every day we would cut the iron sheets which made our roof and cover it with silver paint. We also knew that at around seven o'clock the prison guards would go for their supper. It was at that time that we managed to escape from that prison. After cutting the ceiling top we climbed on top of each other and Hadebe was the last one because he was the tallest.SN: Where did you go after escaping from prison?EN: We met with our fellow comrades outside the prison and they gave us clothes and money since we could not escape in prison garb. We decided to go to Zambia via Botswana. They arranged a vehicle to take us to Botswana. When we got to Plumtree we requested that they leave us there because we suspected that the police and the military would trace the car.While we were still in Plumtree we saw some helicopters, hovering over us and we knew that they we looking for us. There were also some soldiers on the ground. We made some hats from the grass so that the soldiers in the helicopter do not see us. We managed to cross the Ramakwebane border into Botswana.When we got to Botswana we relaxed and started buying food with the money which we got from our comrades. That was our biggest mistake because there was a newspaper that was circulating in Botswana with our faces on it as wanted terrorists. It said anyone with information leading to the arrest of us was going to be given a reward.We bought food from an Indian shop and the owner of the shop offered us a lift to Francistown. As we were in the car Hadebe told us we were being followed. He had recognised the car in front of us. He also saw the gun in the car so he just jumped from the truck and the rest of us followed.One of the police officers shot Clark Mpofu on the leg.Seeing that Mpofu was in danger, I decided to go back and help him. But as I was trying to help him they hit me with the butt of the gun on the head and I fell onto the ground. We were taken to Khami Prison where I met some fellow comrades from Zanla who included the current Vice-President Emmerson Mngangagwa. I also managed to escape from prison for the second time but they captured me along the way and took me back to Khami prison only to be released after ceasefire.SN: After independence what did you do, were you conscripted into the army like other trained guys?EN: I did not join the army like other guys. We went on to form a co-operative at Nkulumane called Sekusile which means "it's now dawn" and we were referring to the birth of a new Zimbabwe. The co-operative had many other guys who had participated in the liberation struggle and it was aimed at sustaining us through various projects but right now it is owned by someone else.SN: Did you leave politics after independence?EN: I did not leave politics. I became the deputy chairman of Zanu-PF at Esiphezini for 10 years and that was after the Unity Accord of course. I am still with Zanu-PF up to now. The Communist Party of China's recent decision to seriously punish a former senior official was widely supported by the Party's provincial and municipal authorities nationwide, all of whom pledged to maintain a high degree of unity with the Party's central authorities. Sun Zhengcai, former Party chief of Chongqing, was expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office for "serious discipline violations", according to a statement issued after a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday. The investigation and punishment of Sun, a former member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, shows that the CPC Central Committee, with President Xi Jinping as the core, has firm determination to fight corruption, according to a commentary article in People's Daily on Saturday. The Party's Chongqing municipal committee held a meeting on Friday evening, soon after the statement was released, at which municipal Party officials vowed to firmly safeguard the leadership of the CPC Central Committee and maintain firm unity with the Central Committee. The probe and punishment of Sun before the Party's 19th National Congress proves that the CPC has great capability for self-improvement and self-purification, said a statement released by the CPC Chongqing municipal committee. The CPC will begin its 19th National Congress on Oct 18. The Party committees of many other provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Guangdong, Shanxi and Heilongjiang, also voiced support for the Central Committee immediately after Friday's meeting. Based on evidence found by authorities and tips from the public, the Central Committee decided to remove Sun from his position as Chongqing Party chief on July 14. A meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee on July 24 decided to put Sun under investigation. The investigation was conducted by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The investigation found that Sun had betrayed Party principles and lost his political stance, ignoring the Party code of conduct and rules, according to a statement issued after Friday's meeting. He was also found to have seriously violated the CPC eight-point code on frugality and maintaining close ties with the masses. He sought pomp, ostentation and privileges, according to the statement. The statement said that Sun was guilty of nepotism and seeking benefits in the selection of officials. He was also found guilty of leaking confidential Party information and seriously breaching Party rules on integrity. He took advantage of his power and influence to seek benefits for others, and accepted a "huge amount" of money and gifts in return. He was found to have sought substantial benefits for his relatives' businesses and accepted valuable gifts. The statement accused Sun of bureaucracy and sloth in work and degradation and power-for-sex trades in life. Sun totally deviated from the Party spirit and political requirements for senior officials, the statement said, adding that his misconduct betrayed the trust of the CPC Central Committee and the public, and inflicted great harm on the Party and the country with an "extremely bad" social influence. The case involving Sun's suspected crimes will be transferred to the judiciary. The decision to expel Sun from the CPC will be put before a plenary meeting of the CPC Central Committee. I was taken to dinner on Sunday, China's National Day, in Shanghai's old Zhabei neighborhood, which I hadn't visited for some 20 years. It used to be an area of state-owned machinery and boiler factories, once a powerhouse of Shanghai's heavy industry. Now it looks like a newer version of Friendship Heights in Washington, except the only recognizable American brands there are Dior and Starbucks, the rest Chinese. Returning to Shanghai every year, with the previous visit in May, it was not the first time my friends teased me with the words "country bumpkin," in a display of Shanghainese arrogance toward outsiders, just like many New Yorkers might. I was born in the city, but now indeed looked like a xiangxiaren, Shanghainese for country bumpkin. One simple fact that I deserve that title is that I am not using mobile payments. Instead, I still prefer swiping cards or just paying with cash, which is what I have been doing back in Washington. Cashiers at Shanghai stores, coffee shops or restaurants used to ask customers if they would be paying with cash or a credit card. Now it's "WeChat, credit card or cash?" WeChat and Alipay are two primary means of mobile payment. Most young people going to shop and dine no longer carry a wallet, but their smartphones. It was not just the young people; I saw plenty of people in their 60s doing that, too. The dinner on Sunday was indeed eye-opening. Right after we sat down in the Cantonese dim-sum restaurant called Tai Tsui, the waitress approached and told us to order by scanning the bar code printed on the corner of the table. Thank god, they still keep the old menu. So while my friend was ordering on her smartphone, I told her what I wanted after browsing the menu. The most 21st century order I have done was ordering on an iPad. It would be nice if the waitress came with several options because some senior citizens (no offense to them) coming here may not even use smartphones. Just a minute after the order was made, the waitress brought a print copy of our order, and quickly, the dishes were served, one after the other. When you're finished, you don't have to ask the server to bring the bill. You scan the payment bar code on the table corner and use mobile payment. I saw expats in Shanghai and Beijing using mobile payment at 7-Eleven and various places. In a sense, I look like a laowai (foreigner) in my own country. Mobile payment in China is such a sweeping phenomenon in the past two years that people from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have marveled at it. Some say that China is leading the world into a cashless society, although I am not quite sure how trendy mobile payment is in less developed areas of the country. For long, Chinese tourists often have been the target of pickpockets and robbers in Europe because they know Chinese like to pay with cash rather than credit cards. When I was back in Shanghai in May, news arrived that a busload of luggage belonging to a Shanghai tour group, including passports, was stolen in Italy. If more countries use mobile payment, Chinese tourists may not have to worry about that anymore. They need only carry their smartphones. Pickpockets doesn't seem to be such a problem in Washington or most US cities, but using mobile payment like people in China do would still be very, very cool. Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com There's a story that's been told and retold so many times that it was probably true in some form or another at some point in time. I heard it like this: A boy is riding with his father when they come to a traffic jam. Up ahead, a huge truck has got itself jammed under a bridge and all the tow trucks, cranes and emergency workers can't pry it loose. The boy innocently says to his father: "Why don't they let the air out of the tires?" And the day is saved. It echoes a tale from 2,000 years ago, the story of 6-year-old Cao Chong, son of Cao Cao, prime minister of Han. The emperor of the Wu Kingdom sent Chong's father a fabulous birthday present, something no one in the land had ever seen before - an elephant. Before long people begin speculating on how much the great gray beast must weigh, and then the betting begins. And soon enough, with so much at stake, it becomes imperative to establish the beast's weight. But, alas, none of the scales in the kingdom are big enough to manage the behemoth. Young Cao Chong has the bright idea: he leads the elephant onto a barge, has men mark the water line, then leads the elephant back off. He then instructs the men to load rocks onto the barge until the waterline is matched. Then the rocks are weighed, one-by-one, added up and subtracting his own weight, of course, Cao Chong produces the answer. The story is an intuitive application of the principle of buoyancy, first described in the West by the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes, who predated Cao by a couple of centuries, but it's also a clear example plain old common sense. To this day parents in China tell their children to think like Cao Chong, in other words, outside the box. The story of "the most famous child prodigy in Chinese history" is delightfully retold in the new children's book Cao Chung Weighs an Elephant (Arbordale 2017) by Songju Ma Daemicke and illustrated by Christina Wald. Songju grew up in the northeastern province of Jilin in a small town that had no library. How she got from there to becoming a published author in America and her second language is something of a remarkable story in itself. As she put it: "My road to be an author was long, winding, and bumpy, crossing over two continents." The slogan of the school she went to was: "If you master math, physics and chemistry, you can conquer the world." Her PhD thesis was a comprehensive study of earthquake tremors before she switched to computer science, picking up a master's at DePaul University and going to work as a software engineer for Motorola. Having children and reading them classic stories reignited her childhood passion for the stories her grandfather used to tell back in China. She took creative writing courses and workshops, worked up draft after draft to create two children's books based on her grandfather's stories: one about Cao Chung and another, her first book, A Case of Sense, about a greedy man who tries to charge people for smelling his delicious meals. After numerous rejections from agents and publishers, she submitted both to Arbordale Publishing just before taking a vacation with her family in China, where she visited the historic city of Yangzhou. There, at the famous temple of Wenchang, she followed the ancient tradition of students hoping to become imperial scholars and burned incense before the image of Wenchang, asking him to bless her stories, as the statues of Confucius and Zhu Xi looked on. "All three seemed to be smiling at me," she said. And apparently they were. About a month later Arbordale emailed to say they were interested. Her first book, A Case of Sense, was nominated for a 2018 Monarch Award. Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant promises to do equally as well. Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday welcomes more foreign experts and talent in China's modernization construction in order to promote the country's economic restructuring and upgrading. Li made the remarks when meeting at the Great Hall of the People with a group of foreign experts who had recently received the Friendship Award, given annually by the Chinese government to honor outstanding foreign experts in China. Speaking highly of their efforts for China's development, the premier said China will continue to provide favorable working and living conditions for them. As the world's largest developing country, China is at a critical stage of economic restructuring and upgrading, he said, adding that "we should not only make use of Chinese talent resources and market space, but also adopt a more open policy for foreign experts." Li called for the protection on intellectual property and reform on streamlining administration as well as delegating power to lower levels in order to create a better environment for entrepreneurship and innovation. These foreign experts introduced their achievements in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, boosting the real economy, and expanding two-way investment, and expressed their willingness to contribute to China's development. At the invitation of Li, the recipients attended the reception marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. A strong cold front will sweep across China from north to south over the next three days, bringing down temperatures in a vast part of China, the national observatory said Sunday. Early Sunday morning, the cold front has already caused strong wind and temperature drops from 4 to 6 degrees Celsius in parts of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. In the first three days of the National Day holiday, the cold air will affect a large part of China, including regions in northern, central and eastern China. Some northern areas will see temperature drops of more than 10 degrees, NMC said. From Sunday to Monday morning, Chongqing, Shanghai and provinces of Hubei, Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu will be hit by heavy rain, it added. This year, Chinese people enjoy an eight-day holiday from Sunday to Oct. 8 for the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Day. After it opened in 2014, there were many doubts about the future of Noir, the HCM City restaurant restaurant operated by sight-impaired staff. However, after three years, the restaurant has continued to inspire. Many people have also grown up to pursue their own dreams. Nguyen Toan and Luong Huong reports. One day, a mother led her three sons to Noir Restaurant, located in District 1, HCM City, to experience dining in the dark. She waited outside while the sons entered the restaurant under the guidance of the sight-impaired staff. In the pitch dark, the boys were only able to hear their guides without knowing their faces, which they were very curious to see. As soon as they were out of the dark, they told their mother about a staff worker whose name was Pham Thi Thu who had a very warm voice. They believed that a person with such a voice would be a beautiful person and insisted on seeing her. What took them by surprise on seeing Thu stepping outside was discovering that the beautiful girl was visually impaired. See? I dont have such beautiful eyes like yours, Thu said smiling to the naive boys. Dark, but not scary When it was opened, Noir Restaurant instantly received the attention of the community as the idea was considered pretty strange in Viet Nam, and anywhere else for that matter. Many people supported the idea, but also reserved their doubts about its success. However, in the past three years, so many customers from across the country and even from abroad have returned for the endless inspiration that its special staff have aroused in them. Many young visually impaired workers have also managed to pursue their own dreams. Noir Restaurant was the brainchild of Vu Anh Tu and Germ Doornbos from Holland, both of them used to have doubts on the capacity of the hanicapped themselves. We were both worried, wondering whether if they could carry out the work. Conditions for the sight-impaired in Viet Nam are also not as good as in other countries, Tu said. After meeting and talking with applicants, Tu and Doornbos gradually changed their prejudice about the skills of the handicapped. They are much better off than what we often assume. Although it takes a long time to train them about even the most basic knowledge, like different kinds of spices - and ways of talking to and sharing knowledge with customers, they absorbed things rapidly, which took both of us by surprise, Tu said. What impressed him most in the past three years was the incredible will of his staff. He said some used to have normal eyesight before an incident, such as a critical disease, took away their eyesight. I could not imagine how I would face life if such a thing happened to me," Tu said. "Working and talking with them for such a long time has made me aware that their will is strong. We are really proud of them, because they have overcome any differences, he added. Baos story Twenty-eight-year-old Nguyen Van Bao was born blind in the central Highlands province of Lam ong. He gradually realised that he had to make much stronger efforts than others to have a normal life. At eight, he left Lam ong for HCM City to study at a centre for the visually impaired. Earning an IT degree, Bao could not find a stable job. I accepted work as a machine maintainer for several community centres, however, with little salary, I still had to depend on the financial support of family and society, he said. Undeterred, Bao applied for a staff position at Noir Restaurant. I was curious about the idea, but whats more important is that such a job would allow me to be more confident and come into contacts with more people with different cultures, he added. In order to converse with foreign customers, Bao spent five months learning English by himself at home. This is a difficult-enough job for people with sight. Bao today is independent financially. The job in the restaurant has earned him enough to manage his small family. And moreover, he has become an inspiration to customers who encounter challenges in life. Thus story Thirty-year-old Thu, the girl mentioned at the beginning of the story, was born into a poor family in the northern province of Hai Duong. She moved to HCM City at the age of 14. At that age, I could only qualify for grade one, she said. Alhough lagging behind her fellow students, Thu was aware that only studying hard could change her life. She became a worker at Noir Restaurant after acquiring an English degree. Every day she travels to the restaurant by Grab application. Her main job is leading customers into dark rooms, showing them their seats and items on the tables, serving food and drink and talk with them about various kinds of food. Will to succeed: Thu is a staff with strong will in Noir Restaurant. VNS Photo Quynh Tran In addition to the job in the restaurant, Thu also works as a therapist at home. She utilises most of her time to work and study. My biggest dream is becoming an English teacher to small children, and Im trying my best to realise it," she said. Between failure and success lies a river also named failure, but over that river there is a bridge called effort. Bao, Thu and other staff of Noir Restaurant have never stopped struggling hard to win over social prejudice and pity. They have always brought to others their optimistic spirit, which is like a light in a dark room. Only in pitch dark can people appreciate this rare beauty. VNS Ballerina Ngo Thuy To Nhu, who performed in her first solo show at the HCM City Opera House last week, has been on a three-decade journey to promote ballet in Viet Nam. Thu Mai reports. For two months, Nhu practised several hours a day for her performance in the show The Ballerina, marking her love of and devotion to ballet. The show at the HCM City Opera House featured excerpts from the ballets Don Quixote and Paquita, as well as a solo performance titled The Ballerina and a contemporary dance Cho va Nhan (Giving and Receiving), based on Vietnamese folk art. While Don Quixote and Paquita brought Nhu fame at home and abroad, the ballets, especially choreographed for Nhu, The Ballerina and Giving and Receiving had their premiere on the Vietnamese stage last week in HCM City. For the excerpts from Don Quixote and Paquita, Nhu danced with her long-time colleague, Meritorious Artist Thai at Minh. In The Ballerina, the dancer, dressed in a red pancake tutu, looked like a small bird flying bravely toward the sun, performing her turnouts, with legs rotated outward, beautifully. In Giving and Receiving, a song of youth and love, Nhu performed with young artists from the Arabesque troupe from HCM City, a private dance company which combines traditional and contemporary dance. While the more than 2,000-strong audience were enraptured by the performance, many local youth remain unimpressed with the art from. Ballet is not popular with young people and dancers face difficulties to stage their work, said Bui Thi Nhung of the HCM City School of Dance. However, after The Ballerina, I think Nhu and her colleagues may have planted a seed in the heart of younger guests who may grow to love ballet. The shows choreographer Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a graduate of the Hong Kong Art School, who now works in the UK, agreed. Nhu danced as if the world would end tomorrow. Anh and his partner, choreographer Nguyen Tan Loc, who is director of Arabesque, spent four years working on The Ballerina, to honour Nhu, their idol. Nhu is talented and devoted. She can dance anywhere and anytime she wants. And no one, no event can limit her passion for dance," said Loc, a graduate of the Tokyo-based Fujisato Ballet School. Nhu is an inspiration for all dancers. Born to a traditional family, Nhus love for ballet began when she was a child. When she was five, she studied with professional dancers at the HCM City Cultural House for Children. In 1984, she was sent to study classical ballet at the Kiev State Ballet School in Ukraine. I spent nine years at the school. Ballet requires mental and physical strength. I worked like a soldier to improve my skills, Nhu, one of the countrys very few professional ballet dancers, said in an interview with local media before the show at the Opera House. After her studies, she returned to HCM City in 1993 and worked for the Thang 10 (October) Ballet Troupe, the citys first private dance troupe led by dancer and choreographer Tran Van Lai. Nhu and her six colleagues laid the foundation for ballet in HCM City. They introduced their art by staging popular excerpts from the classical ballets Swan Lake and Don Quixote. Ballet was a new field in Viet Nam in the 1980s and 1990s. My colleagues and I devoted our youth to bring dance to Vietnamese. Ill never forget my tears and sweat streaming down on the stage where Thang 10 Ballet Troupe performed, Nhu said. Some of Nhus peers turned to theatre, films and fashion after the ballet troupe closed in 2003. Their dream of ballet had ended. I felt very sad, but I didnt want to give up. I knew that I would face challenges and sacrifices to pursue my career, she said. Nhu later received a scholarship to study at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine in the US. Her course focused on modern repertory, the singing body, jazz technique and yoga. The trip to Lewiston made me feel very proud of my work. Im a Vietnamese dancer and I worked very confidently next to my foreign peers who had better working conditions than I did," she said. She said her studies taught her many different aspects of dancing, but she also recognised that ballet was her true love. "Im proud to have performed many dances, but only in ballet did I find myself. I hope our dancers can introduce the art to Vietnamese." Unlike other talented dancers such as Hoang Chau and Phuc Hung from the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO), Nhu works as a freelance dancer. She is the principal dancer in many programmes at home and abroad, including dances such as Khoanh Khac Mua Xuan (The Moment of Spring) and Carmen, directed by experienced choreographers such as Kim Quy and Hoang Phi Long. She spends time training students and children at the citys School of Dance and Cultural House for Children. Through my art, I hope to impart my love for ballet to young people, said Nhu, who has created dance works for children that combine traditional and modern styles. She loves teaching as she can continue dancing while giving instruction. "I want to follow my Vietnamese and foreign teachers footsteps, teaching and leading the little ones to become professional ballet dancers in the future. by Pham Thi Hong iep Kon Tum City, the capital of Kon Tum Province bordering Laos and Cambodia, is recognised for a massive assembly of ethnic groups and their distinctive cultures. Part of its long history in Central Highlands culture are rice paintings. The best place to witness these paintings is at Ho Village, located at Bac Kan Street, Kon Tum City. The village offers visitors a visual feast in art works. The paintings vary from calligraphic, the daily activities of the local people to cultural features of ethnic groups and their traditional housing near ak Bla River and big forests. New shop: ang plans to open another gallery at Kon Ktu village so tourists can experience or create their own rice paintings. Photo Courtesy of Hong iep Painter Nguyen Kieu ang, who founded the Ho Village rice painting gallery, said that behind every painting was the happiness of the makers. Each painting holds a different spiritual value. To be able to present that value to viewers is the true bliss of artists, said ang. To me, giving soul to a painting is the hardest thing, since only truthful and vivid sketches create a good painting. The success of the artwork is also decided based on how the colour of the rice fits into the painting. Joining in: Staff at the gallery show visitors how to make a rice painting. Photo Courtesy of Hong iep Describing the procedure to develop a rice painting, ang said that first, the idea was sketched on paper and then painted onto hard paper or plywood. The key here is choosing the rice and roasting it into different colour tones. Depending on the roasting time, the colour will turn from white to a darker tone, and finally to black. Roasting the rice is also the toughest part, as we are not allowed to let it burst open, break down or burn. Hands must be steady while roasting so the colour is fresh, she said. The rice is then divided into small boxes and placed around the sketched painting. The artist then overlays the sketch with roasted rice, while picturing the light and dark area to be filled. The finishing touch is covering the work with polyurethane, which allows the colour to remain intact. A completed rice painting must be a perfect combination of the colours and sizes of the rice. The artist has to master the trick of putting the rice into the right position, either straight, down or crosswise. Collectable: The paintings are priced from VN200,000 ($8) to more than two million ong ($88). Photo Courtesy of Hong iep Visitors to the gallery can observe 10 young people meticulously overlaying the rice on paintings by ang. Besides painting, she also gives lectures to the poor and disabled young people to help create a livelihood for them. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, who has been working at the gallery for three years under the guardianship of ang, now creates rice paintings on her own, featuring local cultural highlights. I can now complete an entire rice painting on my own, said Thao. On show: Artist Kieu ang (standing) poses with foreign tourists visiting the gallery. Photo Courtesy of Hong iep Rice paintings by Ho Village are well known to tourists with artworks displayed at craft villages in Hoi An, a Nang, Ha Noi and HCM City. Several charity foundations in America have ordered a large number of paintings priced from VN200,000 (US$10) to more than 2 million ($88), depending on the size. At present, ang is implementing a craft village tourism project at Kon Ktu Village. Her plan is to open one more rice-painting gallery at the village, so tourists can admire the artworks made by ang and experience or create their own rice paintings. According to ang, the gallery at Kon Ktu will be completed at the end of the year and will be open for Tet (Lunar New Year). VNS Professor. Dr Nguyen Anh Tri, director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT), is the founder of the live blood bank, one of big blood donors in Viet Nam. He talks with Linh Giang about his work and his wish. Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us why you set up the live blood bank? Erythrocytes in blood expire within 35 days so it is difficult to have a stable blood source for patients at remote, isolated, border and island regions. In addition, ensuring blood quality in these regions is also very difficult. I have to travel many times to these regions, and always think of ways to bring blood from the main land to these places. One day I was travelling to Con ao Island when an idea came from my brain: I had to set up a live blood bank here with blood donors from local people. Very soon after that a bank was set up and many people volunteered to donate blood. I was very happy about that because I had spent more than 10 years to have this valuable idea accomplished. After Con ao, we set up a similar bank in the high mountain province of Ha Giangs ong Van, ien Bien, Quang Binhs Bo Trach, An Giang and many islands such as Phu Quy, Bach Long Vi, Cat Ba and Phu Quoc. I recently travelled to Truong Sa for the same purpose. Inner Sanctum: Is technology of stem cells the NIHBTs key point? Yes, the stem cell is our leading point which includes banking stem cells, stem cell sources, and the laboratory system of stem cell and stem cell transplantation. Weve used many stem cell transplants to treat cancer. The success rate is between 65 per cent to 85 per cent. In the past, patients faced with blood cancer would generally die but now will be able to marry and have children. Inner Sanctum: How many patients have been transplanted with the stem cells so far? Can you tell us about the life of your first child patient. Weve transplanted more than 260 patients and expect to transplant stem cell on 300 patients by the end of this year. Our first patient successfully transplanted is Nguyen inh Nam Truong born in 2003. He faced blood cancer in 2011. His ailment recurred heavily in 2013. Fortunately, Truongs brothers HLA stem cell was suitable to him so the NIHBT decided to transplant it. After 30 days, blood tests returned to normal. His family welcomed him when he returned home. He is now healthy and can go to school as other children. Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us why you learned medicine? In 1975, I passed an exam to enroll in pedagogy university, but due to starting the school late I had to return home. The reason was that my family was very poor so I had to get wood from the forest to help my parents. I faced malignant malaria and had to stay in hospital for two months. I was very sad, particularly when seeing my mother crying so much. Despite very busy working in the field during the day time, I still studied very hard and slept very little at night. By doing so repeatedly I faced malaria again. In hospital, doctors encouraged me to become a medical worker. After recovering, I enrolled in Ha Noi Medical University. I loved my medical career so much. I did not go to my central province of Quang Binh for many Lunar New Year holidays and volunteered to be on duty in hospitals. I have a special capacity to go without much sleep. I can wake up through the night but still be healthy the next day. Inner Sanctum: What was your main impression of being a medical student? During four months practising at the Obstetric Department, I had made 43 deliveries compared to the requirement for three. However, a friend advised me to invest in haematology and blood transfusion because the sector has both clinical and laboratories suitable for a researcher. In 1985, I graduated as resident physician and was assigned to the Viet Nam-Soviet Hospital now the Friendship Hospitals Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion and acted as director of the NIHBT since 2004 . Inner Sanctum: What do you do apart from your busy schedules? Apart from writing books on haematology and blood transfusions, and finishing scientific programmes which were being printed in magazines in the country and abroad I also composed songs and poems. Ive composed three collections of poems. This year alone, I have writen 40 songs. I do this to relax from busy work. Inner Sanctum: Readers were so surprised at a concert of your own that was held last week in Ha Noi. Could you tell us what inspired you, a busy physician, to compose so many interesting love songs ? The songs were inspired by my poems. I composed them to express my love and thanks to my homeland, parents, relatives, friends and the entire people. VNS Memorable meals are guaranteed at Sorae, where exquisitely prepared Japanese food is served in an elegant atmosphere in a downtown HCM City high-rise. My Duyen reports. Eating traditional Japanese food, especially raw fish, was something I never thought I would enjoy. But that was before I had dined at Sorae, a spectacular Japanese restaurant in the heart of downtown HCM City. Its Japanese name, which translates as "up in the sky", is fitting. Located on the 24th and 25th floors of the AB Building, the restaurant has a gorgeous 360-degree view of the city. Covering a total of 1,200 square metres, Sorae caters to small or large groups, with 14 private rooms of different sizes, all with a city view. Designed in a traditional Japanese style, each room is named after well-known Japanese cultural icons and entertainers, including Sakura, Fujiyama, Koi, Misora, Geisha, and Yozora. Besides the exclusive fine dining, guests are also given an authentic Tokyo cultural experience right in the heart of HCM City. The secret to the restaurants success is its reliance on premium fresh ingredients, especially seafood. Other items like ginger pickles and wasabi are meticulously prepared by Soraes chef. Night views Dressed in traditional Japanese costumes and make-up, Sorae staff greeted me in the lobby where we took the lift up to the 24th floor. I was surprised by the nicely lit interior, stylish lamps, open kitchen and beautiful furniture. Surrounded by windows, Sorae is especially attractive at sunset. From your seat, you can see hundreds of vibrant and colourful neon lights at night. After quickly scanning the long list of more than 100 Japanese food items ranging from steamed and grilled to deep fried and raw, my friends and I decided to order four dishes for our dinner that included a starter, salad, rice rolls and seafood combination. The dishes were brought out at the same time. We started our meal with chawan mushi or savory egg custard (VN75,000). Served hot, the irresistible egg delicacy heightens all the senses. Next up was the Horenso bacon salad, a signature dish of the chef and the bestseller in the house. It was a tasty combination of crispy bacon, mushroom, spinach and half-boiled egg. Its the fantastic truffle dressing that makes the dish (VN180,000). This was the best Japanese food I had ever tried. The aromatic crispy salmon skin, rice rolls, salmon slices (VN195,000) were exquisitely prepared. We could not end our feast without sampling sushi and sashimi. For VN1,450,000, raw seafood including Japanese fish and Vietnamese seafood were finely cut and skilfully arranged in a big ceramic bowl, looking like a masterpiece of colours and flavours. Tuna, salmon, octopus, salmon roe, prawn and seaweed were all artfully displayed on ice. I eagerly picked up a piece of salmon and dipped it into the rich soya sauce with wasabi and ginger pickle. With a fresh and delicate flavour, the brilliantly coloured salmon had a superb texture. The tuna and octopus was also juicy and flavourful, as were the rolls of salted salmon roe and dried seaweed paper that I rolled myself. by Hoang Cong Danh The quarrels with my wife came about because of my refusal to see a doctor. Why do I have to go to hospital while Im fine? She was convinced I was infected with a disease, perhaps a mental disorder. At last, I reluctantly agreed to go still convinced I was right. As it turned out, I was diagnosed with a rare virus in the head. I was forced to stay in hospital after a long dispute with its GP on duty. This virus destroys your memories step by step, the simplest first, the deepest last, he told me. Sounds like good news, I could do with forgetting about some trivial things, I retorted. Im afraid that day by day, youll forget your better half completely, he whispered to me, smiling cheerfully. * * * My malady began to manifest itself when my wife opened our wedding album one day for us to look at. I never enjoyed when she did this. For me, the wedding was merely a formality. She forced me to squat down on the floor to have a look. Do you remember when we were on the stage? she asked me. Do you remember what you whispered to me? And when the wedding party was over, we stayed back for hours to open our presents? Although I could have easily answeredyes or no, yet I just shook my head, without realising that I was upsetting her. Im ill! Of course its hard for me to remember this stuff? I said. Bollocks! You put these memories out of your mind so you could remember other things! She was. I forgot it all so I could remember my first encounter with my girlfriend. I described our rendezvous on that rainy evening, fudging some of the details about her blouse and the music so my wife might think I was talking about her. None of the details you remember match my memories, observed my wife. The poor woman had no clue they were memories about my girlfriend, not her. I had lied so she might think I cared about her enough to remember. The virus had clearly entered my head and eaten part of my memories. The doctor prescribed special medicine, painkillers and daily chats with my wife to fight the illness. Only with efforts from the family and the clinic will he recover, said the doctor after a careful examination. Owing to her challenging job, my wife only visited me at meal times: morning, midday, afternoon and evening. She tried to combine the meals with our chats so that I might tell herabout her last visit and see if my memories were intact. I hardly ate any of the food she brought me. At noon, when my wife left the hospital, my girlfriend came to see me. Accidentally, their appearances occurred alternatively, one after another. I ate my girlfriends food hungrily during our exciting talks which were never interrupted. When my wife visited in the late afternoon, she would check to see if I had remembered what I had ate at breakfast. I told her I had eaten gruel with beef and spices and a few oranges. Opening her eyes wide, she stared at me with a pained look. I told her that at breakfast I had eaten everything. All my roommates burst into laughter after she had gone. My girlfriend had brought breakfast, not my wife. In addition to chatting about daily activities, you must talk to him as much as possible about memorable things, like raunchy things you two wild cats got up to back in the day, the doctor told us one day. At first, my wife blushed all over, but then she followed the doctors advice, she would do anything to see me healed. I tried to play along without daring to look straight at her on the face, as when she talked dirty to me, I couldnt get my girlfriend out of my head. She appeared before me in her short skirt, sitting on a rocking chair or strolling through a park. Again, my wife didnt know I was then talking about my other sweetheart. The poor thing even started to enjoy our randy chats, as we hadnt spoken like that in a long time. She kept on telling me romantic stories from when we were courting, like from a holiday on the beach or when we had gotten frisky on an uninhabited island, with only the stars and a few monkeys witnesses to our foul deeds. Anyone listening to us may have gotten a tad excited, but it didnt do much for me, laying in my sickbed. It seemed to me that all love affairs were too complicated. * * * Once I began to wonder why the two young women never met each other in the hospital. Are they conspiring together? I asked myself. To my surprise, sometimes one of them arrived a bit earlier than usual or the other returned a little late, but they never met each other. Have they ever seen each other at the hospital gate? I said to myself. Furthermore, time and again, my wife had an enigmatic smile as if she knew all the ins and outs of our sneaky love affair. Maybe she was too ashamed to bring it up. My vague worry grew into a sneaking suspicion with each passing day when I realised that my girlfriend was coming to the hospital a lot less often. Each of her visits also seemed shorter and shorter. During our meetings, we did not touch each other as usual. Instead, we only stared at each other, smiling after a few minutes insipid conversation. Is she infected with my harmful virus and has forgotten her good-for-nothing guy in hospital completely? I asked myself. The last time that my girlfriend paid a visit to me took place on a cold evening. Ive run out of money, she told me. So youd better start eating your wifes food, she went on in a sincere voice. Shes the one who can feed you all your lifetime. Also, you should look deep into her beautiful eyes, they could slow the virus down. Well, goodbye! I must be going now. * * * My disease was getting worse and worse day after day. When my wife turned up, I didnt recognise her. I asked her no questions, neither did I show any joy. When she called me my darling I only stared at her calmly. It seemed to me that she was not my wife, she wasnt anyone. I told you that the virus might eat your memories so fast that you would totally forget your wife. I hate to say I told you so but the doctor winked at me, smiling broadly. But doctor, have I really got a wife? What about the young woman who used to come at noon? Who was she? I asked. * * * At last, he managed to cure me. Tomorrow, you can leave this place forever, he announced, a little disappointed. It was a wonderful morning. The soft sunshine reflecting on the glass squares of the windows created chess-like figures in the corridor. Who wouldnt enjoy such a beautiful morning in the hospital? My wife and I, hand in hand, slowly walked under the tree canopy as if we were strolling in the park. I fondled her rough hands that now seemed to have the first signs of old age, something I hadnt noticed before. Growing old is just a part of life darling, said my wife. Indeed, I felt quite happy to stay beside her where nobody else could poke their nose into our business. Translated by Van Minh WATERLOO Werner Meyer was a senior at Wapsie Valley High School in 1966 when he was assigned to give a speech on a career he wanted to pursue after graduation. Meyer drew a blank, so he decided to do some exploring. He checked out a book from the library on various occupations, flipped open the book at random and let fate determine his future as a barber. After graduating from the Cedar Rapids Barber College on Oct. 1, 1967, he wasted no time going to work. His first day at Zarifis Barber Shop was Oct. 5, 1967, when the cost of a haircut there was $2.25. Now, at 69, Werner will mark his 50th anniversary, not only as a barber but of 50 years of cutting hair in the same chair. Haircuts are now $15. I never dreamt in my life Id make 50 years, he said. The barber shop opened in 1956 near Rath Packing Co. before moving to 2124 Kimball Ave. in 1966. Meyer said the year 1967 started off great, but after a large employee strike at John Deere in Waterloo, business started to slow down. Then in the 1970s, the long-hair trend really hurt business, he said. And the 1980s brought even more hard times for barbers like Meyer. Rath Packing Co., which at one time was one of the largest employers in Waterloo, closed in 1984, and John Deere underwent a long series of layoffs and shutdowns. Those were really tough, lean years. Your income dropped drastically in the 80s, oh, my, yes, he said. Watching what you spend, we slowly made it through it. Things started looking up toward the end of the decade, and overall its been good ever since. Meyer and Ed Halvorson, who has worked at the shop for 47 years, purchased Zarifis Barber Shop from Jim Zarifis in 2000. Meyer said he thought about changing shops a time or two, but his repeat customers kept him put. I have some who have been coming here since I started, still have quite a few of guys from Rath Packing who are very elderly, Meyer said. About 85 percent of the clients are regulars, according to Meyer. They get what they want. If they get what they want, theyre going to keep coming back, he said. And there is no shortage of conversation inside the shop. Jerry Lahr, who recently moved to Waterloo from California, discussed his time in the military with Meyer on Thursday as he was getting a trim. When I went into the Army, my first haircut was 24 seconds, Lahr said. The two also discussed their shared admiration for toy tractors, time spent on dairy farms and riding 50 miles on the bus to school. A lot of my customers became very good friends. Sometimes they become closer to you than even your own relatives, he said. As for the future, Meyer says he will keep going as long as his health lets him. Over the years he has survived cancer, emergency surgery, several heart issues and two new knees. He also has happily shared 45 years of marriage with his wife, Rebecca, three children and several grandchildren. Fifty years went by fast, he said. Im just thankful for all my customers who keep coming. ALEXIA HAMLETT joined PDCM Insurance as assistant account manager in the Life and Health division. Previously with Buchanan County ISU Extension, she graduated from Iowa State University in 2013 with a bachelor of science degree in child adult family services, with an emphasis in youth, and a minor in agricultural life sciences education. EMILY BONNSTETTER of Cylinder joined Byrnes & Rupkey Inc. as an ETechnology recruiter. She will graduate from the University of Northern Iowa in May with a bachelor of arts degree in management, with an emphasis in human resources. She was with PDCM Insurance as an HR connect student assistant. KRISTY STAGGS, executive vice president for Byrnes & Rupkey Inc., will celebrate her 20th anniversary with the company and has been acknowledged as the Number One Recruiter for IPA (InterCity Personnel) for July. She was named the Number Two Recruiter for the Top Echelon National Association of Recruiting Firms. She continues to be a Top Ten Producer for both groups for 2017. BRETT CRAWFORD joined the Brenda Holzer Agency of American Family Insurance in Cedar Falls and Waterloo as an agency sales specialist. Crawford is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa who has seven years of insurance experience. VGM Group Inc. has added four new associates to its campus in Waterloo. CINDY DIEHL YANG is the new vice president of VGM Education. She was with the University of Northern Iowa. JACQUELYN CYRZAN joined as an events coordinator for VGMs Events Department. She is a graduate of Iowa State University and was employed at JM&A Group. SAMANTHA MOORE is a work comp nursing patient care coordinator with VGM HOMELINK. She worked at Bickford Senior Care and graduated from East Buchanan High School. RAQUEL ITU is an internal account executive for VGM Forbin. She is a graduate of UNI and previously was at Target Distribution. ANGIE WRIGHT joined ACES as the admin and scheduling assistant. She was the Waverly retail manager at Goodwill and resides in Waverly. JENNY BORWIG joined Group Benefit Partners in Waverly as the Medicare Supplement Specialist. Borwig has been working in the health insurance industry specializing in Medicare since 2006. Flash Video courtesy of CGTN At day break, more than 115,000 people from across China gathered at the Tian'anmen Square at the heart of Beijing to watch the raising of the National Flag. Sunday marked the 68th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China. A national flag-raising ceremony is held at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2017. People from across the country gathered at the square to watch the national flag-raising ceremony on the morning, marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang) At 6:07 a.m., the national flag was escorted by guards into the square. The crowd stood in silent as the national anthem "March of the Volunteers" was played, and the five-star national flag was raised. When the flag spread out at the top of the flagpole, 10,000 Peace Doves were released into the sky. At the backdrop was a 17-meter-tall giant display in the shape of a floral basket, which holds flowers and fruits such as persimmons, pomegranates, apples, peonies and Chinese roses. It symbolizes a thriving and prosperous country. Watching the national flag raising ceremony at the Tian'anmen Square has been a way of Chinese celebrating the National Day. Some joined the gathering for sightseeing, and others came to express the feeling of patriotism. "We really got emotional when we sang the national anthem on this occasion," said Yang Yuanyang, a freshman from the Beijing Information Science and Technology University. According to China's national anthem law which took effect on Sunday, the national anthem can only be allowed at formal political gatherings, including flag raising ceremonies and major celebrations. The National Day is celebrated with a week-long holiday, while the Chinese traditional Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Cake Festival,featuring family gathering, falls on Oct. 4 this year. Major parks in Beijing have been decorated with around 1.6 million potted flowers of 150 different species, according to Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks. Traffic information from the Ministry of Transport showed that traffic on highways in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai became heavy from 6 a.m. on Sunday morning, as holiday goers rushed to scenic spots. On Sunday, the scenic area of the landmark Badaling section of the Great Wall in northern Beijing was opened earlier than normal days to welcome holiday tourists. Badaling, where the oldest sections of the Great Wall have been dated back to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 - 557), is decorated with over 100,000 flowerpots to add the festive air for the National Day. The ancient Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal opened its first transport hub on Sunday, marking the start of a modern transport era on the 2,500-km manmade waterway, the longest in the world. With the hub in operation in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, passengers can travel by boat for sightseeing on the Grand Canal and conveniently transfer from water traffic to other road transport means. Over 1,000 km of the Grand Canal has been recognized as a world heritage site in 2014. Jim OLoughlin was immersed in scanning files into the James Hearst Digital Archive, an ongoing project to provide access for students, scholars and readers to the poets work. An associate professor in the language and literature department at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, OLoughlin admits it was a little mind-numbing matching handwritten rough drafts and typed worksheets with Hearsts published poems. That is, until he made a serendipitous discovery. It was a real shock, says OLoughlin, recalling the moment when the light bulb went on over his head when he realized he held in his hand a stack of unpublished Hearst poems. I called my wife right away, he says, with a smile. Twenty-three poems have been compiled and published by OLoughlin in a slim volume, Planting Red Geraniums: Discovered Poems of James Hearst. Farmer-poet Hearst, often described as Robert Frost of the Midwest was the de facto poet laureate of Iowa. He was born in 1900 on the family farm near Cedar Falls and published his first poem in 1924, followed by his first poetry collection, Country Men, in 1937. In 1919, Hearst suffered a fractured spine in a diving accident and was left paralyzed for the remainder of his life. Until his death in 1983, Hearst published more than 600 poems and two books of prose. He taught creative writing at the University of Northern Iowa from 1941 to 1975. He and his wife, Meryl Norton Hearst, left their home to the city of Cedar Falls, which is now the Hearst Center for the Arts. Hearst is known for down-to-earth observations about the Midwest and Iowa, in particular its bucolic countryside, its good earth and the lives of its people. Several definitive volumes documenting and republishing the poets work have been done, including James Hearst: A Bibliography of His Work by Robert Ward and The Complete Poetry of James Hearst by Scott Cawelti, who also has set numerous Hearst poems to music. Its still a mystery to me that these drafts and papers were overlooked because so much effort has gone into collecting Hearsts work. Hearst and his wife also were careful about recording all of his published poems, OLoughlin says. He suspects the drafts were simply tucked away and eventually forgotten. Although Hearst contributed papers to the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collection, his literary estate was donated to UNI and the majority of his papers are housed in the UNI Rod Library Special Collections & University Archives. OLoughlin published Planting Red Geraniums through his Final Thursday Press, debuting it during the Cedar Falls Authors Festivals focus on Hearst in September. He put out a plea for editorial and financial assistance from the community to get the poems published in just over six months. That community support helped OLoughlin obtain matching grants from Humanities Iowa. In his introduction, OLoughlin writes that he believes the found poetry offers a significant supplement to the cannon of Hearsts poetry . He divides the work into three snapshots that capture work at a particular moment, and in the aggregate these snapshots provide intriguing insights into Hearsts creative process. The rough drafts were not abandoned works, or even unpolished, he points out. Theres really almost not a dog among them; theyre all consistently good. Versions of nine poems were eventually published in Hearsts lifetime. There are unpublished texts in the first section Hearst considered for Man and His Field. OLoughlin titled the section Whispering to the Larkspur, borrowing a phrase from the first poem. Draft poems appear in the section called Triumph in the Autumn, and the third snapshot features uncollected works OLoughlin titled The Trunk in My Mind. What I think is so interesting is, you get a glimpse into Hearsts mindset. You can see his handwritten changes on the typed or handwritten pages, where he scratched out a word and substituted another. You get a sense of how he went about writing, revising and refining work, and thats exciting, OLoughlin adds. WATERLOO Vietnam veterans and volunteers are keeping watch this weekend in memory of Black Hawk County residents killed in the Vietnam War or missing in action. Theyre keeping a 45-hour vigil one hour for each county resident killed or missing during the war. The vigil began 3 p.m. Friday and runs through noon today, with brief opening and closing ceremonies. No one needs to be a Vietnam veteran, or veteran of any kind, to participate or just stop and visit. Just anyone to pay respects to those who served and the POW-MIAs, as well as their families, said Black Hawk County Supervisor Craig White, a Vietnam veteran who lost two childhood friends during the war, Dave Hartogh and Dave Davis. Their names are on the memorial. Weve got at least one person per shift to staff the vigil, White said, and more in some cases. Weve got an assortment of people. Weve got some guys that are still on active duty, a couple of guys that helped us out last year. And some new Vietnam veterans have stepped up to the plate who havent previously participated. A surviving sister of an individual killed in the war also volunteered for the first time. The vigil began when the county memorial was erected in the mid-1980s. After a hiatus of several years, White revived the vigil in 2015. Veterans of later conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan also have helped. The county Vietnam memorial, a black monolith designed by Vietnam veteran R.J. Lundgren of Hudson, bears the names of all Black Hawk County residents killed in Vietnam and two more listed as missing in action, pilots Richard Ayers of Waterloo and Bill Whitford of Cedar Falls. It also includes a Medal of Honor winner, Robert Hibbs of Cedar Falls, a U.S. Army officer who was the first county resident to die in that war. Paramount Park, in front of the Courier building at 100 E. Fourth St., was chosen as the location for the memorial because it is the old site of the Paramount Theatre, for which many local residents of the Vietnam generation hold fond memories. Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect her address as Hickory Street, not Hickory Lane. WATERLOO A lifelong Waterloo resident and cosmetologist is making her first bid for elected office. April Leadley, 39, of 610 Hickory St., has formally announced her campaign for the Ward 3 City Council seat in the Nov. 7 municipal election. She is taking on one-term incumbent Pat Morrissey for the position, which represents the northwest quadrant of the city, including a portion of downtown and the Church Row Neighborhood. Leadley said she was inspired to run for the City Council earlier this year when she attended meetings of Citizens for a Better Waterloo. I know I can bring fresh ideas and a new perspective in leadership, she said. I am devoted to the future of Waterloo. Her platform includes hiring three new police officers and maintaining current Waterloo Fire Rescue staffing levels. She also plans to stand firm on responsible and sensible spending, increasing our tax base and reducing the tax levy. Using available programs to bring new businesses to Waterloo that provide good jobs with livable wages and supporting small businesses are essential to our city, she added. Leadley has always called Waterloo home, attending Edison Elementary, graduating from East High School. She earned a cosmetology license in 1997 and opened her own business, Studio A1A, in 2016. She is a member of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, where she taught Sunday School, helped coordinate a blood drive for the Red Cross and advocated for the churchs little free pantry. Leadley is the mother of two girls who are both in the Waterloo public schools. For the past four years, she and her husband, Brian, have provided respite care for children with special needs through Respite Connection Inc. and Iowa Family Services. At one point, we wanted to move to a house with a larger yard and garage outside of this town, she said. It was then that I had a great realization that wed planted roots in our neighborhood that I wasnt willing to give up. Leadley said running a small business has allowed her to connect with the community and interact with multiple people, creating a plan of action for each clients request. I have a new boss every time someone sits in my chair, she said. More information about her campaign can be found at facebook.com/april4waterloo. WATERLOO The city will consider renewing its lease with BMC Aggregates for continued sand and gravel mining at Brinker Lake. Waterloo City Council members are scheduled to hold a public hearing Monday on the planned lease of city-owned property in and around the lake through 2028. The city would continue to receive 3 percent royalty payments on the extracted materials with a minimum $5,000 annual payment. The city has been receiving between $35,000 and $40,000 annually on the previous agreement. Brinker Lake expansion area opens WATERLOO Boaters will find more open water this year at Brinker Lake. BMC Aggregates has been mining sand and gravel since 1997 from the property owned by Brinker Lake Development Inc. and the city of Waterloo. The mining operation has helped expand the size of Brinker Lake, formerly known as East Lake at George Wyth State Park, for boating and other water recreation. BMC Aggregates turned over another 50 acres of surface water to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources last March. Councilman Pat Morrissey has said during previous meetings that residents in the nearby Greenbrier Neighborhood have been concerned about a higher water table affecting their basements, questioning whether the mining operation was causing the changes. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday in the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall. Other scheduled business includes: An ordinance placing four-way stop signs at Shaulis Road and Ansborough Avenue. The intersection, which has stop signs on Shaulis now, is where firefighter Greg Freshwater was killed after running eastbound into the path of a southbound vehicle Aug. 29. Father calls for changes to intersection where son was killed WATERLOO The father of a firefighter fatally stuck by a vehicle is urging the city to make Approving a $787,365 contract with Peterson Contractors Inc., of Reinbeck, to make improvements to the parking lot and around the Waterloo Boat House in Cedar River Exchange Park. Sadly, race relations in the 21st century look a lot like those of the 20th. To that end, civil rights activists of the 21st century are utilizing many of the same peaceful protest tactics, like marches, blocking of roads and kneeling, as did their forerunners of the 1950s and 60s. They also face the same criticism from mostly white America. Just like the bus boycott of Montgomery, Alabama, was not about public transportation, neither is professional athletes taking a knee about the flag, the military or even the national anthem. Both are protests against inequality and injustice in America. Growing equality of oppressed people feels like oppression to some of those whove had privilege, such as white Americans. It is the fear of the loss of privilege that drives racism. Some sociologists define white privilege as a myriad of social advantages, benefits and courtesies that come with being a member of the dominant race. In practical terms, it means my best friend in college, who happened to be Latina, being followed through a high-end clothing store by employees while I roamed unfettered. It means white parents dont have to have discussions with their children about how to interact with law enforcement in such a way as to not draw suspicion, as do African-American parents. What it does not mean is white Americans, particularly those who are poor, in America dont struggle or suffer. Some have tried to blame the struggles of poor Americans on racial, ethnic or religious minorities and immigrants rather than on economic policies designed to benefit the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the poor. Even considering his complicated history, President Lyndon Baines Johnson correctly surmised that, If you can convince the lowest white man hes better than the best colored man, he wont notice youre picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and hell empty his pockets for you. Some exploit the fear, suffering and struggle of poor white Americans to garner support for policies that are most likely to hurt them. These are not race or class issues. These are race and class issues. It is the epitome of white privilege is for white Americans to tell people of color, whove been brutalized for centuries in America and continue to be, how they are allowed to peacefully protest inequality and injustice in America. I challenge my white counterparts to challenge white privilege because the burden is on us to do so. The responsibility to leverage our privilege in order to challenge inequality and injustice in America in joining with people of color in this struggle is ours. On Nov. 18, 1978, a tragedy took place in the small South American county of Guyana. Jim Jones had fled the United States because of a pending investigation into a religious sect he had founded. He recreated it in Guyana and called it Jonestown. It was established as a socialistic society. When complaints were raised some members of the organization were being denied their right to leave, a United States Congressman, Leo Ryan, visited the site and then attempted to leave with a few dissenters. Under the order of Jones, the congressman and his party were killed at the airport. Jones feared the incident would bring a massive response by the authorities. He convinced his followers the only solution was suicidal revolution. Under Jones direction, his followers lined up and drank Flavor Aide laced with poison. Children who were too young to drink were fed it with syringes. Men and women, with their children, followed this madman into oblivion willingly. The incident became known as the Jonestown massacre. More than 900 people died. While this is but one illustration of the power of a cult following, it has remarkable relevance when we try to understand the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. For motives I am sure are suspect, North Korea has decided to allow visits from the foreign press. The Associated Press has been there and reported as have others. One of the most insightful visits was conducted by Evan Osnos, writing in a recent issue of the New Yorker. His article, On the Brink, raises the questions as to whether Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump could goad each other into nuclear war. From the Koreans perspective, the answer is clearly affirmative. The country is based on the cult of his KJUs leadership bottomed on the belief war with the United States is inevitable. Therefore, the obtainment of a powerful nuclear force is essential. In fact, his leadership depends on a very public confrontation with the U.S. His provocations are designed to generate a bellicose response from America. Flying ICBM missile tests over Japan, threatening to destroy Japan and Guam and promising ultimately a nuclear strike on our homeland may cause us great concern, but they strengthen Kim at home. When the North Korean leader commits these acts, President Trump responds with threats of extinction of his country. This is exactly what Kim wants. What are the alternatives? In a lengthy article recently in the Atlantic, Mark Bowen (he of the work Black Hawk Down) labeled four alternatives: massive nuclear war, meaning a massive pre-emptive strike; a limited surgical strike; decapitation (removing Kim and replacing Kim); and acceptance. The first three carry too much risk and the last is unacceptable to our military. There is another option that is not being explored. In a phrase, it is stand down. We dont need ground troops there, we dont have to fly into his airspace to maintain surveillance. Our satellites and other sources provide enough information to prepare for an attack. Installation of our anti-ballistic missile shield protects South Korea and Japan. We must recognize we are dealing with a cult, admittedly government sponsored, but a cult nonetheless. Its foundation is based on hostility toward America. We should not continue to act as his direct adversary. Cults do not respond rationally to perceived dangers. Jonestown should have taught this lesson. A cult needs a visible, viable enemy. Donald Trump should not provide North Korea with one. The majority of politicians will work at and vote their best interests. It is difficult to comprehend why so many Americans are so naive about this. We take their self-interest for granted when we assume politicians can be forced into a vote if they think they will lose their seat. The rest of the time we ascribe some purity in their actions and then wonder why they dont act in our best interests. Perhaps it is the result of over a 100 years of pro-government propaganda, but we seem surprised to discover politicians will act in a manner consistent with their own best interests. Consider the income tax. Its a mess. It is so complicated tax experts get caught by surprise. Even IRS employees will not guarantee their own advice. The IRS itself estimates it takes Americans 1.4 billion hours to prepare their tax returns at a compliance cost estimated at $20 billion. This is just for individual tax preparation. It does not include the money actually taken by the government, or the time and money spent by organizations and businesses. The IRS itself burns another $13 billion a year just to collect the taxes. So why cant we get it fixed? P.J. ORourke once stated that asking a politician to reduce taxes is asking for someone to sneak up on themselves and steal their own wallet. Thats strike one against change. Strike two is about power. By having an incredibly arcane tax law, politicians gain the power to reward and punish almost anyone at almost any time they wish. Strike three is related. Put yourself in your favorite pols shoes. How much money can be extracted for your next re-election campaign by controlling who benefits from the tax system? And you and I have just struck out. On the way back to the dugout, we get hit in the back of the head by the politician pitcher. He or she is not done yet. If a system is made so complex practically no one can navigate it successfully (read almost any government program or subsidy), then entire industries are created to help people through the fog (think lawyers, insurers, tax preparers, etc.). These industries, in their own best interests, will fight against any substantive change. The politician winds up to throw another fastball at our head. These governmental systems require an immense number of people to do the bureaucratic work behind the scenes. It has been stated there are more civilians working for the Pentagon than there are uniformed troops in the Navy and Air Force combined. They can all vote. Are the millions of folks who work for the government going to vote for someone who promises to cut the size of government? 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(12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) 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!) China's National Anthem Law came into force Sunday to ensure appropriate performance of the song. A national flag-raising ceremony is held at the Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2017. People from across the country gathered at the square to watch the national flag-raising ceremony on the morning, marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang) The anthem shall be sung at formal political gatherings, including the opening and closing of National People's Congress sessions, constitutional oath ceremonies, flag raising ceremonies, major celebrations, awards ceremonies, commemorations, national memorial day events, important diplomatic occasions, major sport events and other suitable occasions, according to the law. It is now illegal to use the national anthem during funerals, "inappropriate" private occasions, commercials or as background music in public places. Violators, including those who maliciously modify the lyrics, play or sing the national anthem in a distorted or disrespectful way, can be detained for up to 15 days, even be held criminally liable. The song will be included in textbooks for primary and secondary schools, and people are encouraged to sing the national anthem on appropriate occasions to express patriotism. The national anthem "March of the Volunteers," has lyrics by poet Tian Han and music by Nie Er. The original song greatly encouraged Chinese soldiers and civilians during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945). It was chosen as the national anthem in 1949, and was broadcast across the world as Mao Zedong declared the founding of People's Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949. The national anthem was revised in 1978. The "March of the Volunteers" was reaffirmed as the national anthem in 1982. China already has laws covering its national flag and national emblem. Previously, without a law to standardize etiquette for the national anthem, the song was sometimes used inappropriately. Flash Hundreds of thousands of overseas shops in countries all over the world now support Alipay payment in hope of attracting Chinese tourists during the upcoming eight-day national holiday. Sixteen international airports have real-time QR code-scanning tax refund services for Chinese Alipay users, two in the Republic of Korea, and 14 in Europe, according to Ant Financial, the parent company of Alipay. "The holiday is not just a festival for Chinese, but for us as well," said Wu Qing, manager of overseas market department of King Power, a duty-free chain in Thailand. "In addition to introducing payment methods that Chinese consumers are most familiar with, we offer Chinese language service everywhere in our stores," Wu said. The upcoming holiday starts on Oct. 1. Justin Watson, chief commercial officer of Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand, said the airport had undergone many changes to attract young Chinese tourists, including supporting Alipay. He said over 400,000 Chinese tourists visited New Zealand last year, most of them young people. "For every 10 international travelers, there is one Chinese traveler, either shopping, or on the beach, or in natural or cultural monuments," said Xu Jing, executive secretary and regional director for Asia and the Pacific of the World Tourism Organization. Statistics from Ivy Alliance Tourism Consulting show that the number of Chinese outbound tourists in 2016 topped 122 million. So far in 2017, about 315 billion U.S. dollars of overseas tourism revenue comes from Chinese tourists. A report by Ctrip, one of China's largest online travel platforms, said an expected 6 million Chinese tourists would travel and shop overseas during the upcoming holiday. Oct 1, 2017 | By Julia Ever wondered what extraterrestrial music sounds like? Wonder no more: visitors of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) got a taste of some alien instrumentation last week, thanks to a new sound installation by Berlin artists Kata Kovacs and Tom ODoherty. Capturing the sonorous and largely unexplained signals emitted by the long-lost Lincoln Experimental Satellite (LES-1), Kovacs and Dohertys Signal Tide provides a glimpse into life beyond Earth, and the bewildering soundscapes that abound out in the cosmos. For those who need to brush up on their satellite trivia, the famed LES-1 is an experimental satellite built by MIT in the early 1960s to test devices and techniques for satellite communication. Launched into orbit in 1965, the LES-1 circled the Earth for many decades, dutifully performing its required services before fading into oblivion in the late 20th century, no longer in use. Until, unexpectedly, we began receiving signals from the LES-1 again in February and March of 2013, some 46 years after the out-of-date satellites last recorded activity. Amateur radio satellite enthusiast Phil Williams from North Cornwall, UK was credited with the discovery, after detecting the incoming signals and determining the source to be the LES-1. Some say that after nearly 50 years of inactivity, the satellites battery had failed in a such a way that it could now carry charge directly to the LES-1s transmitter, enabling it to boot up when in direct sunlight. This theory could not be proven, however, and to this day the phenomenon remains largely unexplained. That bewildering occurrence is precisely what caught Kovacs and Dohertys attention. Captivated by the poetic uncertainty of the LES-1s remote communications, the Berlin artists began chasing the satellite as it orbited the globe, tracking the unexplained signals. Over the course of their experimentations, Kovacs and Doherty set up shop on the roof of LACMAs Art of the Americas Building, constructing a 3D printed speaker installation devoted to the LES-1. From September 21-24, a row of suspended speakers emitted the live audio signal of the LES-1 passing overhead, captured via an antenna mounted on the LACMA roof. As part of the Signal Tide installation, a Sacred Harp singing arrangement accompanied the audio signals, evoking a type of choral music that can be traced back to 18th century New England. Written and recorded specifically to serenade the satellite as it continues on its lonely journey, Kovacs and Doherty say the musical accompaniment, which features David Bryant (of Godspeed You! Black Emperor), Drew Barnet, and James Hamilton, is a response to the satellites call. The LES-1 satellite can be considered, anthropomorphically, as a weary pilgrim on a repeating journey, having left Boston in 1965 and travelled ever since, the artists explain. Signal Tide [allows] the satellite to be serenaded with music derived from the place that it is originally from. Kovacs and Doherty worked with staff from 3D printing company Airwolf 3D and the LACMA Art + Technology Lab to design and print 10 ABS speaker enclosures for the installation. Signal Tides was exhibited from September 21-24 at LACMAs pavilion for Japanese Art. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: The Elphinstone Road stampede tragedy has opened up a Pandoras Box about the how India railways are in dire straits. Even though commuters had complained about the need for constructing a new footoverbridge at the station the railways turned a blind eye towards it. Many people had forwarded letters to the railway about this issue but they failed to get any response. Like Elphinstone there are many other railway stations in south Mumbai like Currey Road, Chinchpokli, Sandhurst Road, Lower Parel, Mahalaxmi and Mumbai Central station which needs urgent repairs. However, politicians are busy renaming stations but have failed to upgrade infrastructure. Railway accidents on Mumbai local are increasing day by day and the Elphinstone Road mishap is most gruesome one. The narrow foot over bridge is the cause for the stampede. Sudden rain forced many commuters take shelter over the bridge and the resultant stampede happened thereafter led to the loss of several lives and injury to commuters. No repair work has been undertaken ever since the Britishers built the foot overbridge at the station. On an average, 500 persons pass through this bridge every hour. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited KEM hospital and announced that an audit of several railway foot overbridges will be conducted. He also has announced compensation for the deceased persons however it wont provide much relief to victims. Whenever citizens file complaint with railways about poor infrastructure of stations the organisation has shun its responsibility by citing lack of funds for development. Political parties often indulge in blame game and do nothing to improve the conditions of railways. Can they be able to compensate for the loss of lives? Since leaders do not travel by the local trains, so they just hear and ignore such incidents which are serious in nature. Majority of the people commute by train every day to reach their offices. Elphinstone and Lower Parel house many big corporates. Now what we need is action and not explanation. Just like the Seawood station was given facelift by a corporate firm such initiative should be taken by other firms for the benefit of people. In order to avoid such perils, the Railways and the Government must take quick action in reconstructing old bridges or as the case may be, else they will have to face the public who are already angry and would not hesitate to take action against corrupt politicians and officers. Instead of dreaming about launching bullet trains the Modi government should first improve the functioning of railways. (The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.) After the Supreme Court declared triple talaq as unconstitutional, women activists have come forward to demand a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) or khatna. Young girls belonging to Bohra community have to undergo severe pain when they are subjected to genital cutting. Earlier it was considered as a taboo to discuss about genital mutilation but now women are coming forward to raise their voice against this practice. Many women activists have started an online petition to press for their demand for a ban on genital mutilation. A group named Speak out on FGM had started a campaign on Change.org urging the government to bring a legislation to ban genital mutilation. Many women have come forward to support the campaign. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has already started consulting various NGOs seeking their views about the abolition of female genital mutilation. Even the National Commission for Women has supported the demand for a law to end the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in India. Advocate Sunita Tiwari had filed a petition with the Supreme Court for banning khatna in the country. The apex court then had sent a notice to the centre asking it to impose a complete ban on female genital mutilation and to declare it as a cognizable, non-compoundable and non-bailable offence. The United Nations has declared female genital mutilation as violation of human rights and wants to impose pressure on Indian government to ban this practice. According to a study carried out by Sahiyo in 2015 nearly 80 per cent of women from the Dawoodi Bohra communitys in India had faced genital mutilation. Web Toolbar by Wibiya Any struggle for freedom and sovereignty requires solid unity to face the arrogant occupation power successfully. Unfortunately, Palestinians, fighting not just for freedom from Israel but also for internal power and money for existence, have not been able put up a united fight against the occupier-aggressor Israel. That makes the terror job of Zionism (cum Pentagon) rather easy. Israel now under Netanyahu keeps drawing Palestinian blood. The course of tensed Hamas-Fatah relations inside Palestine is the result of vacuum in their minds and hearts and sheer madness to behave without logic but that reality in fact reveals the real state of affairs of Islamic community globally particularly Muslim nations in West Asia where Israel, the arch foe of Islam, calls all the shots. Their mindless infighting even as they are being fatally crushed by USA-Israel terror twins in fact repulses and sickens the mankind. So, Fatah and Hamas factions, rather meaningless opposite political outfits in an occupied nation, treat each other as their main enemy to be wiped out of Palestine territories, leaving behind in tact the Israel and criminalized Jewish leaders. That is exactly what Israel and its allies like USA expect from the perpetual feud inside the tiny Palestine territories. . This fatal approach of killing each other by themselves in order to strengthen the factions existing in a territory without sovereignty and under permanent duress and terror attacks by Israel is obviously seen by USA as their historic victory. By strenuous efforts, Israel has literally created a two nations territory in Palestine. While the so-called Islamist Hamas rules the tiny Gaza Strip, pro-west Fatah controls the other tiny stretch West Bank. The great divide between the two took place in 2007 when Hamas won the general poll but Israel, USA and Fatah not only jointly rejected the results but also ignited troubles in Palestine, leading eventually to a civil war that killed many Palestinians, thereby making USA, Israel happy. Fatah, which now controls the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, and the Islamist group Hamas, which wrested control of the Gaza Strip in a civil war in 2007 after the poll, have waged a low-intensity conflict for over a decade. Between flare-ups, the two have often responded to the will of their people by announcing various unity agreements. None of these agreements have led to actual national harmony, and Sundays surprise announcement that Hamas had dissolved its administrative committee in Gaza and agreed to reconciliation is unlikely to defy the precedent. Nearly a decade of infighting and efforts for recompilation went on as Israel strengthened its position in Palestine, Palestinians without anything to live on lost hopes of the goodness coming from the government. Israel began targeting women, old people and children as collective punishment for seeking sovereignty. Just keep talking for unity The last Palestinian legislative election was held in 2006, when Hamas won a surprise victory that laid the ground for a political rupture. The group fought a short civil war with the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbass Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip in 2007, and since then Hamas has governed the territory. Numerous attempts since 2011 to reconcile the two movements and form a power-sharing unity government in Gaza and the West Bank have failed. They agreed to form a national reconciliation government in 2014, but Hamass shadow government has continued to rule Gaza. In recent times, both Fatah and Hamas began talking for a unity government but nothing came out as Hamas is not really winning for compromises. People continue to suffer while employees do not receive their salaries as Israel collects the taxes form Palestine and keeps them to use as a powerful bully to silence the Palestinians, being besieged by Israel and Egypt through terror blockades. Palestinians both Fatah and Hamas live like Israeli prisoners as Isreali military-police establishments target them, while the UNSC, mandated to protect entire world, looks the other way as it is also eager to kill the Palestinian race. . . Very recently, the factions met to sort out their differences and come together to face the reality together. Of the demands Palestinians often make of their leaders, reconciliation between their two largest political factions perennially tops the list. Economic strains Israel, backed by USA and NATO allies, control Palestine and decides all policies for them, collects taxes and keep them with it, making the Palestinians go angry and angry. Many poor Palestinian workers are being hired for cheap labor by Israel to construct illegal settlements inside Palestine territories. Besides, the PLO and Fatah stop paying the money to Gaza Strip pay the salary, among other charges. Egypt has been brokering talks with Fatah to implement a deal signed in Cairo with Hamas in 2013 to end the dispute and form an interim government before elections. In July this year it emerged Hamas was seeking a rapprochement with the Palestinian leader once regarded as its greatest enemy, as the Islamist group faces unprecedented challenges from all sides. Hamass leadership held talks with Mohammed Dahlan the exiled former Fatah leader in Gaza whose supporters Hamas defeated in the 2007 civil war in the hope he could persuade Egypt to come to the aid of Gazans struggling under Israels decade-long economic blockade. Hamass position has been weakened by developments in the region, including Saudi-led moves against Qatar, once a major financial contributor to Gaza. The group is also under further pressure from an aggressive policy implemented by Abbas, who governs in the West Bank. In June he asked Israel to significantly cut its electricity supply to Gazas 2 million residents. The electricity crisis comes on top of Gazas many other woes. Abbas has also cut the salaries of thousands of former Palestinian Authority employees, many his supporters, who he had instructed not to work for the Hamas government. Meanwhile, like a wild beast without rules, Israels increasing restrictions on exit permits for Gaza residents, an escalating sewage crisis that is contaminating the strips beaches and high levels of unemployment are all contributing to a mounting sense of exhaustion. Some polls show that if parliamentary elections were held now, Hamas would win them in both Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the seat of Abbass Palestinian Authority. Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah and the president of the PA, responded with an unprecedented show of force. He cut off payments for electricity to the Gaza Strip, effectively plunging the impoverished coastal enclave into darkness. Hamas refuses to interact with Israel, so the PA has subsidized parts of Gazas electricity input since 2007. Abbas also slashed the salaries of his out-of-work PA employees in Gaza, cut payments for Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails, reduced medical-supply shipments, and announced that over 6,000 PA workers would be forced into early retirement. These wide-ranging sanctions were the toughest Abbas had ever levied against Hamas, let alone his own people. USA and Israel arm twists PLO leaders Abbas to terrorize the Palestians in Gaza Strip and from the start, Abbas made his demands of Hamas clear: dismantle the administrative committee, bring Gaza back under the PAs control, and prepare for national elections. Hamas countered by insisting it wouldnt budge until he rescinded his crippling sanctions. For months, the two appeared to be stuck at a familiar impasse until Sundays announcement in Cairo, where Hamas seemingly buckled to all of Abbass demands. Publicity stunt? Maybe for publicity stunt, Hamas says it is willing to dissolve its Gaza administration, 10 years after it fought a bloody war with Fatah. Hamas has agreed to hold talks with the rival Fatah movement, dissolve the Gaza administrative committee and hold general elections, in a deal to end their long-running feud in the Palestinian territories, the group has said in a statement. A senior Fatah leader, Mahmoud Aloul, welcomed the Hamas pledge but told Voice of Palestine radio: We want to see that happening on the ground before we move to the next step. Hamas said in its statement that it agreed to dissolve the administration running Gaza, allow the reconciliation government to carry out its duties in the territory, to hold elections and enter into talks with Fatah. The likeliest explanation for Hamass sudden shift is the change in its leadership. Earlier this year, the results of the groups secret internal elections were announced as Ismail Haniyeh, a former prime minister in the unity government of 2007, and Yahya Sinwar, a hardline leader of Hamass military wing, became the number one and number two leaders of the faction. Both represent a shift in Hamass center of gravity from the exiled political class abroad back to the Gaza-based military leadership. Initially, their rise left many concerned that another war with Israel was inevitable. Sinwar, in particular, was a wild card: he arose within Hamass military wing by weeding outand personally executingcollaborators, and played a prominent role as a military leader in the 2014 war. Due to the Zionist target, Gazans live in abject poverty, endure substandard water and health conditions, and face astronomic unemployment rates. In the past, theyve rallied behind their Hamas leaders in times of crisis, but those days seem far away. Israel inspired Fatahs bloody campaign against Hamas in the 1990s and 2000s, demonstrates the severity of Hamass plight. In January, over 10,000 took to the streets outside of one of Hamass electricity offices to protest the Hamas groups policies. Public discontent with both Hamas and the PA is now more common, and Hamass new leaders have felt the pressure. Sinwar, whose duties within the Hamas organization involve administrating Gaza Strip, has turned pragmatic in his time in office. Sinwar, especially, has reached out to anyone and everyone for help. This includes Mohammad Dahlan, the former Fatah security chief in Gaza, who negotiated a deal with the Egyptians and Emiratis to get fuel and money into the Strip. That Sinwar would seemingly reconcile with Dahlan, the architect of Viewed in this light, it seemed only a matter of time until Hamas either acquiesced or sparked another war with Israel. In the past, financial pressure has caused Hamas to lash out violently. Weeks before the Zionist terror 2014 war, Hamas members raided and closed local banks in Gaza. Yet for now, the groups new leadership has surprisingly opted for the former, though not without attempting to stick it to their Fatah rivals. Announcing their openness to reconciliation just days before Abbas is expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly will put the PA leader in a bind. A similar reconciliation agreement in 2014 all but ended the John Kerry-led dramatic peace process; Abbas, 82, is backed by the west and now 12 years into what was to be a four-year term. He is an unpopular leader according to opinion polls. He has no clear successor and there are no steps being taken toward organizing a presidential election. Abbas cannot expect the United States to agree to his negotiating terms if hes just inked another agreement with Hamas- an Israeli designated terror group. Hamas appears to be attempting to corner Abbas. With his demands ostensibly met, Hamas will turn up the public pressure on him to ease his campaign against Gaza. This puts Abu Mazen Abbas and Fatah to the real test. The longer his sanctions remain in place, the more everyday Palestinians will begin to wonder why he hasnt lifted the pressure against his own people in West Bank. Abbas is likely to slow-roll his response in order to buy himself time with Trump before likely countering by insisting his demands werent actually met, issuing further demands he knows Hamas cant meet, or committing to a new round of negotiations. In March, Hamas announced the formation of the administrative committee, a quasi-governmental body that would ostensibly assume more functions of a state. Fatah leaders reacted with outrage, accusing Hamas of forming a shadow government that would perpetuate the division instead of promoting reconciliation. Observation Neither side will be able to bridge the ideological divide or forget their blood-soaked history anytime soon. If actual unity was possible, the two Palestinian factions would have likely found the formula in their previous agreements: Mecca in 2007, Sanaa in 2008, Cairo in 2011, Doha in 2012, Cairo again in 2012, and the Shati refugee camp in 2014. The reality looks bleak as Hamas is unlikely to ever truly give up its military control over Gaza. The faction wants Abbas to pay for the costs of governing. Abbas wants total acquiescence and disarmament. Ultimately, theres no middle ground here. Sundays announcement is just another move in a decade-long game of chess where everyday Palestinians continue to pay the price. For one, all unity talks are less about unity and more about finances. Genuine desire for freedom and sovereignty is missing in both West Bank and Gaza. This emboldens the Zionist military forces to keep terror attack the besieged Palestinians, killing even children. The firing of the toy missiles into empty lands of Israel only harmed Palestine cause further. Only third rate fools repeat the nonsensical mistakes. Web Toolbar by Wibiya Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Moscow on September 28 for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip oh the situation in Iraq and Syria along with bilateral trade, among international issues. The two held a working dinner before a one-on-one meeting and a press conference at 9:30 pm at Erdogan's palace, the Turkish presidency confirmed it on its website. A visit for improved relations Amid tensed relations with US president Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Moscow to meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks on Syria and a key weapons deal, hoping to strengthen an increasingly active relationship that has already troubled the West. The strenuous efforts of USA and Europe to keep Russo-Turkey antagonism has not worked as they had expected. Despite a regional rivalry that goes back to the Ottoman Empire and the Romanov dynasty, Russia and Turkey have been working closely since a 2016 reconciliation ended a crisis caused by the shooting down of a Russian war plane over Syria. Russia and Turkey are cooperating very tightly, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the one-day working visit by Putin to Ankara. Turkey and Russia have been on opposing sides during the more than six years of war in Syria, with Russia the key backer of President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey supporting rebels seeking his ouster. However, Russo-Turkish relations have improved considerably in recent time against the wishes and plan of the USA and Europe. Turkey, a strong NATO member, has signed a deal reportedly worth $2 billion to buy S-400 air defence systems from Russia, a move that has shocked its allies in the alliance. Economic cooperation is also beginning to flourish, with Russian tourists returning to Turkey and the two countries working on a Black Sea gas pipeline. In Syria both Moscow and Ankara are pushing for the creation of four de-escalation zones in Syria, in line with peace talks in Astana, to end the civil war that has raged since 2011. While Turkey's policy is officially unchanged, Ankara has notably cooled its attacks on the Damascus regime since its cooperation with Russia began to heat up. Putin's visit came as Turkey and Russia are working to deepen ties in a turnaround for the two nations, which have backed opposing sides in Syria and nearly came to blows over Turkey's downing of a Russian plane in 2015. The two leaders showered one another with praise in statements after their talks in Ankara, hailing a deal to de-escalate fighting in Syria. Moscow sides with Syrian President Bashar Assad while Turkey has supported his foes since the start of the Syrian civil war six years ago. But Russia and Turkey, together with Iran, are now working on setting up de-escalation zones in Syria that are credited with having helped reduce the fighting. Erdogan said they focused on the specifics of securing a de-escalation zone in Syria's northern province of Idlib on the border with Turkey, emphasizing the shared political will to contribute to the Syrian political settlement. Putin, for his part, hailed "our friend, President Erdogan" for helping make the de-escalation deal possible, adding that it would allow to halt fighting and create conditions for the return of refugees to their homes. "I consider these agreements our common, extremely important success," Putin said. "The necessary conditions have been created for putting an end to the fratricidal war in Syria, completely destroying terrorists and allowing Syrians to return to peaceful life." The Russian leader added that "we are creating conditions for the refugees' return, and for stepping up the search for a long-term political settlement in Geneva." Putin and Erdogan also talked about the Iraqi Kurdish referendum, with the Turkish president denouncing it as a "big mistake" that eroded stability in the region. Kurdish Independence Turkey, which is battling a more than three-decades-old Kurdish insurgency, strongly opposed the plebiscite, in which Iraqi Kurds voted overwhelmingly for independence. Turkey has said it considering economic sanctions against the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq and has not ruled out military action. Russia's stance on the non-binding Kurdish independence vote is troubling for Turkey, for whom opposing Kurdish statehood is a cornerstone of foreign policy due to its own Kurdish minority. The Russian foreign ministry said that while Moscow supports the territorial integrity of Iraq, it views the Kurds' national aspirations with respect. Russia has been trying to abstain from taking a clear stance on the issue and Turkey may be wanting to get some assurances and explanations, Timur Akhmetov, Ankara-based Turkey expert at the Russian International Affairs Council, told AFP. In public, President Erdogan has diplomatically shied away from attacking Russia's stance on the Kurdish referendum, declaring that Israel was the only state that backed the poll. Russia has sought to maintain a neutral tone regarding the Kurdish referendum, but it underlined its support for Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity while emphasizing the need to avoid destabilization of the region. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed Moscow's respect for the Kurds' interests and called for a dialogue between the Iraqi government and the Kurds to decide on a "mutually acceptable formula of co-existence within the integral state of Iraq." Putin referred to that statement without going into further details. A Kurdish commander of the SDF, which has approached along the east bank with US jets and Special Forces, said the alliance expected to completely push IS out of its former Syrian headquarters of Raqqa within a month. With the Kurdish YPG militia at its forefront, the SDF said last week that, after seizing 80 per cent of Raqqa, the battle for the city had entered its final stages. EUs negative approach to Turkeys entry as a legitimate member brings Russia closer to Turkey. By accusing German and Dutch governments of acting like Nazis by banning Turkish ministers addresses to fellow Turks in their cities on the grounds of security, Erdogan has destroyed much of the goodwill needed for Ankaras successful application to become a full EU member.. In 1963 Turkey became an associate member of the European Economic Community, the predecessor to the EU. Turkey signed a Customs Union agreement with the EU in 1995 and four years later was recognized as a candidate for full EU membership. Subsequent negotiations had run into periodic roadblocks even before Ankaras latest tensions with Berlin and Amsterdam. As an adversary of EU expansion, Putin was pleased to see Turkeys chance of acquiring full EU membership rapidly diminish. US-Russia cooperation? As veto member, USA and Russia cooperate with each other and even coordinate their global moves. Earlier, therefore, one got the impression that Russia entered Syrian bloody conflict on the request or advice of USA but now it looks that President Putin only wants to shield the ruler Assad to stay in power. Russia a close ally of Iran and it is helping Assad on Iranian request even while as a veto member it maintains close contact with Washington as peer the convention- according to which veto members would avoid a direct war among themselves. . Turkey has also been hit by a spate of deadly bombings and gun attacks by the US sponsored militant Islamic State (IS) group and Kurdish militants over the past year and a half. ISIS, like Al Qaeda and Taliban, is the production of American strategic community led by notorious Neocons. But even while helping them secretly, USA pretends to be fighting all terrorist gangs. Russia and the USA back separate offensives against ISIS in eastern Syria, both of which are advancing in oil-rich Deir Ezzor province bordering Iraq. Apparently, USA and Russia are not together in their respective wars in Syria. Moscow accused USA of targeting Russia in Syria and said Russian general killed in Syria because of US policy. The Russian defence ministry said the general had been killed by shelling near Deir Ezzor. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that two-faced policy of the United States was to blame for the death of Russian general Valery Asapov in Syria, RIA news agency quoted him as saying. The death of the Russian commander is the price, the bloody price for the two-faced American policy in Syria, Ryabkov told reporters, according to RIA. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias fighting with a US-led coalition said the attack killed one of its fighters and injured two. A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Russian rounds had not hit the SDF near Deir Ezzor. The SDF later said it had responded to the source of fire that targeted it from near the city of Deir Ezzor without specifying which forces it had attacked. The ISIS assaults are converging on ISIS from opposite sides of the Euphrates that bisects the province, the jihadists last major foothold in Syria, with the river often acting as a dividing line. But their proximity has at times raised the risk of clashes that could stoke tensions between the competing world powers. With Russian air support and Iran-backed militias, Syrian troops are advancing along the west bank of the river. Obviously, USA does not want to kill Assad but only wants to totally destabilize Syria as part of hidden agenda of US-Israeli fascist twins for Arab Spring and loot its energy as well as other resources. Meanwhile, US-backed Syrian militias said Russian warplanes struck their positions in Deir Ezzor province, which Moscow denied, generating friction between two rival campaigns against the militant Islamic State group. Major-General Igor Konashenkov of Russias defence ministry was cited by RIA news agency as issuing a denial, saying Russia was always careful to ensure its air strikes were accurate. A spokesman for the US-led coalition, Colonel Ryan Dillon, said rounds had hit in the area around the SDF but he could not confirm they were fired by Russia. Erdogan enjoys popularity and power An elected president has to be strong in order r to take steps to protect the sovereignty and of the nation and well being of the common people. USA, Germany and also ultra fanatic Israel badly want a anti-Islamic weak Turkey to maneuver thing with it so that they can get what they want from Ankara. They could engineer and execute a powerful coup in Turkey but, unlike their successful experiment in New York in September 2001, failed. Islamic Turkey state survived. Turkish parliament approved presidential system, seen strengthening Erdogan. The Turkish parliament has backed a plan to strengthen the powers of the presidency, paving the way for a referendum on the issue in spring which, if passed, could allow President Tayyip Erdogan to stay in office until 2029. Erdogan says the reform will provide stability in the European Union (EU) candidate country at a time of turmoil and prevent a return to the fragile coalitions of the past. His opponents fear it will herald increasingly authoritarian rule. The constitutional reform bill was approved with 339 votes in the 550-member assembly. The legislation needed at least 330 deputies to support it in order to go to a public vote. Erdogan, speaking for the first time since parliament's vote, called on his supporters to work day in and day out throughout the referendum campaign. My people will give the final decision... I believe this referendum period will conclude with the will of our people, Erdogan said at an opening ceremony in Istanbul. After parliament's decision, and voiced support for the changes, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdags said: A new door in Turkish history and in the lives of the Turkish people has been cracked open today. With our people's 'yes' vote, this door will be completely opened, Bozdag wrote on Twitter. The leader of the main opposition CHP, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said after the voting that his party would fight the changes in their referendum campaign. Erdogan assumed the presidency, a largely ceremonial position, in 2014 after over a decade as prime minister with the ruling AK Party, which he co-founded. Since then, pushing his powers to the limit, he has continued to dominate politics by dint of his personal popularity on the basis of his Islamist policies. The reform would enable the president to issue decrees, declare emergency rule, appoint ministers and top state officials and dissolve parliament powers that the two main opposition parties say strip away balances to Erdogan's power. With the reforms, the president will be allowed to retain ties to a political party, potentially allowing Erdogan to resume his leadership of the AK Party, in a move that opposition parties say will abolish any chance of impartiality. The plans envisage presidential and general elections to be held together in 2019 with a president eligible to serve a maximum two five-year terms. Following the failed coup against Turkey, AKP and President Erdogan, western critics accuse Erdogan of increasing authoritarianism with the arrests and dismissal of tens of thousands of judges, police, military officers, journalists and academics since a failed military coup in July. Erdogan and the government say the extent of the crackdown is justified by the nature of the threat to the state from July 15, when rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighter jets in a violent bid to seize power. Erdogan on Saturday also revived the question of reintroducing the death penalty, which some of his supporters had called for in the wake of July's coup attempt. Equation Political and economic developments in the European Union or EU, Turkey and Russia are cumulatively aiding President Vladimir Putin to become an ascending star in the international firmament. In an unexpected twist, the supporting actor in this dramatic ascent is Turkish president Erdogan, a former staunch critic of the Kremlin in the Syrian civil war who is now aligned with Putin in hostility towards the EU. At home, after aborting an attempted military coup on 15 July, Erdogan declared a state of emergency and unleashed a massive crackdown on political opponents. This led to the purging of almost 100,000 employees in state institutions and the arrest of 40,000, including judges, senior civil servants, academics, journalists, and police and military officers. After corralling the parliament to amend the constitution to replace parliamentary democracy with an executive presidency, he has urged voters to endorse the radical change in the April 16 referendum, arguing rightly it is needed to avoid fragile coalition governments of the past and to give Turkey stability in order to meet security challenges in the future. His opponents fear an authoritarian, one-man rule by Erdogan. Of course, his actions have unnerved Western leaders who expect an anti-Islamic regime to rule Turkey. By contrast, the Kremlin welcomes these in the context of an astonishing turnaround in relations with Ankara. Following Turkeys downing of a Russian jet fighter, presumably on the advice of USA, in its airspace on November 15, 2015, Moscow imposed stiff economic sanctions on Ankara. As a result, annual bilateral trade plummeted from $38 billion to about $17 billion. But that clash in fact served as a milestone in the bilateral ties. In the aftermath of the attempted coup, Putin made a congratulatory call to Erdogan. Three weeks later, Erdogan met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him publicly, saying that his call meant a lot psychologically. Putin announced that Russian trade sanctions on Turkey would be lifted step by step. Conversely, Erdogan was angered by EU and US. criticism over his crackdown on educational institutions, the judiciary and the media, including the jailing of 152 journalists. His Russia visit in August alarmed Western capitals. Since then, from the Western viewpoint, a stream of negative news, including two more meetings for the Turkish and Russian presidents, has continued. Most of Erdogans statements against the West has made Russia a reliable ally of Istanbul. After his talks with Putin in the Kremlin on March 10, Erdogan declared that alliances like NATO or allies that ignore Turkeys interests did not have the right to question what Turkey does to protect itself. He added that no one has the right to object to Ankaras measures in Syria or current negotiations with Russia on the purchase of an advanced S-400 anti-missile defense system. Erdogan indicated that his latest meeting with Putin had created an environment for facilitating further security cooperation with Moscow as well as in economic and military sectors. Erdogans recent spats with Germany and the Netherlands on the issue of Turkish ministers being allowed to persuade gatherings of Turkish voters settled in these countries to vote yes in the referendum have also gone down well with the Kremlin. New dynamism The Syria deal helped warm up ties and restore bilateral trade and the flow of Russian tourists to Turkey, halted in the wake of the 2015 plane incident. Erdogan underlined the need to prevent "even more serious mistakes," adding that "it's important that the international community sides with Iraq's territorial integrity and political unity." Analysts say that while both countries share an interest in seeking to discomfort the West by showing off close cooperation, their relationship falls well short of a sincere strategic alliance. With Moscow's ally Assad now having the upper hand in the conflict; Russia will be hoping Turkey will bring the rebels it has supported into the political process. Relations between Turkey and Russia may appear to be friendly, but they are loaded with contradictions and set to remain unstable in the near term, Pavel Baev and Kemal Kirisci of the Brookings Institution wrote in a study this month. Deliveries of the S-400s, meanwhile, could be years away due to orders from China, while Ankara's insistence on a technology transfer as part of the deal may also create problems. But both Moscow and Ankara are, for now, happy to send a message to the West that they are serious about defence cooperation. They are trying to utilize the issue of the S-400 for their respective political interests, Akhmetov told AFP. In Ankara, Putin and Erdogan continue exchanging views on regional and bilateral agendas. Military and political cooperation, the Kurdish issue, the Syrian crisis and other important issues are expected to dominate the agenda between them. For strategic reasons, however, the two leaders didn't mention a deal for Turkey to buy Russia's most advanced air defense missile system, the S-400. Erdogan announced earlier this month that Turkey had signed a deal to buy the S-400s, drawing concern of some of Turkey's NATO allies who pointed that they aren't compatible with NATO weapons systems. Despite their remaining differences, Russia-Turkey relations have seen significant progress over the past year. The dynamics have been positive. Apparently, Moscow and Ankara are ready to listen to each other and make concessions. Possibly, there are some points for cooperation even on Kurdish issue. Turkey is a very important player in the political arena. Currently, a major continental Eurasian bloc is taking shape and both Russia and Turkey are part of the trend. This means serious advantages in the long-run. Beyond Syria The visit is a signal of positive dynamics in bilateral relations. The leaders of both countries have been involved in an exchange of opinions and joint consultations. What is important is that Moscow and Ankara have deepened their cooperation, including on regional stability and the situation in Syria and Iraq. Since August 2016, Russia and Turkey have been actively developing military and political cooperation, primarily on the Syrian crisis. At the time, the groundwork was laid for an important future military and political deal. Since then, this cooperation has been positive for Syria. Moreover, Moscow and Ankara have signed a deal on the delivery of the Russian S-400 [missile defense system] to Turkey. There have also been several important regional agreements between Russia, Turkey, Iran and Iraq The Putin-Erdogan meeting is an opportunity to take bilateral relations to a brand-new on the most important international issues, including the escalation on the Korean peninsula, relations with the USA and the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. The talks could lay the foundation for transforming current cooperation into the form of an alliance between Moscow and Ankara" The rise of right-wing populism in the EU Brexit, improved performance by Geert Wilders Party for Freedom in the 15 March Dutch general election, and the lead position of the National Fronts Marine Le Pen in French opinion polls is a contributory element. Another is the refugee crisis which has widened the base of Europes rightwing parties. Erdogans good will has helped the grave refugee crisis in Europe under control. By closing Turkish borders with neighboring Greece, he drastically reduced the refugee influx into the EU. Equally, if he could reverse his decision that would certainly revive the crisis. EU must understand that former Ottoman Empire Turkey is a great nation with kind heart and end drama to delay the Turkeys interest to be a part of EU as a great European power. The hard core EU led by a few anti-Islamic members maintains its unwillingness to let an European but Islamic Turkey become its member as it is eager to have on amalgam of essentially anti-Islamic European Christian states. The restoration of the death penalty, which Turkey formally abandoned in 2002 as part of its European Union accession talks, would likely spell the end of Turkey's talks to join the bloc. In fact, Turkish parliament's approval of the Presidential system is the answer to their challenges. Pakistan must also turn to the Presidential system as their present system has failed to protect the nation from coups by enemies of Islam and Turkey and bring political accountability and end corruption which is destroying the country. True, today right wing parties are occupying the governments in the West. We are firmly in the age of dictators and Presidents-for- life. It is my way or the highway. Be it Modi, Putin, Netanyahu or Trump or Erdogan,. All of them crave power and control. Now it is all dictatorial powers in the hands of one man. Parliaments, legislature and courts have been effectively rendered irrelevant. Pakistan is almost following the same model. However, Erdogan has an Islamist ideology that makes him a class apart among the dictators. Turkey was the last bastion of Muslim-majority countries, which has to some extent been open, progressive and democratic. As the Turkish hero, Erdogan is becoming a one-man-show, all pretenses of democracy notwithstanding. West has a role in helping Turkey become a truly democratic nation to serve the cause of Islam and world peace. USA and Germany should stop meddling with domestic affairs of Turkey and stop engineering coups to harm the ruling party and government or destabilize a only Islamic nation in Europe. However, entire Europe and USA are free to opt for Islamic path of life and governance, if they are able to see the genuine truth, for the sake of world peace and genuine security. Fighting Islam is not the way.. Global Muslims wish progress and prosperity for Turkey. Web Toolbar by Wibiya The United Nations has drawn up a contingency plan to feed up to 700,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar after some 480,000 fled to Bangladesh over the past month and arrivals continue. The hunger situation in camps in Bangladesh has improved as food aid from WFP and other agencies is now reaching the refugees. The plan also covers some 300,000 Rohingya who were already sheltering in southeast Bangladesh before the latest influx began, meaning it could cater for a million people in total. "No one would be left out from any humanitarian assistance. The WFP would need about $80 million for the massive aid. Earlier, the UN made an emergency appeal for $78 million on 9 September, but UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Robert Watkins said much more would be needed as the exodus grows. Impoverished Bangladesh, which earned praise for opening up its border, has eased restrictions on aid groups working in refugee camps and sought $250 million from the World Bank to fund emergency relief. The Rohingyas were placed in internment camps and today there are still more than 120,000 still housed there. For years the Rohingyas have faced discrimination and persecution, today they are still facing this problem and have started to flee to other countries for safe haven. In 2015 more than 40 Rohingya were massacred in the village of Du Chee Yar Tan by local men, the U.N. confirmed. Among the findings were 10 severed heads in a water tank, including those of children The Rohingya people have been facing persecution for their religion and as of today still have no rights or citizenship in their homeland. A United Nations official last week said it would need $200 million over the next six months to handle the Rohingya crisis. Rohingya have been fleeing Rakhine state in north east Myanmar for decades. The new influx began on 25 August when deadly attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar police posts prompted a huge crackdown by the military. Bangladesh is already host to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled previous outbreaks of violence in Rakhine. Existing refugee camps are full and the new arrivals are sleeping rough in whatever space they can find, reports say. The 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis refers to the mass migration of thousands of Rohingya people from Myanmar (also known as Burma) and Bangladesh in 2015, collectively dubbed "boat people" by international media. Nearly all who fled traveled to Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand by rickety boats via the waters of the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that 25,000 people have been taken to boats from January to March in 2015 by human traffickers. There are claims that, while on their journey, around 100 people died in Indonesia, 200 in Malaysia, and 10 in Thailand, after the traffickers abandoned them at sea. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited the overflowing camps last week and said Bangladesh needs "massive international assistance" to feed and shelter the Rohingya. 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". The Rohingya, a stateless mostly Muslim minority in Buddhist-majority Rakhine, have long experienced persecution in Myanmar, which says they are illegal immigrants. The violence began on 25 August when the Rohingya militants attacked police posts in northern Rakhine, killing 12 security personnel. Rohingyas who have fled Myanmar since then say the military responded with a brutal campaign, burning villages and attacking civilians in a bid to drive them out. Zeid, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the current operation in Rakhine was "clearly disproportionate". A senior official from the UN's World Food Program (WFP) said they were now prepared to provide massive food and other emergency aid if the influx continues in coming weeks. "All the UN agencies together have now set a plan for a new influx of 700,000. We can cover if the new influx reaches 700, 000," said the WFP's deputy chief in Bangladesh, Dipayan Bhattacharyya. The Muslim Rohingya has been fleeing from Myanmar (Burma) by the thousands. The Rohingya are a minority ethnic group located in Myanmars western Rakhine state and are considered to be a variation of the Sunni religion. Since the Rohingya are considered to be illegal Bengali immigrants and were denied recognition as a religion by the government of Myanmar, the dominant group, the Rakhine, rejects the label Rohingya and have started to persecute the Rohingya. The people in Myanmar are also facing wide spread poverty, with more than 78 percent of the families living below the poverty line. With most of the families living below the poverty line, tensions between the Rohingya and the other religious groups have exploded into conflict. The violence and turmoil began in 2012, the first incident was when a group of Rohingya men were accused of raping and killing a Buddhist woman The Buddhist nationalists retaliated by killing and burning the Rohingya homes. People from all over the world started calling this crisis and bloodshed campaign of ethnic cleansing. More than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since violence erupted there late last month. The UN human rights chief says the security operation targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Zeid Raad Al Hussein urged Myanmar to end the "cruel military operation" in Rakhine state. The military says it is responding to attacks by Rohingya militants and denies it is targeting civilians. He noted that the situation could not be fully assessed because Myanmar had refused access to human rights investigators, but said the UN had received "multiple reports and satellite imagery of security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages, and consistent accounts of extrajudicial killings, including shooting fleeing civilians". The 1982 Citizenship Law denies the Rohingya Muslims citizenship despite the people living there for generations. The Rohingya are fleeing Myanmar because of the restrictions and policies placed by the government. The restrictions include: marriage, family planning, employment, education, religious choice, and freedom of movement and they are facing discrimination because of their ethnic heritage. The Bangladeshi authorities have started to register the new arrivals. Previously only those in two official camps were being documented, but government teams are now collecting fingerprints and details from all newcomers, including those in makeshift shelters. BBC analysts say that, until now, the government has refused to register those outside camps for fear of legitimizing them. But the current move may help the government as it engages in a diplomatic battle about the Rohingyas' future. The emergence of Rohingya militant group was due to oppressive tactics of Burmese military and police. The defending was implicated being behind the 25 August attacks, declared a one-month unilateral ceasefire to allow aid agencies in, but the Myanmar government rejected it, saying it would not negotiate with "terrorists". Myanmar military and regime say that it is the militants who are burning Rohingya villages and targeting civilians, but a BBC correspondent on an official visit to Rakhine came across a Muslim village apparently burned by Rakhine Buddhists led by monks, contradicting the official narrative. Obviously, the Rohingya are extremely unpopular among Buddhists inside Myanmar. On last Sunday, police fired rubber bullets to break up a mob attacking the home of a Muslim meat seller in Magway region in central Myanmar. One protester was quoted by AFP news agency saying it was a response to events in Rakhine. Myanmar is influenced heavily by Hindutva politics in India where Muslims are targeted by the ruling regime. In October 2015, researchers from the International State Crime Initiative at Queen Mary University of London released a report drawing on leaked government documents that reveals an increasing "ghettoisation, sporadic massacres, and restrictions on movement" on Rohingya peoples. The researchers suggest that the Myanmar government are in the final stages of an organised process of genocide against the Rohingya and have called upon the international community to redress the situation as such. The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority group residing in the Rakhine state, formerly known as Arakan. The Rohingya people are considered stateless entities, as the Myanmar government has been refusing to recognize them as one of the ethnic groups of the country. For this reason, the Rohingya people lack legal protection from the Government of Myanmar, are regarded as mere refugees from Bangladesh, and face strong hostility in the countryoften described as one of the most persecuted people on earth. To escape the dire situation in Myanmar, the Rohingya try to illegally enter Southeast Asian states, begging for humanitarian support from potential host countries. On 1 May 2015, about 32 shallow graves were discovered on a remote and rugged mountain in Thailand, at a so-called "waiting area" for the illegal migrants before they were sneaked through the border into Malaysia. A Bangladeshi migrant was found alive in the grave and was later treated at a local hospital as told to Thai news agencies. On 22 May 2015, however, the Myanmar navy rescued 208 migrants at sea, and upon inspection, confirmed themselves as having come from Bangladesh.[20] Protests by nationalists erupted in the capital, calling for the international community to stop blaming Myanmar for the Rohingya crisis. On 24 May 2015, Malaysian police discovered 139 suspected graves in a series of abandoned camps used by human traffickers on the border with Thailand where Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma were believed to have been held. The violence erupted in late August when the army retaliated against co-ordinated attacks by Rohingya militants. Since then just under half of Rakhine's Rohingya population has poured into Bangladesh, where they now languish in one of the world's largest refugee camps. A further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as well as Hindus have also been displaced -- apparent targets of the 25 August attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salavation Army (ARSA) militant group. While desperate scenes of weary and hungry Rohingya civilians streaming into Bangladesh have dominated global headlines, there is little sympathy for the Muslim group among Myanmar's Buddhist majority. Many reject the existence of a Rohingya ethnicity and insist they are 'Bengalis' illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. On Monday several hundred people gathered in downtown Yangon to rail against the UN, international NGOs and foreign media, as a siege mentality grows inside Myanmar. "I want Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to stand for the ethnic people of Myanmar and to remove the pressure from the international community by giving the speech tomorrow," demonstrator Khin Khin Myint said. Tensions over the status of the Rohingya have been brewing for years in Myanmar, with bouts of anti-Muslim violence erupting around the country as Buddhist hardliners fan fears of an Islamic takeover. The knotty a military still looms large in the fragile democracy. Although the army stepped down from junta rule in 2011, it kept control of security policy and key levers of government. In fact, the military rules Myanmar on behalf of the elected Aung San Suu Kyi. Any overt break from the army's policy in Rakhine could enrage the generals and derail Suu Kyi's efforts to prevent a rollback on recent democratic gains. Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has been decried overseas for failing to condemn the generals, with whom she is in a delicate power-sharing arrangement. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader and defender of genocides of Muslims in Myanmar, is facing mounting criticism for failing to protect the Rohingya, but the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama cannot tolerate crimes against the humanity in Myanmar and added his voice, urging her "to reach out to all sections of society to try to restore friendly relations". Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is poised to break her near-silence on communal violence scorching through Rakhine state, in a televised speech on Rohingya refugee crisis that has shocked the world and prompted the UN to accuse the country's army of ethnic cleansing. Suu Kyi's refusal so far to defend the Rohingya over nearly a month of violence has baffled and enraged an international community that once feted her as the champion of Myanmar's democracy struggle. But inside Myanmar, supporters say the 72-year-old lacks authority to reign in the army, which stands accused of waging a campaign of murder and arson that has driven more than 410,000 Rohingya from their homes. With global pressure cranked high, Suu Kyi skipped the UN General Assembly in New York to manage the crisis at home and deliver her televised address the biggest yet of her time in office. "She is going to tell the world the real truth," her spokesman Zaw Htay told reporters ahead of the speech. Analysts say she faces the treacherous task of walking the line between global outrage and Islamophobic anti-Rohingya views at home, where there is broad support for the army's campaign. As such, there is almost no possibility, given the political climate in Myanmar, for balancing the expectations of most of the country and the expectations of the international community. UN aid to the insulted and injured Rohingya is a welcome step but it must quickly act to protect the remaining Rohingya community in Myanmar against state criminal gangs in uniform. . . It is high time the UNSC stepped in to punish the regime and military in Myanmar for its planned crimes against humanity by targeting the helpless Rohingya community. US-NATO silence over genocides and oppressive policies of Myanmar is comprehensible but the silence being maintained by UNSC is itself a very serious crime. Web Toolbar by Wibiya Most people like to totally scoff at the idea of conspiracies in general, like those that have been presented on post-hurricane Puerto Rico alluded to in the above video. I have watched and listened to the rescue efforts in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the most recent hurricane with great interest and to me it's apparent that some kind of conspiracy is at work here that is needlessly resulting in the current humanitarian crisis.. Indeed, it's apparent that mass media organizations like MSNBC and CNN covering this unfolding very tragic story have failed to ask the big question. How can a the `greatest` military superpower on the planet have the ability to mass its military resources to wage wars in the Middle East and elsewhere, not have such Air Force helicopters available to ferry in medical resources and other needs support to Puerto Rico, along with U.S. Naval and other support from a reserve army totals in the millions? U.S. President Donald Trump could have easily had well over 150,000 military troops and support personnel along with many helicopters and other resources in efforts to support Puerto Rico. However, in the reports by the mass-media, I heard there was only about 10,000 support personnel in Puerto Rico - Why? And, whats with all these excuses that Puerto Rico is an "island"? A whole ocean and continents did not stop America using the force of its military that resulted in the deaths of reportedly more than 1 million innocent Iraqi civilians in a fixated pursuit of Saddam Hussein. How about using that same military's force to feed and rescue the millions of Americans in Puerto Rico? An island like Puerto Rico would effect the ability of its people to escape on their own but not the ability to get needed resources to the island. Surely, it is not the nineteenth century, and the U.S. wouldnt be using ships from that era. Is racism or colonialism at work here or something more? Maybe if Puerto Rico were independent and did not have to beckon to Washington D.C. it would have been able to freely accept military and other aid that has been offered by various nations that have been blocked by the American Establishment? The tragedy that Puerto Rico represents might be the most obvious sign yet that indeed humanity faces a conspiracy under the auspices of elites. Flash Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with 40 new ambassadors to China on Saturday, ahead of the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) shakes hands with Nepali Ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 30, 2017. Li met with 40 new ambassadors to China on Saturday, ahead of the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng) Li spoke highly of the development of China's relations with their countries, welcomed them to China and extended his greetings and best wishes to their countries' leaders and people. Li said China values the friendly ties with these countries, remains committed to the path of peaceful development, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and sticks to the principles of multilateralism, as well as trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. China will work with other countries to cope with difficulties and challenges and promote peace, prosperity and sustainable development in the region and the world at large, he said. Stressing that China has achieved remarkable results in economic and social development in nearly 40 years since its reform and opening-up, Li said it not only benefits the Chinese people, but also contributes to the peace and development of the world. "We are ready to integrate the Belt and Road Initiative with the development strategies of other countries," the premier said. These ambassadors conveyed their leaders' greetings on China's National Day, saying that it is a priority of their foreign policies to develop relations with China. After the meeting, Li invited the ambassadors to a reception marking the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. China's National Day is on Oct. 1. Iraqi Assyrian Children Plead With U.S. President to Save Them Images provided to Fox News show Assyrian Iraqi children pleading for help from the US, which experts say underscores the plight faced by the country's religious minorities. ( Fox News) As the deadline looms for the State Department and USAID to provide portions of more than $1 billion in aid to the religious minorities targeted for genocide by ISIS in Iraq, the children of Christian and Yazidi refugees are pleading directly to President Trump to take action. A series of photos provided exclusively to Fox News show the young refugees at camps in Mt. Sinjar and Dohuk holding up makeshift signs saying, "God Bless USA" and "Don't forget us President Trump," to put a human face on their longstanding plight in Northern Iraq. "I think it will strike the conscience to see the real faces of innocent children who need to be rescued," Nina Shea, an international human rights lawyer, and Director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom, said to Fox News. "When images of the Yazidis fleeing Mt. Sinjar were made public, it galvanized the previous administration to go back with troops, food drops and other aid after our military had already pulled out of Iraq." "We saw something similar with President Trump's actions after the chemical attacks in Syria." It was over a year ago when then-Secretary of State John Kerry publicly declared in March 2016 that ISIS was "responsible for genocide" against the religious minorities of northern Iraq. A total of $1.3 billion was eventually earmarked for humanitarian aid under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, but many of Iraq's Christians, Yazidis, and other religious minorities have yet to see a dime. The Consolidated Appropriations Act will expire this week at the end of the fiscal year. Catholic and Christian Churches submitted a request on September 15 to USAID for the immediate release of $22 million of the $1.3 billion allocated for immediate relief. Shea tells Fox News that the funds have not been released due to what USAID officials have referred to as a "religion blind" policy in which they claim the U.S. cannot release money to religious groups despite the statutory mandate to assist these communities. The deadline comes as an exception was made for the Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, which received $32 million in aid. "It is always good when people who are in danger are helped. But why is there a terrible disparity between our government's treatment of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma and the absolute lack of help for Christians in Iraq -- whom Secretary Tillerson declared last month to be victims of genocide," she said in a statement to Fox News. "The principles at stake are enormous. In Iraq, we should be helping people that are victims of genocide. But our government is not. We should be caring for all religious minorities. But our government is not. We should be concerned about religious freedom. But our government is not." Officials for USAID tell Fox News that any assertion that the United States is not providing support to vulnerable communities in Iraq is false. "Since FY 2014, the U.S. government has provided nearly $1.7 billion to address the humanitarian needs of Iraqis both inside Iraq and in the region, including vulnerable members of minority communities, like the Yazidis and Christians," the official said. "This includes an additional $264 million announced on September 20. In addition, we have provided $115 million, with more pledged, to the successful UNDP Funding Facility for Stabilization. This has resulted in 2.2 million Iraqis returning to their homes. A sizable proportion of this assistance is in minority communities." The official adds that humanitarian assistance is based on need over religious affiliation. "[B]ut minorities are among the principal beneficiaries," they said. "Humanitarian assistance is provided to both internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps, and to IDPs living in communities - often with families." In 2003, Iraq's Christian population was an estimated 1.4 million, according to ADF International. The Nineveh Plains region, also known as the Plain of Mosul, in northern Iraq was a centuries-old homeland for the country's Chaldean, Syriac and Assyrian Christians. Then the U.S. invaded Iraq, unleashing a wave of sectarian violence that hammered churches. Christians fled the Nineveh plain, and as of late last year, the number of Christians in Iraq had fallen to an estimated 275,000. One reason for the exodus was ISIS conquering northern Iraq in 2014. The terror group launched an organized massacre against the church as well as against other minority religions like Yazidis. But today, a U.S. coalition has eliminated the Islamic State's chokehold on much of northern Iraq, including the city of Mosul. The dwindling numbers are due to genocide, religious refugees fleeing to other countries, internal displacement and others disavowing their faith. It has been estimated that a dozen Christian families fled Iraq each day during the ISIS occupation of the northern half of the country. Christians who have managed to escape ISIS have fled to places like Europe and Lebanon. Others simply wandered the region avoiding U.N.-operated refugee camps for fear that Muslim refugees in the camps would target them. Shea says that there is still hope for the religious minorities of Iraq. "It's not impossible to show that the U.S. can act quickly, as we saw with the Rohingyas," she said. "It's not subject to bureaucracy or lack of inertia." Kurds Annexing Assyrian Lands in Iraq On the same day that the Kurdistan referendum on independence was held, the Assyrian Confederation of Europe (ACE) released a report (primarily authored by Reine Hanna but to which I also contributed) on the situation of Iraqs Assyrian Christians. Over 100 pages long, the report details a number of serious violations that the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) is committing against Assyrians as it attempts to consolidate control over the Nineveh Plain, an important Assyrian homeland. This project of annexation has been a long-term strategy, but it intensified this year ahead of the independence referendum regarding the future status of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The report is entitled Erasing Assyrians: How the KRG Abuses Human Rights, Undermines Democracy, and Conquers Minority Homelands. It covers such issues as voter fraud, land theft, the deposing of democratically elected officials and their replacement with unelected party-appointed KDP personnel, and the strategy of co-optation pursued through the KDPs patronage system. I am providing some excerpts from the report, below, that I believe are of particular significance at present. (Numbers preceding excerpts refer to pages of the report, which can be consulted for more detailed information and footnotes. I will not be placing ellipses between excerpted paragraphs below.) Replacing Elected Mayors in Nineveh with Unelected Party-Appointed KDP Personnel During this past summer, the KDP removed the mayors of two important Christian towns in the Nineveh Plain: Faiez Abed Jahwareh of Alqosh and Basim Bello of Tel Keppe (Tal Kayf). [29] The KDP's removal of the two elected and longstanding mayors, both of who are unsympathetic to the aims and policies of the KDP, suggest a strategy of preparing to annex the region to Kurdistan. [Deposing the mayors] was accomplished through the KDP takeover of the Nineveh Provincial Council, which is led by Bashar al-Kiki, a member of the KDP. Thirty-one of the council's forty-one members belong to the KDP. The KDP has worked to install its own loyalists in the Nineveh Governorate for years, and it often succeeded in doing so in local districts within Nineveh (Sinjar being a prime example). However, the Nineveh Governorate became increasingly vulnerable to this manipulation following the events of 2014, when governance in Mosul collapsed and government offices serving the then-displaced residents of Nineveh had to be reopened in Dohuk. The affiliation of the Nineveh Governorate with the Central Government in Baghdad is therefore becoming progressively more illusory, as the KDP is able to implement policy through Nineveh while pretending to remain separate from it. [29] Lara Yousif was [previously a] schoolteacher who has not served in the military, but she was presented in official photos wearing a Peshmerga officer's uniform. She also has no experience in politics and has never held a public office. [30] Town residents have expressed frustration at the media's misguided portrayal of Yousif's appointment. Being appointed by a powerful political apparatus--rather than achieving a post through one's own accomplishment and merit--is not a victory for women's status in Iraq. [32-33] Bello and two other members on the Council unsuccessfully attempted to stall the replacement of the members who had emigrated, believing that the decision should be made after displaced residents were able to return to the town. (Bear in mind that these decisions were being pushed forward while the voter base of the District remained displaced from the area.) [33] "According to Bello, the rift between the ADM and the Kurdish parties began in 2003 as the KRG attempted to expand its political control further into Christian areas of the Ninewa plain. Bello said that the KRG is following a policy of encroachment into the Ninewa plain by attempting to establish "facts on the ground" by moving Kurds into Christian areas; stacking district and sub district councils with un-elected Kurdish members; and, in the case of Al Qosh, spending lavishly, particularly on the church and church-related construction." In the same cable, Bello expressed concerns over a potential monopoly of authority by the KDP in the Nineveh Plain district councils: "His own personal security aside--he believes he is under direct threat from the senior leadership in the KDP--Bello said his greatest concern is the prospect of irreversible modifications to councils that would give the KRG political control to go along with its effective occupation of the area...Bello also raised continuing Kurdish intimidation... there is an ongoing trend toward authoritarianism in the KRG..." Signature of Lara Yousif on a recent document from Alqosh Mayor's Office with stamp showing the KRG insignia and the words "Dohuk Governorate" (Sept 2017). [29] The fact that the KDP has infiltrated one of Baghdad's governorates and is now using that platform to "legally" migrate disputed territories out of that same governorate's jurisdiction and into the sphere of KRG administrative and security structures amounts to the KRG using Iraq's own institutions of governance in non-Kurdish areas to prepare parts of Iraqi territory--outside of the KRI--for eventual secession from Iraq. [30-31] The residents of Alqosh have staged three protests since Jahwareh was removed. The first took place on July 20, 2017. The second was held on August 2, 2017 following Yousif's appointment, and the third was held on August 18, 2017. In all three protests, residents carried Iraqi flags in response to the KRG's stated objective to conduct its upcoming independence referendum in the Nineveh Plain. A petition was also signed by thousands of Alqosh residents and delivered to the District Council, but they have failed to respond to the petition or the protests. [31-32] On August 30, 2017, Alqosh police delivered individual notices to eleven Alqosh residents, warning them against further protests, threatening consequences. The notices were sent by the office of the town's newly-appointed mayor, Lara Yousif. [These] individuals were identified as the "ring leaders" of the Alqosh resistance. They were asked to sign a notice acknowledging they understood there would be consequences if they failed to comply. All eleven initially refused, but a few signed the following day after being pressured by officers in their own homes. Documentation was secured from the local police station confirming that the order to threaten the protestors came from the Tel Keppe District Council, and had been approved by the Nineveh Provincial Council leader. In an interview conducted during the preparation of this report, one of the individuals targeted with the notices reported receiving death threats from Yousif's husband, Duraid Jameel Tezi, also a KDP member. [35] To strengthen their prospects of incorporating the Nineveh Plain into the Kurdistan Region, Kurdish authorities have for more than a decade practiced a strategy of offering incentives to minority communities in exchange for their support for the KRG's claims to the Nineveh Plain, while imposing restrictions on those who do not. The KDP buys the allegiances of many Assyrian tribal and political leaders through a patronage system that fosters political divisions within the community... The patronage system involves offering visible community figures a regular cash payment that is often referred to by people in the country as a "party salary." These figures are then expected to publicly and privately endorse and promote the KDP and its agendas within the community. This process has the destructive effect of eroding the legitimacy of both spiritual and political leadership within minority communities, as clergy and political leaders are alike targeted with this "political conversion" effort, amid the deep frustration of the people who then feel abandoned by their representation. The pattern is that without this financial bribery, it is difficult for the KDP to make inroads with communities whose interests are not served by KDP objectives. Usually, only the loyalty of the figure receiving the salary--and that of his inner circle of friends and relatives--is bought by the party; these figures are then generally rejected by a majority of their community, but because the KDP is able to "convert" most of the visible leadership figures, it still succeeds in creating the illusion that a sizable portion of the minority population stands with the party. In the case of the Yazidis, the effects of this patronage system have so destabilized traditional leadership structures that the people often express despair at not having anyone in their community to speak for them. Yazidi tribal heads, religious leaders, intellectuals, and professional figures are all targeted with this form of politicization. This has had the long-term effect of eliminating any prominent voices within the community that are critical of the KDP and that could rally broad support for Yazidi interests, even though the Yazidi people frequently share with concerned outsiders that this is what they most need. All Yazidis MPs in the Kurdistan Parliament are KDP members--as are Yazidi MPs in the Iraqi Parliament who represent the KRG--but they enjoy little esteem from the Yazidi community and are often the objects of scorn. The existence of independent Assyrian parties has allowed Assyrians to resist this process somewhat more effectively than the Yazidis, whom the KRG denies the right to create parties, using the rationalization that "Yazidis are Kurds, therefore they can participate in Kurdish parties and have no need for separate representation." This justification for proscribing the Yazidi political voice is ironic in light of the fact that three main Islamist parties legally function in the KRG and hold seats in the Kurdish Parliament--these are Kurdish parties whose platform is religion and religious identity. The KRG has entrenched an order [36] by which Yazidis who want to participate in politics are forced to join the established Kurdish parties that are not sensitive to the unique concerns of the minority, but which advance the broad Kurdish interests that constitute their platforms. The only alternative to this for Yazidis has been one Yazidi party in Sinjar (called The Movement of Reform and Progress) that has sought to work directly with the Central Government in Baghdad. It holds one seat in the Baghdad Parliament, but for more than a decade it was harshly suppressed by KDP asaish who threatened, abused, and arrested most of its members. This was possible because of the de facto security control that the KDP maintained in the disputed territory of Sinjar until the Peshmerga withdrawal upon the Yazidi Genocide of August 3, 2014. Successfully thwarted and stifled by the KDP, which used its militarized security forces (something that small parties do not possess) to forcefully establish hegemony in Sinjar, the Movement of Reform and Progress is seen as a failure by Yazidis today. That the KRG has been forced to recognize the ethnic distinctiveness of Assyrians is one factor that has allowed Christians to resist KDP encroachment in the Nineveh Plain more successfully than has been the case for Yazidis in Sinjar. However, as this report explains, this resistance is weakening as the KDP continues to pursue increasingly aggressive tactics to annex the disputed territories, while shielded by the ongoing absence of sufficient external accountability that the international community could provide. This is exemplified by the cases of the removal of Nineveh district mayors, described in the previous section, which involved the KDP's use of a number of minority beneficiaries of KDP patronage that had been appointed to Nineveh district and provincial councils. [42] On March 6, 2017, ten political parties held a press conference and released a joint statement outlining their demands for the Nineveh Plain, calling for the activation and implementation of the January 2014 decision to initiate the creation of a Nineveh Plain Governorate administered by the Central Government. The statement declared that the Nineveh Plain should be excluded from all political and military conflicts arising between the Central Government and the KRG, adding: "We demand that its people are given the right to shape the future of their region independent from any pressure." The statement also rejected KDP interference in the region: "We reject all practices that are aimed at imposing de facto policies on minority areas that contradict the vision and aspirations [of the people] for their future. We also reject all political schemes designed to divide minority areas." Despite ardent opposition from both international observers and local residents of the disputed territories, the KRG has announced its plan to include the Nineveh Plain in its upcoming independence referendum scheduled for September 25, 2017,105 referring to it as a "Kurdistani area" despite the fact that the Nineveh Plain is outside its jurisdiction and has never had a sizeable Kurdish population. Analysts have noted that it is extremely problematic to unilaterally conduct an independence referendum in disputed territories that have not yet been established as part of the Kurdistan Region--how can inhabitants of areas outside of the KRI legitimately decide whether Kurdistan should secede from Iraq? Recognizing the dangers posed by the referendum, the U.S. government (in addition to many other governments around the world), including the White House, has declared its opposition to it on multiple occasions. The U.S. State Department published a statement on the referendum on Sept. 20, 2017 stressing that "The status of disputed areas and their boundaries must be resolved through dialogue, in accordance with Iraq's constitution, not by unilateral action or force." In recent months, the Assyrian Democratic Movement has repeatedly called for the Nineveh Plain to be excluded from the controversial referendum, given the current situation. Assyrian politicians have maintained that the people of the Nineveh Plain should not be asked to participate in any such referendum until they have had the opportunity to return home, rebuild their towns, and regain stability. Nineveh Plain residents feel that KRG authorities are exploiting the suffering of minority communities to advance their own interests, but recent developments described in this report are only the latest actions in a long-term strategy to annex the region. Even as early as eight years ago, the potential for a referendum to be abused in order to push forward an annexation agenda was noted by observers: "Kurdish officials demand the incorporation of these lands into the semiautonomous Kurdish region through a referendum... For its part, the KRG is adamantly demanding implementation of a constitutionally-mandated referendum on the future of the disputed territories--a referendum that Kurdish officials, with their political and security presence in the area, will make every effort [43] to ensure goes their way." [34] Various sources reported that in the week that followed Basim Bello's removal from office, the KDP pressured other Nineveh Plain mayors and council members to publicly voice their support for conducting the Kurdistan independence referendum in their towns. Council members who had voted in Bello's favor were harassed. These local leaders were approached and told sign a document in support of the KRG's referendum. Some felt threatened and were forced to sign the document, after being warned against resisting. One official reported being told that, "it was in his best interest to sign." [74] On August 1, 2017, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) held an event that focused on the future of Iraq's minorities,212 but the event failed to represent the voices of the minorities whose lives will be affected by the outcome of the referendum. KRG spokespersons usually define the content of these events, which are devoid of any critical discussion of the real issues in Iraq or the actual views and attitudes of the people being discussed. As the event began, a group of Assyrian students stood up and protested as Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman took to the stage, holding up signs reading "No Free Speech in KRG" and "KRG Is Not a Democracy." Rahman responded to the protest saying, "I have no idea what that was about." [73] One of the favorite talking points parroted by KRG lobbyists when issues of human rights abuses are raised runs along these lines: "We know that we're not perfect, but we're making so much progress, and we hope that others will note that we are doing so much better than other regimes in the region." This is quite the weak standard of comparison. It is unacceptable to invoke Bashar al-Assad, Erdogan, Saddam or Maliki, and Iran to avoid facing one's own human rights failures. This deflection tactic has been repeated to the point that it is now tired and clich After removing Alqosh's mayor, the KDP-controlled Alqosh District Council appointed Lara Yousif, an Assyrian KDP member, as the new mayor, without an election.One of the dangers is that the KDP will spin the criticism against this unilateral maneuver as a backward rejection of female leadership.When Basim Bello, the elected mayor of Tel Keppe, was removed from office following the forced change of leadership in Alqosh, Bello said in an interview that "the reason for both his removal and Faeiz Abed Jahwareh's removal in Alqosh are part of the KDP's plan to eliminate opposition to KRG annexation. Bello feels that he was specifically targeted as he has been an outspoken critic of the KDP for many years" (32).A US official had previously summarized Bello's positions on KDP efforts to annex Nineveh (as early as 2008) in a cable published by Wikileaks:The deposing of the elected Nineveh mayors and their replacement with KDP members was accomplished through official structures of the Nineveh Governorate--not the KRG. This was made possible by filling both district and provincial councils in Nineveh with local minority figures on the KDP payroll. (This strategy is linked to that of the "patronage system" touched upon below.) These councils then issued the various orders to depose/appoint the officials mentioned above. After 2003, the KDP used a similar approach to take over the local government of the Sinjar District, which is one district within the Nineveh Governorate. Iraqi forces based in the Sinjar area were often commanded by Kurds with loyalties to the KDP, who then allowed the Party to establish a Peshmerga and asaish presence there. Enjoying this dominant military/asaish power in Sinjar, the KDP could place its own figures into positions of local administration, without holding elections. Before long, Sinjar fell outside of the control of the Nineveh authorities, even though the District remained the financial responsibility of the Nineveh Governorate. Yazidi community leaders in Sinjar once described to me an incident (occurring several years before the Yazidi Genocide), in which then Nineveh governor Atheel al-Nujaifi tried to visit Sinjar. KDP personnel in Sinjar put a mob of youth protesters together to prevent him from engaging with the local officials there; the young men threw rocks at his motorcade until he had to simply turn around and drive back to Mosul. Sinjar had become a no-go zone for non-Kurdish authorities, and Yazidis who joined non-Kurdish parties were frequently arrested or targeted with political violence. The KDP has targeted Christian areas with the same tactics that it used in Sinjar. Whereas it succeeded in gaining complete hegemony in Sinjar (something that ended August 3, 2014), its progress has been slower in the Nineveh Plain, where Christian communities have worked hard to resist KDP incursions. However, the KDP has been persistent and patient in its quest to annex Nineveh, and achieved new victories ahead of (and continuing after) the referendum. This past week, after the publishing of the Erasing Assyrians report, an image surfaced of an official document from the office of Lara Yousif, Alqosh's new "mayor," signed by Yousif. What raised eyebrows was that the stamp of the mayor's office next to Yousif's signature bore the insignia of the KRG and said "Dohuk Governorate" (in Kurdish).The Erasing Assyrians report warns about the danger of the annexation agenda, and this image makes that agenda plainly evident. The KRG has now annexed Alqosh; it is not attempting to disguise the nature of this takeover but is revealing the new arrangement on documents issued by the new authority in this town. Keeping in mind the KRGs current emphasis on independence, we may be seeing future borders being drawn at present--if this situation is left unchallenged by the international community.The Erasing Assyrians report can be consulted for more detailed information on the makeup of the provincial and district councils that were manipulated by the KDP to effect the change of power in Nineveh that occurred this summer. The Assyrian activist Max Joseph also wrote an article chronicling the removal of Nineveh's mayors , which can be consulted.Opposition to what has transpired in Nineveh this summer has been met with threats against protesters, legitimized and delivered by the same councils responsible for deposing the elected mayors. These actions represent a crackdown on free speech.(See the full report for additional abuses specified in the petition of the protesters.)The following are some images of the protests that occurred in Alqosh. Multiple protests took place and most of the community participated. The police were aware of the protests and were present at them, and the protests were also covered by the press.While it is fully within the rights of anyone to join a political party of their preference, including the KDP, it must be understood that the KDP pursues a strategy of selecting members of minority communities to serve as figureheads, putting them on the Party's payroll, appointing them to positions of importance, and then using them to implement its policy agendas while pointing at them to make the claim that the KDP enjoys significant loyalty within the minority community. The following excerpts from the report discuss the KDP patronage strategy:In a small oversight, the report failed to mention that a new Yazidi party has recently been created by Haider Shesho, though it is understood that this has only become possible because Haider has given up opposing KDP policies and (since spring of 2016) promotes KRG positions on incorporating Sinjar into the KRI. This is a new development and a departure from what has been the established policy of the KRG regarding the Yazidi political voice. Were Yazidis to attempt to form a party that expressed substantial opposition to KDP agendas, it is likely that it would not be authorized to exist or conduct activities within the KRI or KRG-controlled disputed territories.The following are some excerpts from the report that deal with the independence referendum:The referendum held this past Monday represents the coming to fruition of the long-term strategies that have been described here. The report notes other examples of the kinds of abuses that had been predicted:A serious problem for minorities in Iraq is the way that the KRG PR machine endeavors to dominate the narrative regarding disputed territories and political conflicts inside Iraq. This strategy silences the minorities who are affected by the policies pursued by the KRG. While the KDP works to seize Christian areas in Nineveh, it simultaneously holds PR events in Washington claiming that it is beloved by the minorities who are grateful for its presence. The report touches on some of these that have occurred recently: September 29, 2017 October is a month of film festivals in the Middle East from Beirut to Tehran. Ranging from indie films to large productions supported by the countrys ministries of culture, the festivals provide a platform for cultural exchange, discovering new talents and showing that there is more to the film industry than international blockbusters. Most countries in the region have already picked their nominations for the 2018 90th Academy Awards for best foreign language film: Egypt with Sheikh Jackson; Iran with Breath; Iraq with The Dark Wind; Israel with Foxtrot; Lebanon with The Insult; and Turkey with Ayla: The Daughter of War. Beirut International Film Festival: This festival, Oct. 4-12, starts off the festival season. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the festival will include a Middle East competition in short films, where a number of young directors showcase their short films on issues that range from immigration, employment, the generation gap and woes over the education system. 33rd Haifa International Film Festival: Also starting Oct. 4, this festival has a mix of international blockbusters and local productions. Lesser known than the film festivals in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Haifas festival has a special place with its Israel documentaries category. The festival will also screen Chinese artist Ai WeiWeis Human Flow a documentary on refugees. Tehran International Short Film Festival: Taking place Oct. 17-22, this festival will select winners in four categories: fiction, documentary, animation and experimental. Around 6,000 short films have been submitted to the jury for the fest; only about 60 are shortlisted and will be screened to the public. Filmekimi: This autumn festival in Turkey, which is organized by the Istanbul Foundation of Culture and Arts, the group that also organizes the Istanbul Biennial, a major art event, started on Sept. 29 and will tour seven cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Diyarbakir, throughout October. The films shown in the festival include Foxtrot and The Insult, both nominees for foreign language film Oscars. Art in the region has not taken a backseat to cinema: The Jerusalem Bienniale for Contemporary Jewish Arts third edition, with its theme Watershed, just started Oct. 1. The theme is a wink to the 2015 Istanbul Biennial theme Salt Water. It was truly beautiful to see and experience how the [theme of the Istanbul] Biennial was so tightly connected to the city. So we started thinking what would be the equivalent in Jerusalem and got to Watershed, Ram Ozeri, the founder of Jerusalem Biennial, told Time Out Israel. In Cairo, Gypsum Gallery opens on Oct. 28 a solo exhibition of Ahmed Morsi, one of Egypts most internationally known artists. Morsi, 87, is one of the pioneers of contemporary art in Egypt and has worked with paint, prints and, since he settled in New York four decades ago, in photography. In Istanbul, the Biennial goes on, along with its parallel activities, such as Arter Gallerys exhibition Behind Mount Qaf that will run until Dec. 24. Named after the legendary Mount Qaf of Arabic and Persian cosmology, it includes works of Turkish artist Canan with the themes of heaven, purgatory and hell; light/shadow; good/bad; and reality/imaginary. In Tehran, a new exhibition at the Golestan Palace Museum provides a rare collection of carpets from the palaces own collection. The carpets all have floral patterns, but come from different cities such as Arak, Mashhad and Esfahan. It will continue until Oct. 22. September 27, 2017 Addressing the UN General Assembly for the first time, US President Donald Trump did not mention the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Not one word on the issue in his extensive Sept. 19 speech about all the worlds problems, menaces and opportunities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the speech as if he had just heard the best musical concert of his life. Indeed, Trumps words on revising the Iran deal, fighting Islamic terror and destroying North Korea were music to his ears especially the silence on the Palestinian issue. In his own UN address, Netanyahu characterized the speech as the most pro-Israel one he had ever heard throughout his political career. Netanyahu rejoiced over this speech, a far cry from former President Barack Obamas diplomatic approach to conflict resolution and his striving for collective diplomacy, including within the United Nations. Trump's speech included no call for a two-state solution and no criticism of the settlements, unlike Obama's speeches. For a moment, while addressing the world from the UN podium and meeting with Israeli reporters, Netanyahu could forget the perils he left behind in Jerusalem, namely the two police investigations of which he is a suspect. A senior Israeli diplomat who was part of Netanyahus New York delegation told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu was double-satisfied by his visit to New York. Not only did Netanyahu feel vindicated in the case he made to Trump about the Iranian regional threat and the irrelevance of the Palestinian issue, he also senses that he now has a free pass to pursue the diplomatic policies that will keep his right-wing government intact. According to this Israeli official, one can foresee a continuation of settlement expansion, in a somewhat restrained way, and setting strict conditions for negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Netanyahu will probably demand that negotiations be bilateral and without Palestinian preconditions. He will insist right at the beginning of any such negotiations on Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and on Israeli overriding security responsibility over all the West Bank, even after permanent status. It was obvious to the official that his ministry need not prepare for a peace conference or so-called peace negotiations in the foreseeable future. The reaction of Abbas was the extreme opposite. According to a senior PLO official, Abbas considers Trumps speech the kiss of death for any eventual US-led two-state solution process. The official, who also took part in the dialogue with the US presidents peace envoys, claimed that the New York visit, including Abbas' Sept. 20 meeting with Trump, was a watershed away from diplomacy. In addition to the Trump disappointment, Abbas was also taken aback by the positions of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Abbas was clearly frustrated with the openly cordial meeting between Sisi and Netanyahu in New York, as well as Sisis speech at the General Assembly meeting, calling on Israelis to give peace a chance. According to the PLO official, most of the Palestinian leadership senses it must change its strategy. Abbas can no longer ignore growing voices that openly support a binational state solution with equal rights for Palestinians. He claimed that Abbas met with a group of Fatah hawks who made this a demand. The PLO official explained the rationale behind such a Palestinian position: Israel under Netanyahu refuses to enter serious negotiations on a two-state solution. The international community is paralyzed due to President Trumps isolationist policies. The time has come, in the mind of many Palestinian leaders, to beat Israel at its own game. The alternative to a two-state solution is a binational state, in which Palestinians will demand and fight for equal rights. Within a few years we will be the majority between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and the world will not accept an apartheid state. Actually, we may even dismantle the Palestinian Authority and the Oslo Accord and demand [from Israel] equal political and national rights in what is clearly today becoming a binational state. One should not underestimate this Palestinian position. This is not their immediate vision, but in the long run many Palestinian leaders truly believe that such a strategy will defeat Israel. According to this PLO official, for most Palestinian leaders this is still a tactical position only a way to pressure Israel and the United States into a two-state solution process. Yet in the eyes of several prominent Palestinian politicians and intellectuals, the support for a binational state is gradually turning into a strategic choice. September 28, 2017 The number of victims of torture in Hamas-controlled prisons and detention centers in the Gaza Strip has increased significantly in recent months based on reports by Palestinian human rights centers. Torture has become a key method of interrogating detainees in the majority of cases. Mohammed Sufian al-Qassas, 30, a resident of Khan Yunis, was arrested on Sept. 18 by three officers of the intelligence services inside his internet cafe, claiming they had received complaints that some of his clients were insulting God. His uncle, Mohammed Yahya al-Qassas, told Al-Monitor that the officers attacked him severely before his arrest. They started beating him up using their guns and sticks ever since they got ahold of him in the cafe until they arrived at the headquarters of the intelligence agency. When they took him in, they brutally assaulted him all over until blood came out of his mouth, nose and ears. His face got all swollen and he ended up with some broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a smashed foot. They then held his head over a toilet seat and poured burning hot water all over his face, he said. Yahya Qassas explained that after the torture, which lasted for several hours, they left his nephew at the door of a hospital in the city of Khan Yunis. Later we were informed of his presence at the hospital and we were shocked by the sight and the amount of torture he was obviously subjected to. He was in a coma for 2 days, he noted. Many cases of torture have occurred in Hamas-controlled prisons and detention centers in the Gaza Strip, some of which resulted in death, such as Hassan al-Humeidi, 23, from Deir el-Balah, who died after being tortured on Nov. 3, 2011. His brother Ali al-Humeidi told Al-Monitor, My brother Hassan was arrested without any charge, and he had never been summoned before. I remember he was asleep when a special police force broke into the family's house in Deir el-Balah and arrested him. Less than an hour into the interrogation, he was beaten all over, his bones were broken and he was hit on the back of his head with a weapon, causing an internal bleeding. Hassan remained in a state of clinical death for a week until he was declared dead on Nov. 11, 2011, according to his brother. The Humeidi family told Al-Monitor about a video filmed by the Ministry of the Interior in Gaza that documented the arrest of their son. The family documented in another video the signs of torture on his body. Human rights organizations operating in the Gaza Strip have monitored many cases of torture in Gaza prisons in 2016-17, which were described as recurring. After he was severely tortured, detainee Khalil Abu Harb, from Gaza City, committed suicide on Sept. 19. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) demanded in a Sept. 20 statement that the attorney general and decision-makers in the Gaza Strip stop what the PCHR described as a state of decay in detention centers. The PCHR demanded that they put an end to torture in prisons and abide by Palestinian law. The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) issued its monthly report for July on Sept. 20. The ICHR noted that during July, it received 38 complaints of torture and ill-treatment in the Palestinian territories, 26 of which were in Gaza, and they included 22 complaints against the police and four against the Internal Security Service. In its annual report for 2016, the ICHR revealed that it documented hundreds of complaints submitted by victims of torture in detention centers and prisons in the Gaza Strip that year. PCHR's legal researcher Mohammed Abu Hashim told Al-Monitor that there is a lack of comprehensive and accurate statistics on cases of torture in prisons and detention centers, because the victims of torture are reluctant to confront the authorities. They do not trust in their ability to protect them or provide some form of compensation either by the judiciary or human rights centers. Abu Hashim added, The vast majority of defendants are subjected to one or more methods of torture. The journey of torture begins from the time of arrest until the trial. Torture is a systematic policy of interrogation, and it is more rampant with arrests of a criminal nature. Alleged criminals are reluctant to submit complaints because of the nature of their cases, and the interrogators justify torture with the lack of other resources, claiming that security cannot be achieved otherwise. Said Seyam, the minister of interior in the government formed by Hamas after winning the 2006 legislative elections, announced on April 20, 2006, the opening of a new position for general inspector of the Ministry of Interior to monitor the work of the government security services. Speaking to Al-Monitor, the general inspector, Mohammad Lafi, said that they formed committees to investigate all recent incidents that led to injuries and deaths among the detainees, stressing that the results of the investigation are binding. He added, Today, for example, I received the results of an investigation, and they have been applied. Punishments vary according to the charge, either those found guilty are imprisoned or their ranks are lowered, as some are high-ranking officers, and we investigate everyone and everything to get to the truth. We understand cases of self-defense, if the arrestee was not being cooperative and attacked the officers, we get why they would use force, as long as it does not turn into torture. Lafi believes that, to date, the committees have not proved any deliberate killings, describing the illegal violations committed by some officers as undeliberate and reflecting wrong judgment in the field. September 30, 2017 The success of Palestine in joining Interpol, the worlds leading police network, can best be evaluated by the response of the Israeli government. After the initial stunned silence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the Palestinian action will not go unanswered. Palestine achieved the legally needed two-thirds majority to join Interpol by a 75-24 secret vote with 34 members abstaining. During the Sept. 27 meeting of the 192-country organization in Beijing, Palestine became a full member of this international security organization. While Interpol has no specific sovereignty powers over any country, it is famous for its red alert information-sharing system in which member countries can alert fellow members of a wanted criminal. Israel fears that this alert system will be used to hound Israeli officials as they travel. Eugene Kontorovich, the head of the international law department at Israeli think tank Kohelet Policy Forum in Jerusalem, said the decision to accept Palestine into Interpol will weaken prospects for future peace because somehow it will strengthen their aspiration for statehood. Palestinian membership will only solidify their goal of seeking the trappings of statehood without negotiations and concessions, Kontorovich told the Jewish News Service on Sept. 28. Israels Environmental Protection Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) raised the rhetoric even further by using military terms when mentioning Palestine. Israel cannot stand idle in the face of the Palestinians' diplomatic warfare. We must convene the Cabinet and stop all of our goodwill gestures toward the Palestinian Authority," Elkin was quoted in the Jerusalem Post on Sept. 28. Netanyahu used a meeting Sept. 27 with US envoy Jason Greenblatt to attack Palestine for trying to join Interpol. He claimed that the Palestinian leadership actions are in violation of previous agreements with Israel. The office of the Israeli prime minister said Netanyahu had asked Israels ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, to investigate whether the Palestinian moves at the International Criminal Court (ICC) are a violation of US law, which could conceivably lead to a closure of the PLO offices in Washington. Netanyahu's use of the ICC aims at shifting the decision to join Interpol to the issue of war crimes, which could land a number of Israeli officials in trouble. Since Palestine joined the ICC, Israeli officials have been concerned that Palestine will charge military and political leaders with war crimes for their actions in the occupied territories. The new head of the PLO delegation in Washington was quick to respond. Speaking on Palestine TV on the evening of Sept. 28, Husam Zomlot called the Interpol decision very important, saying it reflects international support for Palestine. The world consensus reflected in this decision shows support for the Palestinian right for independence and it is the perfect reply to Netanyahus claim that he has won over the world. It is an important day for peace," he said. At the UN General Assembly meeting, Netanyahu bragged about Israels growing power around the world. When Israel blocked the last Palestinian attempt to join Interpol at last years annual general meeting in Indonesia Netanyahu said his countrys diplomatic efforts had secured a major victory. Israels boastful claims were proven wrong recently when a highly publicized African-Israeli summit that was to take place in Togo in September was indefinitely shelved Sept. 13. Zomlot addressed Israels threats against the PLO mission in Washington. Speaking just before holding a meeting with Dick Durbin, the US Democratic whip in Congress, Zomlot dismissed Israels threats as empty talk. US-Palestinian relations are a bilateral relationship and the Israelis are not part of this relationship, he told Palestine TVs main news program. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki, also appearing on Palestine TV on Sept. 28, said that the Interpol decision is only the beginning. The battle is not in Palestine, but in the international forums where Israelis cant use their military power and we can fight them as equals, he said. Anees Sweidan, the director of external relations in the PLO, told Al-Monitor that from the Palestinian point of view, the Interpol decision is not solely aimed at tracking common criminals. Our main goal is to be able to present Israels war crimes in the ICC and to be able to follow up on Israeli war criminals throughout the world using Interpol. The political nature of the decision was also highlighted by Palestinian activists. Ziad Khalil Abu Zayyad, the international Fatah spokesman, told Al-Monitor that the decision will enhance Palestinian efforts internationally. This achievement is another recognition by the international community that Palestine is a state ready with all its institutions to be part of the international community. We will use this achievement in serving all our national interests on the regional and international levels, he said. While it is true that the Palestinians had voluntarily agreed during the former Barack Obama administration to refrain from joining international agencies while the peace talks were progressing, the current stalemate relieves them of these voluntary commitments. With Israel arrogantly increasing its settlement activities and neither Israel nor the United States willing to even use the term two-state solution, the Palestinian leadership feels it needs to pursue these moves independently to increase the pressure on Israel to end its occupation and to accept the reality of Palestinian aspiration for statehood. Without Israels concession to Palestinian rights, activity in the international arena will increase and become a diplomatic tsunami. President Trump went all in for Luther Strange during Alabama's Republican Senate primary runoff, making a personal appearance in the state and offering a series of endorsement tweets. In the end, however, it didn't matter, with Alabama's former Chief Justice Roy Moore handily defeating Strange in last Tuesday's runoff. The loss reportedly left Trump fuming and mad at advisors who urged him to back Strange as a replacement for Senator-turned-U.S.-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. It's a loss that Trump is apparently not over. On Saturday night, just after a long series of tweets defending the administration's handling of recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, Trump said he'd analyzed the Alabama primary race and said "fake news" failed to mention the boost in the polls his endorsement provided to Strange. In analyzing the Alabama Primary race,FAKE NEWS always fails to mention that the candidate I endorsed went up MANY points after endorsement! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 The numbers don't show Strange enjoyed a big boost from the president's visit, however. Polls taken just ahead of the presidents Sept. 22 visit showed Moore leading Strange by anywhere from 6 to 8 percentage points. After the president stumped for Strange in Huntsville, Moore's lead increased slightly or stayed virtually the same, polls show. Moore defeated Strange 55 percent to 45 percent. The president deleted several pro-Strange tweets just hours after the runoff loss. "I don't know him, I don't know him," said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. "I haven't taken a deep dive into his record," said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. "Let's give him a chance," said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. For most Republicans, Roy Moore's run for Senate in Alabama is a subject best avoided. Before winning Tuesday night's primary runoff to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the former judge was best known for his views that homosexuality should be illegal, that Muslims should not be allowed in Congress and that the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, were God's punishment for Americans' sins. Yet in interviews since Moore's win, almost no elected Republican has criticized Moore or his views. They dodged most questions about him, but said they'd be eager to accept him as a fellow legislator on issues like health care and tax cuts. Moore, a well-known ideologue, had suddenly become a blank slate. "Obviously, there are a lot of things that get said by different candidates," said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, in a Thursday interview on MSNBC. "I am certainly supporting him, and happy to have him in the Senate." Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Moore would fit fine within Senate Republicans' "broad spectrum of opinion and ideology" but also cautioned against prejudging Moore based on media coverage of his beliefs. "I have found, coming here to Washington, you see there's an awful lot of stereotypes of individuals," he said. "How the press portrays them is not necessarily the individual that they are." Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., the only Republican lawmaker to criticize Moore, did so tepidly. "I'm obviously not enamored with his politics because that's not the future of the Republican Party, that's for sure," Flake told Politico. The arm's-length treatment of Moore, who Republicans worried would embarrass the party, stands in contrast with how other far-right candidates have been handled. In September, North Carolina Republicans condemned a fringe candidate for mayor of Charlotte who listed being "white" as one of her qualifications. In May, after Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte body-slammed a reporter, a number of Republicans condemned his conduct. (Gianforte won the election, then went to court.) Most famously, Republicans went into a full-bore panic in 2012 after former congressman Todd Akin, then a Senate candidate in Missouri, told an interviewer that women could not get pregnant from "legitimate rape." GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney called on Akin to quit the race. There's no such demand being made on Moore. The party is confident about keeping he seat despite Moore's controversies. Pressed on Moore's record - which included being removed from Alabama's Supreme Court twice, questioning President Barack Obama's citizenship and falsely insisting that Islamic law is being enforced in liberal cities - Republicans have shrugged. "I haven't had a chance to look through all of those things," Hoeven said Wednesday on MSNBC. "The key is going to be what he does when he comes here. Is he going to join us? Let's give him a chance to come down and help us advance the agenda that will be good for our country." Portman, who in 2013 became one of very few Republicans to endorse same-sex marriage - and whose son, Will, is gay - dodged questions about Moore while suggesting that he could provide a key vote if he wins. "He's going to be for tax reform, I think," Portman told Politico. Outside of the White House and Congress, conservatives have been more critical of Moore, describing his win as one more example of the Republican Party's base rewarding invective over ideas. "Moore is the more Trumpian candidate, but that's not a compliment to Moore," wrote National Review's Jonah Goldberg. "Moore's M.O. is to say crazy, ill-informed, and occasionally bigoted stuff and play on populist passions." Gay conservatives, who were once courted by President Donald Trump, were also offended by how quickly Republicans endorsed Moore. "Call me selfish, but I could not justify voting for somebody who would have me incarcerated for who I am," wrote Guy Benson, a gay conservative pundit, in a Thursday column for Townhall. ". . . Even if the Senate voted 99-1 against criminalizing homosexuality, I'd feel shame for having helped that one dissenting vote get elected." Democrats, who are still weighing how heavily to involve themselves in the Alabama race, took advantage of their Republican colleagues' caution. Their nominee in Alabama, Doug Jones, did a round of interviews talking up his own record as a civil rights attorney and describing Moore as a hard-edge ideologue. "I have a history of passion for equality, passion for fairness, and people recognize that," Jones said in an interview on MSNBC's "Meet the Press Daily." "The folks down here want somebody who can reach across the aisle and talk to people." Other Democrats have been more adamant about condemning Moore. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., who represents the distict encompassing Selma, called Tuesday night's primary result a "wake-up call" in a Wednesday interview on CNN. "I think that it's really important for Alabamians to really take a hard look at who we're sending to Congress," she said. "I think that [Moore's] election is definitely an indication of the fact that folks are doubling down and feeling emboldened by this president's sort of blatant disregard for all things racist, to be honest with you." On Thursday, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., linked to a video that had been obtained by CNN researchers, which showed Moore blaming the 2012 shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., on Americans losing faith in God. "Here Roy Moore says that the Newtown community is to blame for the Sandy Hook School massacre [because] they weren't following 'God's law.' Sick," he wrote. Democrats expected more to come - and were already getting flashbacks to the times Moore had insulted them or their constituents. In 2006, when Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., became the first Muslim elected to Congress, Moore wrote a column arguing that he should not be seated. Moore, Ellison said, was a "lawbreaker" with a shoddy understanding of the Constitution. "We have some pretty deep-seated racial, ethnic, and religious divisions that we need to talk about," Ellison said. "People like Roy Moore do not buy into the consensus of liberty, justice for all. He has a very clear list of people - including me - who aren't included in the embrace of America. Look, I'm a congressman. I'm have no fear of Roy Moore. But what about all the other folks who are actually vulnerable?" The next Republican revolution began last week on a bright blue bus parked at a nighttime rally in Montgomery, Ala., days before a firebrand GOP candidate won the state's Senate primary. But unlike previous Republican revolutionaries, the hard-line figures who stepped out to cheers did not want to yank the party to the right on age-old issues such as taxes or spending. They wanted to gut it and leave its establishment smashed. Fury infused these insurgents' raw remarks as did a common theme: The Republican Party has failed its voters, and a national cleansing was needed in the coming year, regardless of whether President Donald Trump was on board. Longtime Republicans see a charged civil war on the horizon. "There is an emotional component," former House speaker Newt Gingrich, R, said of the frustrations of Trump's core backers, who have grown increasingly vocal. "They want someone to kick over the table. And my advice to every Republican is: You better have an edge, or you become the problem." That populist rage in the base as Trump struggles to enact his priorities - which lifted former judge Roy Moore to victory on Tuesday against Trump's ally, Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., -- now threatens to upend GOP incumbents in 2018 as the latest incarnation of Republican grievance takes hold. Stoked by former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon and his incendiary media platform, Breitbart News, a new wave of anti-establishment activists and contenders are emerging to plot a political insurrection that is with Trump in spirit but entirely out of his - or anyone's - control. Central command is the "Breitbart Embassy," a Capitol Hill townhouse where Bannon has recently huddled with candidates, from House prospects to Senate primary recruits. Hedge fund executive Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah - Bannon's wealthy allies - have already pledged millions to the cause, said people briefed on their plans. In the last seven years, the Mercers have emerged as some of the biggest political donors on the right, plowing tens of millions into GOP committees and super PACs. Their money has gone both to shore up the national Republican Party and to finance outside groups taking on the Washington establishment. So far this year, the Mercers have contributed $2.7 million to federal political committees and campaigns, finance filings show. Beyond cash, Mercer and Bannon also offer GOP rebels a vast media and advocacy ecosystem that generates attention on social media as well as small-dollar donations. Run by Rebekah, the Mercer family foundation has given $50 million to conservative and free-market think tanks and policy groups from 2009 to 2015, according to tax records compiled by The Washington Post and GuideStar USA, which reports on nonprofit companies. And that blue bus - sponsored by the Great America Alliance and carrying former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, among other conservative celebrities across Alabama - is scheduling stops across the country. "If you don't do your job, you're going to see the bus, and you're going to get bounced," said Ed Rollins, the group's strategist. Rollins and Eric Beach, another adviser to the advocacy group, insisted that money would not save their elected Republican targets, pointing out that in Alabama they spent about $200,000, compared with the more than $10 million spent by the national GOP and Strange-aligned groups. Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel - who traveled to Alabama to meet with Bannon and is considering challenging Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., next year - called Moore's success "inspiring" and said he is moving closer to launching a campaign fueled by the "establishment's betrayal." "The environment feels so much better - people are so much more fed up than they were in 2014," McDaniel said, referring to the year he nearly beat Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., in a Senate primary race. The rumblings of an uprising come days after Senate Republicans shelved the party's latest health-care proposal and as GOP lawmakers are inching forward on a proposal to cut taxes, but far from bringing legislation to a vote. "Every Republican member of Congress is sitting there saying, 's---, this could happen to me,' " Rollins said. Many players from the tea party era have returned to the breach: Palin, Bannon, Fox News personality Sean Hannity, talk-radio host Laura Ingraham and a cast of familiar foils who have long haunted House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Their enemies, however, go beyond those Republican leaders - anyone remotely linked to them is at risk of attack. "You are going to see, in state after state after state, people that follow the model of Judge Moore, that do not have to raise money from the elites, the crony capitalists, from the fat cats in Washington, D.C., New York City and Silicon Valley," Bannon told Moore's supporters on Tuesday. Bannon added that Moore's upset of Strange was "starting a revolution" that would either topple GOP incumbents or prod them to not seek reelection in 2018, as Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., announced on Tuesday. Seven Senate Republicans are expected to run in next year's midterm elections: Wicker, Jeff Flake, Ariz., Dean Heller, Nev., Ted Cruz, Texas, Deb Fischer, Neb., Orrin Hatch, Utah, and John Barrasso, Wyo. Wicker, Heller and Flake, in particular, are seen as vulnerable to the coming war because of their ties to McConnell - Wicker is on his leadership team - or because they have clashed with Trump (Heller, Flake). The early pitch from the challengers overlaps in part with the outcry of previous election cycles, but it is far more about wrestling power away from traditional Republicans than Democrats. "The Republican Congress has replaced President [Barack] Obama as the bogeyman," Steven Law, president of the McConnell-allied Senate Leadership Fund super PAC, wrote in a memo about the Alabama contest. Businessman Danny Tarkanian, who is running against Heller and has met with Bannon, said: "The longtime politicians in the Republican Party haven't done anything since they took over and everything is stalled. So while President Trump has tapped into the anger, McConnell hasn't - at all." In Tennessee, Corker's departure has prompted Republican leaders to find a candidate who in a contested primary race could win over both the Breitbart bloc and the party's major supporters in the business community. They have focused on encouraging Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. - an upbeat regular at conservative conferences for years - to jump in. Blackburn has said she will make a decision on the race in the coming days. The lasting national power of Moore's victory remains a flash point within the political ranks of the Republican Party. Republican incumbents are optimistic that the successful passage of tax cuts in the coming months will reduce the exasperation voters now feel over the failure to repeal and replace Obamacare - and say organizing successful campaigns is not easy. "I don't buy that the Bannon people are going to be able to get lots of Senate campaigns up and running in time," said Ed Brookover, a former Trump campaign adviser. "It's pretty late already in the cycle, and the fields are closer to being set than some of these potential candidates want you to believe." In contrast to past anti-establishment efforts in the Republican Party, going back to Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential bid and, more recently, the tea party movement, this crusade is not an ideological project motivated by a desire for smaller government - it's about destroying the party's political class in Washington, even if it jeopardizes the GOP's congressional majorities. The hawkish stances on foreign policy and federal spending and moral values that have defined the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan's presidency have been shoved to the background, replaced by a blazing strain of nationalism that is driven by anti-trade and anti-immigration views - views that were heralded by Trump in 2016 but that agitators fret have been ignored in Congress. Patrick Caddell, a veteran pollster who has worked with Bannon, said the "Republican electorate is in revolt." "The Republican Party is very close to coming apart," Caddell said. "The voters feel economic deprivation, and their children don't have the same opportunities. They're becoming more anti-trade than most union Democrats, in some respects, because of anger with the global economy." Bannon met this week with former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo to urge him to consider running for governor - another sign of how prominent critics of illegal immigration, like Tancredo, may return to the fore of the GOP scene. Trump's fingerprints are all over the ruckus - and he has volleyed complaints at Republicans who have criticized him, most notably Flake, who wrote a book about his displeasure with the GOP's Trumpian turn. Trump has lashed back and praised Flake's primary rival, state Sen. Kelli Ward. But Trump is not the movement's standard-bearer, and his positions guide the candidates and groups only to a point, as Strange's defeat attests. More important to them is the president's anti-establishment style - the aura of authenticity along with his aggressive take on illegal immigration. His supporters and populist leaders celebrate that approach as a model of defiance. "I love the Trump agenda," said persistent Nevada candidate Sharron Angle, who won a Senate GOP primary in 2010 amid the tea party's rise and plans to run for Congress next year. But Angle said Trump's seeming lack of concern for federal deficits has vexed her: "Sometimes, I can't figure out the president. And I don't think I am alone in that." Added consultant Tom Ingram, a Corker adviser: "Trump's an aberration, a sign of what's happening out there more than anything. He's not really Republican, and he's not really tea party. He's just Trump." Democrats see an opening to possibly pick up seats if the chaos builds, even in Alabama. Moore, who has made controversial statements on race and sexuality, is facing off against former U.S. attorney Doug Jones, who will soon be joined on the trail by former vice president Joe Biden. A Decision Desk HQ poll released Friday showed Jones only a few points behind Moore among likely voters - Moore 50.2 percent, Jones 44.5 percent. McConnell's former chief of staff Josh Holmes tweeted about the poll: "In a surprise to nobody, looks like the Bannon crowd created a new problem" for Trump and the GOP. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a statement declaring that the result in Alabama had poured "gasoline over already raging primaries" and "throws into question how Republicans can confront the insurgent candidates who now feel even more emboldened to run. Reminder: Republicans now own Roy Moore and the uncomfortable questions he'll provoke in races across the country." On the House side, there is also fear of GOP retirements, should challengers and the Bannon-Mercer partnership gain steam. But allies are waiting to see if the threats from those antagonists actually materialize. "We'll see if people are going to put up candidates for House races when the deadlines come up in Illinois and Texas," said Scott Reed, senior strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which opposed Moore. "Are they going to primary House Republicans? You can huff and puff all you want, but until you file, it's not a real race." This domain was recently registered at Namecheap.com. Please check back later! When Roy Moore lashes out against Muslims and same-sex marriage, his opponents compare him to George Wallace and his segregationist crusades. When Moore happily dons a cowboy hat or glad-hands with voters while bluegrass fiddlers strike up a tune, Southern historians are reminded of Texas Sen. Wilbert "Pappy" O'Daniel, who campaigned with country bands and declared, "Hillbillies are politicians now." And when Moore forcefully promises to shake up the Washington establishment, some political observers see similarities with Louisiana's Huey "Kingfish" Long. Whatever the comparisons, one thing has become clear since Moore defeated Luther Strange in Tuesday's Senate runoff for the GOP nomination: He could, if elected in December, usher in a rare blend of populism that hasn't been seen in the more buttoned-down Senate for decades. "He might be the most interesting personality in the United States Senate since Huey Long was there in the 1930s," said Jess Brown, a retired political science professor at Athens State University. "I would not be surprised if Roy Moore, if not for a while, becomes a bit of a darling for the mass media," Brown said. "There will be some on social media, talk radio and mainstream press who will love him." 'Doesn't learn easily' If Moore is elected to the U.S. Senate on Dec. 12, he'll begin scripting perhaps the most significant chapter in his public career. History has been relatively kind to Long -- largely because of his work to lift up Louisiana's working-class poor -- but the entertaining O'Daniel has come to be seen as generally inconsequential. And Deep South senators who flourished espousing racist messages have, by and large, been relegated the footnotes. "There have been a lot of Southern senators over the last 70 to 75 years who have become memorable names," said Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "They take on a colorful personality and repertoire and a way of doing politics and talking about issues that are pitch-perfect to their local electorate, but is Pig Latin at the national level." Many political observers agree that Moore would become an immediate curiosity in the Senate, his every move followed by national and international media. After all, he'd bring a reputation as a man twice ousted from his job as Alabama chief justice, once for refusing to move his Ten Commandments monument and again for suggesting resistance to the U.S. Supreme Court's gay-marriage ruling. Molly Reynolds, a fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institute in Washington, said one of the first things she keeps an eye on is whether freshman senators position themselves, in some way, against their own party. In Moore's case, he's already vowing to support any uprising against Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose political action committee spent millions of dollars in efforts to tarnish his name and derail his Senate candidacy. "The Republicans only have 52 seats and as we've seen with this health care thing, you don't have many votes to spare," said Reynolds. "In most cases, a hypothetical Senator Moore or a Senator Strange ... they would vote the same on most things. But when you have someone coming in opposed by party leadership, you don't know what might happen." Moore might find himself compared, in contemporary Senate circles, with Texas' Ted Cruz or Kentucky's Rand Paul, both of whom are considered political outsiders. But with Cruz, Jillson said, he's moved from being a "bomb-thrower" to more of a "problem-solver" on a variety of issues, including judicial sentencing reform. "It's hard for me to see that Roy Moore can make that transition," Jillson said. "A guy twice removed as a chief justice for refusing to comport to national rulings is a guy who doesn't learn easily." 'He would have moved' When Moore jauntily rides his horse on his way to vote, or pulls out a revolver at a rally to illustrate his support for the Second Amendment, some longtime political observers see Wallace in his political heyday. "They both have a populist thing about them," said Steve Flowers, author of the 2015 book "Of Goats & Governors: Six Decades of Colorful Alabama Political Stories. Said William Stewart, a professor emeritus of political sciences at the University of Alabama: Stewart: "Moore is the closest parallel to Wallace since Wallace, without question in mind." Moore, over the years, has tried to separate himself from the Wallace comparisons. And Wallace's daughter, Peggy Wallace Kennedy, while not necessarily defending her father, wrote an op-ed in 2016 decrying Moore as a dangerous grand-stander. Indeed, said Flowers, there's a key difference between the two men: Wallace was a demagogue, he said, but Moore is not. "If you get to know him, you would know that he's doing is what he believes in. He's lost his job twice. Wallace probably believed in segregation, but he wasn't losing his job for it." Referencing Wallace's "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door" in 1963, Flowers said, "If a federal judge or judicial panel told Wallace he would lose his job as governor if he did not move out of the schoolhouse door, he would have moved of it." Dan Carter, professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina and author of the 1995 book, "The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism and the Transformation of American Politics," takes the view that it's difficult to draw a comparison between Moore and Wallace. "I would say at the outset that, from my perspective, Wallace was much more intelligent and politically savvy than Moore," Carter said. "To some degree, Wallace was able to transcend his regional limitations when he first came to national prominence. Moore is very much a creature of Alabama politics with its almost tribal-like political allegiances." He continued, "Wallace certainly appealed to the sense that the federal government was attacking the moral foundations of America. But there is one fundamental difference: Wallace, despite his racial views, never cast aspersions on other faith traditions." 'Watch him perform' In the opinion of Jim Zeigler, Alabama's state auditor and a tea party favorite, Moore better compares to Huey Long. The fiery Long served as Louisiana's governor from 1928-1932, and in the Senate from 1932 until he was fatally shot in 1935 in Baton Rouge by the relative of one of his political enemies. "In the past, the freshmen senators had no power and very little influence," Zeigler said. "Senator Long was an exception to that. He developed the issues he was interested in promoting or opposing. He used the Senate to promote those things, those issues he stood for. His Senate speeches ... the media would come and cover it and the public would sit in the galleries and watch him perform. He was not manageable by the Senate leadership." On economic issues, Long and Moore differ significantly. Long's interest in wealth redistribution compares more favorably today with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont than it does with Moore, who pledges a strict adherent to President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda. But Long stood against the Washington power structure as he traveled the U.S. making impassioned speeches and accusing both major parties of incompetence in dealing with the Great Depression. He became one of the few opponents to Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" within the president's own Democratic Party. Long, with his own d White House ambitions, rolled out his populist-themed "Share Our Wealth" blueprint for recovery. "He started a nationwide organization and had membership," Zeigler said. "I could see Senator Moore doing similar things on issues. Roy Moore could talk about the foundation of moral law and he could take it nationwide." Zeigler said, "The first day that Roy Moore steps out of his airplane and onto the floor, he'll be noticed by the media and followed by people who agree with him and disagree with him. He can start immediately on making a difference." Robinson leaves the courthouse on September 7, 2017 after pleading guilty to seven federal charges relating to bribery to oppose cleanup egforts in polluted North Birmingham neighborhoods. Now, we know how much of a puppet Oliver Robinson was. We know how much he bounced and bobbed to strings guided (allegedly) by a couple of attorneys at one of the most powerful law firms in the state. We know how much he parroted what they ordered him to say, used words they wrote for him, to protect the interests of their coal company client. We know how much he genuflected for $360,000, funneled to him through the scam that was the Oliver Robinson Foundation. Robinson is trying to save his backside, or at least minimize the pain. He pleaded guilty earlier this month to seven federal counts related to accepting bribes from a lawyer at the firm Balch & Bingham on behalf of client Drummond Coal to squash efforts to increase the number of polluted neighborhoods in North Birmingham that would be part of a Superfund site designated for cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency after the ground was discovered to be poisoned by pollutants created by a Drummond-owned company. After testing officials sought to add the Tarrant and Inglenook neighborhoods to the affected area, and the EPA sought to add the site to the National Priorities List, which would allow the state to clean up the site and bill Drummond later. The clean-up could have cost Drummond tens of millions. On Thursday we finally learned just what beans the disgraced 57-year-old former state lawmaker may have spilled in an effort to reduce the 100-year prison sentence he faced. U.S. attorney Jay E. Town announced the long-awaited and much-anticipated indictments of Joel Gilbert and Steven McKinney, both partners at Balch & Bingham; along with the indictment of Drummond lobbyist David Roberson. Robinson leaves federal courthouse after pleading guilty to seven charges on Sept. 7, 2017 The six counts allege the trio conspired with Robinson to minimize Drummond's exposure to clean-up costs in an area where some of Birmingham's poorest citizens, whose neighborhoods had been found be polluted with arsenic, lead and benzo(a)pyrene, which comes from the burning of coal to make steel. To accomplish that, Gilbert, McKinney and Roberson "needed someone known in the area," Town said, "someone who understood the constituency from the north Birmingham neighborhoods subject to [Superfund] site. Most important they needed someone willing to accept a bribe. "They needed a guy, and that guy was Oliver Robinson." Beyond accepting the extensive bribes, just how much of a guy Robinson was for his alleged co-conspirators was not specifically known until the latest indictments revealed the existence of a confidential consulting contract between him and Balch & Bingham. The contract, according to Town, revealed in extensive and embarrassing detail just what the attorneys expected from Robinson--or, rather, the Oliver Robinson Foundation (wink). "It was nothing more than a clever way of creating an illusion of a defense," Town said. "If Oliver Robinson did something wrong, well, 'We can account for the actions of third person.'" Yet, according to the U.S. attorney, Robinson's deal with the devil was very clear: "The Oliver Robinson Foundation could not directly or indirectly engage, or be concerned with, or interested, in any business or activity which conflicts with its services to Balch, or the interests of Balch as determined solely by Balch," Town said on Thursday. As determined solely by Balch. Pull those strings this way. "And the contract much be kept confidential by Oliver Robinson." Yank those strings that way. "Said differently," Town went on, "'Go act in your official capacity as a public official for the area in which the Superfund site site exists. If we want your opinion, we'll give it to you. "Do what we tell you regarding the Superfund site and we'll pay you to march in the direction you're told. "And, oh, by the way, keep your mouth shut about this whole thing." Dance, Oliver, dance! "That's in the contract itself," Town said, "and that's why it's in the indictment. "That, ladies and gentlemen, is the guts of a conspiracy. That's how conspiracies are born." Robinson used his official letterhead to convey the interests of Balch to ADEM--as he was told to do by the Balch puppeteers. He conveyed in public meetings with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management's commission and director his desire for the agency to keep the Superfund site off the National Priorities List, and not add Tarrant and Inglenook to the list of poisoned neighborhoods--using arguments and words crafted by the Balch puppeteers. Robinson, as a member of the Alabama House Rules Committee, drafted (or, rather, Gilbert drafted, allegedly) a joint resolution urging ADEM and the state attorney general to "combat the EPA's overreach", then he voted for it--just as ordered to do by the Balch puppeteers. What a show! "Never once did [Robinson] reveal to anyone that he had this contract," Town said. "Never once did he disclose this conflict of interest. Never once did he inform folks that he was acting on behalf of a law firm and a coal company." Thankfully, the puppeteers must now perform, too, in a court of law, where they face a maximum of 85 years in prison and $1.75 million in fines. No strings attached. Roy S. Johnson's column appears in The Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register and AL.com. Write him at rjohnson@al.com. John Massey can see his family's military history etched in the Veterans Memorial in Trussville. He walks up to the memorial and quickly lists an unbroken line of ancestors that have fought for their country all the way back to the Revolutionary War. Samuel Massey was the Revolutionary War soldier. John Massey's great grandfather and namesake John Massey and great uncle William Massey fought on the Confederate side in the Civil War. His grandfather Claude Massey fought in World War I. His father, George Massey, now 91, and George's eldest brother, William, now deceased, fought in World War II. Uncles Gordon Massey and Earl Massey (Earl is a local historian who has published several books about the towns of Trussville, Argo, and other Alabama history) fought in the Korean War. An uncle on his mother's side, Benny Whittimore, fought in Vietnam. Then in 1985, John Massey himself joined the Army out of high school, served five years of active duty and continued to serve in the National Guard until 2007. What makes Massey most proud is that his son, John Alexander Massey, decided after graduating from college to continue that unbroken streak of Massey military history and patriotism. The younger Massey, who graduated from the University of Alabama in 2016 with degrees in history and political science, just joined the United States Air Force's Air National Guard. He recently completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and is in advanced training school now at Goodfellow Air Force Base, also in Texas. He thought about joining the Army out of high school, but decided against it. Despite his pride in the family's unbroken string of service, it was actually Massey's dad who convinced him not to enlist then. "My dad always told me as a kid that the military was a good option, but he was actually one of the people who most protested my attempt to join the Army after high school, instead of going to college," John A. Massey said. "Maybe in a roundabout subconscious way, through frequent exposure to military -- lifestyle, concepts, and jargon -- I was influenced, but I have never felt coerced." He ended up joining the Air Force rather than the Army because his degrees were a better fit. As a history and political science major, the younger Massey saw Russia's seizing of the Crimea in 2014 and subsequent meddling in the Ukraine and decided he wanted to "get serious about the national security field." Growing up amid so much military history, John A. Massey heard more than his share of stories. His favorite isn't a combat story, but one about of a piece of peace. His father, then a Cold War soldier, was in Berlin in November 1989, preparing to conduct joint exercises with America's NATO allies. "While off duty with some friends, they hear a commotion outside. Looking out front they see a mass of Germans running towards the wall, including a very burly fellow with a sledgehammer," he said. "Dad's first thought was that the balloon had gone up, and the Soviets were moving on Berlin. Of course, it turned out that the Iron Curtain was coming down in a much more peaceful way, and a piece of that boundary between east and west sits on my father's mantel to this day. While I don't think that really influenced me one way or the other, I hope I get to tell stories of how I saw barriers come down too." The younger Massey has seen in his father, grandfather, uncles and their ancestors "drive, selflessness and a sense of integrity," that comes from military service, and he holds himself to that same standard, and even higher. "Every generation of the military, and for that matter in other fields as well, needs to be better than the generation that came before it," John A. Massey said. "Problems are only going to become more complex, and we can't turn back the clock on the world order built by my grandfather's generation, and preserved under a Damocles Sword by my father's generation." Haskins writes about points of pride statewide. Email your suggestions to shaskins@al.com, or tweet them to @Shelly_Haskins using #AlabamaProud The Chinese-governed territory has witnessed bouts of protests in past decades amid Beijings growing influence over the city. Hundreds of people with yellow umbrellas surrounded government headquarters on Thursday to mark the third anniversary of the event that set off Hong Kongs biggest pro-democracy protests. Demonstrators re-enacted the moment when police had fired tear gas at thousands of students and pro-democracy activists, who shielded themselves with umbrellas that became a symbol of the protests. It was the night Hong Kongs hunger for democracy and the citys reputation for civil disobedience caught the attention of the rest of the world. But people have been taking to the streets long before the 79-day Umbrella protests of 2014, according to academic and political scientist, Joseph Cheng. This idea of protest rallies really started in the 1980s. Previously, under the colonial administration people normally wouldnt take action to articulate their grievances, but that changed when Hong Kongs future came into question and the demand for democracy emerged in the 1980s. Cheng says the turning point was the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 when a million people took to the streets of Hong Kong. More than 1,000 people were reportedly killed after Chinese authorities sent army tanks on the streets of Beijing to suppress massive anti-government protests. Suddenly, people started questioning what a post-colonial future under China would be like, Cheng said. Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, when it was handed over to China. It started the June 4th annual candlelight vigil. In 1989, I was one of the tens of thousands of students and citizens who held up flames to commemorate those killed in Beijing. For me and my classmates, it was an awakening, and perhaps the first time we saw people in Hong Kong come together for a cause that did not involve livelihood or finances. It was seen as a symbol of Hong Kongs unity, but over the years numbers have dwindled, and its message has become distorted by infighting among various pro-democracy factions. Aside from the Tiananmen protests, there have been other demonstrations that have become a fixture in the calendar of socially active people of Hong Kong. Like the July 1 marches. It started in 2003, when more than half a million people demonstrated to block the governments plan to impose stringent national security laws known as Article 23. The next big protest was in 2012. A 15-year-old boy led the fight against having a national curriculum introduced in schools. Joshua Wong later became the poster boy for Hong Kongs most famous pro-democracy protests, the Umbrella movement. Despite a new generation now growing up with a culture of protests, nobody expected the kind of sustained and explosive demonstrations that created the Occupy or Umbrella movement of 2014. Benny Tai, one of the cofounders of the Umbrella Movement, says its unlikely people will take to the streets again on such a scale, mainly because of the governments harsh reaction. Hong Kong has now entered an era of semi-authoritarianism and we can expect tougher suppression from the government. Exactly for this reason, before it becomes fully authoritarian or totalitarian, we must act to prevent it sliding back. Tai, a law professor at Hong Kong University, and the other two cofounders of the Umbrella Movement are currently on trial on charges of public nuisance for their part in the 2014 protests. If found guilty they could spend up to seven years in jail. The government has already imprisoned three of the student leaders that spearheaded the Umbrella movement. Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Alex Chow have been sentenced to jail ranging from six to eight months. That motivated tens of thousands of people to take to the streets on August 17 this year. This time, it wasnt just pro-democracy activists or students, but also families worried about their childrens future. Forty-nine-year-old Eva Ho told Al Jazeera that she makes it a point to be part of the marches. I keep attending these protests because I have the right to freedom of assembly and as citizens, we have a duty to speak up against injustices. She says despite it now being riskier for protesters, she encourages her 17-year-old son to take part in social movements so he knows what is happening in society. Jason Y Ng, lawyer and author of Umbrellas in Bloom: Hong Kongs Occupy Movement Uncovered, says the culture of protest emerged due to the lack of democracy in Hong Kong, a city whose citizens cannot choose its own leader. It was the motivation for the Umbrella or the Occupy movement, which he says has forever changed society in this Chinese-governed territory. Without a doubt, the most profound impact is the political awakening experienced by an entire generation of youths. For too long, young people in Hong Kong were sleepwalking through life, concerned only with material possessions and practical issues. These days, by contrast, they are far more politically engaged and socially alert. The impact is not only profound but irreversible. He adds that although peoples desire to express themselves may not be able to match the governments disproportionate reaction to suppress them. The governments response towards protesters has been sweeping and indiscriminate, and the chilling effect on the opposition and civil society is far-reaching. Already pro-democracy political parties are experiencing difficulties recruiting new members. The proverbial kitchen is getting way too hot for regular citizens. The question now is how much heat the government is planning to put on those who take to the streets. Hong Kong is the only city in China where people can freely hold protests, activists say with the governments current rate of punishing those who do, its just a matter of time before the so-called Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong becomes like the rest of the country. Aged 14, Insha Mushtaq was watching protests from her window when Indian security forces fired pellets into her eyes. Sedow, India-administered Kashmir More than one year has passed since Insha Mushtaq got a good nights sleep. The teenager cannot forget the evening of July 11, 2016, when, aged 14, she had opened the window to look out at the protests raging against the killing of a popular rebel commander, Burhan Wani, in the village of Sedow in southern Kashmir. The next moment, the police would fire a volley of iron pellets indiscriminately, hitting Insha in the face, skull and her eyes. The pellets penetrated deep into her eyes. She was suddenly blinded. I just peeped through the window and the policemen, who were outside, targeted me. I fell down and I dont know what happened to me after that. Everything went dark, she tells Al Jazeera. Family members, especially her mother Afroza Bano, have been shattered by the injury inflicted on her. I remember when she was hit, the window panes had shattered and fell to the floor. When I saw Insha, all I could see was her face covered in blood, the 42-year-old says. It was as if an earthquake had struck us. Everyone stood frozen for a moment, unable to grasp what had just happened. I removed my headscarf and wiped the blood from my daughters face. We shouted for help. At that moment, the electricity went off. Everything became dark, says Bano, echoing her daughters words. Fearing that she had been hit by a bullet, the family rushed her to the District Hospital in Shopian, where doctors referred her to a Kashmirs tertiary care hospital in Srinagar. The young girl bled profusely during the nearly 65km journey to Srinagar, the regional capital. Due to the multiple pellet injuries, Bano says, the doctors could not stop her bleeding. It took us two hours to reach Srinagar hospital, where we heard of pellets for the first time, says Bano. Hundreds of patients were there already, grappling with similar injuries. The use of pellet-firing shotguns More than 60,000 people have been killed since an armed rebellion erupted in 1989 in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan with both claiming the territory in its entirety. The conflict has changed drastically in the past decade as popular street demonstrations took a centre-stage following a decline in armed rebellion. The killing of Wani on July 8 last year intensified protests against Indian rule in the Muslim-majority Himalayan territory. Since then, Indian security forces have injured thousands of young Kashmiris with pellet guns. Security forces say the pellet-firing shotgun is non-lethal and used to disperse crowds, but hundreds of families have been scarred by the blinding injuries to teenagers since the weapon was introduced five years ago. The use of these shotguns, which fire hundreds of skin-piercing iron pellets at a high velocity, has been condemned by human rights groups. In September, Amnesty International released Losing Sight in Kashmir: The Impact of Pellet-Firing Shotguns a comprehensive report documenting 88 cases of victims, mostly in their teens and early 20s, who were hit in their eyes during the 2016 uprising. Amnesty has urged security forces to stop the use of pellet-firing shotguns immediately in line with international human rights standards on the use of force. By their very nature, the weapons have a high risk of causing serious and permanent injuries to the persons targeted as well as to others (bystanders). These risks are virtually impossible to control, said Shalesh Rai, a member of Amnesty International India, in a press conference on September 13. A life with no faces, colour or light Insha Mushtaq, now 16 years old, is one of the hundreds of teenagers who have become pellet guns collateral damage. Her face was pockmarked with more than hundred pellet wounds; some hit her eyes, some pierced close to her brain. Her nasal, frontal, and maxillary bones were also broken. The doctors treating her at the Surgical Intensive Care Unit of Srinagars Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) had a grim diagnosis; procedures to try to restore her eyesight were unsuccessful. They described her case as the worst we have ever seen, as they focused on protecting her brain. She was noted down as blind for life. Insha returned to her house after spending four months in different hospitals. IN PICTURES: Enduring the effects of partition in Kashmir More than a year after the incident, she is still adapting to her new life which has no faces, no colours and no light. Having once dreamt of becoming a doctor, she now spends her day in the confines of her parents two-room house in the quiet Sedow village on the southern edge of Kashmir valley. She is completely dependent on her mother to eat, pray, or visit the toilet. Her cousins occasionally help her go to school or visit friends. I dreamed of becoming a doctor one day, she says. Now, I cant go to school on my own. The thought that of never seeing again eats me up inside, she says. I have no other work to do. I cant even stare at the walls of my house. A daily routine Sedow is a picturesque village on the way to Aharbal a famous waterfall in southern Kashmir and a picnic spot. Surrounded by pine trees, the village is known for its potatoes the only crop that grows in the highlands. But for the teenage victim, it is the adhan, or call to prayers in the morning from a nearby mosque, that announces the beginning of her day. My days and my nights are the same, she said. It is only when I hear the adhan that I make a guess about the time, she says, sitting nervously in an upstairs room where she spends most of her day. The two-room house is now her playground, rehabilitation centre and her school. To help her realise her dream, three teachers from her village visit her every day to continue her studying. But its a struggle. They give me oral lessons, she says praising their patience and gesture. I have to remember everything. I try my best but it is not that easy. I dont know how long I can do this. I miss seeing my parents Naveed Ahmad, one of her teachers, said lessons can become challenging. Her moods change very frequently. One moment she might be willing to study, but a moment later she would refuse to be taught anything, he says. She has chosen music over mathematics as one of her five subjects as she struggles to make calculations. Sometimes, when I try to write, my hands shiver. I am told that I draw the wrong lines, she says. I miss my parents. I miss seeing them I long to see my two younger brothers growing. by Insha Mushtaq She puts on a brave face, her mother says, but there are times when she breaks down and cries. I want to go to school and study like I did earlier. I am living a miserable life, she says. I have adopted Braille and also use some equipment to study, but there is no electricity in the village most of the time. Her mother continues to dress her daughter in her favourite colours: pink and blue, and makes her wear colourful scarves. I liked pink and blue dresses and I still wear them. I dont see colours but my mother tells me what colour I am wearing, she says with a smile. Though they are always nearby, she says she misses her parents. I miss my parents. I miss seeing them I long to see my two younger brothers growing. Her expressions toss between sudden smiles and straight sullen faces. I sometimes want to see my face; I know my face was disfigured due to the pellets I am not only blind but my eyes are blocked. As Boko Haram steps up its attacks, Nigerian forces are increasing the number of troops in the countrys northeast. Babakura Lawan sat under a tree and unbuttoned his shirt to show a host of scars on his shoulder, arm and back. Lawan, who is part of a militia helping the Nigerian army in its fight against Boko Haram, the armed group that has pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). In July, as Lawan and his fellow militiamen provided cover for oil exploration workers, Boko Haram fighters launched an attack against them near Maiduguri, located in the countrys northeast. It was an ambush, he told Al Jazeera, explaining that they were caught off guard due to the calmness of the area. One of his fellow militiamen is now hospitalised and in critical condition, after a rocket tore through the patrol car he was in. We spent days working there, Lawan recalled. The attack happened on our last day. READ MORE: More than half of Borno schools closed over Boko Haram When the dust settled, more than 50 people had been killed. It was the deadliest Boko Haram attack so far in 2017 and came at a time of increased suicide bombings and abductions in the region. In response, the Nigerian army deployed additional personnel and equipment, where locals say a climate of fear now prevails. The Nigerian military declined requests for comment on the ongoing offensive against Boko Haram. In early September, Amnesty International published a report that said Boko Haram was responsible for at least 400 deaths since April. No end in sight Boko Haram was established in 2009, and the group boasts of several thousand fighters. Throughout the last year, fighting between the armed organisation and the Nigerian military has left at least 20,000 people dead and more than 2.6 million displaced in northeastern Nigeria. Last month, the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) said that fighting between the government and Boko Haram resulted in the closure of more than half of all the schools in the countrys northeastern state of Borno. The report found that an estimated three million children are in emergency need of education. It added that nearly 100 children have also been used as human bombs since the beginning of the year. READ MORE: Boko Haram Behind the Rise of Nigerias Armed Group That bloodshed has also devastated farmers and resulted in chronic food shortages that have left hundreds of thousands of people in the region dependent on aid agencies for help and teetering on the brink of starvation. Sadeeq Garba Shehu, a retired army captain and security expert, explained that Boko Harams recent loss of territory to the Nigerian army has led to the group striking back with more suicide bombings and kidnappings. Holding ground also makes you weaker because it means the opposing force has something to hit, he told Al Jazeera. But when you attack and run, you kind of dilute all the advantages in numbers, in equipment, in training. The Nigerian military, which has increased its campaigns in the last two years, has claimed that Boko Haram is weakened and near defeat. Yet, Shehu fears there is no end in sight. The notion of complete victory may be very difficult to obtain, but maybe we could have sufficient victory, he said. Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris reports from northeast Nigeria. America is the friend of all Iraqi people. This was the sign put up at Abu Ghraib prison one that replaced Saddams portrait when the US took it over as part of the war on terror. It was Abu Ghraib prison that introduced the world to the violent infrastructure of torture in the war on terror. In 2004, when photos emerged documenting extensive torture ranging from prisoners on leashes to bodies piled atop each other in pyramid structure to prisoners standing in crucifixion like postures, there were global shockwaves at the displays of brutality. The prison, which was the site of massive torture, also housed a largely innocent population approximately 70-90 percent of the prisoners were mistakenly detained, according to the Red Cross in a 2004 report (pdf). With no end to the war on terror, the legacy of Abu Ghraib prison remains as important as ever, especially where a lack of accountability continues to permeate all operations in Iraq. In 2004, when the Abu Ghraib scandal first emerged, former President Bush responded saying that, Under the dictator, prisons like Abu Ghraib were symbols of death and torture. That same prison became a symbol of disgraceful conduct by a few American troops who dishonoured our country and disregarded our values Bushs statement unveils a particular logic of the war on terror that continues to justify abuses to the present moral equivalencies, and in particular, the USs perceived moral superiority of itself in the way it fights war. Thats why prisoner abuse under Saddam was torture, but under the US it is simply disgraceful conduct. Thats also why Bush can talk about our values, despite knowing that a series of torture memos essentially provided the rationale to abuse prisoners that anything short of organ failure or death would, according to his administrations new definition of torture, fall short of it. READ MORE: US defence contractor wants Abu Ghraib lawsuit scrapped Though former President Bush appeared shocked when the Abu Ghraib scandal first broke, Eric Fair, a former CACI contractor, in an interview with Democracy Now, on the unveiling of his book, Consequence: A Memoir on his time at Abu Ghraib stated that he was shocked that the American people were so shocked and that they had this kind of idea or that they were so ignorant about what was going on. For the United States in the war on terror, accountability has meant little other than prosecuting the so-called 'bad apples' who conduct torture and/or murder in order to make the point that they are an aberration, not a product of a system-wide policy of sanctioned abuse in the war on terror. by There are different ways to understand the role of shock when it comes to Abu Ghraib. On the one hand, shock at abuses underscores the false American narrative of the protection of human rights and our values in how we engage in conflict with others. On the other hand, shock at not knowing about abuses can perhaps be attributed to the documentary role of the Abu Ghraib scandal in participatory humiliation in this case, humiliation of Muslim prisoners provoked by Islamophobia that allows the American public to engage in their torture vicariously as a collective act of vengeance for the 9/11 attacks. Described another way, as Dora Apel writes (pdf), the viewer is meant to identify with the proud torturers in the context of the defense of a political and cultural hierarchy. Analysing the shock spectacle is important when it comes to understanding the USs true intention to hold torturers accountable. To date, Abu Ghraib prisoners have seen little, if any, justice for the torture they endured. What, therefore does accountability mean for Abu Ghraibs former prisoners? For the United States in the war on terror, accountability has meant little other than prosecuting the so-called bad apples who conduct torture and/or murder in order to make the point that they are an aberration, not a product of a system-wide policy of sanctioned abuse in the war on terror. Thats why in the case of Abu Ghraib, justice has largely perceived to have been done over a decade ago, after 11 military personnel were convicted of various crimes including conspiracy, dereliction of duty, and maltreatment of detainees. But that has translated into little for the victims of Abu Ghraibs torture. On September 22, the question of justice for the at least some of Abu Ghraibs victims and holding military contractors from CACI accountable was revived in a Virginia courtroom in the case of Al-Shimari v CACI et al where the Center for Constitutional Rights was challenging CACIs motion to dismiss the case for their role in torture at Abu Ghraib. This is of particular importance as CACI has largely evaded accountability for their direct role in the torture of Abu Ghraib prisoners. Highlighting this point, CCR lawyer Katherine Gallagher noted that, there remains an accountability gap: military officers were court-martialed for their misconduct, but the private contractors walked away with large payments, and they continue to be awarded millions of dollars in government contracts. This case hopefully will narrow that accountability gap. READ MORE: The scars of Abu Ghraib CACIs involvement in Iraq began in 2003 after the US military asked them to provide intelligence assistance. Within two years of operating in Iraq, they were involved as defendants in lawsuits accusing them of ordering and overseeing torture. Despite this fact, and prior to concluding investigations on the torture scandal at Abu Ghraib, the US government offered CACI an extension of their contract in the amount of 23 million dollars accountability for torture, after all, is limited, conditional, and sometimes rewarded for making bolder, the discourse and infrastructure that sustains abuse in the war on terror. Charles Graner and Ivan Frederick, the two military police members who were convicted of charges related to the abuse of Abu Ghraib prisoners specifically named CACI contractors Daniel Johnson and Steven Stefanowicz as ordering various types of abuse of prisoners. Despite these allegations, CACI whose tagline is ironically, ever vigilant, claimed not to know who exactly among their contractors were stationed at Abu Ghraib at the time of the infamous scandal and had done nothing in the way of uncovering this information. However, CCR argued and the judge agreed, that only a handful of contractors those working at Abu Ghraibs hard site at the time of the plaintiffs abuse, needed to be questioned. While underscoring CACIs role in torture was key to this case, so too was the designation of the acts of abuse as torture something CACI denies. In their motion to dismiss the case, CACI conceded that the treatment of prisoners was deplorable, and undoubtedly humiliating, but resisted the label of torture. Though their obvious interest is in absolving themselves of responsibility, their narrative has become all too familiar in the course of the war on terror and in the treatment of Muslim prisoners. Torture is allowed to thrive not only because it is directed at Muslims, but because it must rise to the most egregious levels of abuse to be considered as such. The Center for Constitutional Rights, rejected CACIs argument on torture not only dismissing their discussion that individual tactics of abuse cannot constitute torture, but also critiquing the notion that what the plaintiffs endured among other things being punched, slapped, kicked, doused with hot water, forced into stress position for hours, threatened with dogs, stepped on, etc over protracted periods of time, did not have a cumulative impact amounting to torture and subsequent trauma. This is the first time a court has effectively conceded that theres sufficient evidence that these Abu Ghraib detainees endured torture or cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment, CCR lawyer Baher Azmy stated after the hearing Friday and Judge Brinkemas decision to allow the case to proceed. This case paves a promising path for addressing and challenging torture of Muslim prisoners in the war on terror. However, what we must continue to remember is that torture has and continues to be sanctioned by the US government. A positive ruling in subsequent hearings will not change this fact. READ MORE: Iraq: Abu Ghraib victims fight for US justice This is especially the case when the public narrative continues to be mired with discourse suggesting that torture works as Trump stated earlier this year or his condoning of torture in response to the Brussels attack back in 2016. In other words, the US has not reckoned with torture and far from that continues to find ways to justify its insidious and overt legal re-entry. However, this case as Azmy noted, sent an important message that there can be accountability for torture, a vital step for our clients who have yet to see justice. This is a crucial ruling in a political climate where Trump has called for bringing back widely denounced torture techniques like waterboarding. Abu Ghraib prison was closed in 2014 due to security concerns. But its horrendous legacy lives on. This case brings us one step closer to the possibility of closing the chapter on abuses at Abu Ghraib but this relies on the full execution of justice that is not limited simply to prosecuting perpetrators of torture, but which extends to survivors of torture such that they are able to finally, albeit incompletely, move on with their lives. Without this, justice is a mere public performance to reclaim our sense moral ground, not a real, intentional commitment to restoring the lives of those weve harmed. But perhaps this is what American justice is really all about. Maha Hilal is the inaugural Michael Ratner Middle East fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, and a coprincipal investigator of Tulane Universitys Torture Trauma Initiative. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Lying to the southeast of Ethiopias capital Addis Ababa is Bishoftu, home to the Ethiopian Air Force and Lake Arsadii, the site of the Irreecha, the most important cultural festival for the more than 40 million ethnic Oromos. A bustling resort town famous for its crater lakes and picturesque landscape, Bishoftu is striking rather than beautiful. It is too hollow and too sentimental to be beautiful. The city, in which millions of Oromos gather each year in late September or early October to celebrate the wholeness and deep magnificence of nature and culture, was the scene of the deadliest atrocities (pdf) in the yearlong anti-government protests in which security forces have killed more than 1,000 people. October 2, 2017 marks the first anniversary of the Irreecha atrocity in which the sacred grounds of Bishoftu desecrated as security forces used tear gas and live bullets against an agitated crowd of about two million assembled on the shore of Lake Arsadi. In the utter chaos and confusion that ensued when the massive crowd began to run, people fell into deep ditches, trampled, suffocated, got shot, and drowned in the nearby lake. Shortly after the tragic event, the government blamed anti-peace forces, a common lexicon attached to activists and dissenting voices with fatal consequences, for triggering a deadly stampede. Activists on their part accused the government of perpetrating an intentional and planned massacre of innocent civilians gathered to give thanks and celebrate the deep and true beauty and significance of the Irreecha. OPINION: The Oromo protests have changed Ethiopia While there is no independent and credible inquiry into the causes and consequences of the tragedy yet, the contestation to control the narrative, the struggle to fix the history and memory of the 2016 Irreecha, began in earnest before victims bodies identified and properly grieved by their survivors. The government puts the death toll at 55 while the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress Party reported the death of 678. Although there is no evidence yet that there was a premeditated, programmatic, and purposeful killing of innocent civilians, these deaths are not the result of a fatal flaw or aberrations committed by rogue security forces. by An atrocity The government resisted calls for an independent and credible inquiry into the causes and consequences of the stampede, but a new report (pdf) published by Human Rights Watch provides a rich account of what transpired at the 2016 Irreecha Festival. Based on interviews with more than 50 individuals who attended the festival and an analysis of dozens of video footage and photos, the report concluded that not only did security forces trigger the stampede; they also used disproportionate force including live bullets without any imminent threat to their security. Although there is no evidence yet that there was a premeditated, programmatic, and purposeful killing of innocent civilians, these deaths are not the result of a fatal flaw or aberrations committed by rogue security forces. Rather, they are a foreseeable consequence of structural forces prior policy choices, institutional practices, and attitudes that were central to maintaining and sustaining the prevailing configuration of power. This institutional culture meant that violent actions that are patently illegal and foreseeably lethal become morally excusable and legally defensible when perpetrated by security forces in the name of national security. The 2016 Irreecha came after a yearlong protest by the Oromos against systemic and structural inequalities at the heart of Ethiopias multinational federal experiment. Over the last quarter of a century, the government tried to maintain power by concealing the exploitative and abusive arrangements and bureaucratic procedures through the policy of divide and rule and the consolidation of economic and militarised patronage. When the protests sparked, the government quickly framed protesters as terrorists and anti-peace forces, providing a prior justification for its increasingly violent use of force against an already terror-stricken community. In 11 months, security forces killed over 1,000 people and detained tens of thousands. OPINION: The Ethiopia rising narrative and the Oromo protests Given the escalating confrontation and the violence preceding the festival, security forces should have known and did know, that firing live ammunition and tear gas, including from a helicopter, into an already terror-stricken and agitated mass, can result in mayhem. The Irrecha atrocities are the direct consequence of those structural policies and institutional attitudes designed to maintain existing arrangements of power between the ruling elites and their subjects. Academic Brenda K Uekert characterises such killings that occur when the state, often authoritarian, felt threatened as political atrocities. Fixing history and memory Standing about 2km to the North East of Lake Arsadi is a new cenotaph erected by the Oromia regional government to commemorate those who lost their lives as they gave thanks and celebrated the deep and true beauty of the Irreecha. Echoing the governments attempt to control the narrative and fix the memory and history of Irreecha 2016, an inscription on the monument reads: Memorial monument for those who lost their lives on Sudden Death during Irrecha Celebration at Hora Harsadi on October 2/2016. Contrary to the widely accepted view within the Oromo community that this was a deliberate massacre, the government wanted to construct a tale of a sudden death caused by a stampede triggered by anti-peace forces, exonerating the government and security forces from moral and legal responsibility. The reference to the deaths as incidental erases the fundamentally violent nature of security forces and the institutional culture that made it possible from the historical record. The memorial monument is a vehicle used to transform the governments narrative into a historical fact while simultaneously filtering non-official narratives of the 2016 Irreecha out of public memory and official history. Memorial monuments are intimately linked to the consolidation or edification of the historical record and the production of collective memory. But the process of producing official historical account is not straightforward. It is not necessarily about remembering every iconic figure or every major event of national significance. It is an exercise in selective archiving, which entails deliberate erasures and convenient silences as a means of constructing politically preferred accounts of politically consequential events. However, officially sanctioned histories are not particularly powerful instruments of controlling the narrative and the verdict of history. As the great French Philosopher Michel Foucault writes, beneath officially sanctioned history, counter-history operates to unearth something that has been hidden, and which has been hidden not only because it has been neglected, but because it has been carefully, deliberately, and wickedly misrepresented. The Ethiopian government must adapt to the changes unfolding beneath its feet. Rather than try to overwrite a narrative that has already taken root with a monument, it must allow an international investigation for an independent and credible determination of the causes and the consequences of the Irreecha Atrocity. Awol Allo is Lecturer in Law at Keele University, UK. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Living throughout the Middle East, millions of Kurdish people are pursuing recognition and autonomy. Iraqi Kurds last month backed independence from Baghdad in a controversial referendum that has heightened regional tensions. Indigenous to a mountain region in the northern Middle East, the Kurds are the largest stateless nation in the world. The fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East, around 25 million Kurds live in a territory that spans the borders of modern-day Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. Kurds have a distinct community, united by race, culture and language although several dialects exist. Due to the cross-border nature of their nation since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Arabic and Turkish are also widely spoken. They have a long history of political marginalisation and persecution, and have repeatedly risen up, particularly in Iraq and Turkey, in pursuit of greater autonomy or complete independence. The destabilisation of Iraq, the war in Syria, and the rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) have presented new challenges for the Kurds, as Kurdish forces have played an increasingly important role in the battle against ISIL. Did you know? The Kurds are one of the largest stateless populations in the world. The Kurdish population is similar to that of Canada and Australia. Kurdish women lead the world in female fighters, accounting for 40 percent of the military. The Kurdish Regional Government has more women than both the United States and the United Kingdom, with 30 percent of seats in the government reserved for women. Iraqs Kurdish region spends at least 16 percent of its annual budget on education, more than the US and Canada. One in four people living in Iraqs Kurdish region is a refugee or an internally displaced person. Source: The Kurdish Project Historical background At the end of World War I, the Treaty of Sevres was drafted to deal with the dissolution and partition of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty bolstered Kurdish national aspirations by providing for a referendum to decide the issue of the Kurdish homeland. The Treaty of Sevres was rejected by the new Turkish Republic, and a new treaty (the Treaty of Lausanne) was negotiated and signed in 1923. The Treaty of Lausanne gave control of the entire Anatolian peninsula, or Asia Minor, to the new Turkish Republic, including the Kurdish homeland in Turkey. There was no provision in the new treaty for a referendum for Kurdish independence or autonomy. Kurdish hopes for an autonomous region and independent state were dashed for the next few decades. From the end of World War I to the Gulf War in 1990, the Kurds in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria fought separate campaigns to achieve autonomy. All of the campaigns were forcibly put down and the Kurdish people suffered greater suppression each time. OPINION: Iraqi Kurdistan Playing the independence game Who are the Kurds in Iraq? After decades of military and political struggle, Kurds in Iraq secured constitutional recognition in 2005 of an autonomous Kurdish region in the north of the country. Prior to 2005, the Kurds of Iraq launched successive rebellions aimed first at the British and later at the government in Baghdad. Successive Iraqi administrations, particularly starting in the late 1970s, forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of Kurds from northern Iraq, through a policy known as Arabisation, and repopulated the areas with Arabs from central and southern Iraq. The scale of the displacement of Kurds in the north during the mid-1970s was immense, displacing the entire Kurdish population from an area reaching from the town of Khanaqin, close to the Iranian border, to the Syrian and Turkish border areas around Sinjar. In the 1980s, Saddam Husseins government destroyed at least 4,000 villages and forcibly moved their residents to collective towns. In 1988, Hussein unleashed a campaign of vengeance on the Kurds that included a poison-gas attack on Halabja. The Iraqi High Criminal Court later charged Hussein with genocide for attempting to annihilate the countrys Kurds through military operations in 1988 that killed at least 50,000 civilians and destroyed thousands of homes. The first glimpse of autonomy came in 1991, during the first Gulf War, when the US-led coalition fighting Hussein established a partial no-fly zone in northern Iraq. The stability allowed Kurdish forces to steadily gain control of the territory and paved the way for the 2005 constitutional agreement. And while Iraqs autonomous Kurdish areas, also known as Iraqi Kurdistan, largely escaped the chaos and destruction that existed in the lead-up to and after Husseins removal in 2003, major tensions remain. The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has not yet defined its boundaries. Many Kurds are hoping to expand the current borders to include contested areas, many of which were Arabised under Hussein, including the Kurdish-majority city of Kirkuk an oil-rich province the Kurds consider their Jerusalem. In the summer of 2014, as ISIL forces swept across large swaths of Iraq, Kurdish Peshmerga forces pre-emptively moved into the city to prevent it from falling into the groups hands. Tensions also exist between the two main political parties, the Patriotic Union Party (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), who fought a civil war from 1994 to 1997. KRG President Massoud Barzani (KDP) announced in July 2014 that his government planned to hold a referendum on independence from Iraq. The declaration caused alarm in neighbouring countries, who were fearful that their own restive Kurdish populations would follow suit. Results of the September 25 referendum showed that a majority of Iraqi Kurds supported secession. After the Gulf War After the 1990-1991 Gulf War and the no-fly zone enforced by the United States in Iraqs Kurdish region, Iraqi Kurds had autonomy. In 1992, an alliance of political parties, the Iraqi Kurdistan Front, held parliamentary and presidential elections. As a result, the Iraqi Kurdistan Front established the KRG, an autonomous government for Iraqs Kurdish region. Today, at least 5.2 million people live in Iraqs Kurdish region, according to the KRG. They have their own parliament, military (the Peshmerga), borders and foreign policy. In 1994, a power-sharing arrangement between the PUK and the KDP collapsed. In 2003, the US invaded Iraq and the Peshmerga joined in the fight to overthrow Hussein. After Hussein was driven from office, the Iraqis, in a national referendum, approved a new constitution. The new constitution recognised the KRG and the Kurdish parliament. In 2006, the PUK and KDP arranged to unify administrations under Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani. Kurds remain dependent on their neighbours for access to markets and to export oil, the Kurds main economic resource. Kurds in Turkey Half of the Kurdish nation resides in Turkey, where they make up about 20 percent of the local population. Modern Turkeys constitution denies the existence of distinct ethnic sub-groups, and since the countrys founding, any expression by Kurds or other minorities of their unique ethnic identity has been repressed. The Kurdish language, spoken by millions in Turkey, was outlawed until 1991. Ankara has consistently shut down Kurdish attempts to politically organise, and any action that hints at Kurdish nationalism is considered an offence punishable by imprisonment. The Turkish government has also been accused of systematically withholding resources from the countrys Kurdish areas. Abdullah Ocalan established the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in 1978, calling for an independent state inside Turkey. In 1984, the PKK launched an armed struggle against the Turkish state, which eventually left between 30,000 and 40,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, according to the International Crisis Group. The PKK launched attacks against government property, government officials, Turks living in Kurdish areas and Kurds it accused of collaborating with the government. In 2012, the Turkish government and the PKK began peace talks, and in 2013 a ceasefire was agreed on, although clashes continued. In July 2015, the ceasefire collapsed a few days after a suicide bombing blamed on ISIL killed at least 33 young activists in the mainly Kurdish town of Suruc, near the Syrian border. The United Nations said in a report this year that at least 2,000 people, including 1,200 local residents and 800 members of the security forces, have been killed in the latest wave of violence. The PKK has attacked Turkish soldiers and police, while the Turkish government has launched what it called a synchronised war on terror against the PKK and ISIL. Since then, air strikes on PKK camps in northern Iraq and clashes have killed hundreds of people. What is the situation in Syria? In Syria, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) is one of the most prominent Kurdish opposition parties. It comprises a major part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish, Arab, Assyrians, Armenian, and Turkmen groups that was established in October 2015. The PYD was founded in 2003 as an offshoot of the PKK, to which it remains closely tied. The PYDs armed wing is the Peoples Protection Units (YPG). The group has coordinated with both Syrian rebels and government forces in different parts of Syria to further its interests. During the Syrian conflict, it managed to carve out a mini-state in three provinces in the countrys north Aleppo, Raqqa and Hassakah. Backed by US coalition air strikes, the US-backed SDF have been fighting ISIL in an effort to recapture Raqqa, the armed groups self-declared capital. At least 194 bills were sought to criminalise Islamic law in the United States between 2010 and 2016, report says. At least 13 states across the United States have introduced bills that seek to ban Islamic law this year, with Texas and Arkansas enacting anti-Sharia legislation, researchers have observed. Researchers and critics fear that right-wing legislators are increasing anti-Muslim sentiment as Islamic law, known as Sharia, was targeted by some 194 bills between 2010 and 2016, according to a report by the University of California, Berkeleys Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society. Of that total, 18 bills were signed into law in 12 different states. The anti-Sharia law movement, by way introducing and enacting anti-Sharia law bills across the United States, seeks to legalise the othering of Muslims, as well as to perpetuate a fear of Sharia, Islam and ultimately Muslims, said Basima Sisemore, a researcher and an author of Legalising Othering: The United States of Islamophobia. In June, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 45, which prevents the use of foreign laws in state courts, specifically in cases that entail marriage or legal issues regarding parents and their children. Republican State Representative Jeff Leach and Representative Dan Flynn authored the bill. Neither replied to Al Jazeeras request for a comment by the time of publication. The two legislators had introduced several versions of the bill in the past, but House Bill 45 was the first to be enacted. Both Flynn and Leach have told media outlets that the law was not designed to single out Muslims. Yet, in an April 2014 email (pdf) to his constituents, an apparently paranoid Flynn claimed that the British government had approved many Muslim religious precepts that institutionalise discrimination against women and children. He said: There is no question the Judeo-Christian heritage we covet and aim to protect is under attack. We the American people must wake up and recognise the spiritual warfare raging in America. House Bill 45 was signed into law four months after Arkansas enacted a similar bill, which also barred foreign laws in state courts. Threatens American democracy Sisemore argued that these bills have a negative effect on Muslims by stoking fear and bigotry at a time when US President Donald Trump is targeting the religious minority. The consequences of introducing or enacting anti-Muslim laws extend beyond the conspicuous intent to subvert Muslim Americans citizenship and civil liberties, as has been demonstrated by the rise of anti-Sharia rallies that swept across the US in June of this year, she told Al Jazeera. The underlying reality is that anti-Muslim legislation threatens American democracy and the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans. The underlying reality is that anti-Muslim legislation threatens American democracy and the civil and constitutional rights of all Americans. by Basima Sisemore, researcher In June, fewer than six months into Trumps presidency, rising Islamophic sentiment exploded and anti-Sharia rallies were held in some 28 cities across the country. The marches were called by ACT for America, which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) watchdog describes as the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in the US. Claiming to have more than 500,000 members, ACT for America supports Trump. Its members have campaigned for strict legislation that targets Muslims and refugees in recent years. Those rallies drew the participation of white supremacists, armed militia groups and neo-Nazis. Yet, participants of the anti-Sharia marches were massively outnumbered by counter-protesters, among them anti-racists and anti-fascists who clashed with the anti-Muslim demonstrators. Unfairly targeted and vilified Critics accuse Trump of inciting anti-Muslim sentiment. One of the presidents first executive orders barred travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Iran and Yemen. The measure sparked large protests at airports in several cities and was later struck down in court. Trump, who denied accusations that the ban targeted Muslims, introduced an updated version of the order that excluded Iraq. Yet, as the US Supreme Court was preparing to consider its legality this month, Trump signed a revised executive order that dropped Sudan and added Venezuela, North Korea and Chad. During Trumps presidential campaign, he vowed to put a freeze on Muslims entering the country and refused to rule out creating a database to track American Muslims. Although the anti-Sharia movement was born in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001, critics say Trump has effectively energised it. Nathan Lean, author of the Islamophobia Industry, argued that Trumps rhetoric has unfairly targeted and vilified Islams followers with half-truths, outright lies and blatant incitement. Speaking to Al Jazeera by email, Lean said that uptick in anti-Sharia laws is part of a concerted effort to nurture an atmosphere of extreme scorn in which Muslims are seen as the enemy. He added: Once [Muslims] are branded as such, it becomes easier to persecute them, and violence towards them which we have seen is a natural consequence of this. Hate crimes on the rise In the 10 days following Trumps election alone, there was an average of 87 hate incidents a day, according to the SPLC. Many of these incidents involved racist rhetoric or violence that targeted Muslims. Although the rate of such incidents has since levelled off, hate crimes have not stopped. In a report published in July, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) found that the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes increased by 94 percent during the first six months of 2017. On September 16, a passenger attacked a Muslim Lyft driver in Evergreen, Washington. As he hit and choked the driver, the assailant yelled: Where the f*** do you come from? The local CAIR chapter has called on police to investigate the incident as a hate crime. That same month, a Lyft driver of Middle Eastern heritage in Houston, Texas, was physically and verbally assaulted by a passenger. The assailant, 39-year-old Matthew Dunn, was subsequently charged with a hate crime. Corey Saylor, director of CAIRs Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia, accused Trump of whipping up anti-Muslim sentiment. Trumps deployment of anti-Muslim sentiment during the election campaign had a significant contributing factor [in the rise of hate crimes], he told Al Jazeera by telephone, and I wouldnt say he has since let up on it. Follow Patrick Strickland on Twitter: @P_Strickland_ People in Kabul raise concerns at arming of civilians to guard Shia places of worship during Muharram. Authorities in Afghanistan have tightened security in Kabul in advance of Ashura on Sunday, the holiest day in the Shia Muslim calendar, fearing attacks on worshippers. The Afghan capital witnessed increased security, with extra police checkpoints set up in parts of the city where Ashura processions traditionally take place. But Kabul residents have raised concerns about the governments security plan, which includes arming hundreds of civilians to help protect mosques and religious processions that have come under attack recently. Many residents Al Jazeera spoke to say the policy could be misused in the future. Last week, the government provided basic defence and weapons training to at least 500 volunteer guards to protect nearly 400 Shia mosques in Kabul. I think at the moment it is better to have extra security, but in the long run I dont feel comfortable with the idea of civilians in possessing weapons, Mohammad Sabir, a 50-year-old Shia worshipper, told Al Jazeera. Will these weapons be taken back from them? Who will keep track of it? he asked. Afghanistan, a majority Sunni Muslim country, has seen a series of attacks on the Shia community over recent years claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), raising fears of sectarian violence. Muharram, which began on September 20, marks the start of the Islamic new year. Shia Muslims observe Muharram as a period of mourning for the seventh-century killing of Prophet Muhammads grandson. READ MORE: Our lives dont matter Anger in Kabul after US raid General Afzal Aman, the acting director-general of the Kabul Garrison, told Al Jazeera that at least 500 young civilian guards have been trained and equipped to provide security for religious places during Muharram alongside government forces. They have learned basic skills on how to provide security. We are hoping this will work in our favour we have already faced two attacks since the beginning of Muharram, he said. Police officers are also trying their best to provide better security as there are serious threats, but we hope that with all these intelligence and security measures, nothing will happen. Aman, however, did not answer whether there is a long-term plan on how the authorities will keep track of the civilian guards. READ MORE: Civilians caught in crossfire of war against Taliban The selection of guards was made by local community leaders and in cooperation with mosque committees, followed by the distribution of light weapons, General Aman said, without elaborating on which weapons were distributed. On Thursday, three people, including two policemen, were killed and 16 others injured in a blast near the Chendawol area of Kabuls old town that has a significant Shia population. A day later, at least five civilians were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up close to Hussainia mosque in the capital. As many as 19 others were wounded in the attack. Shafi Karimi, a resident of Kabul, expressed frustration over the failure of the Afghan government and police force in not being able to provide security. What is the police for? The Afghan government always brags about its police saying, we have the most powerful team. But why cant they provide better security? he told Al Jazeera. Why would they distribute guns? The police should find another way as this might lead to a civil war in the country. I can save people But not everyone shares the same view on arming civilians given Afghanistans precious security situation. The Taliban, which was driven out of power by the US-led forces in 2001, now controls almost one-third of the country. In recent years, ISIL has also grown in strength. Hamayoon Amiri, an 18-year-old civilian guard, believes it is his duty to protect people from attacks by ISIL or the Taliban. He said he does not care whether the person is a Shia or Sunni, he simply wants to protect the people of Afghanistan. Its been a week since I started performing my duty outside Al-Zahra mosque in Kabuls Dasht-e Barchi area, he said, adding that he will move to another mosque to provide security in the coming days. My commander trained us on how to use a gun. He fought against the Soviet invasion and I respect him a lot, Amiri said. The government has failed numerous times to protect us, so now it is our duty as Afghans to step up. We dont have any more options. I know I can save people, I am well trained, he added. Amiris senior commander, who did not wish to be named, told Al Jazeera that between 2,700 and 3,000 young men have been trained to provide security across Afghanistan. He said that the security measures are not temporary and will continue after Muharram ends. The government is now relying on us and we are ready to help, he said. Follow Shereena Qazi on Twitter: @ShereenaQazi Support for freedom of speech in Egypt fallen significantly since 2013, according to the largest survey in the region. Support for freedom of speech in Egypt has fallen significantly since 2013, according to a new survey, the largest of its kind in the Arab world. The annual survey, titled Media Use in the Middle East and conducted by Northwestern University in Qatar, spans seven Arab countries. It tracked regional media trends and attitudes towards free speech over the past five years. More than 1,000 people were surveyed in each of Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in face-to-face interviews and by phone. The survey also incorporated the United States, where more than 2,000 respondents were interviewed. Its quite a representative survey. Its very scientifically derived, Everette Dennis, the dean of Northwestern University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera, adding that the sample size is well ahead of what most studies would ever do. KEY FINDINGS Among the seven surveyed countries, Lebanon ranked highest in its belief in the right to criticise government policy Compared with five years ago, internet penetration rose most dramatically in Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia More Americans than Arab nationals say people should be able to criticise the government online, but fewer Americans say it is safe to express political opinions online Saudis, more than other Arab nationals, are likelier to perceive greater political influence online, while Emiratis are the least likely There were 120 questions. We wanted to distinguish by gender, income, nationality, citizenship, and I think the findings are representative and are as good as you get. The study found that while in 2013, roughly half (48 percent) of Egyptians said it is okay for individuals to express their ideas on the internet even if they are unpopular, only 29 percent agreed in 2017. According to experts, the figures are very telling of the regional changes following the Arab uprisings of 2011, when masses took to the streets to demand the downfall of dictators. The uprisings, which started in Tunisia, spread to five other countries Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Bahrain with a variety of outcomes. After ending 30 years of dictatorship under Hosni Mubarak in the 2011 revolution, Egypt saw the return of army rule in a military coup. Under current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a long-time military officer and former head of military intelligence, Egypt has taken an authoritarian turn and introduced repressive laws that limit free speech. Most recently, Egypt blocked more than 400 websites on claims of supporting terrorism and publishing false information. Commenting on the findings with regards to expressing unpopular views on the internet, Sahar Khamis, an expert in Arab media, told Al Jazeera: This figure speaks for itself There is overall an atmosphere of less freedom of expression, less freedom of the press, less freedom of opinion in the country. Its not a secret. A lot of people who were activists in the pre-2013 period, the young revolutionaries, all of these people either lost hope, and became in a state of despair or some of them simply left politics altogether, Khamis added. If these are the people who were at the front lines, what about the layperson, the average person? Obviously, there is a big regression in the amount of freedom and the amount of comfort that people feel to express their views, whether online or offline. Tunisia The figures on post-revolution Tunisia, on the other hand, seem to reflect positive changes in the country since the removal of former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Though far from perfect, Tunisias new constitution, signed after the uprising, was hailed as the most progressive in the region, providing more freedom to criticise state institutions. For the statement on the internet, it is safe to say whatever one thinks about politics, 44 percent of Tunisians agreed the third-highest rate among the seven countries surveyed, after Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Khamis said that Tunisia, which was able to create coalitions and witness a bloodless power transfer after its revolution, was in contrast to the rest of the Arab countries that experienced uprisings in a state of nation-building and freedom building. She attributed Tunisias successful model to the countrys high literacy rate. They are creating a vibrant civil society model that allows for different opinions to be expressed and allows for diversity and plurality This will inevitably lead to the Tunisian citizen feeling more comfortable to express their views. Lebanon Standing out from the crowd in terms of support for freedom of expression is Lebanon, according to the survey. The report found that seven in 10 Lebanese and Americans supported criticism of the government on the internet. In contrast with the rest of the Arab countries, tolerance for speech critical of government policies offline was also high in Lebanon, at 66 percent, and Tunisia, at 48 percent. In Qatar and the UAE, the figure stands at 21 and 14 percent, respectively. Beirut-based media commentator Halim Shebaya said that while Lebanon is more relaxed in terms of expressing views, there is a fundamental difference in how citizens understand their right to freedom of expression and also how the legal system protects that right in Arab and Western countries. In comparison with Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the UAE and Qatar, Lebanon has the second-lowest rate of tolerance for speech that is offensive to ones religion or beliefs, according to the survey. Events have shown that many in Lebanon and definitely other Arab countries do not yet grasp the notion that freedom of expression includes the right to express views that may be shocking or offensive to others, especially on religious issues, Shebaya told Al Jazeera. Catalans explain how they will vote in Sundays referendum on independence, and why. Catalonia, in northeastern Spain, is set to vote on independence in a referendum on Sunday. The planned ballot has provoked a strong government response in the region, home to 7.5 million people, resulting in weeks of turmoil leading up to the vote. Sundays poll will be the regions second referendum on independence in three years. READ MORE: Catalonia independence referendum All you need to know Al Jazeera spoke to Catalans about how they planned to vote, and why. Here is what they had to say: Judith Lopez Gil, 23, publishing Im going to vote Yes. I consider myself Catalan, not Spanish. I dont hate Spain, but I dont feel connected with it. My roots are in Catalonia, my language and my culture arent Spanish. READ MORE: Why Catalonia should be given a say on its future My culture was banned by the dictatorship years ago, but I dont know how much relations [between Catalonia and Spain] have changed since then. All my life I have felt judged for being Catalan, and these days a lot of people are showing how much they hate us. They dont want us, but dont want to let us go. Its frustrating. Andrea Sunyol, 29, PhD student On Sunday, I will vote Yes. Yes to the possibility to think radically about what country it is that we want to live in, as the philosopher Marina Garces said a few days ago. Yes to regaining sovereignty. I see this moment as a thrilling opportunity to build a republic based on more democratic values. WATCH: Exclusive interview with Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont We have a chance to reformulate outdated versions of the nation-state into something more horizontal, transparent and sustainable, in accordance with the conditions of our time. I will say yes to a more egalitarian, free and just society. Yes to start building the country we have imagined. Alvaro Victor Gomez Velasco, 41, automotive engineer No, I will not vote. [The referendum] is illegal. In a democracy, all of the people have to respect the majority. There are about two million [pro-independence supporters] but the total number of voters is five million. They cannot drag the population down a path with no way out. They [reflect] a populist reaction to the global economic crisis, a reactionary political movement like the National Front, UKIP or Donald Trump. And their message is exactly the same: our money is for us, others are responsible for our crisis and all the opportunities will return when we are independent. Albert Llussa i Torra, 46, solicitor I will vote Yes. I am Catalan. My parents are Catalan. We speak the Catalan language. We have our own history, culture and traditions. We have our sense of humour, our sense of enterprise and business, and our sense of community. Throughout history, at different times, Catalan language and culture has been persecuted. And yet, all attempts by Spain to get rid of the Catalan problem failed, and Catalonia, like the phoenix, always rose up again from the ashes. The Catalan cause is the same cause as that of the Kurdish people the Tamils, and so many other minority peoples who feel oppressed by boundaries that were imposed upon them by those more powerful. by Albert Llussa i Torra, 46, solicitor I believe that the Catalan people exist. I believe that being Catalan is a way of being, is part of a persons identity, as much as being English, German or Irish is. Being Catalan and being recognised as Catalan is intrinsic to my sense of self and identity and of many, though not all, of my Catalan compatriots. I believe that I have the right, as a human being, to exist in the world and be recognised in accordance with my national identity, which is part of my personal identity. I believe that the cause of Catalonia is the cause of a better, fairer world. It is the cause of freedom, justice and human rights. It is the same cause as that of the Kurdish people the Tamils, and so many other minority peoples who feel oppressed by boundaries that were imposed upon them by those more powerful. The cause of an independent Catalonia is the cause of Europe, of the European Union, and of Spain itself, for the current 1978 constitutional Spanish regime is founded on the tacit pacts, enforced silences, and shameful amnesia of 40 years of Francoist dictatorship, the blood that it shed, the dead that lay buried in shallow graves, and the persecution and suppression of fundamental human rights. Manuel, 28, bank employee I wont vote because there is no point in doing so. The referendum isnt legally backed. The Constitution allows the possibility of having such a vote but the regional government hasnt properly followed the constitutional article. The central government has done everything in its power to suppress the referendum. The results that are going to be acclaimed next Sunday will not be accurate, because people will not have the opportunity to express their vote correctly. Its a huge farce. The central and regional [Catalan] government are acting stupidly, both are delusional and dont accept each others position. Catalonia wants to vote, its a fact. Sending the police wont solve the problem. You have to follow the law, its a fact. Unilaterally calling the referendum wont guarantee you anything. Carlos Remacha Lopez, 27, city councillor and jurist I will not vote. The referendum is illegal and without guarantees. It has not been organised according to the Catalonian law, nor the Spanish, and no international authorities recognise it. I cant accept action that does not respect the law, or my rights, and [action] being done due to a political minority force in Catalonia. READ MORE: The case against Catalan secession For these reasons, I cant contribute with my vote. They have to stop the illegal referendum and come back to the legal way, this is the truth. I could vote in a referendum, but only a referendum organised by following the law, in which case I would vote No to leaving Spain. Marta Copovi Farres, 31, air cabin crew I will definitely vote Yes. I feel Catalan, I dont feel Spanish. I love Catalonia. I dont love Spain, but I dont hate it either. Its just a neutral feeling, the same feeling I could have for France or China. Its just indifferent to me. Catalonia will do much better if it gets separated from Spain, as Catalonia is the region of Spain that pays more taxes, but receives less help. I have been pro-independence since a young age. I have lived abroad for over eight years. A year in Paris, two years in Bahrain, almost four years in Abu Dhabi and two years in London. And last year, I finally came back home. I have seen many different cultures and ways of doing things. I consider myself open-minded. I want to vote, and I am going to vote Yes. But I also want the people that dont want independence to vote No. I want everybody to be able to vote and express their feelings, hopes and emotions. The founder of a school for orphaned children in Nigeria has won a top United Nations award. The UNHCRs Nansen Refugee Award honours people who dedicate their lives to helping victims of war. The founder of a school for orphaned children in Nigeria has won a top United Nations award. The UNHCRs Nansen Refugee Award honours people who dedicate their lives to helping victims of war. Zannah Mustapha has helped children whose parents were killed by the armed group Boko Haram. He also helped secure the deal to release schoolgirls held by the armed group. Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi reports from Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria. Cameroons government has banned public gatherings, suspended transportation and shut businesses in the countrys English-speaking regions as activists symbolically declared independence from the majority French-speaking areas. Tensions continue to run high in towns and cities in Cameroons northwest and southwestern regions country with thousands of security forces said to be patrolling the streets in a bid to quell planned demonstrations against President Paul Biyas administration. Today, we reaffirm our autonomy over our heritage and over our territory, the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Consortium United Front (SCACUF) said in a statement on Facebook. The government has said the move carries no legal weight. The declaration and protests come on the anniversary of South Cameroons independence from Britain in 1961. Christopher Njong, information officer with the governing council of Southern Cameroons, also known as Ambazonia, told Al Jazeera earlier on Sunday that people were gathering to march in the town of Bamenda, but were facing major resistance from the army and police. They [authorities] are doing everything to stop people from marching, because they dont want the world to see our call for independence, he said. Njong added that people were attempting to march in the towns of Buea and Kumbo with white and blue flags (the flag of the country they would name Ambazonia) and placards, but were facing similar resistance from authorities. English-speaking Cameroonians make up one-fifth of Cameroons population of 22 million. They have long accused the central government of discriminating against their community, arguing that they are excluded from employment and forced to speak French in business and official affairs, despite English being one of the countrys official languages. They also argue that oil, found in the southwestern region, has been used to the benefit of the state and not the region in which the resources are found. But the discontent goes much deeper. Southern Cameroons joined Cameroon in 1961 through a referendum, but pro-independence groups argue that UN resolution 1608 that set the terms of an unification plan was never properly followed. Additionally, in 1972, when the country moved from a federalist system to a centralised system, with power resting firmly in the capital, Yaounde, those from the Anglophone regions said they suffered further neglect. As a result, many Anglophones contend that the French-speaking majority annexed Southern Cameroon. They have turned us into servants in our own house, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, president of the movement for the independence of Southern Cameroons, said earlier this month. Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroons communication minister, told Al Jazeera that there would be no amputation or division of Cameroon. This division will never happen, Bakary, speaking from Yaounde, said. In response to allegations that the central government have deployed a disproportionate number of military to the region, Bakary said that necessary measures had been taken to look after people and property, and to ensure people are not bullied. We deployed to prevent violence; their [the protesters] aim is to provoke violence, this is why we sent them [the army] there. The minister would not say how many troops were sent, but rejected allegations that internet services had been slowed despite numerous suggestions that people were struggling to access social media. Dissent in the two regions have been growing over the past year, with protests taking place intermittently. Six people have been killed and hundreds have been arrested and detained as the government looked to crack down on what they see as a secessionist movement. Earlier this year, the internet was shut down in the two English-speaking regions for more than three months. Many students and teachers in the two regions have also boycotted schools and banks have been closed, leaving in its wake empty towns, which activists have dubbed ghost town protests. Rising dissent comes as Cameroons government faces a wave of criticism by rights groups over what they call the governments growing authoritarian tendencies. They point to the imprisonment of journalists and those who are critical of Biya or his administration. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in September that the government was using an anti-terror law to quell dissent. The national anthem of Ambazonia, Southern Cameroon, is sung outside Con Court. #FreeSouthernCameroons pic.twitter.com/OMtCvmUXCQ Rumana Akoob (@RumanaAkoob) October 1, 2017 Ayuk Patrick, the secretary-general of SCACUF, a movement calling for independence for the two regions, said that people would be marching worldwide on Sunday for the restoration of our nation-state. He also denied government claims that secessionists were armed and disruptive. Our people are being called to march peacefully. We dont have armed groups. Instead, we have a three- throng approach: First, we are litigating the regime, second, we are exercising our right to civil disobedience and the third thing is diplomacy, Patrick told Al Jazeera ahead of the planned march in Johannesburg, South Africa. We have a right to self-defence. But we are not attacking the government. Follow Azad Essa on Twitter: @AzadEssa At least 10 killed and another nine wounded in Helmand province during military operations against the Taliban. As the Afghan military attempts to push back Taliban fighters, an air raid has killed 10 security personnel in Helmand province, according to an official. At least nine Afghan police officers were wounded in the erroneous air attack in Gereshk district and an investigation is under way, Hayatullah Hayat, Helmand governor, told AFP news agency. The air strike happened as Afghan forces were pushing to break through the Taliban front line in the strategic area that has been the scene of heavy fighting over the past several days, Hayat said. The incident, which was confirmed by the defence ministry, comes more than two months after US aerial bombardment killed 16 Afghan police officers and wounded two others in the same district, large parts of which are under Taliban control. Most of opium-rich Helmand province is controlled or contested by the Taliban, who are heavily reliant on the proceeds of drug trafficking to finance their armed campaign. Kabul meeting In other developments on Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met Pakistans army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Kabul. The two sides discussed regional security and bilateral relations, a statement released by the Afghan Presidential Palace said. The Taliban and the Haqqani network group remain deeply entrenched in Afghanistan. They are seen as a major destabilising force in the country as well as for the NATO coalition currently active there. The Afghan government statement said both sides discussed peace and stability, counterterrorism, trade and transit relations, and short-term and long-term Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, in what the palace hailed as a new chapter in bilateral ties. The two sides pledged to follow up on the issues discussed in the meeting. Pakistan argues that it carries out offensives against all groups of fighters in its tribal regions near the Afghan border, and that it is also a victim of armed groups. New US policy Afghanistan and Pakistan have long accused each other of housing terrorist groups that launch attacks in neighbouring countries. Bajwas visit comes on the heels of President Trumps announcement about a new US policy towards South Asia. In a speech that was short on details, Trump had harsh words for Pakistan, accusing the country of knowingly harbouring Afghan fighters. He also said the US would increase its presence in Afghanistan and encouraged Pakistans chief rival India to play a greater role in the region. Last week, Pakistans foreign minister told a seminar in New York that effective border management with Afghanistan is imperative to stop the infiltration of terrorists. Police shooting claims seven lives during protests by activists seeking independence from majority-Francophone country. Soldiers have shot and killed at least seven people and wounded others in Cameroons English-speaking regions during protests by activists calling for its independence from the majority-Francophone country, according to official and witnesses. Sundays demonstrations timed to take place on the anniversary of Anglophone Cameroons independence from Britain came as a months-old movement against perceived marginalisation by the Francophone-dominated government gathered pace. Cameroons divide has its roots in the end of the first world war, when the League of Nations divided the former German colony of Kamerun between the allied French and British victors. READ MORE: Cameroons English speakers call for independence Donatus Njong Fonyuy, mayor of the town of Kumbo, said five prisoners were killed at around 6am local time (05:00 GMT) after the jail where they were being held caught fire. We dont know what caused the fire in the prison But five prisoners were killed by soldiers. Two were wounded by bullets and are at the hospital, he told Reuters news agency, adding that another two civilians were also injured. Protesters wounded In other incidents in Kumbo, soldiers shot and wounded two demonstrators around midday who had raised the blue and white flag of the Ambazonia separatist movement in the town. Another was killed later attempting to do the same at the local chiefs palace. Police and army officials were not immediately available to comment on the shootings. We wont use violence unless there is major cause. There are numerous risks, even terrorist risks. Were keeping calm, a security source said earlier in the day. The protests, which began late last year, have become a lightning rod for opposition to President Paul Biyas 35-year rule. Writing on his official Facebook account, Biya condemned acts of violence regardless of their source and their perpetrators. Let me make this very clear: it is not forbidden to voice any concerns in the Republic. However, nothing great can be achieved by using verbal excesses, street violence, and defying authority, he said. Authorities had banned all gatherings of more than four people, ordered bus stations, eateries and shops to shut and forbade movement between different parts of the English-speaking regions before the protests. The government also ordered Cameroons border with Nigeria closed for the weekend. Business shut Businesses were shut in the regions main cities, Buea and Bamenda, where military helicopters circled overhead. The security deployment included troops from the Cameroonian armys Rapid Intervention Brigade, a unit that typically battles Boko Haram fighters in the countrys north. One protester was killed on the edge of Buea as security forces attempted to block pro-independence marchers from entering the city, three witnesses said. Hundreds nevertheless slipped through the countryside to get around the blockade and into the city, where security forces used tear gas to try to stop them from marching on the regional governors office. A Reuters witness also heard gunfire, though it was not clear whether the shots were targeting protesters or being fired in the air. I now know that the Biya regime has been raising an army all these years to fight its own people, said one Buea resident, who asked not to be identified out of fear of reprisal. The military, which is supposed to protect lives and property, has turned into our greatest nightmare. In Bamenda, where a bomb attack blamed on separatists wounded three policemen last week, young men brandishing improvised secessionist flags clashed with security forces who attempted to disperse them with tear gas. Only 100 or so Muslim women wear the face veil but Austria has joined other European countries in outlawing the garment. Activists and experts have condemned a law implemented in Austria on Sunday prohibiting the face veil as counterproductive and as an attack on religious freedom. The law, commonly known as the Burqa ban, came into effect in advance of a general election on October 15, which could see the traditionally xenophobic far-right Freedom Party make gains. Of approximately nine million Austrians, between 100 to 150 Muslim women or 0.002 percent wear the face veil. There are around 700,000 Muslims in the country. The garment covers the entire body and face except for the eyes, but violators may now face a fine of up to $180. The Austrian government says the law safeguards Austrian values and the concept of a free society. Officials have carefully marketed the law, termed Prohibition on the Covering of the Face, as being religiously-neutral by also restricting the donning of medical masks, party masks, and scarves in public. Rules of Austria's burka ban (from Oct 1). Top row: allowed, 2nd row: under certain circumstances, 3rd row: banned. https://t.co/1v2LmgZNeQ pic.twitter.com/rRtPWxYjjp Jeremy Cliffe (@JeremyCliffe) September 21, 2017 But activists and experts have denounced the nature of the law as counterproductive and Islamophobic. Carla Amina Baghajati, a rights activist and spokeswoman for the Austrian Islamic Religious Authority, a public institution representing Muslims, says the law threatens the concept of an open society. They believe that they are freeing these women and that theyre taking action to secure the identity of Austria, but this is hypocritical as the idea of an open society is that everybody has the liberty to act and dress as they please as long as nobody else is harmed, Baghajati told Al Jazeera. These ladies are being criminalised. Everybody thinks that they are victims, but you cannot be patronising them. They say that they do not want to be freed because they are already free and chose to wear the face veil, said Baghajati. READ MORE: Rights group to take action after Cannes burkini ban The legislation was approved in May as part of a wider set of proposals aimed at countering the rise of the Freedom Party, which came close to winning Austrias presidential election in January. In those measures, Austria also banned the distribution of the Quran and required all refugees and immigrants to participate in an integration programme to learn the German language and Austrian ethics. Baghajati attributed the face veil ban as an attempt by politicians to send a message to the public that they are in control of the security situation. Fears over extremism have been fuelled by the arrival of refugees. But Austria has taken a tough stance against the entry of refugees. Earlier this year, the government told the European Union that it would no longer accept any refugees, many of whom are Syrians seeking refuge from the six-year war plaguing their country. In February, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz called for setting up mass camps in North Africa for refugees who fled to Europe. Islamophobia Farid Hafez, senior research fellow at Georgetown Universitys Bridge Initiative, says the notion of the face veil ban is reflective of the Islamophobic imagination of what has been construed to be the Muslim problem' in several countries across Europe. Islamophobia is a problem in Austria as it is a problem and a challenge to democracy, human rights and religious freedom in many European countries today, Hafez, who is also a professor at the University of Salzburg, told Al Jazeera, warning that the ban could have serious consequences. Common people on the street [will] feel enabled to act disrespectfully towards Muslim women, insult them openly on the street, said Hafez, adding that young aspiring Muslim women would feel obstructed. Austria is the latest European country to implement such a ban. In 2011, France and Belgium introduced such laws. In 2015, the Netherlands approved a partial ban on the veil, while Bulgaria implemented a full ban in 2016. READ MORE: Employers allowed to ban the hijab EU court The bans have fuelled a debate about multiculturalism across the continent. Supporters say the face veil threatens security and hinders interaction, while those against say a ban violates religious rights against the backdrop of Islamophobia. At the moment, we are very worried about the political discourse against Islam, which has entered mainstream politics, said Baghajati of the Austrian Islamic Religious Authority, expressing anxiety over the rise of the Freedom Party, which, like similar groups across Europe, pedals an anti-immigration, anti-Islam line for political gain. Last week, the far-right nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won seats in Germanys Bundestag, the first to do so since World War II, stirring fears of similar waves in Austria. We are worried that this will have an effect on Austria, as well, said Baghajati. Accusations against Muslims, prejudices, and all kinds of negative thinking have now entered the mainstream. It feels as though it is a general threat against society to be a Muslim. Follow Zena Tahhan on Twitter: @zenatahhan Inhabitants of the Catalan region number up to 7.5 million, accounting for 15 percent of Spains population. The Catalans are the people who live in the Paisos Catalans, or Catalan Countries, which include Valencia, the Balearic Islands, parts of the Spanish region of Aragon, Roussillon in southeastern France and, Catalonia itself. Sundays referendum does not cover the entire Catalan Countries. It is confined only to Catalonia, an area in northeastern Spain, which has a population of 7.5 million people. The area accounts for 15 percent of Spains population and 20 percent of its economic output. The Catalans have a distinct history, culture and language. READ MORE: Catalonia independence referendum: All you need to know Salvador Dali, Antoni Gaudi, Joan Miro, Ferran Adria and Pep Guardiola are among the most famous Spanish Catalans. A defined region of Catalonia was first referenced in the 12th century, hundreds of years before the unification of Spain. Following the Nueva Plata decree of 1716, it came under the direct rule from Madrid. Catalan autonomy has been a recurring theme throughout the countrys history. In 1931, when Spain became a republic, Catalonia was given greater political autonomy within the confines of the state. However, within a decade following the Spanish Civil War, the regions autonomy was revoked by the military government of Francisco Franco. During Francos rule from 1939-1975, Catalan culture was heavily suppressed. Symbols of Catalan identity such as the castells, or human towers, were prohibited and parents were forced to choose Spanish names for their children. The Catalan language (which is also spoken in Valencia and the Balearic islands) was restricted, having been banned in public. As democracy in Spain developed in the aftermath of Franco, Catalan autonomy re-emerged and flourished. In 1979, a new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia was issued, which restored the Catalan parliament. Elections for the 135-member body were held the following year, on March 20. The region, which forms one of Spains 17 autonomous communities, has its own police force and powers over affairs such as education, healthcare and welfare. There are also provisions in place to protect Catalan identity, including joint language status for Catalan and Castilian, and a law that requires teachers, doctors and public sector employees to use the Catalan language in their places of work. However, a push for full independence has gathered pace in recent years, most notably since Spains 2008 debt crisis. READ MORE: Independence referendum: How Catalans plan to vote Pro-independence supporters claim Catalonia, which is one of Spains wealthiest regions, offers more financial support to Spain than it receives from the central government in Madrid. Many view the regions strong economy as an indicator that it would be viable as a sovereign state. About 1.6 million people live in Barcelona, Catalonias capital, which is a major tourist destination. Todays vote is the regions second referendum on independence in three years. An estimated 5.3 million of the regions 7.5 million population were eligible to vote. The Spanish region of Catalonia has voted in a referendum on independence. We answer key questions of the October 1 vote below, but for a more in-depth explainer please see here. Whats the question? Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic? Who can vote? Only Catalan residents of voting age, 18 and above, are entitled to participate in the referendum. An estimated 5.3 million of the regions 7.5 million population are eligible to vote. Up to 85 percent are in favour of holding the referendum, according to a poll conducted by El Periodico de Catalunya, a regional daily newspaper. However, only about 41 percent said they intend to vote Yes to independence when asked in June of this year by the Centre for Opinion Studies, the regional governments polling body. A number of pro-union Catalans are expected to boycott the vote, on the grounds that the referendum is illegal. How can Catalans vote? The Spanish government has sealed off a number of polling stations in Catalonia in order to prevent voters from taking part in the referendum. Up to 1,300 of 2,315 designated voting stations have been reportedly closed by Spanish police, who have been mobilised in the thousands, according to the central government in Madrid. In response, the Catalan government has said voters may use any polling station to cast a ballot if their designated voting place was shut. A number of clashes between security forces and would-be voters have already broken out across the region. When is a result expected to be announced? Voting was scheduled to begin at 09:00 local time (07:00 GMT), with the ballots expected to close 11 hours later at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT). The result of the referendum is expected within 48 hours. Catalonia governments electoral commission is responsible for overseeing the vote and the counting. Why does it matter? What happens next? Catalans regional government claims it will declare independence within 48 hours if there is a majority Yes vote in favour of independence. Such an outcome would have major consequences for the Spanish central government. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoys centre-right administration has reacted strongly to the planned vote, attempting to prevent the referendum, which it deems to be illegal on the grounds that Spains 1978 constitution grants the national government exclusive power to hold referendums. If Catalonia were to declare unilateral independence following the referendum, the Spanish government could suspend Catalan autonomy, plunging the nation into a political, and constitutional crisis. Should a vote against independence be returned, it is likely a new round of Catalan regional elections will follow. The referendum bill was passed by the 135-member Catalan parliament on September 6 with 72 votes in favour and 11 abstentions. European and Spanish officials as well as ordinary civilians offer competing views on the Catalonia vote on Twitter. Catalonias referendum on independence is under way, as voters across the region cast their ballots on the question: Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic? Since polls opened at 07:00 GMT, there have been frequent confrontations between Spanish police forces and would-be Catalan voters. More than 460 civilians and up to 12 security officials have sustained injuries as a result, according to Ada Colau, the Mayor of Barcelona, and the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. On social media, the exchange of opinions on the referendum also mirrored the tension in the streets of Catalonia. Over 460 people injured in Catalonia already. As Mayor of BCN I demand an immediate end to police charges against the defenceless population https://t.co/412z6Jacap Ada Colau (@AdaColau) October 1, 2017 Por el momento,9 agentes de @policia y 3de @guardiacivil han resultado heridos mientras cumplian la orden de la jueza del TSJC#EstamosporTI Ministerio del Interior (@interiorgob) October 1, 2017 Reactions in Spain were divided, with officials from the central government and regional government offering different versions of events. Juan Ignacio Zoido, Spains interior minister, praised the response of security officials as proportional and professional in a post containing a video showing a Spanish police officer providing a helping hand to a father and child near the Catalonian city of Girona. Proporcionalidad y profesionalidad. Asi actuan la @guardiacivil y la @policia, como este agente dialogando con un padre. #EstamosporTI pic.twitter.com/TX54CDjfJy Juan Ignacio Zoido (@zoidoJI) October 1, 2017 However, Raul Romeva i Rueda, the Catalan governments minister of foreign affairs, took a different view on events. He criticised Madrids response to the referendum, saying Catalonia would continue to push forward with the vote. The Spanish govt has shown us their arguments: repression & violence. We will continue to show ours: ballot boxes, votes, democracy & peace. pic.twitter.com/upxb4p87q8 Raul Romeva i Rueda (@raulromeva) October 1, 2017 The Spanish Ministry of the Interior posted a video showing stones being thrown at the Spanish Civil Guard, declaring violence against the police continues. Continua la violencia contra los agentes. @guardiacivil se retira expeditivamente bajo una lluvia de piedras lanzadas en grupo#EstamosporTI pic.twitter.com/wQsL5hMsL1 Ministerio del Interior (@interiorgob) October 1, 2017 Spains Civil Guard also posted a video showing clashes with members of the public, claiming officials were continuing to resist harassment and provocations as they discharge their obligations proportionally in defence of the law. La Guardia Civil resiste el acoso y las provocaciones ejerciendo con proporcionalidad sus funciones en defensa de la Ley#EstamosporTI pic.twitter.com/7ztW5NupEW Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) October 1, 2017 A number of individuals in Catalonia took to social media to contest the Spanish governments claims of proportionality, claiming violence was being used by security officials to deter Catalans from exercising their opinion. Natza Farres post, with images courtesy of Jordi Folch, showed police striking a number of civilians in the Guinardo district of Barcelona. aixi ens han tractat al cap guinardo. imatges de jordi folch pic.twitter.com/q35tOc5n1u natza farre (@natzafarre) October 1, 2017 Luz Sanchis, a journalist on the scene in Barcelona, posted the following video displaying police forcefully removing civilians from a polling centre at the Institute Pau Claris in Barcelona. En el instituto Pau Claris, ahora. Mi hermana llora y yo con ella desde Madrid. pic.twitter.com/USE5FHkPxA Luz Sanchis (@LuzSanchis) October 1, 2017 Mirroring the feelings expressed by many who had been prevented from voting, or disturbed by the police presence, Pau Subira Zurita asked where is democracy in the following post. Beyond Spanish borders, across Europe, a number of high-profile politicians commented on the situation via Twitter. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britains Labour Party criticised authorities for allowing shocking acts of violence to take place. Police violence against citizens in #Catalonia is shocking. The Spanish government must act to end it now. Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) October 1, 2017 Miro Cerar, centrist Slovenian leader, implored with officials involved to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the situation. I am concerned about situation. I call for political dialogue, rule of law and peaceful solutions. #CatalanReferandum #Spain dr. Miro Cerar (@MiroCerar) October 1, 2017 Charles Michel, Belgiums prime minister, also spoke out against the use of force by Spanish police. He called on both parties to resolve their political differences through non-violent means. Violence can never be the answer! We condemn all forms of violence and reaffirm our call for political dialogue #CatalanReferendum #Spain Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) October 1, 2017 As the situation continues to develop, the eyes of the world seem to be increasingly focused on Catalonia and the Spanish governments actions. Human Rights Watch, a US-based international NGO, has called for officials in Spain to respect the people of Catalonias rights to peaceful assembly and free expression, for both those who oppose independence and those who support it. Police urge people to avoid Saint-Charles station area after incident in which knife-wielding man attacked people. Two people, including one woman, are dead following a knife attack at the main train station in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, according to the French interior ministry. Xavier Tarabeux, a local prosecutor, says the assailant has been shot by soldiers patrolling there, while Marseille police are urging people to avoid the area around Saint-Charles station. French police confirmed reports that the knife-wielding man had been shot and killed in the attack, which occurred at 1:45pm local time (11:45 GMT) on Sunday. Two victims have been stabbed to death, Olivier de Mazieres, the regional police chief, told AFP news agency, referring to the attack at the Saint-Charles station, the most important train hub in the southern French city. Reuters news agency reported quoting a police source that the victims suffered gory injuries: one victims throat was slit while the other was stabbed in the stomach. Another police source said the suspect was estimated to be aged between 25-30 years and had no identification papers on him. Frances SNCF railways body advised people to drop plans to travel to and from Marseilles train station. French anti-terrorism authorities are reported to be investigating the attack. The person who carried out the attack was connected to ISIL, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The attacker was among ISILs soldiers, SITE said quoting the Amaq propaganda agency of the ISIL group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group. The deaths in Marseille come with the country still on high alert following a series of deadly attacks which began in January 2015 when assailants stormed the offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, killing 12. The government has since launched Operation Sentinelle, deploying about 7,000 troops across the country to guard high-risk areas such as transport hubs, tourist sites and religious buildings. The attacks since 2015 have left 239 people dead, according to an AFP count before Sundays incident. Gerard Collomb, Frances interior minister, said on Twitter that he would travel to Marseille immediately. Hong Kong protesters use China National Day to call for democracy In Hong Kong, protest organisers say 40,000 people marched on Sunday through heavy rain to rally against Chinese National Day celebrations. Demonstrators defied the celebrations to call for more democracy and an end to political persecution. Dzoel has no hands or legs but doesnt let that get in the way of his love of photography. Banyuwangi, Indonesia Despite being born without hands and legs, Achmad Zulkarnain, known as Dzoel by his friends, didnt realise he was different until he was eight years old, when children at school began teasing him about his appearance. I found a big mirror. That was when I realized Im different from everyone else, he told Al Jazeera. What followed was a period of depression. He stopped leaving the house. Eventually, with support from family and friends, he regained enough confidence to go back to class, later graduating from high school and getting a job running an internet cafe. There was a photography service there. I decided to buy a camera on credit. I learned and learned and learned until I was known as a photographer. Dzoels hobby turned into a profession. He has gained thousands of followers on Instagram through his striking images of landscapes and fashion shoots, and his services are in demand at weddings and for school yearbooks. He also volunteers at a local youth club, teaching camera and photoshop skills. Not content with being dependent on others to get around, he designed a go-cart style vehicle for himself, adapted to fit his needs. His family and friends helped source the parts and put it together. Today, 24 years old, Dzoel dismisses those who still label him as disabled. Im not disabled. Im simply a person created in a different way. I have my own way of doing things, he told Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera spent the day with Dzoel. Watch the video at the top to find out more. Filmmaker: Hassan Ghani Assistant Producer: Surya Fachrizal Translation: Nurfitri Taher Executive Producer: Andrew Phillips Sikh-Canadian politician becomes the first person of colour to lead a major federal party in the countrys history. Montreal, Canada Jagmeet Singh has been elected the new leader of Canadas New Democratic Party (NDP), a result the leftist party hopes will reinvigorate its support after a disappointing showing in the last federal election. Singh was elected with 53.6 percent of the vote, the NDP announced on Sunday afternoon. I dont have the words to capture this journey and how this feels right now, Singh, surrounded by his family and campaign team, told a crowd of NDP members in downtown Toronto. Its an incredibly profound honour. Thank you, Singh said. A total of 65,782 votes were cast in the leadership contest, as NDP members filed ranked ballots between September 18 and early afternoon on Sunday. Singh, who is Sikh and wears a turban, beat three other NDP leadership hopefuls to become the first person of colour to lead a federal political party in Canadian history. READ MORE: Who is Jagmeet Singh? The second-place finisher, Ontario MP Charlie Angus, garnered 19.3 percent of the vote. We are the party that is building a better Canada, Singh said on Sunday. And it is in us that you can see the future of our country [and] how great our country will be with a New Democratic government. Before jumping into the leadership race last May, Singh was a member of the Ontario provincial legislature, representing a riding in Brampton, a large suburb just outside of Toronto. He will lead the NDP from outside the House of Commons until he can run for election at the federal level. READ MORE: Canadas Jagmeet Singh Battling racism with love A lawyer by profession, Singh ran for the partys top spot under the slogan: With Love and Courage. He has vowed to raise taxes for Canadians with the highest incomes, decriminalise drug use, raise the minimum wage to 15 Canadian dollars ($12) an hour and remove children from Canadas no-fly list. He also opposes the expansion of major Canadian oil pipelines, a point of contention for Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus current government. United against hate Singh garnered international attention after his measured response to a woman shouting racist comments during a campaign event in Brampton last month went viral. Its important that we stand united against all forms of hate, Singh said after the incident. NDP supporters hope Singhs victory will bolster the party after it finished a disappointing third in the 2015 federal elections behind Trudeaus Liberals and the Conservative Party. That result eventually forced then-NDP leader Thomas Mulcair to step down. The loss came after the NDP unexpectedly surged to victory in ridings across the French-speaking province of Quebec in what was dubbed an Orange Wave in the 2011 elections. Singhs ability to lead the NDP to a strong showing in Quebec, which the party needs in order to have a shot at winning federal elections, has been called into question. Critics say Singh cannot win in a province where the issue of religious head coverings has been contentiously debated for years. But Singh has rejected that argument outright. He has been learning French, and said on Sunday that he would be an ally in the defence of [Quebecers] language and culture. Singh fundraised the most money out of any candidate and his campaign said it registered 47,000 new party members during the leadership race. The NDP is hoping the charismatic politician will make the party relevant again and can mount a serious challenge to Trudeau and his ruling Liberal Party. The next federal election in Canada is set for October 2019. Hassan Nasrallah described Kurdish referendum last week as part of an American-Israeli plot to carve up the Middle East. Lebanese group Hezbollah says the Iraqi Kurdish secession vote marked a first step towards the partition of the Middle East, warning it would lead to internal wars and must be opposed. Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Iran-backed group, said at a Saturday night rally events in northern Iraq where Kurds overwhelmingly voted last week were a threat to the whole region and not just Iraq and neighbouring states with Kurdish populations. It will open the door to partition, partition, partition, Nasrallah said. Partition means taking the region to internal wars whose end and timeframe is known only to God. Nasrallah noted his groups enemy Israel had come out in support of Kurdish statehood and described the referendum as part of an American-Israeli plot to carve up the region. READ MORE: Turkey warns of armed action over Kurdish referendum The United States came out in opposition to the vote, along with major European states and neighbouring countries Turkey and Iran. The government of Syria, where Kurdish groups have established autonomous regions, also opposed the referendum. Israel had no part in the Kurdish referendum, aside from the deep, natural sympathy over many years for the Kurdish people and their aspiration, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday during a cabinet meeting. Nasrallah said divisions would also reach other countries in the region including Saudi Arabia, a country he harshly criticised in his speech. Hezbollah, a political and military movement, is a major player in the Syrian conflict, where it has deployed thousands of fighters in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Hezbollah fighters are currently fighting along with other Iran-backed militias and the Syrian army against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters in eastern Syria. Daesh is at its end. It is a matter of time in Iraq and Syria, Nasrallah said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL. He said counterattacks mounted by the group in eastern Syria in the last two days were expected as it was besieged, adding ISIL was incapable of recovering ground. Pyongyang calls sanctions and pressure futile in halting its development of nuclear weapons. North Koreas state news agency has called the US-led effort to impose sanctions over its weapons programme futile, vowing the country inevitably will become a state nuclear force. The comments on Sunday came from the Korean Central News Agencys website Uriminzokkiri after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met for talks with Chinas top diplomats and President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the Korean nuclear crisis. Tillerson has been a proponent of a campaign of peaceful pressure, using US and UN sanctions and working with China to turn the screw on the regime. But his efforts have been overshadowed by an extraordinary war of words, with US President Donald Trump mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as little rocket man and Kim branding Trump a dotard. OPINION: What can actually trigger war on the Korean Peninsula? The US and the South Korean puppet forces are mistaken if they think that sanctions and pressure will keep the DPRK from attaining the goal of completing the state nuclear force, said KCNA, using the acronym for the countrys official name, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. The US and vassal forces would be well advised to bear in mind that their frantic sanctions contrary to the trend of the times will lead to their final doom. Washington has reached out to Pyongyang but received no response. We ask: Would you like talk?' Tillerson said on Saturday. Were not in a dark situation, a blackout. We have a couple, three channels open to Pyongyang. In Washington, the State Department said while communications channels do exist, North Korea has shown no interest in talking about giving up its nuclear weapons. Despite assurances that the United States is not interested in promoting the collapse of the current regime, pursuing regime change, accelerating reunification of the peninsula or mobilising forces north of the DMZ (demilitarised zone), North Korean officials have shown no indication that they are interested in or are ready for talks regarding de-nuclearisation, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. The US has not ruled out the use of force to compel Pyongyang to halt missile and nuclear tests, and last week Trump threatened to totally destroy the country. But privately, senior figures admit military options do not look promising, with ally South Koreas densely populated capital Seoul a city of 25 million people in range of North Koreas heavy artillery. Even as Tillerson met Xi and Chinas top diplomats State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, North Koreas propaganda agency fired a new barrage of insults. A statement proclaimed Trump an old psychopath bent on the suicidal act of inviting a nuclear disaster that will reduce America to a sea of flames. READ MORE: Pyongyang: All options on the table North Koreas rhetoric has been backed by a provocative series of ballistic missile tests and on September 3, it conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test yet. Washington, backed by most of the international community, has declared North Koreas programme unacceptable, fearing its own vast arsenal will not deter Kim from attack. With the world on edge, fears are growing a miscalculation from either side could trigger a renewed deadly conflict on the divided Korean Peninsula. Some recent tests saw North Korean missiles flying over Japan en route to the Pacific, and its latest underground detonation appears to have been a powerful hydrogen bomb. Observers have expressed concern if North Korea carries out an atmospheric nuclear test over the ocean, Washington will feel obliged to take risky military action. But Tillerson said that decision would be up to Trump alone. As far as I know the commander-in-chief has issued no red lines. Tillerson instead called for calm, singling out Pyongyangs missile tests for criticism. The whole situation is a bit overheated right now. I think everyone would like for it to calm down, he said in response to a question about Trumps threats. I think if North Korea would stop firing all the missiles, that would calm down things a lot. Ankara move is part of efforts to increase foothold in the Horn of Africa. Turkey has set up its biggest overseas military base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, increasing Ankaras presence in the Horn of Africa country. Officially opened on Saturday, the base, which reportedly cost $50m, will train 10,000 Somali troops and has the capacity to train at least 1,500 soldiers at a time, according to Turkish and Somali officials. This is the largest training base of its kind outside of Turkey, Hulusi Akar, Turkeys chief of General Staff, said at the ceremony. The government of Turkey and its army will provide all the needed support to our brothers in Somalia, Akar said. The base, spread over four square kilometres, has been under construction for the past two years. This academy is part of our commitment to rebuilding our army, Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre said at the inauguration ceremony. Somalia has been at war since 1991, when clan-based militia groups overthrew the government of long-time leader Siad Barre before they turned on each other. In the last decade, the western-backed government has been battling the al-Qaeda-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, which wants to impose a strict version of Islamic law. Geopolitical interests Turkey is not the only country that has set up a military facility in the country. The US has military bases in Somalia, although it has not publicly acknowledged their existence. One of the largest is at Balidogle airfield a former Somali Airforce base 110km northwest outside Mogadishu. The United Arab Emirates is another country which has army presence. It runs one military facility in Mogadishu and has agreed to a deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland in the countrys north to establish a second. Analysts say it is not surprising that many countries are establishing bases in the country of 11 million people. The strategic location of Somalia and its political impasse has made it an attractive location for foreign entities that have geopolitical interests in the region, Hamza Egal, a Nairobi-based Somalia analyst, told Al Jazeera. Turkey has been a strong ally in Somalias state building, but it also seeks mutually lucrative interests with the fragile state, Egal added. Ankara has been increasing its foothold in the strategic country with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visiting the horn of Africa country twice since 2011. Turkey has built schools, hospitals and roads in the country and continues to send humanitarian aid to Somalia. Counterprotesters heckle the attendees of a conference for Stormfront, a white supremacist forum linked to murders. White supremacists from across the United States have gathered in the state of Tennessee for the annual Stormfront forum summit, drawing protests from some community members and anti-racist activists. Dozens of protesters heckled the white supremacists as the summit attendees convened, according to local media. With more than 330,000 members, Stormfront is a leading web forum for white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis, among others. The forum started on Saturday in Crossville, a small town located 70km west of Knoxville, Tennessee and was announced by founder Don Black back in July. Black, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), reportedly fell ill and has been unable to attend the conference. Billy Roper, another white supremacist, took Blacks place. Among the attendees are several leaders and prominent figures of far-right groups from across the country. Matthew Heimbach, head of the Traditionalist Worker Party, a self-professed fascist organisation, was present, as was Michael Hill, who runs the neo-Confederate League of the South. The exact location of the summit was revealed in a private thread after it was changed from Knoxville, a much larger city, to Crossville, which is home to just over 10,000 people. Murder capital of the internet The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which monitors hate groups, describes Stormfront as the leading white supremacist web forum and murder capital of the internet. Between 1999 and 2014, the SPLC documented nearly 100 cases of Stormfront members carrying out bias-related homicides. In August, hundreds of white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, to protest the citys decision to remove a Confederate statue. READ MORE: Inside the alt-right Genocidal behind closed doors That rally, which was dubbed Unite the Right, was the largest of its kind in the countrys recent history. Attendees clashed with community members, anti-racists and anti-fascist activists throughout the city. By the end of the day, 20-year-old James Alex Fields, who was photographed marching with a neo-Nazi group earlier in the day, allegedly ploughed his car into an anti-racist march, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Following Charlottesville, far-right groups endured institutional and public backlash, with several cities and universities denying permits for their events and large counter-protests staged against events that did take place. They are neo-fascists Several websites affiliated with far-right groups were also taken offline, while social media outlets cancelled the accounts of several prominent white supremacist activists. Stormfront was among the many sites taken down. On Friday, however, the website was back online after a long dispute with the web host service. The reason why they took it down is because there were more than 100 deaths attributed to people who boasted on Stormfront, said Daryl Lamont Jenkins, an anti-fascist researcher and founder of the One Peoples Project. READ MORE: How neo-Nazis burn crosses from behind a keyboard Shouldnt that have happened after the first death? he told Al Jazeera ahead of the summit. They are neo-fascists, and people dont want anything to do with it anymore. Many far-right groups rallied behind US President Donald Trumps electoral campaign and celebrated his victory, pointing to policies designed to limit immigration and repeal affirmative action, among others. Jenkins said: The government is basically going to do their bidding because these are Trumps supporters. Thousands of people turned out across Catalonia on Sunday to vote in a secession referendum. Illegal and irresponsible are the words used by Spains deputy prime minister to condemn Catalonias leaders for Sundays controversial secession referendum. Tens of thousands of Catalans turned out to vote. That led to violent scenes in some parts of Barcelona, when Spanish national police sent from outside the region tried to shut down polling stations and confiscate ballots. In Madrid, the central government said police acted with professionalism and in a proportionate way. So, what does the future hold for Catalonia and Spain? Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam Guests: Enric Martinez-Herrera political analyst Luke Stobart Barcelona-based writer Sonia Andolz Lecturer, University of Barcelona The case against Assange is as political as it is legal; where does it go from here? Plus, Kenyas election influencers. English News China contributes win-win solutions against counter-globalization Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 1 Octobre 2017 In the past five years, China has established free trade zones, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and stepped up efforts to form a new open economic system and a new pattern of opening up. In the past four years, China has contributed most to the global economic growth, accounting for over 30 percent, overtaking the combined contribution rates of the US, Japan, and Europe. By Fang Tian (People's Daily Online) Faced with counter-globalization and profound changes in the world economy, China is showing its wisdom and making its voice heard to keep opening up and to promote reform of the global economic governance system, CCTV Finance Channel reported on Sept. 24, citing Amazing China, a documentary featuring Chinas social and economic achievements since 2012. In the past five years, China has established free trade zones, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and stepped up efforts to form a new open economic system and a new pattern of opening up. In the past four years, China has contributed most to the global economic growth, accounting for over 30 percent, overtaking the combined contribution rates of the US, Japan, and Europe. Opening up is the most viable choice to achieve national development and prosperity. China will keep its door wide open, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the 2017 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, voicing hope that other countries will also keep their doors open to Chinese investors and keep the playing field level for them. Against the voice of counter-globalization, Xi proposed at the Xiamen Summit that the BRICS countries need to unswervingly promote the building of an open world economy, so that all people can benefit from economic growth and globalization. China is contributing global solutions, featuring mutual sharing and win-win results with a vision of building a community of common destiny for all mankind. Development holds the master key to solving all problems. In pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative, we should focus on the fundamental issue of development, release the growth potential of various countries and achieve economic integration and interconnected development and deliver benefits to all, said Xi at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing last May. Todays China has been the major engine to drive global economic growth. It is approaching the center of the world and achieving the dream of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Dans la meme rubrique : < > Nansha: linking Hong Kong and Macao, a new gateway for China's high-level opening up China issues 145 million digital driver's licenses China accelerates green, low-carbon development Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) Democrats never miss a chance to call for national conversations on gun control, racism, etc. What we need is a national conversation on lies. Without this one, all the other conversations are worse than useless. The most self-destructive lies are the ones we tell ourselves to avoid the discomfort of admitting our imperfections. Think eating crow. Honest people use the discomfort of self-awareness as a spur to self-correction and self-improvement. The Democrat mind evades the pain. For example, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz denies error in employing an allegedly criminal I T expert, the liberal press spikes stories like the Kermit Gosnell trial that threaten the Democrat agenda, and liberal journalists cut off conservatives to evade uncomfortable discussions. This is how Democrats concoct lies to convince themselves that their faults lie anywhere but in themselves. So when a Democrat speaks, dont ask, Is he lying? Ask, Is he lying to himself, or only to me? The varieties of lies are as common as crabgrass. Heres a list you keep on hand for use when talking to a Democrat: scapegoating, intellectual deviousness, pretentiousness, phony altruism, the crisis is upon us, and Im so great you must be desperate to hear me talk about me. Here are some examples of Democrats engaging in each type of lie (italicized). Scapegoating is the act of blaming someone or something innocent for our faults. Yes, I beat my wife to death, but she made me do it. If you dont remember anything else, remember this variety of lie with a klaxon warning. Bernie Sanders scapegoats the 1%. Obama blames everybody but himself, and never used the words sorry or apologize about himself during his misnamed Apology Tour, actually showing foreign nationals by his example how to scapegoat the U.S. Hillary Clinton scapegoats Macedonian content farmers, James Comey, and misogyny for her election loss. The rest of the Democratic Party enthusiastically joins her in the scapegoating of Republican collusion with Vladimir Putin without any evidence supporting the lie. When Congressman Scalise was shot by a Bernie Sanders fanatic, Nancy Pelosi scapegoated Republicans, because Somewhere in the 90s, Republicans decided on a politics of personal destruction when they went after the Clintons. This last example is a twofer, with the lie requiring both scapegoating and intellectual deviousness, where the rules of logic are broken to make the lie work. As Robert Heinlein said, Man is not a rational animal. Man is a rationalizing animal. Watch for hypothesis stated as fact, particularly when it counters experience, reason, or evidence (America has always been about immigration rather than Liberty); straw man arguments or false choices; and euphemisms which soften a harsher truth (undocumented immigrants vs. illegal aliens or Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Abortion). Slippery Bill Clinton narrowed the definition of sex to exclude fellatio. Consider Islam is a religion of peace. Told for Democrat electoral benefit, this steaming shovelful is disproven by the mounting body count and 1400 years of historical fact. Democrats argue that several million Muslims dont commit terror -- QED. Using the same intellectually devious logic, Southern white culture a century ago was a model of racial equality, where only a small minority of Caucasians belonged to the Ku Klux Klan, and an even smaller number had ever participated in a lynching. The previous example also illustrates Democrat sanctimony or pretentiousness. Appearing good is more important than being good. As Dennis Prager explains, Democrats strut their faux virtue and courage by fighting imaginary villains instead of real ones; Islamaphobes instead of Islamism, Confederate statues and carbon emissions rather than Antifas war on free speech. Smaller pretentions are ubiquitous; here Obama affects a phony street-smart accent, not acquired in Hawaii or Harvard, to impress his young black audience. Phony altruism is a kind of pretentiousness but has a different and far more destructive purpose, so it deserves its own category. Youre too pathetic to decide for yourself how to live. Combating imagined helplessness is the self-fulfilling prophecy used to bribe people into becoming supporters and sycophants. Democrats have cultivated a state of dependence on government using Obamacare, food stamps to overcome pride, and Obamaphones for votes. We should redesign quarter dollar coins, and replace Liberty as our national ideal with Perpetual Custodial Care. The crisis is upon us. Democrats love to lie that nothing is more important or urgent than their grievances, because when you get what you want in an emergency suddenly everything becomes an emergency. That allows disregard and contempt for the conventional rules and restraints of behavior. For example, you may try to suspend free speech to battle global warming or take a knee for the national anthem. Obama displayed this type of lie when he violated his Constitutional limits with his Libyan incursion, selectively ignored healthcare enforcement and immigration laws, created the DACA program, and weaponized the IRS to harass conservatives. Im so great you must be desperate to hear me talk about me. Obama is so ensnared in lies that the world only makes sense under the dome of Obamaworld, where conctradicting facts may never enter. In Obamaworld, Saint Barack claimed heroism in killing bin Laden, completed two autobiographies before accomplishing anything, and made two cringe-worthy self-referential tributes at the passing of Neil Armstrong and Daniel Inouye. Here are two examples to practice classifying lies according to their types. Refer to your checklist. I recently spoke with a Democrat who said that Trump was a career criminal and deserved to die. This kind of lie is told in many ways: Republicans are racists and Nazis; Trump is a Russian operative, etc. This lie flows from pretentiousness, with the goal being to display imagined super-sensitivity to unacceptable behavior and thus express the most sanctimonious outrage. Watch two Democrats try to one-up each other in their feigned disgust with Republicans, smiling the whole time. Heres the second example. Expect Democrats to respond, Republicans are just as bad. This is hypothesis stated as fact, a form of intellectual deviousness. And no, they arent. I hypothesize two reasons, both attributable to honest self-examination and confrontation of imperfections. First, conservatives include more observant Christians and Jews, who routinely stand in their liturgies before an omniscient God to acknowledge their shortcomings and request forgiveness. Second, a liberal press exposes Republican corruption but conceals Democrat depravity from public view and accountability. These together make lying more painful for Conservatives than self-awareness. Screaming LIAR! at Democrats only deepens the pain of self-awareness and reinforces their withdrawal into self-deception. Instead, we must break the thrall of Democrat leaders over the rank-and-file by patiently explaining their leaders lies. Most importantly, we must set the example and invite them to join us in honest self-examination and the rejection of lies. There are still a lot of old leftists who are proud of the anti-Vietnam War position they held in the nineteen sixties and early seventies. One can only wonder how they might react to PBSs recent airing of a series on the Vietnam War produced by Ken Burns. PBS and Burns are hardly "conservative," but the series ended with the release of over 500 POW's by the North Vietnamese. When I saw the happiness of these men being reunited with their families, and being on a plane rejoicing in their freedom, my tears flowed along with theirs. And you won't be surprised to learn that American flags were everywhere. They were draped on coffins, they were waving "Welcome Home," they were on walls. Black and white prisoners were free, hugging each other, rejoicing together. Seeing these scenes of happiness, all my old conflicts about that war flooded back from the recesses of my memory. Although in the decades since the Vietnam War, I had moved away from my anti-War activism, many of the old leftists from the sixties and early seventies have not changed. They are still proud of their anti-Vietnam War position. It was then that they formed the idea that saying the Pledge of Allegiance, especially with ones right hand over ones heart, was totally inane and out-of-date. One colleague told me that it was mere symbolism, and that one could be patriotic in ones heart without engaging in these superficial tributes to the Flag. He never stopped to consider that the enemies of the USA were not within ones mind and heart, but were real, external threats the Nazis, the Japanese, the Commies, and now the Islamic jihadists. We fight these enemies in a real way for the sake of a real country (not just an attitude or a feeling) under a Flag that expresses that reality. These same educators are quite comfortable with teaching in high schools in New York City where the Star Spangled Banner is sung only at graduation, where students are allowed not to stand and not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance if and when it is broadcast over the public address system, and where God Bless America, America the Beautiful, and My Country Tis Of Thee are never sung (not even once during my twenty-one years in the New York schools). Yes, they are still proud of their anti-Vietnam War position. But what in God's name are they proud of? The communist takeover of Indochina? The millions of South Vietnamese sent to "re-education" camps? The killing fields of Pol Pot in Cambodia? The experience of one of my colleagues who, as a little boy, was put in a boat in Vietnam by his parents along with his brother and many other children, a boat that drifted into the lonely darkness to finally end up in a refugee camp in Thailand? Many of those children didn't survive! I had also supported the anti-War movement, but upon seeing these consequences, upon seeing the ascension of the Left in America with a Jimmy Carter presidency, the error of my thinking became quite apparent. The reds had not only won in Vietnam, but had made a giant step forward in U.S. politics. And those flag hating, America hating brigades of leftist egotists -- with hearts and minds filled with grievances -- hearts and minds lacking gratitude for the blessings of this country -- are still here in greater numbers, taking a knee (not in prayer), supporting those taking a knee, and wallowing in a leftwing self-righteousness that is truly ignorant. It is a rejection of a living patriotism and the dead who kept us going. When the Vietnam War was over, everyone was relieved it was over, but we did not anticipate the travesties imposed by the North Vietnamese that were about to happen. Nevertheless, the flag was still flying. America was still America the beautiful. But we had lost, no matter how hard we tried to put a good face on it. Those little guys in the jungle took us down. It hurt then, and it still hurts, especially when seeing the way South Vietnam was treated with millions persecuted, and then the killing fields of Cambodia where death in the name of communism rained down under the auspices of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge. The domino theory that was scoffed at by the Left during the War proved to be at least partially correct as Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam) went communist. In Burns series on the Vietnam War, the image of the flag remains a unifying symbol, a ray of hope. It had been there for the former captives to remind them that their country had not abandoned them. No ignoramuses with shoulder pads, millions in the bank, and mile high chips on their shoulders can change the fact that love of the flag sustained our POWs and our troops until 1973, and eventually brought them home. We have not seen so much division and hostility in Spain since the Spanish Civil War of the late 1930s. It seems like every one of my Spanish friends has an opinion about today's vote. One of my friends refers to Catalonia as "crazy rebels." One of my other friends calls the government in Madrid a few names not suitable for a family blog. At the same time, they're all very concerned about what happens the next day. The people who want independence don't know how they will react the day after. The people who want Catalonia to stay are afraid that it could lead to a civil war. And both sides fear the economic impact of putting everyone through this. Today, the people of Catalonia will vote to split from Spain, as we see in this update by John Moody: Catalans have their own culture and language, and for the past two years, their political leadership has been promising citizens a vote. Spain's Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has said such a ballot would be invalid and in violation of Spain's constitution. The possibility that Catalonia would split off from Spain is very much like California's "Calexit" movement. Politically and psychologically, the Golden State is different from America's misnamed "flyover" states, so its aspirations to be independent are understandable. Just a few months ago, one independence movement said leaving the United States was the only way to defend "California values." So, too, Catalonia's desire to pull away from the rest of Spain, of which it's been a part since the 15th century, when King Ferdinand of Aragon married Queen Isabella of Castile and united their realms. Today, Catalonia is one of Spain's economic engines, and Barcelona, its capital, is the country's leading destination for tourists. So independence advocates have a legitimate claim that Catalonia gives more than it gets from the rest of the country. So what happens today? Nobody knows, because nobody really knows. The polls are too close to call, so turnout will probably decide the outcome. Some of my friends in Barcelona disagree with the comparison to California. I do, too. California is heavily dependent on the other 49 for defense. Have you seen how many military installations there are in California? Finally, California is not exactly bound together culturally like Catalonia. The disconnect with the other 49 is a coastal matter. All of those red areas want nothing to do with separation, and even the northern portion wants to break away and become its own state of Jefferson. Catalonia does not have those internal divisions. It is a more cohesive area. If Catalonia breaks off, then secession could become the new game in town. If it does not break away, then get ready for a bitter marriage. We should have some early reading of the vote this evening. Wait and see is all we can say for now! PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter. A Austrian law banning the full face covering of women, known as the "Burqa Ban," will go into effect today and strong support for the law may signal a rightward shift in a nation governed from the center since the end of World War II. National elections are looming on October 15 and support for the burga ban by the two nationalist parties could propel them to power in a coalition government. Associated Press: The Austrian law called Prohibition for the Covering of the Face forbids off-slope ski masks, surgical masks outside hospitals and party masks in public. Violations carry a possible fine of 150 euros (nearly $180) and police are authorized to use force with people who resist showing their faces. But its popular name reflects the most prevalent association the garments some Muslim women wear to conceal their whole faces and bodies. The garments are rare in Austria even after the recent surge of migrants into Europe. Support for the law is strong nonetheless, reflecting anti-Muslim attitudes in the predominantly Catholic country. Its not right that those living here dont show their faces, said Emma Schwaiger, who expressed support for the ban in a straw poll on the streets of Vienna. Five in seven of those who said they backed the law also said they will vote for the two parties that critics link to anti-Muslim sentiment the traditionally xenophobic Freedom Party and the Peoples Party. The Peoples Party avoids the Freedom Partys inflammatory talk, but has swung radically from the center under new leader Sebastian Kurz to echo that partys positions on migration. The Social Democratic Party, currently the majority partner in the government coalition with the Peoples Party, has been left struggling. Under Chancellor Christian Kern, the Social Democrats are focusing on social topics and claiming credit for Austrias recent economic upturn. But Kerns message is not coming across well. A Unique Research poll of 1,500 respondents published Thursday showed the Social Democrats with 27 percent support, ahead of the Freedom Party at 25 percent but trailing the Peoples Party with 34 percent. The poll had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. Previously associated with stagnation and lack of direction, the Peoples Party was trailing in third place until Kurz, Austrias telegenic 31-year old foreign minister, took leadership in May after securing party pledges of full authority. He already was known Europe-wide for shutting down the West Balkans route into the prosperous EU heartland for migrants. With early elections set after the breakup of the coalition with the Social Democrats, he rapidly remade the party in his own image. Austria allowed more than 100,000 refugees into the country, which is proving to be very unpopular. In fact, the refugee issue is turning politics on the entire continent upside down. It's no accident that those political parties that embraced the new arrivals are losing support while those who opposed their entry are soaring. In this case, unlike in Germany where the nationalists gained ground but won't have a seat at the table, the Austrian right is set to make unprecedented gains that will probably lead to a takeover. But before the right in the US gets too excited, it should be noted that the Austrian right is just as dedicated to the socialist model of governing as the left wing, with a few exceptions. This holds true across Europe as voters have become addicted to government benefits. Look what's happening in France as President Macron is trying to implement extremely modest labor reforms. Macron's party, En Marche, has seen their approval numbers tank at least partly a result of the passage of labor reforms. Eventually, the left wing parties in Austria and Europe will adapt to the new political situation, as Germany's Merkel has already done, and slow or halt the flow of refugees. But with nearly 2 million new arrivals across Europe, it's a fair question to ask how much longer Europe will remain "Europe." Lets face facts. There is a revolutionary movement afoot in the United States. And it is organizing itself before our eyes. Serious people believe that the constitutional republic can be overthrown. Overt Marxist and revolutionary groups never gave up the cause, but others in respectable jobs worked tacitly to shape education into political indoctrination, at all levels. Revolutionary Communist Party demonstrators. Screen grab from RT. One of the principal forces that will bring about the fall of the regime is street violence that can overwhelm the forces of law and order. A cadre of youth to take control of the streets of our major cities has already been indoctrinated that hate speech is the same thing as violence, so it is moral and just to violently attack the fascists who are killing minorities. Paul Mirengoff of Powerline spotted a horrifying video of a student at the University of California, Riverside stealing a MAGA hat and defending her conduct on these grounds. She is clearly angry and feels that direct action (violating the unjust code of conduct of the fascist regime) is just and moral. This is what she has been taught, as have millions of others for a generation or more in some places. The video is nine-and-a-half minutes, as it is uncut. Education, where the left reigns supreme, has endowed us with legions of indebted youth, stuck in low wage service jobs, and indoctrinated into the view that they are the victims of racism, sexism, homophobia, and most of all, capitalism. They are the Sans Culottes or Red Guards of the coming revolution, at least in the dreams of the Lenin-wannabes. In the information age, inevitably, the supply of angry demonstrator-wannabes is meeting the demand of agitators anxious to make some revolutionary whoopee. So, if you live in the Chicago area and feel like working out some of your frustrations, you have a one-stop shopping website in http://www.protestchicago.com/. Our Mission The rise of activism has made it difficult for action-minded people to find out where and when people are gathering to raise their voices. The volume of protest events is large and increasing, and its hard to find a comprehensive list of events in one place. ProtestChicago.com is an online guide to Chicago-area protest events, striving to consolidate all area protests into one easy-to-use website. ProtestChicago.com accepts any protest and rally event notifications from progressive organizations and lists them in a simple, clean format. Events are displayed in chronological order, and include all the relevant details including links to organizers own promotional media with no analysis, opinion, or comment. Please note that ProtestChicago does not organize events. All information is posted in good faith, from public sources, and may not reflect any last minute changes orchestrated by event organizers. If you wish to contact event organizers, please use the links provided to reach out to them. Content is limited to progressive public rallies and protests. The direction in which we are headed ought to be self-evident. Lets stop pretending that a return to civility depends on President Trump changing his tweeting. Serious people have been working a long time, a great success, to put in place the revolutionary cadre. The MOTUS blog (michellesmirror.com) has captured a precious moment in the history of Trump Derangement Syndrome, the reigning madness on the left. A heavyweight at the Washington Post, fashion critic Robin Ghivan, one of the papers Pulitzer winners, has just condemned white supremacists, specifically the ones at Charlottesville, for not dressing in pointy hoods and sheets, or maybe Nazi regalia, apparently. Shes a Trump-hater and she's really mad because that the demonstrators didnt dress in costumes that she can recognize (and presumably decry): In the multitude of images from Charlottesville, the race-baiting protesters are decked out in white polo shirts and khakis. Others are wearing neat jeans, button-down shirts, cargo shorts. They are wearing jeans and striped pullovers that look like they could have come from the sale rack at a local Gap. Photo credit: Evelyn Hockstein for The Washington Post Motus brings wit to the subject, so her mockery will brighten your day. There is a lot more to mock. And ridicule is the only medicine that can cure that particular mental affliction. Obamacare may not be repealed. tax reform may be in limbo, and the president's travel ban may be stuck in the courts. But no one argues that the one area where the president has succeeded is in rolling back the regulatory state that was out of control during the Obama years. The president's deregulation actions so far have met with widespread approval. On Monday, the president will announce more of his administration's red tape cutting, hoping to put a dent in the more than $80 billion in annualized costs for regulations imposed during the Obama years. Washington Times: In a speech in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Trump will call attention to the benefit that reform can have for ordinary Americans, said Neomi Rao, administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Mr. Trump also has issued a memo directing federal agencies to lower the overall cost of their regulations in fiscal 2018. The president has made regulatory reform a priority in his first eight months, issuing an executive order that requires two regulations be eliminated for every new one implemented. So far, Ms. Rao said, the administration has imposed four new rules and eliminated 10. In a speech to manufacturers on Friday, the president called his administrations effort a groundbreaking campaign. We have taken unprecedented steps to remove job-killing regulations that sap the energy, creativity and dynamism from our country, he said. We are cutting regulations at a pace that has never even been thought of before. He said some regulation is necessary, but we dont need 35 regulations to take care of one item. We dont need to go through nine different agencies to get something taken off. We want beautiful, fast, efficient regulation that works. Ms. Reo said the administrations rulemaking since January has resulted in savings of $300 million in annualized costs for businesses, a marked shift from the first year of the Obama administration. In the eight years of the previous administration, they imposed about $80 billion in annualized costs on the private sector, she said. According to one study by the Mercator Institute, regulations cost American business $4 trillion. The study "shows that the U.S. regulatory burden alone is bigger than the economies of Germany, France, Brazil, Russia, or the U.K." The Code of Federal Regulations that lists all these rules is now 180,000 pages. Each and every one of those regulations carries with it the force of law. Worse, interpreting those laws has become a huge burden for small business who must either hire outside consultants to help them through the maze of regulations, or hire a federal compliance officer. Even more bizarrely, those regulations are interpreted by bureaucrats, who can choose to cite a company for not being in compliance based on the bureaucrat's own understanding of the law. Most companies will pay the fine rather than fight a federal agency in court. It took 50 years to put in place the regulatory state and Trump is not going to fix it in 4 or even 8 years. But he's made a fine start and his successors have a blueprint on how to roll back regulations that stifle growth and entrepreneurship. Picasso exhibit celebrates 100th anniversary of Italy trip 100 masterworks at Rome's Quirinale Palace (by Nicoletta Castagni) (ANSA) - Rome, September 22 - An exhibit is opening Friday at Rome's Scuderie del Quirinale to celebrate the centennial of Pablo Picasso's trip to Italy in 1917 with friend Jean Cocteau. 'Picasso - Between Cubism and Classicism 1915-1925' runs through January 22 and vies to highlight the impact of the trip on Picasso, who accompanied Cocteau for the staging of the ballet Parade and painted its curtain, which will be exhibited for the first time in Rome at Palazzo Barberini. The organization of the exhibit required ''three years of intense work with curators Olivier Berggruen and Anunciata von Liechtenstein'', said Mario De Simoni, president of the culture ministry's Ales agency. Berggruen over the past decade has been studying the relationship between Picasso and theater, contributing to curate the show's display of over 100 masterworks and as many documents from the 2915-1925 period, one of the most creative for the artist. When he took the trip in 2017, Picasso was 36 and an acclaimed artist at the helm of the Cubism movement. The curator stressed that the artist was perceiving the crisis of the movement that had made him famous and let Cocteau persuade him to accompany him in Italy, where he had to meet Ballets Russes impresario Sergej Djagilev to design the set, costumes and curtain of the ballet Parade. Far from the war, Picasso experienced an artistic renaissance in Rome, getting to know members of the Futurist and Secessionist movements, said Burggruen while ''coming into contact with renaissance and classic art'' and Italian traditional iconography, ''in particular the masques of Pulcinella'' as he travelled to Naples, Pompeii, Florence and Milan. He also met his future wife during his Italian travels, Olga Khochlova, a dancer in the ballet. Masterworks on display include Man Seated at Table and Harlequin and Woman with Necklace, painted in Rome. Portraits of celebrated dancer and choreographer Leonide Massine and his wife Olga are also part of the display. Picasso's take on classicism is documented by the Great Bather, the Three Women at the Fountain and the Pan Pipes. Two Women Running on the Beach, an iconic little painting embodying his neoclassical period, is one of the exhibit's highlights. The Catalan government has launched its international offensive. Halfway through the day of the referendum, and following numerous images of Spanish riot police charging voters, Catalonias Minister of the Presidency, Jordi Turull, and Foreign Minister Raul Romeva held a joint press conference to urge Europe to adopt measures and study possible sanctions against Spain for its actions in Catalonia today: "It is tarnishing the EUs image as a guarantor of democracy and respect for Human Rights," declared Romeva. The Catalan Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that the Catalan government will initiate the necessary procedures to activate the "prevention and sanction" mechanisms as established in Article 7 of the European Treaty. Romeva announced that the government will call on the European Parliament and the European Commission to urge the EU Council to adopt the mechanisms of control and sanction against Spain that it deems necessary. Calls for Millos resignation Earlier, in another brief appearance at the Mediapro International Press Center, the Minister of the Presidency, Jordi Turull, called for the resignation of the Spanish government representative in Catalonia, Enric Millo, for being "directly responsible for state-sponsored repression and violence that is reminiscent of the Franco era". Turull accused Millo of using "language typical of an abuser" when he decried that Catalonias insistence on holding the referendum had forced Spain "to do things it did not want to do". The minister stated that there was an agreement whereby Spains two police forces would only act at the request of the Mossos [Catalonias police force], contrary to what has happened. Nevertheless, the Interior Ministry's deputy Minister, Jose Antonio Nieto, denied that the Security Board of Catalonia had any authority to reach an agreement on what protocol should be followed. The Abu Dhabi-based airline sent three relief flights to the area between the 15th and 21st September to provide relief cargo for those who were affected by the disaster. Maximus Air team faced several logistical challenges during the relief mission, including vast geographical distance, short notice and a challenging time frame. Despite these challenges, the commercial team in coordination with the flight operation department and flight and loading crew successfully dispatched the companys Antonov AN-124-100 plane to Barbados and back three times within the space of a week. The AN-124 one of the largest cargo planes in the world is the ideal transport method for delivering outsize cargo over long distances in a timely manner at a short notice. Mohamed Al Qassimi, CEO of Maximus Air, commented: We are proud to have been able to put our logistical expertise to the service of those affected by Hurricane Irma. Since our inception, we have held true to the belief that we have an important duty to help those in need around the world. We would like to thank our customers for their continued trust in us and our team for their determined commitment to supporting this cause, which helped to make our relief mission a success. Maximus Air is prepared to offer its assistance whenever duty calls, and we urge to other companies to embrace this responsibility. Since it was established in 2005, humanitarian and relief missions have been a key component of operations at Maximus Air, which has gained extensive expertise in managing logistical operations and is fully equipped to respond swiftly and effectively to disasters like Hurricane Irma. Bhutan's imports will likely increase as Indian exports are zero rated under GST, making the imports cheaper. Goods and Services Tax (GST) may have an adverse impact on the Bhutanese economy through trade and revenue channels, said an ADP report. New Delhi: India's Goods and Services Tax (GST) may have an adverse impact on the Bhutanese economy through trade and revenue channels, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its latest report. The total trade between India and Bhutan was valued at USD 817 million in 2016-17, up from USD 750 million a year ago, as per Indian government data. India's exports to Bhutan totalled USD 509 million while imports came in at USD 308 million. "India's Goods and Services Tax (GST), implemented in July 2017, may have an adverse impact on the Bhutanese economy... through trade and revenue channels," stated the Asian Development Outlook 2017 Update report. According to the report, Bhutan's imports will likely increase as Indian exports are zero rated under GST, making the imports cheaper. "Exports to India will be subjected to GST, removing Bhutan's previous competitive edge over Indian producers," it stated. Additionally, rebates of Indian excise duties to the Bhutanese government will end as these taxes have been subsumed within GST, implying a loss of budget revenue, it said. The Government of Bhutan, the report said, has decided for the time being not to levy higher taxes on imports from India, but to use credit policy to restrain import demand, especially for automobiles. Bhutan imports machines, medical equipment, processed food, iron and steel, fibre, pharma, hardware and electrical transformers, among others, from India, while exports include household articles, pepper, electric components and electricity. The actress gave birth to her second set of twins Arthur Jaitly Haag and Shamsher Jaitly Haag. New Delhi: Giving birth is a magical moment in the life of a woman who welcomes a new life into her family. However, this magical moment turned out to be "bittersweet" for actress Celina Jaitley. The actress, who is already the mother of twin boys Winston & Viraaj with husband Peter Haag, gave birth to her second set of twins Arthur Jaitly Haag and Shamsher Jaitly Haag. But, due to a serious heart condition, their son Shamsher Jaitly Haag passed away. Celina shared this part of her life on her Facebook page where she described this announcement as "bittersweet". She began by saying, "Announcing the Bittersweet arrival of our second set of twins. When it rains look for rainbows when it's dark look for stars. My dearest friends, beloved fans and followers. On the auspicious occasion of Dusshera, we would like to take this opportunity to share with you all the following bittersweet news." Adding, "The Gods above have blessed us yet again with another set of very handsome twin boys 'Arthur Jaitly Haag' and 'Shamsher Jaitly Haag' in Dubai on 10th September 2017. However, life is not always how we plan it to be. Our son 'Shamsher Jaitly Haag' succumbed to a serious heart condition and could not continue his journey in this world." The actress continued the post by sharing that a part of her son Shamsher will always live through her son Arthur. "Heartbreaking as that is we are very fortunate that a part of him still lives with us through Arthur, whose face will always remind us that an angel who looks exactly like him looks upon us from the arms of his grandfather, my father, in the heavens above, whom we also lost two months ago," added Jaitley. The actress had recently lost her father in July 2017 and described the last two months of her life as "tumultuous". She concluded the post by writing, "The last two months have been a tumultuous journey for us from losing my beloved father and now baby Shamsher, however, there is always a light at the end of a tunnel, and that light for us is our handsome son 'Arthur Jaitly Haag' who seeks your blessings and love in his journey that he commences in this world. We thank you all in advance for your love and continued support." The actress and her hotelier husband Peter Haag have been living in Dubai with their 5 year old twins. JavaScript is disabled on your browser. CORDIS website requires JavaScript enabled in order to work properly. Please enable JavaScript. Rajinis speech assumes significance since it comes close on the heels of Kamal setting a January deadline for the launch of his new political party. Chennai: In a subtle dig at his friend and actor Kamal Haasan, who is carefully choreographing his launch into politics, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Sunday said one needs something beyond celebrity status to succeed in politics. To make his point, Mr Rajini cited the example of late Sivaji Ganesans failure in politics despite being a top-notch actor. Mr Rajinikanth, who is still keeping his cards close to the chest on whether he would take the plunge into politics, used the dais at the opening of late actor Sivaji Ganesans memorial on the banks of the Adyar here to talk about politics and Mr Kamal, who was also seated on the dais on Sunday. A legend of our times, Sivaji Ganesan has left us a lesson not just in cinema but also in politics. He launched his own political party and lost elections, including from his own seat. This was not an insult to him, but the people of that constituency. So, the message is that fame and clout (earned in cinema) is not enough to succeed in politics. There should be something beyond that, Rajinikanth said. I dont know what it is. But I think Kamal Haasan would know and even if he knows the secret, he would not tell me. Maybe he would have told me if I had asked him two months back. When I say you (Haasan) are senior to me in cinema, and are like an elder brother and ask him to share that with me, he says come with me and I will tell, he said. Rajinikanth was obviously referring to Kamal Haasans major political statement in July asking people to send complaints to Ministers about corruption in their departments. Political observers see the comments as Rajinikanth avenging Kamal Hassans indirect dig at him at the 75th anniversary celebrations of DMK mouthpiece Murasoli in August. At that event, Kamal had said, self-respect is more important than self-protection in what was seen as an indirect reference to Rajinikanth who did not share the dais with DMK leaders and senior journalists but instead sat in the audience. They also said Rajinikanths comments are also seen as a symbol of his taking a few steps backward as he may have decided already against active politics. Kamal Haasan, who was seated on the dais on Sunday, chuckled as Rajinikanth spoke about him and his inevitable entry into politics. Rajinis speech assumes significance since it comes close on the heels of Kamal setting a January deadline for the launch of his new political party. In his speech, Kamal confined himself only to praise Sivaji Ganesan and termed him as an actor who transcended state, national and continental boundaries. If I had not been in cinema, I would have been a fan and even if I was not allowed entry here, I would have been waiting (outside). None could have stopped me, he said. Sivaji Ganesan, one of the legends of the Tamil cinema, could not taste success in politics despite achieving tremendous name and fame in tinsel town. His political venture failed and he himself lost from his own seat when he contested the Assembly elections in 1980s. Reportedly, Haque's wife Mamtaj Begum was also summoned by a foreigner's tribunal in 2012 to prove her citizenship. Haque said that it was not possible to join the Army without a police verification, which in his case was also done. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) Guwahati: The Assam Police has accused Mohd Azmal Haque, who served the Indian Army for 30 years, of being an illegal Bangladeshi migrant. It has registered a case against him, asking him to prove his nationality. Haque, who lives in Chayyagaon, 70 km from Guwahati, received a notice in September from the foreigner's tribunal, according to reports. He has been asked to prove that he is an Indian national and not a Bangladesh migrant. The tribunal will begin hearing on October 13. The notice stated that the district police have alleged that Haque, who retired as a Junior Commissioned Officer last year, entered Assam illegally without documents after March 25, 1971. "I am very sad, I cried a lot. My soul is broken... After 30 years of service I have to face such insult...If I were an illegal Bangladeshi, how could have I serve the Indian army?" NDTV quoted Haque as saying. Dear India,AzmalHaque,ex-IndianArmy,wants u all to listen to him& request @PMOIndia to stop harassing IndianCitizens in d name of foreigners pic.twitter.com/5xHfB1Ldji Aman Wadud (@AmanWadud) September 30, 2017 Haque said that it was not possible to join the Army without a police verification, which in his case was also done. Reportedly, Haque's wife Mamtaj Begum was also summoned by a foreigner's tribunal in 2012 to prove her citizenship. I have no doubt that I will get justice at the tribunal. But it pains me when my daughter questions me if this is how the country treats those who serve it for so many years, Hindustan Times quoted Haque as saying. Infiltration of illegal migrants from Bangladesh has been a major issue in Assam. After BJP came to power in Assam last year, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal faced the grave challenge of resolving the illegal migration issue in the state. The government promised to end it by sealing the 262 km Indo-Bangladesh border. Sonowal had then said that he will ensure that illegal migration from Bangladesh is stopped in two years. The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from it. Ambala: The Indian Air Force has initiated major infrastructure upgrade at its frontline base here for deployment of the first squadron of the Rafale jets which will give India greater potency over Pakistan as these will be capable of carrying nuclear weapons and other missiles. The government has already sanctioned Rs 220 crore to set up 14 shelters, hangars and maintenance facilities at the 78- year-old base for the Rafale jets whose delivery is scheduled to begin from September, 2019, a senior IAF official said. We are creating infrastructure keeping in mind infrastructure requirement for the Rafale jets for next 40-50 years, the official said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to media. The Ambala base is considered one of the most strategically located bases of the IAF as the Indo-Pak border is around 220 km from it. At present, the base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MiG-21 Bison. Marshal of the IAF Arjan Singh, who passed away two weeks ago, was the first commander of the Ambala base in independent India. Several teams from French defence major Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale, have already visited the Ambala air force base and finalised the requirement for the first squadron of combat jets. The IAF is also carrying out infrastructure upgrade at its Hasimara base in West Bengal which will house the second squadron of the Rafale jets, the official said. In September last year, India had signed a Euro 7.87 billion (approx Rs 59,000 crore) deal with the Fre-nch government for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets. Eighteen Rafale jets will be deployed in Ambala while an equal number of the new generation jet will be stationed in Hasimara. We are planning to put in place all required infrastructure for Rafale squadron by end of next year, said the IAF official. The Ambala as well as Hasimara stations will also have simulator-based training facilities for the air crew of Rafale jets. The IAF has already selected a batch of pilots to fly the jets and they are being given training by Dassault Aviation in France. The Rafale squadron to be deployed in Ambala will be known as Golden Arrows which was originally based in Bhatinda and was disbanded two years ago. The Rafale combat jets will come with various India- specific modifications, including Israeli helmet mounted displays, radar warning receivers, low band jammers, 10 hour flight data recording and infra-red search and tracking systems among others. The features that make the Rafale a strategic weapon in the hands of IAF, which is currently down to 34 squadrons as against a sanctioned strength of 44, includes its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Meteor air-to-air missile with a range of 150 KM. More than half a dozen people from both sides were injured and have been hospitalised. Vehicles set on fire after a clash between two communities during a Muharram procession at Parampurva in Kanpur. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: Communal clashes took place in Kanpur, Kaushambhi and Ballia during the past 24 hours. All the incidents are related to Moharram and Durga Puja processions. In Kanpur, two communities clashed over the route of a Tazia procession and the police had to resort to a lathicharge to disperse the mob. Nearly half a dozen vehicles were set on fire and police outposts in Kalyanpur and Juhi localities were vandalised. Senior police officials rushed to the riot-hit areas and additional companies of RAF have been deployed. In Kaushambhi, an altercation between those taking the Durga idol for immersion and those taking the Tazia on Moharram took place and youngsters belonging to a community entered the house of a member of the other community and stabbed a brother and sister inside the house. Additional security has been deployed in Manjhanpur area where the incident took place in the early hours of Sunday. In Ballia district, a small dispute in the processions between children took an ugly turn when the elders of two communities joined in and provoked a violent clash. The incident took place on Saturday night in Sikandarpur area in Ballia district at a Durga Puja fair. More than half a dozen people from both sides were injured and have been hospitalised. No case has yet been registered by the warring groups. The matter was later resolved by the officials. District magistrate Surendra Vikram said that the childrens dispute was given a communal colour when the elders joined in and carried forward the argument. The quarrel which took place involving children of two communities at a Durga Puja fair led to tension and people from the two communities cla-shed with each other. Th-ere were reports of stone pelting also he said. Meanwhile, in Pratapgarh, Raja Uday Pratap Singh, father of former UP minister Raja Bhaiyya, was placed under house arrest insisted on hosting a communal feast (bhandara) in Sheikhpur village. Since the event was to be held on Sunday which coincided with Moharram, the district magistrate Shambhu Kumar cancelled the permission. Since Mr Raja Uday Pratap Singh announced that he would hold the feast even without permission, the district administration put him under house arrest. He will remain bound to his house till late on Sunday night. Interestingly, the event was being supported by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The CBI has already summoned RJD chief and his son Tejashwi for questioning on October 3 and 4 respectively in connection with the case. New Delhi: The CBI, which is investigating the alleged corruption in awarding maintenance contracts of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm when RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister, is now preparing to examine three former senior officials of the revenue department of Bihar government in connection with the case. Sources said these former revenue officials of Bihar government allegedly played a crucial role in getting three acres of prime land in Patna transferred to a firm belonging to the family members of RJD chief. The agency will soon call them for questioning, sources said. The agencys FIR alleged that Lalu, as the railway minister, abused his official position for extending undue favours to two private persons, acquired a high value premium land through a benami firm and as a quid pro quo, dishonestly and fraudulently managed award of leasing of the two hotels. Investigation by the CBI has revealed that once Lalu demitted office as railway minister, shar-es of Delight Marketing were allegedly transferred from Sarla Gupta of the firm to Rabri Devi and her son Tejaswi. The name of Delight Marketing was changed to Lara Projects then to Lara Projects Limited Liability Partnership firm. This transfer took place at a very low price. Whereas the land was valued at Rs 32 crore as per the circle rate, it was transferred to merely Rs 65 lakh to Lara Projects, sources said. The CBI has already summoned RJD chief and his son Tejashwi for questioning on October 3 and 4 respectively in connection with the case. The CBI registered the case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, a former Bihar chief minister, son Tejashwi and Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former union minister. Others named as accused in the FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar, both directors of Sujata Hotels and owner of Chanakya Hotel, Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and then IRCTC managing director P K Goel. Saudi Arabia has increased the Hajj quota for India to 1.70 lakh for the coming Hajj. New Delhi: The Centre is expected to come out with a new Haj yatra policy this week to ensure a smooth pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. A key feature of the new policy, expected to be implemented from the next year, will be to revive the option of sending pilgrims via the sea route to Jeddah. The practice of sending pilgrims via sea route was stopped in 1995. The option of ferrying the faithfuls from the coastal city of Mumbai to Jeddah has been considered as the Supreme Court in a 2012 order asked the Centre to abolish by 2022 the airways subsidy offered to Haj pilgrims. The sea route is also expected to cut down the expenditure of pilgrims. The practice of ferrying the pilgrims by waterways was discontinued in 1995 on account of MV Akbari, the ship which used to transport them, growing old. The distance between Mumbai and Jeddah sea route if of 2,300 nautical miles and the ship used to take about a week. A source said, a modern ship can ferry 4,000 to 5,000 passengers at a time and cover the 2300-odd nautical miles distance between the two cities in two-three days. Currently, the Hajj pilgrims go to Saudi Arabia by air at different embarking points across the country. The pilgrims are divided between the Hajj Committee of India and private Hajj operators. Before the sea route was closed, it used to take nearly a week for the pilgrims to reach Jeddah from the Yellow Gate in Mumbais Mazgaon, a source said. Another feature of the policy is to limit the pilgrimage to once-in-a-lifetime affair, they said, adding the government will come out with the policy this week. On the plan of restricting the pilgrimage to once in a lifetime, another source added it is to ensure that all desirous people get a fair chance to undertake the journey. The experience so far has been that the rich people would travel more than once to Saudi Arabia. Since, we have a fixed Hajj quota, this meant, others would be left out. Capping the journey to once in a lifetime will ensure fair chance for all, the source said. Saudi Arabia has increased the Hajj quota for India to 1.70 lakh for the coming Hajj. While a total of 1.35 lakh Indian pilgrims undertook the pilgrimage last year A complaint has been lodged by the hospital against the assailants and police are investigating the matter. The men involved in the assault were captured in the CCTV footage installed in the nursing home. (Photo: ani) Hooghly (West Bengal): A group of armed men on Sunday morning stormed a privately run nursing home in West Bengal and demanded treatment for one of their friends. Gang created ruckus at the hospital and even assaulted hospital staffers in Paramount Nursing Home in Sreerampore, Hooghly district. The men involved in the assault were captured in the CCTV footage installed in the nursing home. #WATCH West Bengal-Men demanding immediate treatment for their friend, create ruckus inside a nursing home in Hooghly district's Sreerampore pic.twitter.com/p021BjnXD7 ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2017 The doctor alleged that he was forced at gunpoint to treat their friend in CCU who got injured in a road accident. The men along with the injured person left the hospital after the primary treatment. A complaint has been lodged by the hospital against the assailants and police are investigating the matter. Sources said former Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh is one of the front-runners for the post. Patna: Ashok Chaudharys unceremonious removal as Bihar Congress chief has created a sharp division within the state unit. A faction believes that his removal at this stage may harm the partys image in Bihar. Party leaders said that a hunt for a new state unit chief at this stage may damage the partys preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Several party leaders also claimed that during the 2015 state Assembly elections it was Mr Chaudhary who, despite various hurdles and internal fighting energised the grand old party, managed to win 27 seats. According to Mr Chaudhary, There were only 4 MLAs in the state Assembly when I took over as Bihar PCC president four years ago but today the party has 27 legislators. The Congress leadership at the centre should consider me as a successful state president of Bihar. Mr Chaudhary was removed as the chief of the Bihar Congress last week by party president Sonia Gandhi. The party after announcing his removal appointed state vice president Kaukab Quadri as the working president. Sources said former Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh is one of the front-runners for the post. Another name which is likely to be considered for the post is that of Lok Sabha MP from Madhepura Ranjeeta Ranjan. A week before his removal, Mr Chaudhary had blamed the central leadership for conspiring against him. He had also consistently expressed dissatisfaction over the way senior party leaders blamed him after the grand secular alliance government collapsed in Bihar. After the high command in New Delhi announced his removal, Mr Chaudhary raised questions on the decision and said that his unceremonious ouster also indicates partys non-seriousness about Dalits. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi talks about Dalits but in Bihar one of his Dalit party leaders was humiliated and insulted on the advice of few central leaders. I didnt expect such treatment from my own party leaders as I worked hard for the party in Bihar, Mr Chaudhary said. He also blamed AICC general secretary C.P. Joshi for misleading the high command about the partys affair in the state. Being a committed Congress worker, I expected an honourable exit from the party. My own senior leaders humiliated me, said Mr Chaudhary. Though Mr Chaudhary didnt reveal his future plans, he said that he will continue to wage jihad against senior party leaders who have been trying to mislead the high command for their own benefits. I have not decided to leave the party but I cannot accept the humiliation I got from my own senior leaders, Mr Chaudhary said. Sources claim that Mr Chaudhary might take a final decision on leaving the party after meeting the high command. Sources said it was Mr Chaudharys perceived growing warmth with JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar that cost him the job of state Congress chief. They said Mr Chaudhary allegedly ran a signature campaign with the objective of splitting the Congress in Bihar but he couldnt garner enough support to defy the anti-defection law. Though he has repeatedly denied the allegation, insiders claimed that as many as 14 legislators had decided to float a new group after leaving the party. But as per the anti-defection law, a total of 18 legislators are required to break away from the 27-member Congress to avoid being disqualified from the Assembly. Party leaders said that the Congress high command initiated action against Mr Chaudhary after several legislators during their one-on-one discussion with Mr Gandhi gave an indication that a sizeable number of legislators were planning to oppose its alliance with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. Some legislators also urged Mr Gandhi to snap ties with Lalu Yadav as he is facing a string of corruption charges. The Congress first sensed trouble within the state unit after a faction led by Mr Chaudhary decided not to show up for Lalu Yadavs BJP Hatao Desh Bachao Rally in August. The rally was, however, attended by senior national Congress leaders such as the leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and party general secretary C.P. Joshi. A section of the Congress had also conveyed to Jyotiratidya Scindia, a special observer sent to Bihar by the central leaders to Patna last month, that the party should focus on strengthening its base instead of playing second fiddle to RJD which is losing ground in Bihar due to corruption charges. The fear of rebellion intensified after the JD (U) openly invited Congress legislators to join the party. Senior JD (U) leaders had claimed that Congress legislators were worried about their political future after the grand secular alliance collapsed in Bihar and offered them a place in the ruling JD(U). Rejig at top The last time Gandhi visited his parliamentary constituency was on February 19 this year for the campaigning of Uttar Pradesh elections. Lucknow/New Delhi: In a move that is set to create a fresh controversy, the district administration in Amethi asked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who is also the MP from Amethi, to postpone his three-day visit to his constituency from October 4 to 6. The officials have reportedly cited the administrations inability to provide adequate security to Mr Gandhi till October 5 as Durga Puja, Dussehra and Muharram is being observed and the district administration is busy providing security. In a letter written by the district magistrate of Amethi, Yogesh Kumar, to the district Congress president, has asked Mr Gandhi to put off his visit and reschedule to anytime of his choice after October 5. The last time Mr Gandhi visited his parliamentary constituency was on February 19 this year for the campaigning of Uttar Pradesh elections. The request by the district administration of Amethi took a political turn as BJP president Amit Shah and Union minister Smriti Irani have already announced their visit to Amethi on October 10. Former Congress MLA Akhilesh Pratap Singh alleged that the move had a political motive. The BJP government is apprehensive of Mr Gandhis Amethi visit and feels that they will not succeed in their design to turn the people of Amethi against their own leader, Mr Singh said. He said that the district officials are working under the pressure of the BJP government. The district officials are apparently working under pressure. It is ridiculous that they claim they cannot provide security to Mr Gandhi, but can provide the same to BJP leaders. Amethi is Mr Gandhis home and there is no reason why he should not visit the place, Mr Singh added. Mr Singh added that the Yogi government was perhaps worried that Mr Gandhis schedule might eclipse the proposed visit by Mr Shah and Ms Irani and Union minister Nitin Gadkari to Amethi on October 10. Slamming Congress, state BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, As an elected MP, Rahul has failed to work for his people and many of the development schemes promised by him are lying incomplete. Taking a dig at the Gandhi scion, he said missing posters of the Congress leader had been put up in Amethi in the past. That is why, (Smriti) Irani has taken the initiative to start those projects in Amethi, said Tripathi. Last month, at least a dozen missing posters of Mr Rahul Gandhi had surfaced in his constituency. The posters carrying the Gandhi scions picture offered a reward to anyone who could trace their MP. The posters, however, were not attributed to any individual or organisation. The Gurdaspur seat fell vacant after BJP MP and film star Vinod Khanna, 70, passed away at a Mumbai hospital on April 27 due to cancer. Punjab Congress president and party's Gurdaspur candidate Sunil Jakhar along with other party leaders during an election campaign rally in Gurdaspur. (Photo; PTI) Chandigarh: The Gurdaspur parliamentary byelection in Punjab October 11 has assumed importance as the triangular contest between the Congress, Akali-BJP and AAP has turned into a prestige battle for all key players. Its outcome is being seen as a performance report card by both the Congress, which is ruling in Punjab, and the BJP which is at the helm at the Centre. Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh realises the importance of winning this bypoll and is busy highlighting the recent farm loan waiver. The byelection will also be important from the view point of electoral milestone. The EC has said that EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will be used in all polling stations, making Gurdaspur the first Parliamentary constituency in the country to use the facility. The Gurdaspur seat fell vacant after BJP MP and film star Vinod Khanna, 70, passed away at a Mumbai hospital on April 27 due to cancer. This seat is considered a bastion of Akali-BJP since the advent of Vinod Khanna in Punjab politics two decades ago. The triangular contest on October 11 between Sunil Jakhar of Congress and Sawran Singh Salaria of the BJP-Akali Dal Combine and Major General Suresh Khajuria of AAP, is thus a litmus test of sorts for the all three main political parties. While some political observers consider the contest to be mainly between state Congress chief Mr Jakhar and Mr Salaria of the BJP-Akali combine, the young outfit, AAP, which won 20 Assembly seats in the early this year, wants a good performance for keeping the morale of its cadre up after its plans of storming to power in Punjab, like in Delhi, did not materialise. Mr Salaria is flamboyant businessman from Mumbai who is wooing the voters by saying that he has no lust for power. "I have all the money I need and I have left all comforts to come and live this tough life," he said at a meeting. On the other hand, Mr Jakhar of the Congress, has called for debate on issues and avoid any personal attack. "Gurdaspur needs a representative who can flag their problems. I consider myself as a genuine and responsible person to raise people's voice in Parliament," he said. A loss in the bypoll for Akali-BJP will indicate that the combine has not yet gained the trust of the voters after losing the Assembly elections. A loss will be seen as voters' disapproval of the Narendra Modi government's policies. BJD has started feeling Opposition heat after 17 years of trouble-free governance. Bhubaneswar: For the first time in 17 years, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha appears to be facing serious challenge to its hegemony from the Opposition. The resurgence of the BJP in the states political arena as the second major force and party national president Amit Shahs declaration of his mission to win 120 of the 147 Assembly seats in the state, have started worrying the BJD leadership and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Mr Patnaik, who in the past succeeded in keeping the rival BJP and Congress at bay because of good rapport with their central leaders, is said be no longer enjoying that privilege. The chief minister is also struggling to find support from his own colleagues in putting up a strong fight in the verbal attacks being launched by the rival BJP. The regional outfit and the BJP are all set to cross the swords in the 2018 urban local body polls. After the rural polls in February, the outcome of the urban body polls will come as an indicator of the mood of voters of Odisha. According to political analyst Srirama Chandra Dash, Mr Patnaik is himself responsible for his present woes of limited voices within the party to counter the BJP surge. In the last 17 years, Mr Patnaik has driven out almost all the founding members of the BJD and experienced leaders fearing that they might emerge as his challengers, Mr Dash said. The expelled leaders were serious and seasoned political faces who always defended the party against the onslaught of the rivals. Now, when he faces an organised BJP attack from all quarters, he does not have a strong colleague to defend him, he said. The chief ministers over-reliance on scam-tainted and inexperienced young MLAs, MPs and party leaders has also multiplied his misery. Now, when these leaders are under CBI scanner in the chit fund scam, Mr Patnaik is struggling to defend himself, said Mr Dash. The saffron party, as political analysts say, has completely ceded its love for the BJD, especially after it got absolute majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and its strength in Rajya Sabha increased this year, enabling the party to pass crucial legislations without support of the regional parties. On the eve of 1998 Lok Sabha polls, the BJD and BJP had forged an alliance that lasted for nearly two decades. The two parties broke away in 2009 on the eve of Assembly and Lok Sabha polls over the seat sharing issue. Mr Patnaik shunned the BJP as a communal party. Until then, the saffron party always considered the BJD as its most obedient partner as the regional outfit. The BJP realised that the BJD remained loyal despite the state not getting the Special Category status or a special package. The outfit led by Mr Patnaik remained committed to the coalition dharma even as NDAs other partners, including the Trinamul Congress, Telugu Desam Party and AIADMK, broke away from the alliance. Mr Patnaiks decision to go alone in 2014 polls proved right as he got a record number of 117 seats in the Assembly and 20 Lok Sabha seats, surpassing his previous best of 103 Assembly seats and 19 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 polls. Despite the super performance, the BJD discovered that the additional seats in the Assembly, Lok Sabha and all the 10 Rajya Sabha seats did not translate into any additional political power to play a bigger role in central arena. This time round, the BJP is seething in anger to avenge the 2009 humiliation. Led by Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the BJP is mounting pressure on the BJD government. The NDA government thwarted attempts by the BJD government from claiming credit for the central governments-sponsored subsidised 1 rupee a kg rice scheme and 101 ambulance facility. The NDA reached out to people through massive campaigning to highlight the share of the Union government in the subsidised rice and other schemes. More trouble followed when the CBI, following the state BJP leaders clamour for expediting probe into the chit fund scam - arrested four top BJD leaders - Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha member Ramachandra Hansda, Banki MLA Prabhat Kumar Tripathy, Cuttack-Choudwar MLA Pravat Biswal and former MLA Subarna Naik. The BJP-led NDA government also rolled out its own programmes like Ujjwala, providing subsidised cooking gas cylinder to home makers, to have direct interface with the voters. The BJP has also stepped up its drive to attract new members. Emboldened by 40 lakh enrolments during the membership drive, the party has also strengthened cadre at the 36,000-odd polling booths in the 147 Assembly segments. The BJP is aiming to appoint at least 70 workers in each booth through Mo booth sabuthu mazboot (my booth strongest) programme. The BJP wants to get at least one crore votes to go past the 100+ seat mark in the Assembly. In 2014, the BJD won 117 seats with 93 lakh votes. In this years panchayat polls, BJP secured around 67 lakh votes registering a nine-fold jump in the number of zilla parishad seats. Setting a target of bagging 400 votes from each of the 36,000 booths, the BJP hopes to get 1.4 cr votes. Rubi says she gets a lot of unwanted attention outside as some feel pity for her and others are shocked. In addition to making daily activities difficult, physical deformities caused by rare conditions can also make people vulnerable to social stigma. Discrimination in society rising from lack of awareness and sensitivity causes grave mental trauma to individuals and can be life altering. A girl from Uttar Pradesh is forced to live as a recluse since a genetic condition has led to giant tumours developing on her face. The teenager who dreams of getting married and living a normal life hasnt left home in years for fear of cruel taunts from strangers. The tumours started forming on Rubi Dularis face when she was just three and she later faced constant bullying at school. She says she has dreams like any other girl but fears theyll never be fulfilled. Her parents took her to several doctors across different cities in India but no medicine had any effect. As her condition got worse, doctors gave up on Rubi and eventually even her parents accepted it after traditional medicines didnt help as well. Rubi says she gets a lot of unwanted attention outside as some feel pity for her and some are shocked but she has to accept it. She chooses to stay home when she cant take it anymore. Germany becomes the 15th European nation to legalise gay marriage. Berlin mayor Michael Mueller congratulated the happy couples and described the first gay nuptials as a "historic event". (Photo: AFP) Germany celebrates its first gay marriages Sunday (Oct 1) as same-sex unions become legal after decades of struggle, but campaigners say the battle for equal rights isn't over yet. Wedding bells will ring out in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover and other German cities where local authorities will exceptionally open their doors on a Sunday to allow gay couple to say "I do" on the day the law comes into effect. Bodo Mende, 60, and his partner Karl Kreile, 59, who have been together since 1979, will be the first to tie the knot in the German capital. "It will be an emotional but also very symbolic moment," Kreile told reporters on Friday. "This shows that the state now considers us the same as other couples." The dash to exchange vows comes three months after lawmakers voted to give Germany's roughly 94,000 same-sex couples the right to marry, following a shift in position by Chancellor Angela Merkel. Berlin mayor Michael Mueller congratulated the happy couples and described the first gay nuptials as a "historic event". "Marriage for all is a milestone on the path to full legal and social equality," he said in a statement Friday, praising the gay and lesbian community and all those "who fought for many years" to get to this day. Germany becomes the 15th European nation to legalise gay marriage. The Netherlands led the way in 2000, followed piecemeal by other European neighbours including Spain, Sweden, Britain and France. Same-sex relationships have become so normalised that polls show around 75 per cent of Germans are in favour of gay marriage. Merkel's Change Of Heart By extending existing law to same-sex pairs, Germany's gay couples automatically gain the same tax advantages and adoption rights as heterosexual families. German parliament votes to legalise same-sex marriage Along with Germany's Greens party, the gay and lesbian rights organisation LSVD began its battle for equal marriage rights around the year 1990. But progress was slow and since 2001 gay couples have had to make do with a civil partnership law, broadened over the years to remove more and more gaps between gay and straight couples' rights. The final breakthrough came quite suddenly in the end, sparked by Merkel's unexpected announcement in June that she would allow her conservative MPs to vote their conscience on the issue. Merkel said her thinking changed after a "memorable experience" when she met a lesbian couple who lovingly care for eight foster children in her Baltic coast constituency. Her surprise shift in position - after 12 years of blockade by her Christian Democrats and their Bavarian allies - was seen by some as a cynical ploy to rob her challengers of a popular cause ahead of this month's general election. The chancellor herself voted against the bill, arguing that the German constitution still defines marriage as "the union of a man and a woman". "I still think it was indecent to delay for so many years, and the fact that she voted no," lawmaker Johannes Kahrs, gay and lesbian affairs commissioner for the Social Democratic Party, told AFP. June was a memorable month for gay rights in Germany, as MPs also voted to quash the convictions of thousands of men convicted under a Nazi-era law against same-sex relationships which had remained on the statute book until 1994. But there are still an array of issues familiar across western democracies, like blood donations or access to reproductive medicine, where homosexuals can be treated differently. And the constitution must still be amended to fully protect against discrimination over gender or sexual orientation, Kahrs insisted. "These are all things that we'll tackle bit by bit," he said. "The important thing is that we've pushed through the opening of marriage, and that's the signal everyone needed." Johnson replied good stuff and then started to take photographs of the scene with his telephone camera. Johnson replied good stuff and then started to take photographs of the scene with his telephone camera. (Photo: AP) Britains ambassador to Myanmar was forced to interrupt Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson earlier this year as he tried to recite a nostalgic colonial poem by Rudyard Kipling in public during a visit to the countrys most famous Buddhist site. Johnson, who helped lead the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, is caught on camera starting to recite Kiplings poem, Mandalay, after striking a bell at the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon. The temple bells they say, Johnson says in television footage by Channel 4. Come you back, you British soldier. As Johnson continues with his recitation of the poem which celebrates a soldiers love affair with a local woman during Britains colonial rule of what was then known as Burma, the ambassador tenses. Youre on mic. Probably not a good idea, British ambassador Andrew Patrick said. What, The Road to Mandalay? Johnson asked. No. Not appropriate, the ambassador said. Johnson replied good stuff and then started to take photographs of the scene with his telephone camera. A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office declined to comment. Prime Minister Theresa Mays appointment of Johnson, who in the run-up to Britains referendum on EU membership compared the goals of the European Union to those of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon, caused consternation in European capitals. In recent weeks, Johnson has attempted to set out his vision of Britain outside the European Union. The White House responded by saying that the first lady wanted to use her platform to help as many children as she can. The librarian said that many people are unaware of is that Dr. Seuss illustrations are steeped in racist propaganda. (Photo: AFP) US first lady Melania Trumps donation of books to a California school was rejected by its librarian, describing them racist and unneeded. Ms. Melania had sent packages of 10 Dr. Seuss books to one high-achieving school in every state. The packages included titles such as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and a personal favourite that she and her son, Barron, 11, read together over and over: Oh, the Places Youll Go! In an open letter to the first lady posted on a book blog, Liz Phipps Soeiro, a library media specialist at the Cambridgeport School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said that while she was grateful for the books, she would not be accepting them. Ms. Soeiro said she was returning the books because ...my school doesnt have a need for these books. Another fact that many people are unaware of is that Dr. Seuss illustrations are steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes, Ms. Phipps Soeiro wrote, citing If I Ran a Zoo, which some critics say contains caricatures of Africans and Asians. She also criticised the Trump administrations policies on funding schools and libraries, USA TODAY reported. Why not go out of your way to gift books to underfunded and underprivileged communities that continue to be marginalised and maligned by policies put in place by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos? she proposed. Her letter prompted her school district to distance itself from her, saying in a statement that she has the right to her opinion but it is not an official position, according to the Boston Globe. The White House responded by saying that the first lady wanted to use her platform to help as many children as she can. To turn the gesture of sending young students some books into something divisive is unfortunate, but the first lady remains committed to her efforts on behalf of children everywhere, her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said. The scene is part of an ancient Torajan ritual known as Manene, in which clans visit the tombs of deceased family members. The scene is part of an ancient Torajan ritual known as Manene, in which clans visit the tombs of deceased family members. (Photo: AP) Yosefina Tumanan, a resident of the remote Toraja region of Indonesias island of Sulawesi, was thrilled to see her sister-in-law. You look so beautiful! Tumanan told the skeletal remains of her relative who has been dead for six years. The scene is part of an ancient Torajan ritual known as Manene, in which clans visit the tombs of deceased family members, clean their remains and replenish the coffins with personal belongings. Even though shes not here physically, we still have a connection, Tumanan told Reuters as several families gathered at Lokomata, a massive boulder in a misty, rice-terraced valley that houses the remains of dozens of people. Its a chance for the whole family to visit and express our love, she said, adding that the ritual was like a family reunion every few years. The people of Tana Toraja, or the land of Toraja, are mostly Christian, but adhere to old traditions whose roots trace back to animistic beliefs. This is common in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim country of 250 million people that is also home to minority groups which espouse Hinduism, Buddhism, and traditional beliefs. Unlike some other cultures, death is barely a parting for those in Toraja. The deceased are mummified and housed in ornate, colourful coffins and spend several months or even years in their own homes before receiving a funeral and burial. Relatives talk to the deceased, offer them food and drink, and involve them in family gatherings, as if they are still alive. Once sufficient family members can attend and money is available to pay for sacrificial buffaloes and pigs, a funeral ceremony, known as Rambu Solo, is held, with the whole village usually invited to a feast celebrating communal ties. Family members shed tears for their dead as the coffin is carried in a chaotic funeral procession to the burial site. The coffins - painted in bright reds and ochres - are stuffed with clothes and personal effects and placed in narrow tombs carved into monolithic rocks that pepper the mountainous region. The boulders can be as high as a three-storey building and each tomb can take between three to six months to carve. Keeping the tradition alive for future generations is an important responsibility, said Renolt Patrian, a 21-year-old studying to be a mining engineer. When I have a job and earn money, I will not give up the tradition, he said after visiting his great-grandmother who died last month in the family home. Senior BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari and Chandrakant Patil number two in state Cabinet had been lobbying for Ranes induction. Given chief minister Devendra Fadnavis strong opposition to ex-Congress leader Narayan Rane being inducted into the BJP, rumours had that the latter was likely to form his own party, Swabhiman, on October 1. (Photo: ANI) Mumbai: Former senior congress leader Narayan Rane on Sunday said that he will float a new party, which will be called Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh. "I have just launched the party. I am waiting for some people to join, then I will decide the future course (of action)," the 65-year-old Konkan strongman said at a press conference here. Given chief minister Devendra Fadnavis strong opposition to ex-Congress leader Narayan Rane being inducted into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), rumours had that the latter was likely to form his own party, Swabhiman, on October 1. Senior BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari and Chandrakant Patil number two in state Cabinet had been lobbying for Ranes induction. Earlier there were talks of Rane joining the BJP. Mr Rane has a track record of attacking people in coveted positions in a few days. He has done this wherever he went. We have seen this in the Congress. Mr Fadnavis opposed his induction to avoid that embarrassment, said close confidant of the chief minister. Rane along with state BJP chief Raosaheb Danve, Chandrakant Patil and Fadnavis met BJP national president Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday. It is being said that Shah went along with Fadnavis plan (not to allow Rane into the party) in the meeting. Given the cordial relation between Patil and Shah, it was expected that Shah would go for Ranes induction. But, Fadnavis proved his position in party by surpassing two strong leaders in state. (With inputs from PTI) Officials have been given 10 days to provide these revised estimates to the minister. Mumbai: Union railway minister Piyush Goyal has asked Central and Western Railway officials to revise the costs of the Bandra-Virar and CST-Panvel elevated corridor, a plan that seeks to decongest Mumbai, as it costs approximately Rs 150 crore/km more than the much talked about Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train. The estimated cost of the bullet train is Rs 216 crore per kilometre while that of the Bandra-Virar elevated corridor is Rs 464 crore per km and CST-Panvel corridor is `302 crore per km. Mr Goyal has asked Central and Western Railway officials to revise the costs of Bandra-Virar and CST-Panvel elevated air-conditioned corridor and has questioned the cost estimates and said that the bullet train is even more complicated and is being built from scratch as compared to the corridors which will be built along the pre-existing line and even share some stations. The discussion of the bullet train came about when the officials were asked the long-term plan to decongest the rush at stations and in trains. An official said, Other than the fact that the minister was taking updates about the Elphinstone foot over-bridge, he asked about the plan to decongest the lines when both the corridors were mentioned by railway officials. Mr Goyal then went further ahead and asked the break up of the cost, the official further added, The Central Railway gave a breakdown of the CSMT-Panvel elevated corridor but the break-up of the Bandra-Virar elevated corridor was not even available with the Western Railway, which only further infuriated the minister. The minister then took a swipe at railway officials and said that he would not allow cartel-like corruption between railway officials and contractors, an official said. Officials have been given 10 days to provide these revised estimates to the minister. Electoral failure in different universities should be a matter of concern for the BJP. Several political events, which unfolded in different universities and states in the recent past, seem to have suddenly changed the political temperature of the country. The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government, which seemed extremely popular amongst the Indians in general, seems to have started losing its sheen. Voices of unhappiness, disappointment with the present government can be heard from various quarters and suddenly people have begun to ask: what has this government delivered to the people? While sentiment against the BJP seems to have started building, it would still be an overstatement to say that the government has become unpopular enough to lose the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019. What seems to still work hugely in favour of the government is the personal popularity of Mr Modi and his image of being an honest Prime Minister. In spite of not meeting the expectations of the common man, people are willing to forgive him even for misadventures like demonetisation or implementing GST in haste, only because large number of people have a lot of faith in him and his unquestioned image of integrity and honesty. While electoral verdicts in universities are not an absolute test of the national political mood or choices, these verdicts are good enough to at least give some indication of what is going on in the minds of young Indians. The BJP-supported ABVP lost elections in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and Hyderabad University. The Congress-supported National Students Union of India (NSUI) didnt perform very well either except in Delhi University. The popular choices of students were varied in different universities, but the trend was clear. The wave was certainly against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). One must not forget the BJP marked at least JNU and University of Hyderabad as a space of troublemakers. Such electoral failure in different universities should be a matter of concern for the BJP. The ABVP would not have lost most of these elections if these were held early this year when the national mood seemed to be strongly in favour of the BJP. These defeats should ring an alarm bell for the BJP as it is important to note that young voters played an important role in the victory of the BJP in 2014. The youth voted in large numbers for the party and rallied behind Mr Modi. If these election results were not enough to make BJP uneasy, the recent incidents in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus seem to have only added to the problem. The BHU movement has the potential of spreading to other universities. What is even more dangerous for the BJP is the growing disappointment of students with the government due to its failure in creating job opportunities as promised during the election campaign. Figures indicate unemployment rate is at an all-time high in the last few years. The unhappiness of farmers with the government can be seen across the country. While the main issue of farmers is their demand for minimum support price, there are various other issues that are bothering them, one of which is their demand for farm loan waiver. The governments decision of demonetisation was a serious jolt to farmers, as cash is the main mode of transaction in the agricultural sector. In the last few years there have been farmers agitations across the country from Kerala and Tamil Nadu down south to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in the north to Maharashtra and Gujarat in the west. Their disappointment with the government seems to be the unifying factor of farmers around the country. There is clearly a growing disenchantment of the urban Indian middle classes with the government. The kind of disenchantment, which we witness now with the government, was unthinkable till a few months ago. The traders, who until recently formed the backbone of BJPs support base, seem to be extremely unhappy with the government on implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, which has additionally burdened them with a lot of accounting. The common phrase used by these businessmen are: Modi ne humko munim bana diya hai, business kare ya phir accouting kare (Modi has made us book-keepers. Should we do business or maintain accounts). The small traders faced a dual burden first of demonetisation and now with GST. When the common man had to pay more while making purchases of some items due to GST, the response of shopkeepers is: Hum toh sirf aapka paisa Modi tak pahucha rahe hain, aapka paisa to Modi le raha hai (We are just delivering your money to Modi. He is taking away all your money). People did face problems when demonetisation was implemented, but remained silent for a very long time in the hope that they would finally get some benefit, but the problem they are facing with regard to GST has made them vent out their anger even against demonetisation. A recent study in Gujarat by the CSDS clearly indicates that people are more unhappy with GST than they were with demonetisation. The list of those who have started questioning the government does not stop here. The Central government employees seem to be equally unhappy due to the truncated pay commission, which does not allow them any arrears. Clearly the growing dissatisfaction amongst various sections of voters is not a good sign for the government. What has helped in stopping this wind of dissatisfaction from turning into a strong hurricane are two factors the absence of a viable alternative leader and the personal credibility of Mr Modi. The only question that remains is: how long will Mr Modi be able to hold down this wave of resentment with his own image and credibility? After all people want the government to deliver and are not interested in mere rhetoric. The writer is a professor and currently director of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. The views expressed are personal. These rules give a broad idea of where the right of privacy ends and rights of the press prevail. On August 24, a nine-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court unanimously held that: The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution. Article 21 says: No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law. Thus, the right to privacy is covered not only by Article 21, but is the foundation on which all the fundamental rights rest. Without privacy civilised existence is impossible. It all began with an article in the Harvard Law Review in 1890 by a young lawyer, Louis D. Brandeis, in collaboration with his friend and law partner, Samuel Warren. Entitled The Right to Privacy, it won instant attention. In a famous case of telephone tapping, the US Supreme Court ruled that evidence of telephone conversations obtained by wiretapping did not violate the Fourth Amendments guarantee of the peoples right to be secure in their persons, houses against unreasonable searches and seizures. Justice Brandeis dissented, prophetically predicting: The progress of science in furnishing the government with means of espionage is not likely to stop with wiretapping. Ways may some day be developed by which the government, without removing papers from secret drawers, can reproduce them in court, and by which it will be enabled to expose to a jury the most intimate occurrences of the home. Brandeis lost the day but the right to be let alone, which he had propounded for 40 years, eventually won acceptance from the Supreme Court. On January 22, 1973, the court noted that though the Constitution does not explicitly mention any right of privacy... the court has recognised that a right of personal privacy, or a guarantee of certain areas or zones of privacy, does exist under the Constitution. However, no right can be absolute. Limits inhere in the right itself for it is exercised in society. The march of technology has widened the scope of the right and also indicated the restrictions that can be placed on it, for from it flows the right to reputation. That is where the right to freedom of the press comes in. In 1994, a division bench of the Indian Supreme Court delivered a judgment in the Nakkheeran case which shed much light on the subject. The right to privacy is implicit in the right to life and liberty guaranteed to the citizens of this country by Article 21. It is a right to be let alone. A citizen has a right to safeguard the privacy of himself, his family, marriage, procreation, motherhood, child-bearing and education, among other matters. None can publish anything concerning the above matters without his consent. But this rule is subject to an exception if such publication is based upon public records, including court records. This is for the reason that once a matter becomes a matter of public record, the right to privacy no longer subsists and it becomes a legitimate subject for comment by press and media, among others. There is another exception. In the case of public officials, it is obvious, right to privacy, or for that matter the remedy of action for damages, is simply not available with respect to their acts and conduct relevant to the discharge of their official duties. The court thus removed the public domain from the right to privacy. These rules give a broad idea of where the right of privacy ends and rights of the press prevail. One gets a fair view of both from the Code of Practice drafted by the newspapers and periodical industry and adopted by the British Press Complaints Commission. It was republished in a revised edition in 2003. Though perhaps dated, it provides sound rules on privacy and its limits in para 4. It reads thus: (i) Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence. A publication will be expected to justify intrusions into any individuals private life without consent. (ii) The use of long lens photography to take pictures of people in private places without their consent is unacceptable. Private places are public or private property where there is reasonable expectation of privacy. All this is subject to an overriding proviso. The public interest includes: (i) Detecting or exposing crime or a serious misdemeanour. (ii) Protecting public health and safety. (iii) Preventing the public from being misled by some statement or action of an individual or organisation. Judicial recognition of a right to privacy is only a first step towards defining its link to press freedom. By arrangement with Dawn The massive infrastructure development in Tibet also prompted India to ramp up infrastructure development on its side. The expressway that costs USD 5.8 billion to be built cuts travel time between Lhasa and Nyingchi from eight to five hours, with a speed limit of 80 km per hour. (Photo: AFP/Representational) Beijing: China on Sunday opened a 409-kilometre-long expressway linking Tibet's provincial capital Lhasa with Nyingchi, which is close to the border with India in Arunachal Pradesh, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The toll-free expressway has linked the two major cities which are also tourist attractions in Tibet, it said. The expressway that costs USD 5.8 billion to be built cuts travel time between Lhasa and Nyingchi from eight to five hours, with a speed limit of 80 km per hour. Most of the expressways in Tibet can be used to transport military equipment, providing an advantage for the Chinese military to move troops and hardware faster. The massive infrastructure development in Tibet also prompted India to ramp up infrastructure development on its side. Heavy trucks have been temporarily banned from running on the new Lhasa-Nyingchi expressway, Xinhua reported. On 28 August, China and India agreed to end a lengthy standoff at Doklam plateau in Sikkim sector that began in June. The tension began in June when Indian troops entered the plateau to stop China from building a new road which Delhi viewed as a serious security concern because of the access it provides to Beijing. Saeed and his four aides were placed under house arrest in Lahore on January 30 under the anti-terrorism act. Asif, while speaking at the Asia Society forum in New York on Tuesday, acknowledged that Saeed, the Haqqanis and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are 'liabilities' for the country but it does not have the required 'assets' to get rid of them. (Photo: File) Lahore: Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed has slapped a Rs 100-million defamation notice on Pakistan foreign minister Khawaja Asif for calling him the darling of the United States. Asif, while speaking at the Asia Society forum in New York on Tuesday, acknowledged that Saeed, the Haqqanis and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are liabilities for the country but it does not have the required assets to get rid of them. The minister had also said the US, which was putting pressure on Pakistan to tackle terrorist groups operating from its soil, once used to treat them as darlings just 20 to 30 years back. Saeeds counsel AK Dogar sent the notice to the foreign minister on behalf of his client who heads the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a front for the LeT militant group that carried out the deadly 2008 Mumbai attack. Saeed is respected as a deeply religious and devout Muslim. Saeed has never been near the White House, not to speak of wined and dined, Dogar said in the notice. It is shocking to know that the foreign minister of my country is accusing Hafiz Mohammad Saeed of taking wine. This is abusive language and can never be used about my client. He is a patriotic Islam-loving Muslim following the dictates of the Prophet. This is a defamatory statement punishable under Section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to five years imprisonment and with a fine, he said. The counsel termed it as an absolute lie and falsehood that Saeed is one of those persons who had been the darlings of Americans and had been dining and wining in the White House. Whoever by words either spoken or intended to be read makes any imputation concerning any person so as to harm his reputation is said to defame that person, he said. The imputation of wining is a false statement which has injured the reputation of my client and lowered him in the estimation of others. This is slander and actionable libel. I am constrained to issue this 14 days notice of the intention of my client to bring an action against you. My client intends to file a suit for damages to the tune of Rs 100 million for injuring his reputation not only in Pakistan but all over the world, Dogar said. Apart from civil remedy, my client has a right to file a criminal complaint against you under Section 500 of the PPC. It goes without saying that you will be responsible for the entire cost of litigation, the counsel added. Asif had said that it was very easy to say Pakistan is floating the Haqqanis and Hafiz Saeed and LeT. They are liabilities, he had said. US President Donald Trump had last month criticised Pakistan for its support to terror groups, saying it receives billions in US aid but continues to harbour militants. Saeed and his four aides were placed under house arrest in Lahore on January 30 under the anti-terrorism act. The JuD has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in June 2014. Saeed carries a $10 million American bounty on his head for his role in terror activities. 7 Pak and 15 ISIS terrorists were killed in a joint operation carried out by the Afghan the US forces. Kabul (Afghanistan): At least twenty-two terrorists belonging to Pakistan and ISIS have been killed in a joint military operation conducted in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The terrorists were killed in Nazian and lalpur districts, the Tolo News quoted the provincial government media office as saying. Seven Pakistani terrorists were killed late on Friday after an operation was carried out by the Afghan Special Forces in Bila area of Lalpur district, while fifteen ISIS terrorists were killed in an airstrike conducted by the United States forces in Spinzhai area of Nazian district, the provincial government said in a statement. Two hideouts of the ISIS group were also destroyed in the airstrike. However, no group has commented on the incident so far. Earlier this week, at least five terrorists of ISIS group were killed in an airstrike carried out by the US forces in the province. The airstrike was carried out in the Haska Mina district. The Afghan security forces had also arrested two ISIS terrorists during an operation in Chaparhar district. Anti-ISIS as well as anti-Taliban operations are underway to eliminate the presence of terrorists in Nangarhar province and the US forces are providing airstrikes support to the Afghan forces during the operations. Officers on the Japanese-based Reagan described frequent close quarter surveillance from the ships of the PLA Navy in international waters. On Saturday, as F-18 Super Hornet jet fighters roared from the decks of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier during routine drills deep in the South China Sea. (Photo: AFP/File) Aboard The USS Ronald Reagan (South China Sea): As the commanders of the largest US warship in Asia seek to maintain operational readiness amid protracted tensions over North Korea, they find themselves keeping one eye on China, too. On Saturday, as F-18 Super Hornet jet fighters roared from the decks of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier during routine drills deep in the South China Sea, two Chinese frigates maintained a constant line-of-sight vigil. Officers on the Japanese-based Reagan described frequent close quarter surveillance from the ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy in international waters. Sometimes, they said, Chinese vessels steam in to check out the carrier en route to other destinations. Other times, Chinese frigates linger for days within the screen of US ships and planes that protect the Reagan - Washington's only carrier based outside America. At times, the carrier crew, to ensure safe passage, will alert their uninvited Chinese escorts, should the Reagan sharply alter course, officers said. "We've had no issues. They've been very professional," said Rear Admiral Marc Dalton, commander of the Reagan's strike group, as well as the larger battle forces of the US Seventh Fleet. "We see them on a regular basis," he said. Deployment Strains As Dalton spoke, the midnight blue waters beyond the flight decks made for a crowded scene, with a US and an allied Japanese destroyer also visible as the Reagan manouvered some 400 nautical miles (748 kilometres) from the Chinese coast. It provided a window into the strains of increased deployments and exercises by regional militaries, in part as they respond to the threat posed by Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear and missile programmes. North Korea has staged an apparent hydrogen bomb test and fired two ballistic missiles over Japan in recent weeks. The situation has unfolded as US naval chiefs review operations to draw lessons from four significant accidents within the US Pacific Fleet this year. A report this month by the US Government Accountability Office highlighted a host of training and maintenance problems as the navy strove to expand overseas deployments and improve operational readiness. Dalton will soon lead the carrier to a port call in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong - the first such visit in three years after a stop by another carrier was denied in 2016. China, which claims much of the disputed South China Sea, has long objected to US military operations off its coasts, even in areas Washington insists are free to international passage. Dominant Presence Routinely carrying between 60-70 aircraft on board, the carrier sends between 80-100 sorties daily - the core of a dominant US military presence in Asia that analysts believe China could still take years to supplant. In recent months, the 100,000-ton Reagan has exercised with allied Australian ships as well as Japanese forces. The South Korean defence ministry has announced it will exercise with the Reagan strike group in October. Rear Admiral Dalton acknowledged the challenges and top-level reviews but insisted the task force was long used to keeping itself in full readiness. "As a forward deployed force. . . we are already where we need to be to execute our missions all the time," he said. He did not detail any specific North Korean contingencies but described Pyongyang's missile tests and nuclear programme as a "growing and concerning danger". "The US has been very clear about leveraging all options in order to get North Korea to change its path," he said. Some 600,000 impoverished migrants and refugees have arrivedin Italy in less than four years. Pope Francis during a meeting at Cesenas cathedral as part of a pastoral visit in Cesena and Bologna, Italy. (Photo: AFP) Bologna, Italy: Pope Francis on Sunday urged governments and people to do more to help migrants and not see them as enemies, wearing a plastic ID bracelet used by asylum seekers to drive home his message. Francis visited a drab refugee centre on the outskirts of Bologna known simply as The Hub. Run by a charity, it is home to about 1,000 asylum seekers, most of whom risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean from Africa and the Middle East. There, they live in grey containers and other forms oftemporary housing while awaiting decisions on their asylumrequests to be moved to other towns in Italy. Many of the refugees and migrants are without documents and all wear a plastic yellow bracelet. The pope wore one bearinghis name and the number 3900003 on his right wrist. It was given to him by an African refugee. Many who dont know you are afraid of you, he told them as a light drizzle fell. That makes them think they have the right to judge (you) coldly and harshly, he said. He paid homage to those who never arrived because they were eaten up by the desert or the sea. Some 600,000 impoverished migrants and refugees have arrivedin Italy in less than four years. In that time, more than 13,000 have died trying to cross the Mediterranean. Francis, who has made defence of migrants and refugees a major plank of his papacy, also condemned internet trolling against foreigners, saying they had been subjected to terrible phrases and insults. If we look on our neighbours without mercy we risk that even God will look on us without mercy, he said. The popes defence of migrants, his second in less than a week, comes at a time of growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and many European countries where far-rightparties have made in roads. Last week, the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (Afd) party surged to third place in a nationalelection, tapping into public disquiet over the arrival of morethan a million Saudi Arabia, which was the only country in the world to forbid female drivers, recently allowed women to drive. The movement gained prominence with the rise in power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old son of the king, who laid out a far-reaching plan to reform the kingdom's economy and society. (Photo: ANI/Representational) Riyadh (Saudi Arabia): Saudi Arabia's Princess Nourah University will open a driving school for women after a ban was lifted on women driving in the country. The women's university said that it would establish a driving school for women in cooperation with the relevant authorities, reports local media. Saudi Arabia, which was the only country in the world to forbid female drivers, recently allowed women to drive. In a post on Twitter, the official account of the kingdom's Foreign Ministry wrote, "Saudi Arabia allows women to drive." "Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a historic royal decree granting driving licenses for women in the kingdom," the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel reported. Campaigners had earlier, for many years, argued that women should be allowed to drive, saying that "it makes virtual prisoners out of women, who do not have a male family member or chauffeur to drive them around." The movement gained prominence with the rise in power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old son of the king, who laid out a far-reaching plan to reform the kingdom's economy and society. Abadi adviser, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the premier was referring to either an internal or external attack. Baghdad: Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday said he would defend the countrys Kurds from attack as internal and regional tensions soared over a controversial independence referendum. To our people in the Kurdistan region: we defend our Kurdish citizens as we defend all Iraqis and will not allow any attack on them, he tweeted in English. An Abadi adviser, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the premier was referring to either an internal or external attack. We will not allow any harm to you and we will share our loaf of bread together, Mr Abadi tweeted. Iran on Sunday said it would hold a joint military exercise with Iraq on Irans border with Iraqi Kurdistan in response to Mondays illegitimate referendum. Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday also took part in a Turkish military drill close to the Iraqi frontier. Washington has said it does not recognise the unilateral referendum. Turkey, Iran Syria have rejected the vote for independence too. On Sunday, Mr Abadi explained Baghdads wish to better control all of Iraqs oil revenues. Federal government control of oil revenues is in order to pay KR employee salaries in full and so that money will not go to the corrupt, he tweeted. On a pastoral visit to Bologna (and Cesena), Pope Francis calls for collaboration between the Church, the university and city council to give a "horizon" to the life of the city. Solidarity and dialogue between the social partners to overcome the economic crisis, which has an ethical root: "At the root there is a betrayal of the common good by both individuals and groups of power. It is therefore necessary to remove the centrality of the law of profit and assign it to the person and to the common good. " The beatification of Slovak Salesian Titus Zeman. Bologna (AsiaNews) - "I encourage you to valorize this humanism of which you are the depositary to seek wise and far-sighted solutions to the complex problems of our time, seeing them as a difficulty, but also as opportunities for growth and improvement. What I say is valid for Italy as a whole and for the whole of Europe." This was Pope Francis call addressed today to the city of Bologna where he is on a pastoral visit, meeting representatives of the world of work, entrepreneurs, unions and unemployed before the Angelus. The meeting took place in Piazza Maggiore, in front of the basilica of Saint Petronious. And referring to him, the protector of the city, the pontiff suggested the path of humanism as the collaboration between "the Church, the City and the University". "When they talk and work together," he added, "they reinforce the precious humanism they express and the city - so to say -" breathes ", it has a horizon, and is not afraid to face the challenges that arise." The Pope stressed the need for dialogue and solidarity even among the social partners. He said: We must never bend solidarity to the logic of financial profit, also because that's how we take it from the weaker, we rob them of it, those need it so much." He also quoted the "Work Pact" signed last May by the Bolognese Curia together with the municipality to reintegrate and find work for many unemployed. It uses funds from the local government and a curia legacy (the proceeds of the Faac industry which produces automatic gates). "The recent 'Work Pact', which saw all social partners, and even the Church, sign a common commitment to help find stable answers, not beggary, is an important method that I hope can give the fruits hoped for ". And he recalled the ethical root of the current economic crisis: "The economic crisis - he said - has a European and global dimension; and, as we know, it is also an ethical, spiritual and human crisis. At the root there is a betrayal of the common good by both individuals and power groups. It is therefore necessary to remove the centrality of the law of profit and assign it to the person and to the common good. But in order for this centrality to be real, effective, and not just proclaimed in words, there must be more opportunities for decent work." At the Angelus Francis entrusted the city to the Virgin of St. Luke, whose sanctuary dominates the surrounding hills. After the Marian prayer, Pope Francis recalled that Titus Zeman (1915-1969), a Salesian priestwas beatified yesterday, in Bratislava (Slovakia). On the advent of communism in Czechoslovakia and the ban on religious orders, he continued to educate young people. That is why in 1952 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, of which he only served 12. However, debilitated by his prison, he died in 1969. "He - said the pope - joins the long line of martyrs of the twentieth century. His testimony supports us in the most difficult moments of life and helps us to recognize, even amid our trials, the Lord's presence. " By Tom Lee, Lecturer, Faculty of Design and Architecture Building, University of Technology Sydney Hadrian/Shutterstock In the future, humans will interact more and more with automated help. Whether its smart home hardware or chatbots, digital interfaces and virtual assistants rely on conversation for interaction and instruction. The designers of such systems must confront questions regarding the platforms voice or the bots personality in other words, how to find the right balance between friendliness and impersonality, humour and seriousness, pleasure and friction. This is an issue I touched on in a recent article that showcases some recent theories about the trend towards leisure and play as culturally organising forces in wealthy, western democracies. This trend has led to distinctive sets of conditions for service industry labour, whether the help is digital or human. Read more: Talk to me: voice control is taking off, but its not taking over yet What is tone? When conversation is the medium through which interactions take place, tone is arguably the defining element that determines character, and therefore brand identity. Apples voice assistant Siri is already known for its sass. Tone is notoriously tricky to define. In the field of literary criticism, efforts have ranged from I. A. Richards straightforward notion of a speakers attitude to his listener, to Sianne Ngais more recent interpretation, which emphasises the importance of feeling and mood. After World War II, America had great success exporting its customer-friendly service culture across the world. People in wealthy democracies increasingly expect service with a smile, a cheerful disposition, and a can-do attitude. These expectations are no different in the world of automated help. The teams of writers that work Googles various digital helpers aim to construct an easygoing, friendly personality through automatically generated dialogue in response to user queries. Humour and a sense of fun is a key element in the transactions on which service industry labour depends. However, expectations of constant humour and playfulness have the potential to create peculiar hybrids of the fun and the unfun. When zany falls down The relationship between service industry labour, customer friendliness and the complexity and limitations of human emotions is compellingly illustrated in director Ben Stillers 1996 film The Cable Guy. Professor of English Sianne Ngai refers to the movie as an example of zaniness in her work on minor aesthetic categories. Unlike the beautiful, which provokes more straightforwardly positive responses, the zany is an aesthetic category characterised by feelings that are ambivalent and not always agreeable. Read more: Why video game movies fail In this film, Chip Douglas (played by Jim Carrey), a self-employed cable installer, is recommended to the protagonist, Steven M. Kovacs (Matthew Broderick), and offers a great deal on illegal cable. Douglas work combines two elements: the interpersonal skills required as he enters the domestic environments to install and repair cable for his clients, and the abstract, impersonal cable network itself. The film dramatises the potential misreadings between the anonymity we desire as clients or customers in such a context, and the emphasis on friendliness and personal intimacy, which increasingly characterise the delivery of services. The example of Douglas illustrates what happens when there is a mismatch between an upbeat tone, and the typical stresses and ennui that come with the demands and routine of work. Ngai identifies this volatile combination of the fun and the unfun in the context of work as a key feature of the zany. Ngais characterises Douglas as a living version of Facebook, who works fervently and fails spectacularly to keep Kovacs connected to friends and emotionally upbeat. This is very relevant to recent developments in digital help. Digital zaniness The designers and engineers of digital help face interesting questions regarding how they negotiate the balance between superhuman ambitions and the inevitable imperfections that accompany technology. Read more: Artificial intelligence researchers must learn ethics The emphasis on fun, easygoing attitudes, relentless positivity and a limitless capacity to perform is an ideal context for zaniness to thrive. In addition to knowing everything and making daily transactions seamlessly convenient, there is a growing expectation for bots to be a perpetual Christmas cracker, delivering punchline after punchline. David Chens experiment asking Google Home to tell him jokes for 15 minutes straight seems to herald a grim sub-genre, where interactions with digital help reflect some of the less beneficial aspects of human psychology. There is no strategy more likely to deaden the impact of humour than insisting on or inviting its use as the standard lubrication for interactions. The more bite-sized rhetorical manoeuvres, such as the quip, can very quickly become an unfunny routine, particularly if they are delivered in the broader context of interactive assistance. The ease with which we can access massive amounts of diverse knowledge in networked culture has already created its own peculiar conventions and psycho-social phenomena. If Google it becomes a phrase used in the context of generating humour as much as trivial knowledge, then we can expect both humour and the world to change as a consequence. Tom Lee works for the University of Technology Sydney and at times receives funding and support for his research and writing. Originally published in The Conversation. On Aug. 17, 2014, Sabrina Limon spent a total of three hours and 43 minutes talking with her lover, the man who would gun down her husband lat RBI asks banks to have a robust system of internal audit of all outsourced activities Reserve Bank of India has released final guidelines on Managing Risks and Code of Conduct in Outsourcing of Financial Services by Banks in November 3, 2006. There are concerns that instructions on Managing Risks and Code of Conduct in Outsourcing of Financial Services are not being adhered by banks. RBI has reiterated on 11th March 2015 that outsourcing of any activity by the bank does not diminish its obligations, and those of its Board and senior management, who have the ultimate responsibility for the outsourced activity. Banks have been advised to take steps to ensure that the service provider employs the same high standard of care in performing the services as would be employed by the banks, if the activities were conducted within the banks and not outsourced. Further, banks should not engage in outsourcing that would result in their internal control, business conduct or reputation being compromised or weakened. 3. Instances of non adherence with the aforementioned guidelines have been observed with regard to subcontracting by the primary outsourced vendors and the engagement of subcontractors by the outsourced service providers without the prior consent of the bank. It is clarified that the Guidelines on Managing Risks and Code of Conduct in Outsourcing of Financial Services by Banks apply mutatis mutandis to subcontracted activities, as well. The outsourcing contract should provide for prior approval/ consent by the bank of the use of subcontractors by the service provider for all or part of an outsourced activity. Before giving their consent, banks should review the subcontracting arrangements and ensure that these arrangements are compliant with the extant guidelines on outsourcing. 4. Certain cases, like outsourcing of cash management, might involve reconciliation of transactions between the bank, the service provider and its sub-contractors. In such cases, banks should ensure that reconciliation of transactions between the bank and the service provider (and/ or its subcontractor), are carried out in a timely manner. An ageing analysis of entries pending reconciliation with outsourced vendors should be placed before the Audit Committee of the Board (ACB) and banks should make efforts to reduce the old outstanding items therein at the earliest. 5. A robust system of internal audit of all outsourced activities should also be put in place and monitored by the ACB of the bank. The major participants of the Indian financial system are the commercial banks, the financial institutions (FIs), encompassing term-lending institutions, investment institutions, specialized financial institutions and the state-level development banks, Non-Bank Financial Companies (NBFCs) and other market intermediaries such as the stock brokers and money-lenders. The commercial banks and certain variants of NBFCs are among the oldest of the market participants. The FIs, on the other hand, are relatively new entities in the financial market place. Historical perspective Bank of Hindustan, set up in 1870, was the earliest Indian Bank . Banking in India on modern lines started with the establishment of three presidency banks under Presidency Bank's act 1876 i.e. Bank of Calcutta, Bank of Bombay and Bank of Madras. In 1921, all presidency banks were amalgamated to form the Imperial Bank of India. Imperial bank carried out limited central banking functions also prior to establishment of RBI. It engaged in all types of commercial banking business except dealing in foreign exchange. Resrve Bank of India Act was passed in 1934 & Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was constituted as an apex bank without major government ownership. Banking Regulations Act was passed in 1949. This regulation brought Reserve Bank of India under government control. Under the act, RBI got wide ranging powers for supervision & control of banks. The Act also vested licensing powers & the authority to conduct inspections in RBI. In 1955, RBI acquired control of the Imperial Bank of India, which was renamed as State Bank of India. In 1959, SBI took over control of eight private banks floated in the erstwhile princely states, making them as its 100% subsidiaries. RBI was empowered in 1960, to force compulsory merger of weak banks with the strong ones. The total number of banks was thus reduced from 566 in 1951 to 85 in 1969. In July 1969, government nationalised 14 banks having deposits of Rs.50 crores & above. In 1980, government acquired 6 more banks with deposits of more than Rs.200 crores. Nationalisation of banks was to make them play the role of catalytic agents for economic growth. The Narsimham Committee report suggested wide ranging reforms for the banking sector in 1992 to introduce internationally accepted banking practices. The amendment of Banking Regulation Act in 1993 saw the entry of new private sector banks. Banking Segment in India functions under the umbrella of Reserve Bank of India - the regulatory, central bank. This segment broadly consists of: 1. Commercial Banks 2. Co-operative Banks External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) include bank loans, suppliers' and buyers' credits, fixed and floating rate bonds (without convertibility) and borrowings from private sector windows of multilateral Financial Institutions such as International Finance Corporation. Euro-issues include Euro-convertible bonds and GDRs. In India, External Commercial Borrowings are being permitted by the Government for providing an additional source of funds toIndian corporates and PSUs for financing expansion of existing capacity and as well as for fresh investment, to augment theresources available domestically. ECBs can be used for any purpose (rupee-related expenditure as well as imports) except for investment in stock market and speculation in real estate. External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) are defined to include commercial bank loans, buyers credit, suppliers credit, securitised instruments such as floating rate notes, fixed rate bonds etc., credit from official export credit agencies, commercial borrowings from the private sector window of multilateral financial institutions such as IFC, ADB, AFIC, CDC etc. and Investment by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in dedicated debt funds Applicants are free to raise ECB from any internationally recognised source like banks, export credit agencies, suppliers of equipment, foreign collaborations, foreign equity - holders, international capital markets etc. REGULATOR The department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India with support of Reserve Bank of India, monitors and regulates Indian firms access to global capital markets. From time to time, they announce guidelines on policies and procedures for ECB and Euro-issues. ECB GUIDELINES The important aspect of ECB policy is to provide flexibility in borrowings by Indian corporates, at the same time maintaining prudent limits for total external borrowings. The guiding principles for ECB Policy are to keep maturities long, costs low, and encourage infrastructure and export sector financing which are crucial for overall growth of the economy. The ECB policy focuses on three aspects: Eligibility criteria for accessing external markets. The total volume of borrowings to be raised and their maturity structure. End use of the funds raised. Detailed ECB guidelines were announced in July 1999... Click here Since July 1999, various modifications & relaxations had been made in the Guidelines by the the Indian Government and Reserve Bank of India. In this section you get access to all the changes made in the ECB Guidelines (1999-2010) ...Click here Banknet India portal, ranked amongst top websites in the world focuses on content, community & commerce. It is also ranked among the Top 25 banking sites and Top 20 banking technology sites and resources online in the world. Today BanknetIndia.com has 1,50,000+ professionals as members, subscribers from more than 2,500 organizations from nearly 150 countries. These include nearly 1000 organizations from BFSI sector which includes nearly all the major Banks, FIs & Insurance Cos. in India. Visitors come to the Banknet India site from more nearly 200 countries BanknetIndia.com has nearly 25,000 pages of information related to banking, finance, insurance, BPO, IT. Banknet Indias Daily News feeds are subscribed and listed by major search engines, news aggregators and blogs bringing new & relevant traffic to banknetindia.com. BanknetIndia.com has been used in past by nearly 80 companies to build up their brand and visibility in the banking & financial sector. Our Website has uptime record of nearly 100%. So hurry & signup free now for regular updates, news & alerts.. If you are interested in participating or associating in Banknet's forthcoming conferences, seminars and workshops, please submit your details in the following form to get regular conference updates and details. If you are a senior banking professional, you may also get a free invite to one of our seminars... register free NOTE-Banknetindia.com is committed to respecting the privacy of our users. Read our Privacy Policy PLEASE PROVIDE Your Full Name Your e-mail * please recheck For Forthcoming & Previous Conferences ... Click Here Banknet India, 57, Juhu Supreme Center, Gulmohar Cross Road No-9, Juhu, Mumbai- 400049, India Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel celebrated its fifth anniversary Sunday afternoon. Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel celebrates 5th anniversary Multi-million dollar expansion New women's health center to open Oct. 23 It opened its backyard to the community with bounce houses, Pasco County Sheriff K-9 dogs, food trucks, and health and wellness stations to mark the occasion. This past year, the hospital invested $78 million for an expansion, according to a news release. Hospital CEO and President Denyse Bales-Chubb said the emergency department used to have patients waiting outside the rooms on stretchers. Patients were having to wait to be admitted to the hospital," Bales-Chubb said. "This year we dont have that. We have plenty of beds to make sure we accommodate anyone who comes to the emergency room. Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is celebrating its fifth anniversary and a multi-million dollar expansion. (Stephanie Claytor, staff) The community is growing just exponentially here. Weve had so many families move into the area and this allows us to continue to serve the community she said. On Oct. 23, the hospital will open its new womens health center, dubbed Inspiration Place. The hospitals CEO said it will offer a slew of new services, catering to women, as well as a spa. The female urologist is brand new," Bales-Chubb said. "The female breast surgeon is brand new. The female endocrinologist is brand new. We continue to look for other female specialties that are needed by the community and well keep adding those. The womens health center will be housed in the hospitals $11 million medical office building, which also houses its health and wellness center, physician offices and outpatient rehab. The womens health center cost $2.8 million, according to a news release. The hospital is also welcoming neuro-spine surgeons this week. Bales-Chubb said the hospital currently has around 1,000 full time employees. Its still hiring for the new womens health center. In January, the hospital will open an off-site 24-bed emergency department in Land OLakes. On Sunday, members of the Sarasota community searched for missing teen Jabez Spann. 14-year-old Jabez Spann missing since Sept. 4 Volunteers searched in Sarasota on Sunday Family, authorities concerned for his safety The 14-year-old went missing on Sept. 4 and his family and authorities are concerned for his safety. For hours, volunteers waded through thick brush in Sarasota hoping to find any sign of Spann or what may have happened to him. Growing up in the 80s and 90s we were a tight community and things like this we didnt see happen, so it bothers me that this is happening in the community that I grew up in, said Wayne Washington, who organized Sundays search. Many of the volunteers never meet Spann but wanted to help his family who they know are in so much pain. Theres a child missing," said Jane Hoefling. "Black, white, Hispanic, we all as Sarasotians need to come together and work together. This is just a child that needs out help." Spann, who has been missing for nearly a month, was last seen in the area of 22nd Street. Since then, his family has desperately been searching for him. His aunt, Latohya Jakes, said she's thankful for any support they can get to help find him. Its heartbreaking and you know it hurts real bad because Ithe hardest thing Ive had to do is actually search for one of my relatives, she said. There still hasn't been new development in Spann's case. The family has pleaded with the public to come forward, a message they echoed Sunday. Everybody has the right to be afraid, but its also an anonymous hotline," Jakes said. "You aint got to tell nobody just pick up the phone. This is a child. For now, community leaders say they'll keep searching, hoping that something like this never happens again. We want to let these kids know that were not tolerating it were not tolerating that and thats why were here today to let them know we do care, Washington said. The Sarasota Police Department is offering a $6,000 reward for any information that leads to Spann's recovery. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. I have read recently that US Senator Bob Corker is giving up his seat, and there are rumors that he wants to become the Governor of Tennessee. The Governor of Tennessee, a one Bill Haslam, who I think is term limited, wants to be a US Senator. Which makes me wonder, which job is the better job, to be a Senator or a Governor? The advantages of being a Governor would be executive experience, but this can also be a drawback because he Governor as the leader will get blamed if something goes wrong. Another nice thing is that the Governor gets free housing in the Governor's mansion, however most, not all but most Governors and Senators are already wealthy and have their own homes. A US Senator has a lot of prestige, with the opportunity to be on the national stage and in the media much more than being a state governor. Someone like Rand Paul gets a lot more spotlight as a Senator, as the governor of Kentucky, he would be, not so much a nobody, but lesser than perhaps than being a Senator. A Senator has to get their own housing also, plus maintain a home in their home state (unless I am wrong). This was over fifty years ago, but the wife of the late Hubert Humphrey stated that actually they were not rich people, not poor but having to maintain two homes was sort of a burden. However, a lot of these guys now are wealthy and can do this. You would also have to live in Washington DC, a city which property prices are expensive, plus to just live in Washington DC itself, which for me would not be appealing at all. The climate, the city itself. Nut the governor of Tennessee has to live in Nashville, and Nashville sort of sucks unless you are into **** kicking music. I have said here before that being a US Senator has to be a fun job because many of these people stay there until they are super old and/or die. Ted Kennedy stayed on until death, and so will John McCain. Only one guy in Tennessee history was a Governor and a Senator, Lamar Alexander (that old coot who is rarely in the news, been there forever, whose wife's name is Honey, a name which only should be reserved do denizens of a stripper pole). Alexander has been a Senator for many years, and has been in politics for 40 years. So, which is a better job in your opinion, a Governor or Senator? To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below The founder of OpenRent expects a wave of consolidation among inefficient estate agents if the Government follows through with plans to eradicate tenancy fees. Adam Hyslop who co-founded his no tenant fee online agency back in 2012 said traditional agents who find themselves short of cash after the prospective ban are likely to pass on costs to landlords, but could lose clients as a result. At least some of those fees will have to be kind of recouped by the agent in the form of higher charges to landlords, and if that happens, it means that a lot of landlords will reconsider and re-evaluate the level of service they get and the amount they pay. And so hopefully theyll look at alternatives even more readily than they currently do. So we think theres a big opportunity for us. But agents unable to cope with the impact of the pending ban which was first floated by Chancellor Philip Hammond during last years Autumn Statement may stand to be absorbed by stronger rivals, he said. Expand Close House letting signs PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp House letting signs What generally happens in industries if they end up being inefficient and kind of struggling, is consolidation. So there are currently something like 16,000 letting agent branches across the country, and even someone like the Countrywides, LSLs of the world represent maybe 1% or 1.5% of those branches, so its a hugely fragmented industry. However, while some landlords may turn to cheaper options, experts suggest that property owners who choose to stick with their traditional letting agents will just pass on those rising costs by increasing rents for their tenants. OpenRent which touts itself as the UKs biggest letting agent, with around 50,000 listings last year has been a proponent of the ban despite admitting that it would effectively make the companys selling point moot. OpenRents business model grew not only out of Mr Hyslops experience as a tenant, but his co-founders failed attempt to rent out his grandmothers flat through a letting agent before taking on the task himself. The company currently charges no fees to tenants, aside from 20 per person if the landlord decides to conduct a reference check through OpenRent. OpenRent instead offers packages to landlords ranging from free listings solely on its site, to 49 to have a listing posted on the likes of Rightmove and Zoopla, book viewings, draft contracts, conduct tenant referencing, register deposits and collect the first months rent. It also sells additional services such as gas safety checks, rent insurance and professional property photography, much of which is outsourced. It has managed to keep charges low by automating a lot of its processes, and with only a handful of employees in London, OpenRent has been turning a profit since its second year of operations in 2013. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference OpenRent managed to catch the eye of notable investors, having raised 4.4 million in funding from Rocket Internets venture arm Global Founders Capital earlier this year. That is on top of a multimillion-pound media-for-equity deal with media conglomerate Northern & Shell in 2014, which gave the Daily Express newspaper owner a stake in the firm in exchange for exposure via advertising across its publications. However, Mr Hyslop, his co-founder Daz Bradbury and their third business partner still own a majority stake in the company and are not looking to exit the business anytime soon though partnerships could one day be on the cards. Theres loads of work still to be done and were hugely motivated by that, Mr Hyslop said. The X Factor judges have split up Belfast based mother and daughter duo Descendance at Bootcamp. The pair had made it through to the next stage of the ITV competition despite the panel suggesting 40-year-old Debye Gaskin should let daughter Hayley Norton, 23, continue as a solo act after their first audition. Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh reiterated their comments at Bootcamp after Descendance performed Dead or Alive's You Spin Me Round. The ladies, who are originally from Canada but moved to Belfast in 2004, performed alongside fellow hopefuls Ginny Lemon, Doctor Wolf and Russell Jones - who was initially the only one to make it through to the next stage of Bootcamp. Expand Close Pictured: Ginny Lemon, Descendance, Rusell Jones and Doctor Woof. Syco / Thames / ITV / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pictured: Ginny Lemon, Descendance, Rusell Jones and Doctor Woof. After their performance Debye and Hayley were asked to remain on the stage, before Simon told them: "Hayley we think you should stay in the competition on your own. "Debye we think your daughter is really talented and this is not going to work as a group." Hayley was then shown whispering to her mother: "Please, I want this so bad." Expand Close Pictured: Descendance Syco / Thames / ITV / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Pictured: Descendance The judges allowed Hayley to speak to an upset Debye backstage and after a few moments she tearfully told her daughter: "I know exactly what I am going to tell them." The pair returned to the stage with Debye telling the panel: Shes my baby star, thats what I called her when she was born, shes going to go forward. "This is just a hard one to swallow," she added. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference The X Factor continues on ITV at 7.30pm on Sunday. Tony Blair's former chief of staff has savaged the UK Government's handling of the Brexit negotiations, accusing it of tabling "laughable, fantasyland" proposals. Jonathan Powell said the process has been handled "pretty appallingly" and questioned whether any time was spent preparing in the year prior to negotiations with the EU starting in earnest. Mr Powell, who is now involved in mediation work in conflict zones around the world, was relating his experience of negotiating during the Northern Ireland peace process to a headteachers' conference. During his address to the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) he was asked to assess the performance of the UK's negotiators on Brexit. He referred to the image of Brexit Secretary David Davis sitting at the negotiating table with EU counterparts in July with no documents in front of him. "It was an extraordinary metaphor to see the British side, and particularly David Davis, turn up with precisely no pieces of paper in front of them and large piles in front of the EU negotiators," he told the audience of principals in Belfast. "But actually a lot more problematic than that was then the fact it was the EU side that prepared all of the papers that were tabled before the summer break and the British Government didn't produce any. "What is really important is framing a negotiation. When you start a negotiation you want to be the person setting the parameters." Mr Powell, who was Mr Blair's top adviser throughout his time in Downing Street, added: "We have allowed the EU to set that negotiation and then, when we did produce papers during the course of the summer, frankly they are laughable, if you read them they are complete fantasyland. "The ones for example that refer here to Northern Ireland are making proposals that are completely out of the question - there is no way they can work. "It looks as if what they are doing is setting it up so they can denounce the foreigners for messing up the negotiation rather than negotiating seriously. "That may be unfair but that's what it looks like if you just read the papers. "Even though we had a year we seem to have not prepared for the negotiation. "That's not the Civil Service's fault - they are extremely good and very effective at this stuff, though we actually lack any EU experience at the moment because all the EU players have all retired, so there is no-one there who has that experience. "But the problem is more a political one because if you can't work out what you are going to achieve in a negotiation you are very unlikely to achieve it." Mr Powell was delivering the opening address at the three-day HMC conference in Belfast. The HMC is a professional association of heads of the world's leading independent schools. Northern Ireland Secretary of State James Brokenshire has delivered his speech to the Conservative party conference in Manchester. Below is the full text. Conference, as you've just heard in that typically passionate, powerful and inspiring speech from Ruth Davidson.... as Conservatives we are proud in our United Kingdom and resolute in support of the special bonds that bind us together.... And it is great to have Ruth as leader of the Scottish Conservatives taking the SNP to task and taking that positive message to the people of Scotland. As Conservatives, we're proud of the values of democracy, justice, freedom of speech, equality and basic fairness that define our Country Proud in our outward looking approach to the world. Proud of our traditions, our culture, our history and what we have achieved. And steadfast in our belief that our best days lie ahead of us not behind us. It is this spirit of optimism that guides our vision as Conservatives. And how our prosperity is enhanced by our precious union of four great nations. In this party we value the huge contribution that people from Northern Ireland make to all parts of our national life. Business... the arts... science... technology... public service... sport. Our clear belief is that Northern Ireland's future is best served as part of a stronger United Kingdom... and the United Kingdom is strengthened by Northern Ireland. So let the message ring out loud and clear from this Conference. In this party and this Government we will never be neutral in expressing our support for the Union. But we recognise and respect that a significant section of Northern Ireland legitimately aspires to a different constitutional future. And while all reliable tests of opinion demonstrate overwhelming support for the current constitutional arrangements... we will always abide by the principle of consent and govern in the interests of the whole community. As our Manifesto made clear and our commitment to the Stormont House Agreement sets out we also know that we need to respond to the issues of the past recognising the pain that many continue to feel so that Northern Ireland can look to the future. Upholding the rule of law in ways which are just, fair proportionate and equitable. And which do not focus unfairly or unjustly on those who served in the security forces whose service, bravery and sacrifice have enabled us to benefit from the peace and stability we enjoy today. Making the political settlement work remains our overriding priority and I am determined that Northern Ireland will continue to prosper... continue to progress.... and that we build a Northern Ireland that works for everyone. That's the job we are getting on with and I want to thank my great Ministerial team of Chloe Smith and Nick Bourne, my PPS David Morris and our whip Nigel Adams. I also want to put on record my appreciation of the work of Andrew Dunlop and that of Kris Hopkins and Oliver Colville. We miss Kris and Oliver from the Commons and want to see them back doing the job they both do so well. I want to welcome Arlene Foster and her colleagues from the Democratic Unionist Party who are attending our conference this week, as they have before. We are and will remain two separate parties with our distinctive identities and values. On some issues, we will disagree. But as two parties we are working together at Westminster in the national interest. Providing the political stability our country needs to respond to some of the most significant challenges and opportunities in a generation... And standing firm against Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party who would lead our country down a path to economic ruin and leave people worse off just like they always do. That is what working in the national interest is all about. Next April will mark the twentieth anniversary of the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement. And next December will see the twenty fifth anniversary of John Major signing the Downing Street Declaration which paved the way for it. There is no doubt that the 1998 Agreement was an historic landmark in the history of Northern Ireland and Ireland. Terrorist atrocities and the security presence needed to counter them are no longer a daily fact of life. Relations between Northern Ireland and Ireland and between the United Kingdom and Ireland are stronger than ever. The Northern Ireland economy is continuing to grow as we Conservatives carry on the job of repairing the UK from the disaster we inherited in 2010 from Labour. But there is still a long way to go if we are to build the truly enterprise-driven economy that is needed. So Im committed to taking forward our manifesto pledges to develop city deals in Northern Ireland to explore the potential to establish a UK Government hub as part of a move of public bodies out of London And to see the devolution of corporation tax to enable Northern Ireland to compete for business on a level playing field with Ireland. But that requires a functioning Executive with stable and sustainable finances. Sadly, despite our extensive efforts and those of the Irish government consistent with the three stranded approach ... Northern Ireland hasn't had a properly functioning devolved government since the start of the year. As Conservatives we believe in devolution... believe in decisions being made as close to the community as possible... believe in locally elected politicians getting on with the job and being held accountable by a locally elected Assembly. But if the parties remain unable to find a way through we risk heading down a different path. Where the UK government will need to provide the necessary political stability and governance... starting with the setting of a budget for Northern Ireland later this month. Not because we want to... but because we have to. This isn't what I want to see. It isn't what serves Northern Ireland's interests. And it doesn't need to happen. Over the years, the political parties in Northern Ireland have found a way through the issues that have divided them. They have shown leadership in resolving hugely challenging and sensitive issues. They have created political stability which has been an example to world. As President Clinton said to me recently... we just can't go backwards. So my message to the parties is now is the time to reach agreement. Now is the time to look beyond the issues that divide you. Show the resolve you have demonstrated in the past. And let's get on with delivering the brighter, prosperous Northern Ireland we know can be achieved. The parties have shown that ability to put difference behind them over Bombardier. I am deeply disappointed by the initial determination of Boeings challenge to the sale of C series aircraft. The support that the UK provided to the Bombardier operation in Belfast was and remains compliant with international requirements. We will continue to defend UK interests and work with Bombardier to safeguard the jobs and livelihoods of over 4,000 skilled workers and their families in Belfast and across Northern Ireland. I say to Boeing this case is unjustified and unwarranted. This action is not what is expected of a long-term partner to the UK. They need to get round the table and secure a negotiated outcome to this dispute quickly. We are also determined to secure a prosperous future for our country as we leave the European Union. And I want to make one thing very clear. We joined the Common Market in 1973 as one United Kingdom and we will leave the European Union in 2019 as one United Kingdom. That includes leaving the single market and the customs union so that we can strike new trade deals with the rest of the world. At the same time, we recognise the need to address the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland, as part of the UK, and Ireland as a member of the EU. ... That the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement is upheld, That the Common Travel Area across these islands is maintained That the rights of citizens and relations North-South are preserved That the border for people, goods and services between Northern Ireland and Ireland remains as seamless and frictionless as possible with no physical infrastructure at the border. And of course that there is no border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland or anything that fractures the internal market of the United Kingdom which benefits Northern Ireland hugely. Significant progress has already been made as shown in Brussels last week. And with sufficient flexibility and imagination on all sides as the EU itself has called for we can succeed. As for Labour well they seem to think that Northern Ireland should somehow stay within the EU when the UK leaves. Well take no lessons from Labour when Northern Ireland matters so much to them, they couldnt even find time to discuss its affairs on their Conference floor last week. Let nobody be in any doubt as to this Conservative governments commitment to achieving the right outcome for Northern Ireland and the right outcome for the United Kingdom as a whole. And that could not be more so than on the issues of co-operation on security and public safety. That matters not just in Northern Ireland, but to the UK as a whole, as events here in Manchester in May tragically underlined. We stand together with the people of Manchester against those who would seek to divide us. In Northern Ireland the threat from dissident republican terrorists remains severe and as we have seen from their attempts to murder this year they have lethal intent and capability. In addition, too many communities in Northern Ireland still live in the grip of paramilitary groups criminals who use fear and intimidation to exert control to line their own pockets. Tackling terrorism and paramilitary activity requires a strategic approach which I believe we have in place. So, as ever, I want to underline our thanks and our strongest possible support to the brave men and women of the Police Service of Northern Ireland who along with our other security agencies do such a superb job day in, day out upholding the law and keeping people safe. In just a few years time we will mark one hundred years of Northern Ireland. It goes without saying that Northern Irelands history has often been turbulent. There have been many tragedies and suffering on all sides. But looking ahead to 2021 I want us to be able to present a modern, inclusive, outward looking Northern Ireland as part of a truly global United Kingdom. A Northern Ireland that is putting the bitterness of the past behind it and is uniting for the common good of everyone who lives there. A Northern Ireland overcoming its divided past and committed to building a united community. One Northern Ireland in which everyone has a shared interest. I believe that can be a real possibility. By restoring the institutions. Dealing with the legacy of the past. Strengthening the economy. And making a success of leaving the EU. Make no mistake. This Conservative Party and this Conservative team will strive to meet all these objectives. And as Northern Ireland approaches its centenary build a stronger and more prosperous future for all. A motorcyclist was killed in a fatal crash on the Tandragee Road, Newry. Pic Google Maps The man was hit by a car in Chapel Street, Cookstown. Pic Google Maps A male pedestrian has been killed after he was hit by a car in Cookstown. He has been named as 26-year-old Stephen Wilkinson, from the Ardboe area. Mr Wilkinson was killed after he was hit by a Ford Focus car shortly before 3.30am on Sunday morning. The 26-year-old male driver of the car has been arrested and is currently in police custody. Chapel street was closed to traffic and has since reopened. It's the second fatal crash this weekend. A male motorcyclist died in a crash in Newry on Saturday evening. The man was aged in his 40s and his female pillion passenger was injured in the crash - she remains in hospital in a serious condition. The crash between the bike and another vehicle happened on the Tandragee Road at around 7pm. In another incident the emergency services attended another serious incident on the Whitesides Road in Ballymena at around 9pm on Saturday involving a tractor. There are no further details. Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact investigators on 101. The Met Office has in place a weather warning for the start of the week in Northern Ireland. A yellow warning for wind will come into effect just after 12am on Monday for the entire day mainly affecting parts of counties Antrim, Down and Londonderry. Disruption to travel and power supplies are likely. "Some bus and train journeys may be affected with some journeys taking longer," The Met Office said. "Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges are likely. Some short term interruptions to power supplies are possible." Frequent showers are expected in the morning, becoming less widespread in the afternoon with some bright or sunny spells developing. Windy with early gales in the east. Feeling rather cold with a maximum temperature 15 C. Meanwhile bookies have cut the odds on this month being the wettest October on record. The UK is on course for an unsettled spell as the month begins with heavy rain and strong to gale force winds resulting in forecasters issuing severe weather warnings. People are urged to keep an eye on the forecast as the weather is being influenced by what is left of tropical systems Lee and Maria in the Atlantic. Bookmaker Coral has cut the odds on it being the wettest October on record to 2-1 from 4-1 following a flurry of bets on Sunday morning. The firm is also offering 5-2 for there to be snowfall in October, with spokesman John Hill saying: "Punters are expecting a damp outlook ahead over the next few weeks as we have seen a flurry of bets for this month to be the wettest October on record where the odds have been slashed following a strong gamble. "With the tail ends of hurricanes Lee and Maria still being felt, we have also cut the odds on the wind speed to reach as high as 100mph over the next seven days." Laura Paterson, operational chief meteorologist at the Met Office, explained how the remnants of Lee and Maria may affect the weather towards the end of the weekend and into the beginning of the week. "Although both systems will be much weaker by the time they enter the UK's latitudes, the heat and moisture from ex-Lee will give a 'boost' to another developing area of low pressure further north, bringing some heavy rain and strong winds for many northern and western parts of the UK on Sunday. "Meanwhile, the remnants of Maria may bring some rain across southern parts of the UK later on Monday," she said. The Met Office said it is important to stress that any weather impacts will be very different from those experienced in the Caribbean. Forecasters also added that once these areas of low pressure clear away eastwards, the weather is likely to become more settled with many places seeing some periods of dry, bright weather next week.